Patent Application
20110113367
Subject matter presented herein relates generally to information handling systems, such as for example, computers, and more specifically to receiving alert messages on such systems or computers. More particularly, it relates to apparatus and methods for controlling the display of messages.
Numerous applications communicate messages to the user of an information handling system, and in particular to a personal computer, via “toast” notifications. These are small windows that popup in the corner of the desktop.
These popup alerts can also be distracting or annoying if the user is engaged in a sensitive task and does not want to be annoyed (e.g., while the user is showing a PowerPoint® presentation, watching a movie, etc.). While there is no way to guarantee never to annoy the user, it would be desirable if steps could be taken to greatly reduce the probability of such distractions.
An example of an application that communicate messages to the user of a computer is Message Center Plus, which is a Lenovo application that downloads messages from a server and displays them in popup notifications. A first generation of Message Center Plus is a utility/status monitor that informs a user, via a server, of system specific information and available upgrades/battery recalls, etc. Message Center Plus can also be used as an advertising medium; for example, it can be used to detect and tell users that they are backing up to a local storage and that it would be more advantageous to back up to an external hard disk device, which could be provided for a price.
Potentially, this type of system can generate customer complaints. Programs such as Ad-Aware® may detect Message Center as adware or as a trojan of sorts. Microsoft's Defender program could do the same thing and held Message Center as not a top level, but a second level threat.
The above problems may be addressed in accordance with the solutions set forth herein. There are two types of configuration options that will allow user to determine the tolerance level of messaging. One level is a basic configuration option that allows the user to select a category of messages to be displayed. Another level is an advanced configuration option, which allows the user to disable messaging based on applications running and/or the presentation mode enabled. Advanced configuration also manages messaging by time of day (Monday-Sunday; 12:00 am-11:59 pm), and whether the user wants to view messages manually or have the automatically “pop up”.
Thus, popup messages may be displayed based on a user's choice, and on whether an application is running. The user is presented with a set of applications (as represented, for example, from the install programs database). In a privacy settings context, the user is asked to select which applications should not receive popups (for which applications popups are not allowed while those applications are running), or to not receive popups when the application in running in a certain mode (such as during full screen display. The popups only pop up if the applications are not running. The privacy settings options are selected as part of an options menu. Alternatively, the user can elect to receive such popups when a particular application is running, or for example, if one or more of the Control Panel, the Event Viewer, or the Device Manager is being used.
The user can choose not to be bothered while an application is not running or while the user is not running certain other applications. The popup can be in the form of a balloon, a window or any other suitable form.
The foregoing aspects and other features of the present invention are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring now to
As shown in
PCI local bus 50 supports the attachment of a number of devices, including adapters and bridges. Among these devices is network adapter 66, which interfaces computer system 12 to LAN 10, and graphics adapter 68, which interfaces computer system 12 to display 69. Communication on PCI local bus 50 is governed by local PCI controller 52, which is in turn coupled to non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) 56 via memory bus 54. Local PCI controller 52 can be coupled to additional buses and devices via a second host bridge 60.
Computer system 12 further includes Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus 62, which is coupled to PCI local bus 50 by ISA bridge 64. Coupled to ISA bus 62 is an input/output (I/O) controller 70, which controls communication between computer system 12 and attached peripheral devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and a disk drive, such as a CD drive. In addition, I/O controller 70 supports external communication by computer system 12 via serial and parallel ports. A disk controller 72 controls a disk drive 74, which may be a conventional hard drive.
Although the present embodiment will be described with reference to the computer described above, it should be understood that it can be implemented on many alternate types of computers.
Referring to
In the window of
It is noted that when selections are made so as not to display certain types of messages, such as, for example, promotional messages, programs such as Ad-Aware® may be prevented from detecting those messages as adware or as a trojan of sorts, because a determination to avoid displaying those messages means that such programs never reach the stage of evaluating them as possible risks or unwanted distractions.
An alternative approach is to preload the software into the memory of computer system 12, as represented at step 208. Whether the software needs to be installed as described above, or whether it is preloaded, at step 210, (which may be, for example, on boot up of computer system 12, or at other times), the software “wakes up” (begins operation), and at step 212, a check is made as to whether any messages have been received from a network to which network adapter 66 (
At step 224, the user has the option of closing the current message windows. At step 226, the user has the option of determining how to handle displayed messages. If step 228 is selected, then such messages will never be shown automatically. Instead, the user can view the message via an options panel. By not making a selection at step 232, the message will remain in the queue of messages to be shown, at 234.
The user may elect, at 236, to select a configuration option to control when and what types of messages are to be displayed.
Referring to
At 266, an advanced configuration option is selected so that the user can choose when to display a message when other applications are running. At 268, display modes are selected. These may be do not show message when the display is in full screen mode at 270 or do not show message when in presentation mode at 272. At 276, a selection screen may be provided, and a selection may be made to show messages on certain days or dates, and time(s). At 278, a selection screen may be provided, and a selection may be made to not show messages on certain days or dates, and time(s). As used herein the word day may include day of the week or a particular date or dates. At 280, a selection is made to not show messages when a selected application is running. At 282 a selection is made to show messages when a selected application is running.
Referring to
In a similar manner, a window may be displayed, or a third window panel may be added to the display represented in
The disclosed embodiment may be implemented with appropriate software running on a computer system. It may also be implemented in hardware, including various types of circuitry, and in a combination of hardware and software. The term “circuit” or “circuitry” is used in the summary, description, and/or claims. As is well known in the art, the term “circuitry” includes all levels of available integration, e.g., from discrete logic circuits to the highest level of circuit integration such as VLSI, and includes programmable logic components programmed to perform the functions of an embodiment as well as general-purpose or special-purpose processors programmed with instructions to perform those functions.
It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims.
