Apparatus and method for managing application context

Abstract

An apparatus and method for managing application context is provided. A first one of a plurality of terminals, each including at least one application, collects and transmits context information of the application to a migration server so that it is stored and managed in the migration server. The migration server transmits the stored and managed context information to a second terminal corresponding to the first terminal in response to a request of the second terminal. The second terminal restores context based on the context information received from the migration server. This can reproduce the same application and desktop environments as those previously set to be suitable for each work situation, thereby increasing user convenience.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for managing application context, the apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of terminals, each of which includes at least one application, collects context information of the application, and restores context using the collected context information, by using connection Application Programming Interface (API), and   a migration server that receives and stores collected context information from a first one of the plurality of terminals and transmits the context information to a second one of the plurality of terminals or vice versa,   wherein a user is able to work on the second terminal with the same working state consists of the same application, user interface and data based on the context information received from the migration server from the user on the first terminal by correctly restoring a selected previous collected context information, which is the context information last worked on by the user on the first terminal, from the migration server by connecting to the migration server, and   wherein the context information received by the second one of the plurality of terminals from the migration server from the last context information last worked on by the user on the first one of the plurality of terminals is unclassified or unmanageable to the second one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the context information is classified into user context, application context, and desktop context. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the user context includes information regarding optional items which a user has set for migration and a personal folder to be migrated together with context information;
 the application context includes the position of a application toolbar, arrangement of icons, the size and position of a window on which the user is working, a data file with which the user is working, an opened page of the data file, a currently connected URL, environment setting information, a multimedia file that is being played, and a playback position of the multimedia file; and   the desktop context includes OS background image information, window theme information, shortcuts, and toolbar setting information.   
     
     
       4. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of terminals includes:
 at least one application, context information of which is to be collected;   an connection that receives a list of context from the migration server, receives selection information of context information to be migrated from a user, and collects the selected context information; and   a migration client that transmits the context information collected by the connection API to the migration server so that the collected context information is stored in the migration server, requests the stored context information from the migration server, and restores context using the context information received from the migration server in response to the request.   
     
     
       5. The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the migration client includes:
 an application agent that extracts and restores application context information through the connection API and a standardized control API that is provided between the connection API and the migration client;   a desktop agent that extracts and restores context information of a desktop environment of the terminal;   a user preference manager that stores and restores selection information of context which the user desires to collect and preference information of the migration client; and   a migration agent that performs overall control of the context information collection and restoration.   
     
     
       6. The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the migration client further includes a control API that provides a standardized interface between the connection API and the migration client. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein, if the application is a new application, the application includes the connection API. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the migration server includes:
 a user manager that manages and authenticates user information;   an application manager that manages a list of applications that can be migrated and a list of context that is collectable from the applications and manages application context information received from the first terminal; and   a storage that stores the application list, the collectable context list, and the application context information received from the first terminal.   
     
     
       9. The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the migration server further includes a desktop manager that manages a list of desktop-related context information. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the migration server can be included in a portable storage device. 
     
     
       11. A method for managing application context in an application context management apparatus including a plurality of terminals and a migration server that cooperates with the plurality of terminals through a communication network, the method comprising:
 collecting and transmitting, by a first terminal including at least one application, context information of the application to the migration server, by using connection Application Programming Interface (API);   storing the context information in the migration server;   transmitting the stored context information from the migration server to a second terminal corresponding to the first terminal in response to a request of the second terminal; and   restoring, by the second terminal, context based on the context information received from the migration server or vice versa,   wherein a user is able to work on the second terminal with the same working state consists of the same application, user interface and data based on the context information received from the migration server from the user on the first terminal by correctly restoring a selected previous collected context information, which is the context information last worked on by the user on the first terminal, from the migration server by connecting to the migration server, and   wherein the context information received by the second one of the plurality of terminals from the migration server from the last context information last worked on by the user on the first one of the plurality of terminals is unclassified or unmanageable to the second one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 11 , wherein collecting and transmitting, by the first terminal, the context information of the application to the migration server includes:
 receiving a migratable list from the migration server;   extracting a list of migratable context from the received migratable list;   outputting the extracted context list and allowing the user to select context information to be migrated; and   collecting and transmitting the selected context information to the migration server.   
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 11 , wherein restoring, by the second terminal, the context based on the context information received from the migration server includes:
 transmitting a context information list request signal to the migration server;   receiving a context information list from the migration server;   allowing a user to select context information to be restored based on the context information list; and   receiving the selected context information and restoring application context.   
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein restoring, by the second terminal, the context based on the context information received from the migration server further includes:
 transmitting an authentication request signal to the migration server; and   receiving an authentication response signal from the migration server.   
     
     
       15. A method for providing context information to a user for restoring a work environment in a plurality of terminals networked together with a migration server, the method comprising:
 receiving context information at the migration server of a first one of a plurality of terminals last worked on by the user;   storing the received context information at the migration server;   receiving a connection request at the migration server from a second one of the plurality of terminals;   receiving a request signal at the migration server for context information from the second one of the plurality of terminals; and   transmitting from the migration server the stored context information to the second one of the plurality of terminals which restores the work environment at the first one of the plurality of terminals based upon the received context information,   wherein the context information received by the second one of the plurality of terminals from the migration server from the last context information last worked on by the user on the first one of the plurality of terminals is unclassified or unmanageable to the second one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       16. The method of claim 15, wherein the context information transmitted from the migration server or received at the migration server is selected by the user of the first one of the plurality of terminals or the second one of the plurality of terminals. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
 receiving at the migration server a request signal for a list of migratable context information from the first one of the plurality of terminals; and   transmitting from the migration server the list of migratable context information to the first one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
 receiving at the migration server a request signal for a list of the stored context information from the second one of the plurality of terminals; and   transmitting from the migration server the list of stored context information to the second one of the plurality of terminals in response to the request signal received the migration server from the second one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       19. The method of claim 15, wherein the context information includes at least one of position of an application toolbar, arrangement of icons, size and position of a window on which the user is working, a data file with which the user is working, an opened page of the data file, a currently connected URL, environment setting information, a multimedia file that is being played and a playback position of the multimedia file. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
 receiving at the migration server an authentication request signal from the second one of the plurality of terminals;   performing at the migration server user authentication; and   transmitting from the migration server an authentication response to the second one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       21. A user terminal network for restoring work environment within the network, the network comprising:
 a plurality of terminals networked together, each terminal comprising:
 an input unit configured to receive input from a user; 
 a processing unit configured to:
 transmit a request signal for context information for restoring work environment to a migration server; 
 receive the context information from the migration server; and 
 restore the work environment based upon the context information received from the migration server; and 
 
 a memory unit configured to store the received context information, 
   wherein the context information received by the second one of the plurality of terminals from the migration server from the last context information last worked on by the user on the first one of the plurality of terminals is unclassified or unmanageable to the second one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       22. The user terminal network of claim 21, wherein the user's input comprises selection of context information to request from the user and the context information to be received is determined by the selection of the user. 
     
     
       23. The user terminal network of claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:
 transmit a request signal for a list of stored context information to the migration server;   receive the list of stored context information from the migration server;   provide the list of stored context information for the user; and   receive context information selected by the user for restoring.   
     
     
       24. The user terminal network of claim 21, wherein the processing unit performs the above functions automatically or in response to the input from the user. 
     
     
       25. A method of restoring work environment within a plurality of terminals interconnected within a network, the method comprising:
 transmitting from a first one of a plurality of terminals a request signal for context information to a migration server;   receiving the context information at a second one of the plurality of terminals from the migration server;   storing the received context information at the second one of the plurality of terminals; and   restoring at the second one of the plurality of terminals the work environment based upon the context information received from the migration server,   wherein the context information received by the second one of the plurality of terminals from the migration server from the last context information last worked on by the user on the first one of the plurality of terminals is unclassified or unmanageable to the second one of the plurality of terminals.   
     
     
       26. The method of claim 25, further comprising receiving at the second one of the plurality of terminals user's selection of context information to request,
 wherein the context information to be received or transmitted is determined by the selection of the user.   
     
     
       27. The method of claim 25, further comprising
 transmitting from the first second of the plurality of terminals a request signal for a list of stored context information to the migration server;   providing by the second one of the plurality of terminals the transmitted list of stored context information for the user; and   receiving at the second one of the plurality of terminals user's selection of context information to use for restoring.   
     
     
       28. The method of claim 25, wherein the above steps are performed automatically or in response to input from the user.