U.S. patent application number 13/249546 was filed with the patent office on 2012-02-23 for hovercard pivoting for mobile devices.
This patent application is currently assigned to GOOGLE INC.. Invention is credited to Istiaque Ahmed, Robert J. Kroeger, Brett R. Lider, Joanne L. McKinley, Alexander Nicolaou.
Application Number | 20120047442 13/249546 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44534690 |
Filed Date | 2012-02-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120047442 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nicolaou; Alexander ; et
al. |
February 23, 2012 |
HOVERCARD PIVOTING FOR MOBILE DEVICES
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs
encoded on a computer storage medium, for invoking execution of web
based applications. In one aspect, a method includes receiving user
input at a computing device, displaying a contact hovercard on a
display of the computing device in response to the user input, the
contact hovercard including first contact data and second contact
data, the first contact data corresponding to a first web
application and the second contact data corresponding to a second
web application, the first web application and the second web
application being executed on one or more servers, receiving user
input selecting the first contact data, generating a user interface
and accessing the first web application over a network in response
to receiving the user input selecting the first contact data, and
providing the first contact data as input to the first web
application.
Inventors: |
Nicolaou; Alexander;
(Waterloo, CA) ; McKinley; Joanne L.; (Waterloo,
CA) ; Kroeger; Robert J.; (Waterloo, CA) ;
Lider; Brett R.; (San Francisco, CA) ; Ahmed;
Istiaque; (Kitchener, CA) |
Assignee: |
GOOGLE INC.
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
44534690 |
Appl. No.: |
13/249546 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12983982 |
Jan 4, 2011 |
|
|
|
13249546 |
|
|
|
|
61374441 |
Aug 17, 2010 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/738 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/134 20200101;
G06F 3/0481 20130101; G06F 3/04842 20130101; G06F 16/972 20190101;
G06F 16/954 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/738 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/048 20060101
G06F003/048; G06F 15/16 20060101 G06F015/16 |
Claims
1. A mobile computing device that communicates with one or more
servers over a network, the mobile computing device comprising a
computer-readable medium coupled to one or more processors and
having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one
or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform
operations comprising: receiving user input; displaying a contact
hovercard on a display of the computing device in response to
receiving the user input, the contact hovercard including first
contact data that corresponds to a first web application, and
second contact data that corresponds to a second web application,
the first and second web applications being executed on the one or
more servers; receiving user input that selects the first contact
data; generating a user interface and accessing the first web
application over a network in response to receiving the user input
that selects the first contact data; and providing the first
contact data as input to the first web application.
2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations
further comprise: transmitting a request to the one or more
servers; and receiving, from the one or more servers, the contact
hovercard in response to the request.
3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations
further comprise receiving, from the one or more servers, the first
contact data and the second contact data in response to the
request.
4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations
further comprise: subsequent to generating and providing, receiving
user input selecting the second contact data; generating the user
interface and accessing the second web application over the network
in response to receiving the user input selecting the second
contact data; and providing the second contact data as input to the
second web application.
5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations
further comprise accessing the second web application, the second
web application displaying a list of contacts on the display,
wherein receiving user input comprises receiving user input
selecting a contact from the list of contacts, the contact
hovercard corresponding to the contact.
6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the first
contact data and the second contact data are each displayed as a
hyperlink to the first and second web applications,
respectively.
7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the first web
application and the second web application each comprise one of an
email application, a social networking application, an instant
messaging application, a telephone service application, a calendar
application, and a video and/or voice over internet protocol (VOIP)
application.
8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations
further comprise displaying a list of contacts on the display, the
user input corresponding to a selected contact of the list of
contacts and the contact hovercard corresponding to the selected
contact.
9. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the list of
contacts comprises one or more contacts associated with a user
profile of a user of the mobile device.
10. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the contact
hovercard corresponds to a particular contact and is stored at a
central repository as the only hovercard available for the
particular contact.
11. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the contact
hovercard further includes third contact data, the third contact
data corresponding to a third web application that is executed on
the one or more servers.
12. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations
further comprise: retrieving a contact hovercard template from
computer memory; retrieving the first contact data and the second
contact data from computer memory; and populating the contact
hovercard template with the first contact data and the second
contact data to provide the contact hovercard.
13. The mobile computing device of claim 12, wherein the computer
memory is provided at the one or more servers.
14. The mobile computing device of claim 12, wherein the computer
memory is provided at the mobile computing device.
15. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the operations
further comprise: storing the first contact data and the second
contact data in digital memory of the mobile computing device;
receiving updated first contact data from the one or more servers
in response to the user input; and updating the first contact data
using the updated first contact data.
16. One or more computer storage media encoded with a computer
program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by
data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to
perform operations comprising: receiving user input; displaying a
contact hovercard on a display of a computing device in response to
the user input, the contact hovercard including first contact data
and second contact data, the first contact data corresponding to a
first web application and the second contact data corresponding to
a second web application, the first web application and the second
web application being executed on one or more servers; receiving
user input selecting the first contact data; generating a user
interface and accessing the first web application over a network in
response to receiving the user input selecting the first contact
data; and providing the first contact data as input to the first
web application
17. A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving user input
at a computing device; displaying a contact hovercard on a display
of the computing device in response to the user input, the contact
hovercard including first contact data and second contact data, the
first contact data corresponding to a first web application and the
second contact data corresponding to a second web application, the
first web application and the second web application being executed
on one or more servers; receiving user input selecting the first
contact data; generating a user interface and accessing the first
web application over a network in response to receiving the user
input selecting the first contact data; and providing the first
contact data as input to the first web application.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/983,982, filed on Jan. 4, 2011, which
claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e)(1), to U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/374,441, filed on Aug. 17, 2010, the
disclosure of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference
in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This specification generally relates to mobile devices, and
more particularly to a contact hovercard that provides a bridge to
and between web applications executed using a mobile device.
[0003] A user of a mobile computing device can interact with
multiple productivity and communications web based applications.
The web based applications can include, for example, an email
application, a calendar application, a social networking
application, an instant messaging application, a telecommunications
service application and a video and/or voice over internet protocol
(VOIP) application. Each application can present to the user a
unique user interface and experience.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to one innovative aspect of the subject matter
described in this specification, a mobile computing device can be
used to execute one or more mobile device applications included in
a suite of mobile productivity and communications applications. The
mobile productivity and communications applications can be web
based applications that have in common a need for contact
information. In some implementations, each mobile productivity and
communications application can access a common contact hovercard
that functions as an interface including the contact information
for a specific selected individual. The contact information can be
contact data for the individual that can include, for example,
email addresses, phone numbers, and street addresses.
[0005] In general, another innovative aspect of the subject matter
described in this specification may be embodied in methods that
include the actions of receiving user input at a computing device,
displaying a contact hovercard on a display of the computing device
in response to the user input, the contact hovercard including
first contact data and second contact data, the first contact data
corresponding to a first web application and the second contact
data corresponding to a second web application, the first web
application and the second web application being executed on one or
more servers, receiving user input selecting the first contact
data, generating a user interface and accessing the first web
application over a network in response to receiving the user input
selecting the first contact data, and providing the first contact
data as input to the first web application. Other implementations
of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and
computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the
methods, encoded on computer storage devices.
[0006] These and other implementations may each optionally include
one or more of the following features. For instance, the operations
may further include transmitting a request to the one or more
servers, and receiving, from the one or more servers, the contact
hovercard in response to the request; the operations may further
include receiving, from the one or more servers, the first contact
data and the second contact data in response to the request; the
operations may further include, subsequent to generating and
providing, receiving user input selecting the second contact data,
generating the user interface and accessing the second web
application over the network in response to receiving the user
input selecting the second contact data, and providing the second
contact data as input to the second web application; the operations
may further include accessing the second web application, the
second web application displaying a list of contacts on the
display, wherein receiving user input includes receiving user input
selecting a contact from the list of contacts, the contact
hovercard corresponding to the contact; the first contact data and
the second contact data may each be displayed as a hyperlink to the
first and second web applications, respectively; the first web
application and the second web application may each include one of
an email application, a social networking application, an instant
messaging application, a telephone service application, a calendar
application, and a video and/or voice over internet protocol (VOIP)
application; the operations may further include displaying a list
of contacts on the display, the user input corresponding to a
selected contact of the list of contacts and the contact hovercard
corresponding to the selected contact, wherein the list of contacts
includes one or more contacts associated with a user profile of a
user of the computing device; the contact hovercard may correspond
to a particular contact and is stored at a central repository as
the only hovercard available for the particular contact; the
contact hovercard may further include third contact data, the third
contact data corresponding to a third web application that is
executed on the one or more servers; the operations may further
include retrieving a contact hovercard template from computer
memory, retrieving the first contact data and the second contact
data from computer memory, and populating the contact hovercard
template with the first contact data and the second contact data to
provide the contact hovercard, the computer memory may be provided
at the one or more servers and/or at the computing device; the
operations may further include storing the first contact data and
the second contact data in digital memory of the mobile computing
device, receiving updated first contact data from the one or more
servers in response to the user input, and updating the first
contact data using the updated first contact data.
[0007] The details of one or more implementations of the subject
matter described in this specification are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Other potential
features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become
apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system architecture including
a mobile computing device that displays a contact hovercard.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates multiple web based applications that can
be launched from and provide access to a contact hovercard.
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a contact hovercard displayed on a mobile
computing device and multiple web based applications that can be
launched using the contact hovercard.
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates an example process for launching a web
based application from a contact hovercard.
[0012] Like reference numbers represent corresponding parts
throughout.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system architecture including
a mobile computing device 102 that displays a contact hovercard
112. The mobile computing device 102 communicates with a network
104 and one or more server systems 106, 108. The network can be
provided as a large computer network, such as a local area network
(LAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a cellular network,
or a combination thereof connecting any number of computing
devices. A touchscreen display 110 of the mobile computing device
102 displays the contact hovercard 112 for an individual contact
114 (e.g., Alice Barker). As used herein, the term contact
hovercard refers to a graphical user interface that displays
contact information or data associated with a particular contact.
The contact data can be presented in the contact hovercard as a
link to invoke execution of a corresponding web based application.
A contact can include, for example, a person and/or an entity, such
as a company or institution (e.g., hospital, museum, library),
and/or a government agency (e.g., police department, fire
department).
[0014] A user of the mobile computing device 102 can launch a web
based application, such as mobile productivity and communications
web based applications, using the mobile computing device 102. As
used herein, the terms web based application or web application
refer to a computer software application that is accessed over a
network, and/or a computer software application that is hosted in a
browser-controlled environment or coded in a browser-supported
language and reliant on a common web browser to render the
application executable. Each web based application, though
different in the service provided to the user, has the common need
for contact data (e.g., email addresses, phone numbers, street
addresses, etc.).
[0015] In some implementations, the web based application is an
application that is accessed using the network 104 and executed on
a server (e.g., server 106). The web based application can be a
computer software application that is hosted in a
browser-controlled environment or that is coded in a
browser-supported language and is reliant on a common web browser
to render the application executable. In general, a client-server
relationship is established between the mobile computing device 102
and the one or more servers 106, 108, in which a user interface
(e.g., web browser) is provided on the client side (e.g., the
mobile computing device 102) for receiving user input to and
providing output from the application being executed on the one or
more servers.
[0016] In FIG. 1, the mobile computing device 102 is depicted as a
handheld mobile telephone (e.g., a smartphone or an application
telephone) that includes the touchscreen display 110 for presenting
content (e.g., the contact hovercard 112) to a user of the mobile
computing device 102. The mobile computing device 102 includes
various input devices (e.g., the touchscreen display device 110, a
keyboard (not shown)) for receiving user input that influences the
operation of the mobile computing device 102. In further
implementations, the mobile computing device 102 may be a laptop
computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, an
embedded system (e.g., a car navigation system), a desktop
computer, or a computerized workstation.
[0017] The mobile computing device 102 may include various visual,
auditory, and tactile user-output mechanisms. An example visual
output mechanism is the touchscreen display 110, which can visually
display video, graphics, images, and text that combine to provide a
visible user interface. An example tactile user-output mechanism is
a small electric motor that is connected to an unbalanced weight to
provide a vibrating alert (e.g., to silently vibrate the mobile
computing device 102 to alert a user of an incoming telephone call
or confirm user contact with the touchscreen display 110). The
mobile computing device 102 may include one or more speakers 116
that convert an electrical signal into sound, for example, music,
an audible alert, or voice of an individual in a telephone call.
The mobile computing device 102 may include mechanical or touch
sensitive buttons 118a-d.
[0018] The mobile computing device 102 can determine a position of
physical contact with the touchscreen display 110 (e.g., a position
of contact by a finger or a stylus). Using the touchscreen display
110, various "virtual" input mechanisms may be produced, where a
user interacts with a graphical user interface element depicted on
the touchscreen display 110 by contacting the graphical user
interface element.
[0019] The mobile computing device 102 may present a graphical user
interface (e.g., the contact hovercard 112) with the touchscreen
display 110. A graphical user interface is a collection of one or
more graphical user interface elements and may be static (e.g., the
display appears to remain the same over a period of time), or may
be dynamic (e.g., the graphical user interface includes graphical
user interface elements that animate without user input).
[0020] A graphical user interface element may be text, lines,
shapes, images, or combinations thereof. For example, a graphical
user interface element may be an icon that is displayed on the
touchscreen display 110 and the icon's associated text. In some
examples, a graphical user interface element is selectable with
user-input. For example, a user may select a graphical user
interface element (by pressing a region of the touchscreen display
110 that corresponds to a display of the graphical interface
element). In some examples, the user may manipulate a trackball to
highlight a single graphical user interface element as having
focus. User-selection of a graphical user interface element may
invoke a pre-defined action by the mobile computing device 102. In
some examples, selectable graphical interface elements further or
alternatively correspond to a button on a keyboard included with
the mobile computing device. User-selection of the button may
invoke the pre-defined action. As shown in FIG. 1, graphical user
interface elements can be phone icons 120, 122, email icons 124,
126, 128, Short Message Service (SMS) buttons 130, 132, and chat
buttons 134, 136.
[0021] In some implementations, a user of the mobile computing
device 102 can launch a mobile productivity and communications web
based application using the mobile computing device 102. The mobile
productivity and communications web based application can be, for
example, a maps application, an email application, a calendar
application, a social networking application, an instant messaging
application, a telecommunications service application, a video
and/or VOIP application or any application that utilizes contact
data. Contact data can include, for example, email addresses, phone
numbers, user identifications (user IDs), and/or street addresses.
As described, the mobile computing device 102 can access the web
based application using the network 104. The web based application
can reside on one or more servers (e.g., server 106).
[0022] In some implementations, to access a desired web based
application, a user selects an individual contact from a contact
list. As discussed herein, the contact list can be stored in memory
of the mobile computing device and/or can be retrieved from one or
more servers (e.g., server 108) over the network 104. Upon
selection of the particular contact, the mobile computing device
102 displays a contact hovercard 112 specific to that contact on
the touchscreen display 110. The contact hovercard 112 includes all
of the currently available contact data for the particular contact.
In the example contact hovercard 112 of FIG. 1, contact data for
contact 114 (Alice Barker) is populated into the contact hovercard
112.
[0023] As discussed in further detail herein, the user can invoke
execution of a web based application by selecting particular
contact data presented in the contact hovercard 112. Once operating
in the web based application, the user can access the same contact
hovercard 112 or another contact hovercard from the web based
application. In this manner, each contact hovercard provides a
gateway to one or more web based applications and as a pivot or
bridge between web based applications and other contact
hovercards.
[0024] In the example contact hovercard 112 of FIG. 1, the contact
data includes email addresses 138, 140, mobile phone number 142,
work phone number 144, home address 146 and work address 148. The
contact hovercard 112 can include a dynamic graphical user
interface element 150 that displays a status message and current
location of the contact. The contact hovercard 112 can also display
a contact picture 152.
[0025] In some implementations, one or more contact data databases
can be provided at one or more server systems (e.g., server system
108). The databases can store contact data. In some
implementations, contacts can maintain contact information in the
database. For example, a contact can build a profile that includes
contact data such as one or more email addresses, one or more
mailing addresses, one or more telephone numbers, and/or one or
more user IDs corresponding to web based applications, for example.
The contact data for the individual contact can be stored in the
contact data databases and associated with that contacts profile. A
user may be provided access to the contact's contact data. In some
implementations, for example, the contact can approve one or more
users as authorized users that are able to access and view the
contact's contact data.
[0026] As discussed above, a user of a mobile computing device can
access a contact list. The contact list will be populated with
contact data that the respective contact's have authorized the user
to have access to, and/or with contact data that the user has input
themselves. The user can select a particular contact from the
contact list to be presented with and view a contact hovercard
associated with the particular contact.
[0027] In some implementations, the contact hovercard and
underlying contact data can be retrieved over the network. In this
manner, the displayed contact hovercard can be populated with the
most recent contact data for the particular contact as stored in a
central repository (e.g., server system 108). In some
implementations, contact data can be cached locally on the mobile
computing device, and, when the user selects a particular contact
from a contact list, the contact data can be retrieved from the
locally cached contact data and the displayed hovercard can be
populated. Cached content is refreshed over the network each time
the hovercard application starts.
[0028] In some implementations, the contact hovercard 112 can be
stored as a template in a central repository (e.g., digital memory
of the mobile computing device, an html5 database of a web browser
executed by the mobile device), which communicates with the mobile
computing device over the network. For example, when a user selects
a contact from a contact list, the mobile computing device can
retrieve a contact hovercard template from the central repository
and can populate the contact hovercard with contact data for the
selected contact. The contact data can be retrieved from the
central repository and/or from a local cache of the mobile
computing device.
[0029] In some implementations, the contact hovercard can be stored
as a template in a local cache of the mobile computing device
(e.g., digital memory of the mobile computing device). For example,
when a user selects a contact from a contact list, the mobile
computing device can retrieve a contact hovercard template from the
local cache and can populate the contact hovercard with contact
data for the selected contact. The contact data can be retrieved
from a central repository (e.g., server system 108) over a network,
and/or from the local cache of the mobile computing device.
[0030] In some implementations, the mobile computing device 102 may
be "offline" (e.g., not connected to the network 104) and
therefore, the mobile computing device 102 may not access the
server systems 106, 108 in order to retrieve the contact hovercard
and/or contact data. Consequently, the mobile computing device 102
may be used to retrieve locally cached contact hovercards and
contact data. In such scenarios, the user may not be able to invoke
execution of the web based application. However, the user can be
provided with limited functionality. For example, the user may be
able to prepare a draft email, instant message, native phone call
or native SMS, and/or other communication using an "offline"
version of the web based application that executes on the mobile
computing device 102. In such cases, the contact hovercard can be
provided as an HTML web page, for example, that is stored locally
on the mobile computing device 102. The draft email, instant
message and/or other communication can be queued for subsequent
transmission once the mobile computing device 102 is back in
communication with the network 104.
[0031] In some implementations, the mobile computing device 102 can
determine where to retrieve the contact hovercard (e.g., contact
hovercard 112) and contact data to populate the contact hovercard
112 based on a status of the network connection between the mobile
computing device 102 and the network 104. For example, if the
network data transfer speed is deemed to be slow (e.g., a current
bit transfer rate is lower than a predetermined threshold), the
mobile computing device 102 can use some or all of its locally
cached data to display and populate the contact hovercard 112 to
decrease the amount of time from the selection of the contact by
the user to the display of the contact hovercard 112 to the
user.
[0032] In some implementations, the mobile computing device 102 may
first populate the contact hovercard 112 with locally cached
contact data and can subsequently access the contact data stored at
the central repository (e.g., server system 108). The mobile
computing device 102 can compare the stored contact data retrieved
from the central repository to the locally cached contact data. If
the contact data has changed, the mobile computing device 102 can
update the locally cached contact data and update the displayed
contact data in the contact hovercard 112. Using locally cached
data to initially populate the contact hovercard 112 decreases the
amount of time between the selection of a contact by a user and
display of the contact hovercard 112. In some implementations, the
mobile computing device 102 may retrieve the stored contact data
from the central repository, compare the retrieved contact data to
the locally cached contact data, update the locally cached contact
data, if necessary, and only then populate the graphical user
interface of the contact hovercard 112.
[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates multiple web based applications 202a-e
that can be launched from and provide access to a contact hovercard
204. A contact can be selected from a contact list 205 using a
mobile computing device (e.g., the mobile computing device 102).
Contact data 206 for individual contacts
(contact.sub.1-contact.sub.j) can be stored in a contact database
(e.g., maintained at server system 108) and/or a local cache (e.g.,
digital memory of the mobile computing device). The web based
applications 202a-e can be provide as a suite of applications. The
web based applications 202a-e can include mobile productivity and
communications applications that can include, for example, an email
application 202a, an instant messaging application 202b, a video
and/or VOIP application 202c, a telecommunications service
application 202d, and a calendar application 202e. Contact data 206
that can be used to populate the contact hovercards 204 is stored
for each contact (e.g., Contact.sub.1-Contact.sub.j). Contact data
for each contact can include but is not limited to email addresses,
phone numbers, and street addresses.
[0034] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a user of the mobile computing
device 102 can launch a web based application (e.g., email
application 202a) from a contact hovercard 112, 204 and can access
a contact hovercard 112, 204 from the web based application. A user
selects an individual contact from a contact list (e.g., Alice
Barker) to retrieve a corresponding contact hovercard 112, 204.
Alice Barker's contact data can be stored in and retrieved from a
central repository and/or can be locally cached at the mobile
computing device 102. The contact hovercard (e.g., hovercard 112)
can be invoked using a Universal Resource Locator (URL) that
includes hash parameters. The URL for the contact hovercard 112
specifies the location of the contact hovercard (e.g., where the
contact hovercard is stored in a central repository (e.g., server
system 108)) and the mechanism for retrieving it. For example, the
contact hovercard can be a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) web
page stored in the central repository. The hash parameters specify
the location of the contact data to populate the contact hovercard.
In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the hash parameters specify Alice
Barker's contact data stored in the central repository (e.g.,
contact.sub.1 206). Contact data 206 for Contact.sub.1 is retrieved
and used to populate the contact hovercard, resulting in contact
hovercard 112, 204 being displayed on the touchscreen display
110.
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a contact hovercard 302 displayed on a
mobile computing device 306 and multiple web based applications
(e.g., a social networking and messaging application (chat
application 308, email application 310) that can be launched from
the contact hovercard 302. A user of the mobile computing device
306 can invoke the launch of a web based application (e.g., email
application 310) from the contact hovercard 302. The user can go
back to the contact hovercard 302 from the web based application.
In some implementations, the user can access another contact
hovercard corresponding to a different contact from the web based
application.
[0036] In operation, the user can select an individual contact
(e.g., Adam Smith) from a contact list. The mobile computing device
306 displays the contact hovercard 302 corresponding to contact
Adam Smith. The example contact hovercard 302 includes an email
icon 312 and a chat icon 314. The user can launch a web based email
application be selecting the email icon 312 (e.g., by pressing a
region of the touchscreen display 304 that corresponds to the email
icon 312). When invoked, the web based email application receives
the selected contact data as input for pre-scripted functionality.
For example, the web based email application can instantiate an
email message with the email address contact data auto-populating
the recipient dialogue box of the email. That is, the mobile
computing device 306 displays an email application graphical user
interface 310 to the user on the touchscreen display 304 that
includes the contact data (e.g., email address 316).
[0037] In some implementations, the user can revert, or pivot, back
to the contact hovercard that was used to invoke the executing web
based application from the executing web based application. For
example, from the web based email application, the user can revert
back to the contact hovercard 302. The user can again select
another icon from the contact hovercard 302 to invoke execution of
a web based application. For example, the user can select the email
icon 312 to again invoke execution of the web based email
application. Alternatively, the user can select the chat icon 314
to invoke execution of a web based instant messaging application,
to display a graphical user interface 308 of the application.
[0038] Although not illustrated, the user can access a contact list
of the executing web based application. In some implementations,
the contact list accessed through the web based application can be
the same as a contact list accessed directly at the mobile
computing device 306. The user can select a contact from the
displayed contact list and mobile computing device 306 displays the
hovercard 302 for the selected contact (e.g., Adam Smith).
[0039] In some implementations, a contact list for a user can be
associated with a user profile that is shared among a suite of web
based applications. The mobile computing device 306 launches and
displays the contact hovercard 302. The user chooses to send the
contact, Adam Smith, an email message, for example. The user
selects the email icon 312 of the contact hovercard 302. A web
based email application (e.g., email application 202a) is launched
in response to the user selection, and the mobile computing device
306 displays the email application graphical user interface 310 to
the user. The user can compose and send an email message to the
selected contact. The user can close the web based application, can
pivot back to the contact hovercard (e.g., the contact hovercard
302 for Adam Smith), or can pivot to another contact hovercard
corresponding to a different contact. For example, the web based
application can display a contact list corresponding to the user
profile. The user can select a contact from the contact list and
the contact hovercard corresponding to the selected contact is
displayed. In this manner, the contact hovercard can provide a
pivot or bridge between web based applications and/or contacts.
[0040] The user can continue to link to other web based
applications by selecting icons on the contact hovercard that serve
as hyperlinks to the applications. The contact hovercard can
provide a common user interface for contact information that can be
accessed from multiple web based applications. Additionally, the
contact hovercard can act as a stepping stone or pivoting mechanism
between one web based application to another web based application
by providing links to each of the web based applications. The
contact hovercard provides the contact information to the launched
web based application.
[0041] In some implementations, a user can communicate with a
contact selected from their contact list. The user can link to web
based applications by selecting an icon on the contact hovercard
for that contact that serves as a hyperlink to the application. The
user can communicate with the contact. Once finished, the user can
access the contact list from the application and select a different
contact. A contact hovercard for the newly selected contact is
displayed. The user can link to other web based applications by
selecting icons on the contact hovercard for the newly selected
contact. Again, the icons serve as hyperlinks to the applications
in order to communicate with the newly selected contact. For
example, the user can invoke a web based email application using a
contact hovercard for a first contact (e.g., Adam Smith), can email
the first contact, can select a second contact (e.g., Alice Barker)
from a contact list presented by the web based email application,
and can be presented with the contact hovercard for the second
contact.
[0042] In some implementations, a desktop computing device includes
a desktop display device. The desktop display device can provide a
user with a larger display area than a touchscreen display device
of a mobile computing device. The desktop computing device can
display a contact hovercard over (on top of or "hovering over") the
currently displayed web page for the web based application
launching the contact hovercard. The functionality of the contact
hovercard displayed on the desktop display device is similar to the
functionality of the contact hovercard displayed by the mobile
computing device.
[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process 400 for
launching a web based application from a contact hovercard. For
purposes of illustration, the process 400 is described with
reference to FIG. 3. The process 400 begins when user input is
received (402). For example, the user input can be provided as a
selection of a contact (e.g., Adam Smith) from a contact list. A
contact hovercard is displayed and includes first and second
contact data (404). For example, the mobile computing device 306
displays contact hovercard 302 on the touchscreen display 304 of
the mobile computing device 306. The first contact data can be
provided as an icon and corresponds to a first web application, and
the second contact data can be provided as an icon and corresponds
to a second web application. The first web application and the
second web application can be executed on one or more servers
(e.g., server system 106).
[0044] An icon corresponding to one of the first web application
and the second web application is selected (406). For example, a
user decides to email the contact (e.g. Adam Smith) corresponding
to the contact hovercard 302, and selects the email icon 312. On
selection of the email icon 312, the mobile computing device 306
launches the email application (e.g., email application 202a shown
in FIG. 2) on the mobile computing device 306. A user interface is
generated for the selected web based application (408). For
example, when launching the email application (e.g., email
application 202) the graphical user interface 310 for the email
application is generated and displayed to the user on the
touchscreen display 304. Contact data is provided to the web based
application (410) and the process ends. For example, when launching
the email application (e.g., email application 202) using the
hyperlink associated with the email icon 312 on contact hovercard
302, the mobile computing device 306 provides the contact data
associated with the email icon 312 (e.g., email address 316) to the
email application (e.g., email application 202).
[0045] A number of implementations have been described.
Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
disclosure. For example, various forms of the flows shown above may
be used, with steps re-ordered, added, or removed. Accordingly,
other implementations are within the scope of the following
claims.
[0046] Implementations and all of the functional operations
described in this specification may be provided in digital
electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or
hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification
and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more
of them. Implementations may be provided as one or more computer
program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program
instructions encoded on a computer readable medium for execution
by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The
computer readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device,
a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a
composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated
signal, or a combination of one or more of them. The term "data
processing apparatus" encompasses all apparatus, devices, and
machines for processing data, including by way of example a
programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or
computers. The apparatus may include, in addition to hardware, code
that creates an execution environment for the computer program in
question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a
protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system,
or a combination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is an
artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated
electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to
encode information for transmission to suitable receiver
apparatus.
[0047] A computer program (also known as a program, software,
software application, script, or code) may be written in any form
of programming language, including compiled or interpreted
languages, and it may be deployed in any form, including as a stand
alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit
suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program
does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A
program may be stored in a portion of a file that holds other
programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup
language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in
question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store
one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer
program may be deployed to be executed on one computer or on
multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed
across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication
network.
[0048] The processes and logic flows described in this
specification may be performed by one or more programmable
processors executing one or more computer programs to perform
functions by operating on input data and generating output. The
processes and logic flows may also be performed by, and apparatus
may also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g.,
an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application
specific integrated circuit).
[0049] Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program
include, by way of example, both general and special purpose
microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of
digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions
and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or
both.
[0050] Elements of a computer are a processor for performing
instructions and one or more memory devices for storing
instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or
be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or
both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,
magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a
computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer may be
embedded in another device, e.g., a tablet computer, a mobile
telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio
player, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, to name just a
few. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program
instructions and data include all forms of non volatile memory,
media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor
memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices;
magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks;
magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor
and the memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special
purpose logic circuitry.
[0051] To provide for interaction with a user, implementations may
be provided on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT
(cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for
displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing
device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide
input to the computer. Other kinds of devices may be used to
provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback
provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,
visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input
from the user may be received in any form, including acoustic,
speech, or tactile input.
[0052] Implementations may be provided in a computing system that
includes a back end component, e.g., as a data server, or that
includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or
that includes a front end component, e.g., a client computer having
a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user
may interact with an implementation, or any combination of one or
more such back end, middleware, or front end components. The
components of the system may be interconnected by any form or
medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication
network. Examples of communication networks include a local area
network ("LAN") and a wide area network ("WAN"), e.g., the
Internet.
[0053] The computing system may include clients and servers. A
client and server are generally remote from each other and
typically interact through a communication network. The
relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer
programs running on the respective computers and having a
client-server relationship to each other.
[0054] While this specification contains many specifics, these
should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the
disclosure or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of
features specific to particular implementations. Certain features
that are described in this specification in the context of separate
implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single
implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in
the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in
multiple implementations separately or in any suitable
sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above
as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as
such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some
cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination
may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a
sub-combination.
[0055] Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in
a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that
such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in
sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,
to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances,
multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover,
the separation of various system components in the implementations
described above should not be understood as requiring such
separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that
the described program components and systems may generally be
integrated together in a single software product or packaged into
multiple software products.
[0056] In each instance where an HTML file is mentioned, other file
types or formats may be substituted. For instance, an HTML file may
be replaced by an XML, JSON, plain text, or other types of files.
Moreover, where a table or hash table is mentioned, other data
structures (such as spreadsheets, relational databases, or
structured files) may be used.
[0057] Thus, particular implementations have been described. Other
implementations are within the scope of the following claims. For
example, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a
different order and still achieve desirable results.
* * * * *