QUICK ACCESS TO VIRTUAL APPLICATIONS
An embedded operating system (OS) displays a user interface (UI) without waiting for the host OS to fully load. In one embodiment, the UI comprises icons for applications, advertisements, and browsers already configured with a URL. In one embodiment, the pre-configured browsers are set by the manufacturer. In another embodiment, the user can specify pre-configured browsers. In one embodiment, the icon owner pays for displaying an icon. The icon can be a static or a dynamic icon. Dynamic icons are downloaded from a file server.
1 . A system for displaying a browser pre-loaded with a landing page before a host operating system (OS) loads, the system comprising:
a client, said client comprising:
a display device;
a system boot read only memory (ROM);
a boot loader comprising an embedded OS stored in said boot ROM, said boot loader suspending launch of said host OS and launching a first electronic programming guide (EPG 1 ) instead;
said EPG 1 comprising:
a user interface (UI) that is presented to said user on said display, said EPG 1 UI comprising a plurality of icons, wherein at least one of said icons comprises a graphical representation of a browser configured to display a landing page, said landing page comprising a pre-selected Uniform Resource Locator (URL); and
a second electronic programming guide (EPG 2 ) that is launched by said EPG 1 , said EPG 2 for launching applications corresponding to each icon displayed on said EPG 1 UI, wherein responsive to selection of an icon comprising a graphical representation of a browser with said landing page, said EPG 2 launches said browser and displays said pre-selected URL.
2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a mechanism for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to define said pre-selected URL for each icon comprising said landing page.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein said system comprises a means for charging an icon owner a fee for each icon displayed with said icon owner's icon.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said pre-selected URL for each icon comprising said landing page is specified by a user.
5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a means for notifying an analytics server each time a user clicks on said icon comprising a graphical representation of said browser configured to display said landing page.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said EPG 1 UI further comprises a dynamic icon that is downloaded while said EPG 2 is active.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein said dynamic icon comprises a video clip.
8 . The system of claim 1 , said icon comprising at least one of a dynamic icon, an advertisement, a banner, and a virtual appliance.
9 . The system of claim 1 , said icon comprising a headline from an online news publisher.
10 . A computer implemented method for using a browser to display a pre-loaded landing page before a host operating system (OS) loads, the method comprising the steps of:
loading a bootloader comprising an embedded OS stored in a boot read only memory (ROM) of a client, said bootloader suspending launch of said host OS;
said bootloader loading a first electronic programming guide (EPG 1 ) in lieu of said host OS;
said EPG 1 displaying an EPG 1 user interface (UI), said EPG 1 UI comprising a plurality of icons, wherein at least one of said icons comprises a graphical representation of a browser configured to display a landing page, said landing page comprising a pre-selected Uniform Resource Locator (URL);
receiving from a user a selection of said icon comprising a graphical representation of a browser configured to display a landing page;
said EPG 1 loading a second electronic programming guide (EPG 2 );
receiving from a user a selection of said icon comprising a graphic representation of a browser configured to display a landing page;
said EPG 1 passing said selection of said icon to said EPG 2 ;
said EPG 2 launching said browser; and
said browser displaying said landing page.
11 . The computer implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of checking said icons for start dates.
12 . The computer implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
said EPG 2 querying a server for a dynamic icon;
said EPG 2 downloading said dynamic icon; and
displaying said EPG 1 UI, said EPG 1 UI comprising said dynamic icon.
13 . A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions, the instructions when executed by a browser cause an application to perform the method of claim 10 .
14 . The computer implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
loading said host OS;
said host OS querying a server for a dynamic icon;
said host OS downloading said dynamic icon; and
displaying said EPG 1 UI, said EPG 1 UI comprising said dynamic icon.
15 . The computer implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of:
responsive to selection of an icon comprising said browser configured to display said landing page, said EPG 2 notifying an analytics server of selection of said icon.
16 . The computer implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
said bootloader checking said client for a plurality of files for loading said EPG 1 ; and
downloading said files from a file server if said files are unavailable from said client.
17 . A computer implemented method for generating dynamic icons for display on a first electronic programming guide (EP 1 ) user interface (UI) loaded from an embedded operating system (OS), the method comprising:
loading a boot loader comprising said embedded OS stored in a boot read only memory (ROM) of a client, said bootloader suspending launch of said host OS;
said boot loader loading said EPG 1 ;
said EPG 1 loading a second electronic programming guide (EPG 2 );
said EPG 2 querying a server for at least one dynamic icon;
downloading said at least one dynamic icon from said server; and
displaying said EPG 1 UI on said client, said EPG 1 UI comprising said dynamic icons.
18 . The computer implemented method of claim 17 , wherein said dynamic icon comprises a video clip and wherein said client comprises a computer-readable storage medium.
19 . The computer implemented method of claim 18 further comprising the step of:
storing said video clip on said computer-readable storage medium;
receiving a request from a user to play said video clip;
said EPG 1 launching said EPG 2 ;
said EPG 2 launching a video player;
said video player retrieving said video clip from said computer-readable storage medium; and
said video player displaying said video clip.
20 . The computer implemented method of claim 17 , further comprising the steps of:
receiving a request from a user to launch an application associated with said dynamic icon; and
notifying an analytics server each time said user selects said dynamic icon.