Contextual Application Profile Management for State Restoration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile device users face challenges in seamlessly re-launching contextually related application sets after interruptions, as existing systems lack efficient methods to save and restore the state of multiple applications with shared data.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for saving and re-launching contextually related application sets on a computing device, which involves receiving and saving a set of applications as a profile, and launching them in response to a trigger, ensuring that each application's state is restored with updated data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If applications are hibernated to free up system resources, then system resource availability is improved, but application state preservation and quick re-launch capability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem resource availabilityVSAvoidtime to restore application state

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by saving the state of multiple contextually-related applications together as a cohesive profile when the user leaves the current application. This pre-saved profile includes all necessary application states and data, enabling rapid restoration without requiring individual application re-initialization, thus resolving the contradiction between resource freeing and quick state restoration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If individual applications are managed separately, then application independence is improved, but contextual relationship restoration and task continuity deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication independenceVSAvoidcontextual relationship information

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple contextually-related applications into a unified profile structure that preserves their individual states while maintaining their contextual relationships. When a trigger occurs, the entire profile is restored, bringing back all applications with their respective states and interrelationships intact, thus resolving the contradiction between application independence and contextual relationship preservation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If all applications are kept running in background, then application state availability is improved, but system resource consumption deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication state availabilityVSAvoidsystem resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments applications into contextually-related groups or profiles rather than managing them individually. Only the currently active profile is maintained in memory with full state availability, while other profiles are saved to storage. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliability for active contexts while significantly reducing overall resource consumption by not keeping all applications running simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10318338B2Re-launching contextually related application sets

Publication Date: 2019.06.11 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems, and computer program products for re-launching contextually related application sets. In one embodiment, applications which are contextually-related are saved to a profile, along with the state of each application and data associated with each application. The set of applications, along with saved state and data, can be re-launched responsive to a trigger.