Method for efficiently managing application and electronic device implementing the method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411640-B2
Application number	US-201414574594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Jan 2, 2014
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A method for managing an application is provided. The method includes executing a master application loaded into a first memory, executing a member application of the master application loaded into the first memory, and determining whether there is a shortage of an available space in the first memory, and changing if there is an available space shortage in the first memory, a priority of the master application, the master application not being closed in the first memory.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing an application, the method comprising:
grouping a master application and at least one member application;
executing by loading the master application into a first memory;
executing by loading the at least one member application into the first memory in a foreground and executing the master application in a background, when detecting a request for execution of the at least one member application;
determining whether there is a shortage of an available space in the first memory; and
changing, if there is an available space shortage in the first memory, a priority of the master application to a priority of a member application having a highest priority, the master application not being closed in the first memory.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
installing a specific application in a second memory; and
adding the installed specific application to the member application of the master application.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adding of the installed specific application is performed when a request of the master application to install at least one application is recognized.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the master application is one of determined by a user of an electronic device and determined as a most used application among all applications of the electronic device.

5. An electronic device comprising:
a first memory configured to load an application;
a second memory configured to store therein the application and information about an application group;
a display unit including a display module configured to display thereon one of an execution screen of the application, an application information screen, and a group manager screen;
an input unit including a touch panel and a pen sensor and configured to recognize a user's selection on each screen; and
a processor configured:
to group a master application and at least one member application,
to execute by loading the master application into the first memory,
to execute by loading the at least one member application into the first memory in a foreground and execute the master application in a background, when detect a request for execution of the at least one member application,
to determine whether there is a shortage of an available space in the first memory, and
to change, if there is an available space shortage in the first memory, a priority of the master application to a priority of a member application having a highest priority, the master application not being closed in the first memory.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured:
to install a specific application in the second memory, and
to add the installed specific application to the member application of the master application.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to add the installed specific application when a request of the master application to install at least one application is recognized.

8. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the master application is one of determined by a user of an electronic device and determined as a most used application among all applications of the electronic device.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Sehee

Classifications

• G06F9/4887

  involving deadlines, e.g. rate based, periodic · CPC title

• G06F9/485 Primary

  Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution (G06F9/4881 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47D13/025 Primary

  for carrying children in seated position · CPC title

• G06F9/4881

  Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues · CPC title

• G06F9/4843

  by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system · CPC title