IP Library Granted Patent US 9,930,162
Granted Patent B2
US 9,930,162 · App. 14/557,814 · Granted Mar 27, 2018

Techniques for enhancing content on a mobile device

Inventor: Craig Campbell (Redwood City, CA)
Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
H04M1/72522G06F3/048G06F9/543H04M1/72552H04M2203/2061H04M2250/12H04M2250/58
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,930,162
App. No.
14/557,814
Granted
Mar 27, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

Techniques for enhancing content on a mobile device are described. A method may include monitoring an input component for the mobile device and detecting a first control directive from the input component, the first control directive to instruct selection of a content portion from a user interface of a first application executing on the mobile device. The method may continue by receiving a second control directive to select the content portion; performing an operation on the selected content portion by a second application different from the first application; and presenting results of the operation on a display of the mobile device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims (52)

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

monitoring an input component for a mobile device by a trigger action component executing on the mobile device while a first application different from the trigger action component presents a user interface on a display of the mobile device;

detecting, by the trigger action component, a first control directive from the input component, the first control directive to instruct selection of a content portion from the user interface of the first application and received while the user interface of the first application is presented;

receiving a second control directive to select the content portion from the user interface of the first application;

selecting, by the trigger action component, one operation according to a mapping of a plurality of control directives to a plurality of operations;

performing the selected operation on the selected content portion by a second application different from the first application and different from the trigger action component, the operation performed by the second application while the first application remains in a foreground state on the mobile device;

receiving, at the trigger action component, an operation result comprising second content different from the selected content from the second application; and

presenting the operation results on a display of the mobile device while the first application remains in the foreground state.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising extracting the selected content portion from the user interface of the first application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising requesting an operation on the selected content portion from the second application and receiving an operation result on the selected content portion from the second application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising:

detecting a context on the mobile device;

performing an operation according to the detected context by a third application; and

presenting results of the operation on the display of the mobile device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising storing the operation results with a content identifier and retrieving the stored operation results when the second application is not available to perform the operation.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising storing the operation results with a context identifier and retrieving the stored operation results when at least one of the selected content or a context of the mobile device is the same as when the operation results were stored.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising:

parsing the selected content into one or more data items; and

selecting an operation according to a type of the one or more data items.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mapping of the plurality of control directives comprises a first mapped control directive including a first sequence of one or more inputs to the input component and mapping to a first operation, and a second mapped control directive including a second sequence of inputs to the input component and mapping to a second operation, the first sequence of inputs different from the second sequence of inputs.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processing circuits;

a display to output information from the apparatus to the user;

one or more input components to receive a first control directive from a user, the first control directive to instruct selection of a content portion from a user interface of a first application executing on the one or more processing circuits and received while the user interface of the first application is presented on the display;

a storage unit storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processing circuits, causes a trigger action component to:

receive a second control directive to select the content portion from the user interface of the first application in response to receiving the first control directive;

select one operation according to a mapping of a plurality of control directives to a plurality of operations;

request the selected operation on the selected content portion by a second application different from the first application and different from the trigger action component, the operation performed by the second application while the first application remains in a foreground state on the mobile device;

receive an operation result comprising second content different from the selected content from the second application; and

present the operation results received from the second application on the display while the first application remains in the foreground.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , the input component comprising a touch-sensitive display, a camera, a microphone, an accelerometer, or a biometric sensor.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , the trigger action component to detect a gesture from an input component comprising a touch-sensitive display; and convert the gesture into the first control directive.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , the trigger action component to:

detect a context on the apparatus;

perform an operation according to the detected context by a third application; and

present results of the operation on the display component.

13. At least one computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a mobile device to:

monitor an input component for a mobile device by a trigger action component;

detect, with the trigger action component, an occurrence of a context on the mobile device;

perform an operation, in response to detecting the occurrence of the context, according to the detected context by a first application different from the trigger action component, the operation performed by the first application without modifying the detected context;

receive an operation result comprising content different from the detected context;

present the operation results received from the first application on a display component of the mobile device within or above a user interface on the mobile device, the user interface separate from the first application;

receive a first control directive from a user, the first control directive to instruct selection of a content portion from a user interface of a second application executing on the mobile device;

receive a second control directive to select the content portion;

perform an operation on the selected content portion by a first application different from the second application, the operation performed by the second application while the first application remains in a foreground state on the mobile device;

receive, at the trigger action component, an operation result comprising second content different from the selected content from the second application; and

present the operation results on a display component of the mobile device while the first application remains in the foreground.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operation performed by the first application different from a second application comprises identifying another user on a second device using the second application on the second device, a content creation operation, a content retrieval operation, or a context information operation.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , comprising instructions that when executed, cause the mobile device to: extract the selected content from the user interface using an accessibility application program interface (API).

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , comprising instructions that when executed, cause the mobile device to extract the selected content from the user interface using a data hook provided with the second application.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , comprising instructions that when executed, cause the mobile device to store the operation results with a content identifier or a context identifier, and to retrieve the stored operation results.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , comprising instructions that when executed, cause the mobile device to: select one operation to request, from a plurality of operations, according to the received control directive and the selected content.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 5, 2022
From: FACEBOOK, INC.
To: META PLATFORMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059858/0387 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 2, 2016
From: CAMPBELL, CRAIG
To: FACEBOOK, INC.
Reel/Frame 038862/0568 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20160156774A1 · Jun 2, 2016