Multi-profile mobile device interface for same user

Abstract

A multi-environment computer device configured for providing a work environment type and a personal environment type via a user interface for a device user, each of the environments having the same persona, the device having: a computer processor coupled to a memory, wherein the computer processor is programmed to coordinate interaction between the device user and the pair of environments presented on the user interface by: configuring the user interface to present the personal environment for facilitating interaction between the device user and personal applications associated with the personal environment, the personal environment having an assigned user name of said persona and a personal password, the personal environment presented using a set of unique personal environment user interface design elements for distinguishing the personal environment from the work environment via the user interface; and responding to a switch environment command generated by a switch mechanism invoked by the device user via the user interface to replace the personal environment with the work environment on the user interface.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A multi-environment computer device configured for providing a work environment type and a personal environment type via a user interface for a device user, each of the environments having the same persona, the device having:
 a computer processor coupled to a memory, wherein the computer processor is programmed to coordinate interaction between the device user and the pair of environments presented on the user interface by:   configuring the user interface to present the personal environment for facilitating interaction between the device user and personal applications associated with the personal environment, the personal environment having an assigned user name of said persona and a personal password, the personal environment presented using a set of unique personal environment user interface design elements for distinguishing the personal environment from the work environment via the user interface; and   responding to a switch environment command generated by a switch mechanism invoked by the device user via the user interface to replace the personal environment with the work environment on the user interface by:
 presenting an intermediate login interface on the user interface; 
 authorizing login to the work environment based on the assigned user name of said persona and an accepted work password entered by the device user, the work password different from the personal password; and 
 configuring the user interface to present the work environment for facilitating interaction between the device user and work applications associated with the work environment, the work environment having the assigned user name of said persona and the work password, the work environment presented using a set of unique work environment user interface design elements for distinguishing the work environment from the personal environment via the user interface. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein the computer processor is further programmed to coordinate interaction between the device user and the pair of environments presented on the user interface by: presenting a notification menu on the user interface for containing work environment notification type and personal environment notification type, such that a notification presented in the notification menu is configured by a notification manager to withhold presentation of notification content of the notification if the environment notification type does not match the environment type. 
     
     
         3 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein said notification content is a body content of the notification and a notification type is presented in the notification menu as a label for the notification. 
     
     
         4 . The computer device of  claim 2 , wherein a display location on the user interface of the notification menu is common to both the work environment and the play environment. 
     
     
         5 . The computer device of  claim 2 , wherein visual elements of the notification menu are defined by the set of unique personal environment user interface design elements when the user interface is configured as the personal environment and are defined by the set of unique work environment user interface design elements when the user interface is configured as the work environment. 
     
     
         6 . The computer device of  claim 5 , wherein the visual elements are selected from the group consisting of: shape; shade; color; and pattern. 
     
     
         7 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein the personal password is a null password. 
     
     
         8 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein the work password is a gesture entered by the device user via the user interface. 
     
     
         9 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein the switch mechanism is interaction by the device user with a predefined graphical element displayed on a display of the user interface. 
     
     
         10 . The computer device of  claim 9 , wherein said interaction with the predefined graphical element generates the switch environment command based on a predefined gesture. 
     
     
         11 . The computer device of  claim 10 , wherein the predefined gesture is finger based gesture associated with the predefined graphical element. 
     
     
         12 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein the computer processor is further programmed to coordinate interaction between the device user and the environments presented on the user interface by: accessing a work data partition in the memory assigned to the work environment for application data associated with the work applications and accessing a separate personal data partition in the memory assigned to the personal environment for application data associated with the personal applications. 
     
     
         13 . The computer device of  claim 12 , wherein the computer processor is further programmed to coordinate interaction between the device user and the pair of environments presented on the user interface by: implementing a work manager when interacting with the work partition and the work applications and implementing a separate personal manager when interacting with the personal partition and the personal applications, such that the work manager and the personal manager are provisioned on the computer device. 
     
     
         14 . The computer device of  claim 13 , wherein the work manager is configured to coordinate interaction between the device user and enterprise software applications accessed remotely via an established secure connection over a communications network. 
     
     
         15 . The computer device of  claim 13 , wherein the work manager is configured to coordinate the presenting of the intermediate login interface and the configuring of the user interface to present the work environment. 
     
     
         16 . The computer device of  claim 13 , wherein the personal manager is configured to coordinate interaction between the device user and public software applications accessed remotely via an established public connection over a communications network. 
     
     
         17 . The computer device of  claim 13 , wherein the work applications and the personal applications each contain a different instance of a same application, such that a work instance is provisioned in the work environment and configured using the set of unique work environment user interface design elements and a personal instance is provisioned in the personal environment and configured using the set of unique personal environment user interface design elements. 
     
     
         18 . The computer device of  claim 13 , wherein the personal applications are categorized by a personal categorization and the work applications are categorized by a work categorization. 
     
     
         19 . The computer device of  claim 1 , wherein the work environment and the play environment are displayed on the user interface as a series of sequential display screens, such that a plurality of sequential work screens of the work environment are grouped together as a work group and a plurality of sequential personal screens of the personal environment are grouped together as a personal group. 
     
     
         20 . The computer device of  claim 19 , wherein the intermediate login interface is presented on a display positioned between the work group and the personal group. 
     
     
         21 . A method for providing multi-environments on a computer device including a work environment type and a personal environment type, each of the environments having the same persona, the method comprising a set of stored instructions for execution by a computer processor for:
 configuring a user interface of the computer device to present the personal environment for facilitating interaction between the device user and personal applications associated with the personal environment, the personal environment having an assigned user name of said persona and a personal password, the personal environment presented using a set of unique personal environment user interface design elements for distinguishing the personal environment from the work environment via the user interface; and   responding to a switch environment command generated by a switch mechanism invoked by the device user via the user interface to replace the personal environment with the work environment on the user interface by:
 presenting an intermediate login interface on the user interface; 
 authorizing login to the work environment based on the assigned user name of said persona and an accepted work password entered by the device user, the work password different from the personal password; and 
 configuring the user interface to present the work environment for facilitating interaction between the device user and work applications associated with the work environment, the work environment having the assigned user name of said persona and the work password, the work environment presented using a set of unique work environment user interface design elements for distinguishing the work environment from the personal environment via the user interface.