Memory management

• US 9,600,352 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Platzer, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): MUDRICK, TIMOTHY A
• Application Number:
  US14/329,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20150040146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 719/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/00 Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures digital input from, or digital output to record carriers, e.g. to disk storage units, G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5022 Mechanisms to release resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

At least certain embodiments of the present disclosure include a method for memory management of a view of an application displayed on a display of a device. The method includes constructing a data structure having a hierarchy of layers with at least one layer being associated with the view. The method further includes storing the data structure in memory. The method further includes maintaining a retained count of the number of references to the view from other objects. The method further includes deallocating the view from memory if the retained count is zero. As discussed above, the retained count of the view will be decremented if the layer is removed from the data structure. Removing the layer from the data structure may occur based on the view associated with the layer being removed from the display of the device.

Claims

1. In an environment with a user interface software of a device interacting with a software application, a method for operating through an application programming interface (API), comprising:

constructing, with the device, a hierarchy of views operating on top of a hierarchy of layers within the user interface software; and

providing, with the device, access between the software application and the hierarchy of views via the API without accessing the hierarchy of layers, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without accessing the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views, wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of the multiple software applications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface software of the device constructs the hierarchy of views operating on top of the hierarchy of layers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the hierarchy of layers correspond to the hierarchy of views.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

constructing a data structure or layer tree that represents the hierarchy of layers with at least one layer being associated with a view.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without any access to the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of a display of the device with a first animation being associated with a first view of a first software application and a second animation being associated with a second view of a second software application of the multiple software applications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface software comprises a software kit or library.

8. A machine readable non-transitory medium storing executable program instructions which when executed cause a device to perform a method comprising:

constructing, with the device, a hierarchy of views operating on top of a hierarchy of layers within user interface software; and

providing, with the device, access between a software application and the hierarchy of views via an application programming interface (API) without accessing the hierarchy of layers, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without accessing the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of the multiple software applications.

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the user interface software of the device constructs the hierarchy of views operating on top of the hierarchy of layers.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the hierarchy of layers correspond to the hierarchy of views.

11. The medium of claim 8, further comprising:

constructing a data structure or layer tree that represents the hierarchy of layers with at least one layer being associated with a view.

12. The medium of claim 8, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without any access to the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views.

13. The medium of claim 8, wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of a display of the device with a first animation being associated with a first view of a first software application and a second animation being associated with a second view of a second software application of the multiple software applications.

14. The medium of claim 8, wherein the user interface software comprises a software kit or library.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

means for constructing a hierarchy of views operating on top of a hierarchy of layers within a user interface software; and

;

means for providing access between a software application and the hierarchy of views via an application programming interface (API) without accessing the hierarchy of layers, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without accessing the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of the multiple software applications.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the user interface software of the apparatus constructs the hierarchy of views operating on top of the hierarchy of layers.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the hierarchy of layers correspond to the hierarchy of views.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

constructing a data structure or layer tree that represents the hierarchy of layers with at least one layer being associated with a view.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without any access to the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of a display of the apparatus with a first animation being associated with a first view of a first software application and a second animation being associated with a second view of a second software application of the multiple software applications.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the user interface software comprises a software kit or library.

22. A device comprising:

an input panel which is configured to receive user input;

a display device integrated with the input panel;

one or more processing systems coupled to the input panel;

a storage device coupled to the one or more processing systems, the storage device being configured to store one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processing systems, the programs including;

instructions for constructing a hierarchy of views operating on top of a hierarchy of layers within a user interface software; and

instructions for providing access between a software application and the hierarchy of views via an application programming interface (API) without accessing the hierarchy of layers, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without accessing the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views, wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of the multiple software applications.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the user interface software of the device includes instructions for constructing the hierarchy of views operating on top of the hierarchy of layers.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the user interface software interacts with multiple software applications in order to synchronize animations associated with multiple views or windows of the display device with a first animation being associated with a first view of a first software application and a second animation being associated with a second view of a second software application of the multiple software applications.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the user interface software comprises a software kit or library.

26. The device of claim 22, the programs further comprising:

instructions for constructing a data structure or layer tree that represents the hierarchy of layers with at least one layer being associated with a view.

27. The device of claim 22, wherein the hierarchy of layers correspond to the hierarchy of views.

28. The device of claim 22, wherein the software application interacts with the hierarchy of views via the API without any access to the hierarchy of layers that is operating below the hierarchy of views.

29. The device of claim 22, wherein the device is one of:

a data processing device, a portable device, a portable data processing device, a multi touch device, a multi touch portable device, a wireless device, and a cell phone.