Method and apparatus for constructing a widget environment

• US 9,298,475 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Woo, Hong-Uk, Kwon, Soon-Hwan, Park, Sung-Jin, Oh, Yun-Je, Kum, Dong-Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wood, William C
• Application Number:
  US13/235,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries

Abstract

A method and apparatus construct a widget environment. The method converts an application programming interface (API) into an API call in a Web service format in response to identifying that the API that is not executable in a current device is called. The method transmits the API call in the Web service format to a remote device in which the API is executable. The method receives a result obtained from the API call being executed in the Web service format in the remote device.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a widget environment, the method comprising:

responsive to identifying that an application programming interface (API) that is available but not executable in a current device is called, searching for a remote device in which the API is executable;

converting the API into an API call in a Web service format using information of the remote device;

transmitting the API call to the remote device; and

receiving a result obtained from the API call being executed in the remote device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calling the API; and

determining whether the API is executable in the current device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the API is executable in the current device comprises:

comparing the API with a function of a Web runtime included in the current device; and

determining whether the API is executable in the current device.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

responsive to determining that the API is executable in the current device, executing the API in the current device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an address of the remote device in which the API is executable; and

wherein transmitting the API call in the Web service format to the remote device in which the API is executable comprises;

transmitting the API call in the Web service format to the remote device according to the address of the remote device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the address of the remote device is a uniform resource locator (URL).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the API call in the Web service format to the remote device in which the API is executable comprises:

transmitting the API call in the Web service format to the remote device in which the API is executable in a HTTP request format.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the result obtained from the API call being executed in the Web service format in the remote device comprises:

receiving the result obtained from the API call being executed in the Web service format in the remote device in a HTTP response format.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

converting the result obtained from the API call being executed in the Web service format into a result obtained by executing the API.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the API call in the Web service format is a representational state transfer (REST) API call.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the API is a Bondi API.

12. An apparatus for constructing a widget environment, the apparatus comprising:

a controller, comprising hardware, the controller configured to, responsive to identifying that an application programming interface (API) that is available but not executable in the apparatus for constructing the widget environment is called, search for a remote device in which the API is executable, and convert the API into an API call in a Web service format using information of the remote device;

a transmitter configured to transmit the API call to a remote device; and

a receiver configured to receive a result obtained from the API call being executed in the remote device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to, responsive to identifying that the API is called, determine whether the API is executable in the apparatus for constructing the widget environment.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to compare the API with a function of a Web runtime included in the apparatus for constructing the widget environment and determine whether the API is executable in the apparatus for constructing the widget environment.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the Web runtime executes the API in response to determining that the API is executable in the apparatus for constructing the widget environment.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a URL of the remote device in which the API is executable and wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the API call in the Web service format to the remote device according to the URL of the remote device.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the API call in the Web service format to the remote device in which the API is executable in a HTTP request format.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive the result obtained from the API call being executed in the Web service format in the remote device in a HTTP response format.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to convert the result obtained from the API call being executed in the Web service format into a result obtained by executing the called API.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the API call in the Web service format is a REST API call.