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Inactive Publication Date: 2009-02-26
SEVEN NETWORKS INC
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- Summary
- Abstract
- Description
- Claims
- Application Information
AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
[0018]The present invention advantageously provides a virtual platform neutral to physical device or software / hardware operating platform. The virtual platform comprises an abstraction layer that allows for portability across a variety of mobile devices and operating platforms, especially with regard to user interfaces. The virtual platform and abstraction layer and any related software allow for a user interface on a first device to appear and operate substantially similar to a user interface on a second device regardless of differences or limitations that may exist between the operating systems or physical nuances of the two devices. By providing a device-neutral user interface application, a user can move effortlessly between devices should, for example, the need for replacement or repair of a particular device arise or if the user possess multiple mobile devices (e.g., one device for personal use and a second device for work use).
[0019]Additionally, the neutrality of the interface application makes it possible for software developers and engineers to utilize one test suite for a variety of devices or platforms when introducing new features thereby reducing lag-time in delivering applications to market as well as research and development costs. For example, instead of developing five different interfaces for five different devices, one interface may be utilized across five different devices. These reductions in the time and cost of development and delivery inevitably translate into savings for the end-user and / or increases in profit and competitiveness for the application and / or device developer / manufacturer.
[0020]The present invention also provides a layout engine wherein graphics and / or text that are not immediately or wholly compatible with a particular device or platform in their native state can be dynamically altered prior to rendering so that they are ultimately rendered without significant layout errors or disruptions in the user's viewing of the information. Methodologies such as coordinate positioning of information and / or vector drawing are also provided.
Problems solved by technology
Despite an ever-increasing need for access to electronic mail and data, costs of ownership for mobile data access remain a barrier.
The issue is no longer whether mobile data access is a necessity but whether it can be deployed and managed in an effective manner.
Despite mobile devices becoming a staple in personal and commercial enterprise, rapidly evolving changes such as number portability, mergers in the telecommunications and software industry and the lack of any one particular technical standard in the mobile device technological space, make providing support for a wide-array of mobile devices an important, albeit difficult, issue with regard to accessing data from a mobile device.
The lack of internal expertise, the immaturity of standards, the complexity of integration, device limitations and application development have all been explicitly recognized as barriers to adopting mobile devices for providing access to data while, for example, out of the office or away from a personal desktop computer.
But as adoption and pervasiveness of mobile devices and operating platforms increase, so does technological fragmentation within the marketplace.
Such interfaces must not only provide access to mission critical data but also deal with the realities of variations in screen size, pixel density, aspect ratio and screen use availability amongst devices; limited memory on a mobile device; limited processing power; general quirkiness between platforms; and, perhaps most noticeable to the end-user, the general lack of space for interacting with the mobile device (e.g., keyboard space for text-entry and display space for viewing data).
A keyboard, mouse or even a stylus are normally not available for such interaction in a traditional wireless or mobile device.
Not only is input difficult, so is viewing a display rendering information.
Engineers have previously been forced to deal with the fact that present-day prior art interfaces are not be suitable for more than one primary set of devices.
An engineer is still, in many instances, limited by the fact that he or she must pre-generate static interfaces or multiple permutations of the interface as they pertain to a particular device or platform family.
This results in delays for delivery of applications and increased costs in research and development, which inevitably result in increased costs for the end-user.
Method used
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Embodiment Construction
[0033]FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a device including various operational layers and modules for interaction with the device. The present embodiment comprises a platform 110, abstraction layers 120, optional synchronization module 130, user interface 140, and client application 150.
[0034]Some embodiments of the present invention may comprise additional operational layers such as open or proprietary application program interfaces (APIs) that allow software engineers, programmers and even users of a particular platform and / or device to author or install applications that are compatible with the particular platform's operating environment. A virtual platform and / or layout engine may be embodied in such an application. Some embodiments of the present invention may lack certain operational layers or modules, such as synchronization module 130. Such modules would be absent should a particular device or platform not require, for example, synchronization operations.
[0035]T...
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An operating platform- and device-neutral user interface is provided. Through the use of the disclosed user interface, device-particular nuances with regard to the rendering of information are overcome thereby allowing for greater pervasiveness of mobile device usage and reduction in development and management costs through the improvement and consistency of functionality and rendering of information.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 227,272 filed Sep. 14, 2005 and entitled “Platform Neutral Interface for Use in Mobile Devices,” which claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60 / 661,757 filed Mar. 14, 2005 and entitled “Agnostic User Interface for Use in Mobile Devices.” The disclosure of these applications is incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 227,323 filed Sep. 14, 2005 and entitled “Cross Platform Event Engine”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 227,013 filed Sep. 14, 2005 and entitled “Intelligent Rendering of Information in a Limited Display Environment”; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 123,540 filed May 5, 2005 and entitled “Universal Text-Entry.” The disclosure of all the aforementioned applications is incorporated herein by reference. All the aforemention...
Claims
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Login to View More IPC IPC(8): G09G5/00
CPCG06F9/541G09G2340/145G09G5/14G06F3/0484G06F3/0482G06T11/20G06F9/542
InventorFLEMING, MICHAEL
OwnerSEVEN NETWORKS INC