Accessory device operation with user mobile device over network connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11210047-B2
Application number	US-202016751017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2020
Priority date	Sep 2, 2014
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

An accessory device application executes on an accessory device of limited resources. The accessory device application includes an accessory device stub application and an interface definition. When a user interacts with the accessory device application, display changes are generated in response, in accordance with the interface definition, and are sent to a companion extension at an associated companion device. The companion extension receives the changes, and generates updated display values for the accessory device display. The updated display values are sent from the companion device daemon to the daemon of the accessory device, which displays the updated display values at the accessory device display. The functionality and operation of the accessory device application permit an accessory device of limited resources to leverage data processing and computational power of the companion device, to provide a more involving user experience at the accessory device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating an accessory device that is in communication with a companion device over a network connection, the method comprising:
receiving, by the accessory device from the companion device, an interface definition, wherein the interface definition comprises a specification defining notifications to be provided to the accessory device;
installing the interface definition received from the companion device on the accessory device;
detecting a change for the notifications on the accessory device;
generating a message at the accessory device for an application that is installed at the accessory device and that is identified by an application identifier, in response to the detected change;
sending the generated message with the application identifier from an accessory device daemon to a companion device daemon over the network connection, in response to the detected change;
receiving an updated message from the companion device daemon at the accessory device daemon;
determining one or more values from the updated message for the application identified by the application identifier, wherein the one or more values are in accordance with the interface definition that defines a notification for one or more elements on the accessory device; and
providing the one or more values to a module of the accessory device in accordance with the interface definition for the accessory device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the specification defining notifications to be provided to the accessory device comprises a notification indicator specification, and wherein a notification indicator comprises a display.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application identifier corresponds to an identifier of an application at the companion device that can process the message.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application identifier is utilized by the companion device daemon for directing communication of the message to a corresponding companion device extension that can process the message.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the change comprises detecting a user interaction with the accessory device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the change comprises detecting a system notification at the accessory device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the message is performed in accordance with parameters specified by a stored framework and the interface definition.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating the updated message with output of a companion application that receives the generated message and that is installed at the companion device, in accordance with a framework stored at the companion device and accessed by the companion application.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a confirmation message from the accessory device to the companion device upon installation of an accessory device application and the interface definition at the accessory device.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the accessory device is a wearable computer device.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending an accessory device application package from the companion device to the accessory device, the accessory device application package including programming code that, when executed by the accessory device, provides an accessory device application and the interface definition.

12. A method of operating a companion device that is in communication with an accessory device over a network connection, the method comprising:
sending, by the companion device to the accessory device, an interface definition, wherein the interface definition comprises a specification defining notifications to be provided to the accessory device;
receiving a generated message over the network connection at a companion device daemon from an accessory device daemon installed at the accessory device, the generated message identifying a change to be provided to the accessory device for an application that is installed at the accessory device and that is identified by an application identifier;
generating an updated message with output of a companion application that receives the generated message and that is installed at the companion device, in accordance with a framework stored at the companion device and accessed by the companion application, wherein the generated message comprises one or more values in accordance with the interface definition that defines one or more elements on the accessory device; and
sending the generated updated message from the companion device daemon to the accessory device daemon over the network connection.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the specification defining notifications to be provided to the accessory device comprises a notification indicator specification, and wherein a notification indicator comprises a display.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the application identifier corresponds to an identifier of an application at the companion device that can process the generated message.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the application identifier is utilized by the companion device daemon for directing communication of the generated message to a corresponding companion device extension that can process the generated message.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the identified change is identified in response to detecting a user interaction with the accessory device.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the identified change is identified in response to detecting a system notification for the accessory device.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the generated message is generated in accordance with parameters specified by a stored framework and the interface definition.

19. The method of claim 12 , further comprising sending a confirmation message from the accessory device to the companion device upon installation of an accessory device application and the interface definition at the accessory device.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the accessory device is a wearable computer device.

21. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
sending an accessory device application package from the companion device to the accessory device, the accessory device application package including programming code that, when executed by the accessory device, provides an accessory device application and the interface definition.

22. The method of claim 12 , wherein the generated message includes an accessory device application identifier that is utilized by the companion device daemon for directing communication of the generated message to a corresponding companion device application.

23. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving an update message from the accessory device, the update message comprising a change to values of the notifications for the accessory device in accordance with a user interaction or system notification at the accessory device, the update message including an accessory device application identifier;
generating updated values for the notifications for the accessory device, the updated values comprising values updated from the values of the generated message by the companion application and/or a companion extension at the companion device; and
sending the updated message that includes the updated values and the accessory device application identifier to the accessory device.

24. The method of claim 1

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Marcos Paul D
• Platzer Andrew E

Classifications

• H04M1/724094

  Interfacing with a device worn on the user's body to provide access to telephonic functionalities, e.g. accepting a call, reading or composing a message · CPC title

• H04M1/72412

  using two-way short-range wireless interfaces · CPC title

• G06F13/385 Primary

  for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices · CPC title

• G06F9/452 Primary

  Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation (protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131) · CPC title

• G06F8/61

  Installation · CPC title