User Interface Manager for Seamless Peripheral Connection Across System Statuses
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Solution Overview
Problem
When a computer workstation transitions from a logged-on to a locked status during an ongoing peripheral connection establishment, users are often prevented from completing the connection due to the locked status preventing further user input, as the application waiting for input is unable to proceed.
Innovation Solution
A user interface manager module detects changes in system status and manages multiple user interfaces by transmitting state requests and control-state data structures between user interface modules, allowing seamless interaction with Windows services across different system statuses, including logged-on, locked, and logged-off states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the workstation transitions to locked system status during peripheral connection establishment, then system security is improved, but the peripheral connection establishment is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface manager detects system status changes and proactively transfers control state data structures from the logged-on user interface module to the locked user interface module before the user needs to interact again. This preliminary action ensures that when the user resumes interaction after locking, the peripheral connection establishment can continue seamlessly without interruption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple user interface modules are maintained for different system statuses, then adaptability to system status changes is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface manager acts as an intermediary between multiple user interface modules (logged-on, locked, logged-off). It detects system status changes and automatically routes control state data structures to the appropriate user interface module, allowing the system to adapt to different statuses without requiring complex manual switching or user awareness of the underlying complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A user interface manager, interposed between a Windows service and user interface modules that communicate with the Windows service in distinct system status scenarios, can record interaction between the Windows service and each of the user interface modules. The recorded interaction, along with information collected from the user interface modules, can be used in conjunction so that user interaction with a first one of the user interface modules may continue with a second one of the user interface modules after a switch from one system status (e.g., logged on) to another system status (e.g., locked). Alternatively, responsive to the switch from one system status to another system status the user interface manager may simply stop the executing user interface module so that the interaction may be started over in the new system status.