Configuring user interfaces in electronic devices

Abstract

A method and an electronic device arranged to execute application programs, wherein the device comprises an operating system enabling a separation of user interface data from the rest of the data processing system, the device being arranged to check, in response to starting an execution of the application program, whether screen size information of the application program corresponds to a display size of the terminal; and download, in response to the screen size of the application program differing from the display size of the terminal, a new user interface file with an appropriate screen size from a network server.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 sending a request, to a network server, for an application program from a terminal, wherein the request includes at least a user interface descriptor; and   downloading, from the network server, an updated application program corresponding with the user interface descriptors associated with the terminal.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 after downloading a new user interface file from the network server, examining whether the updated application program includes any further user interface files; and   selecting at least one further user interface file appropriate for the terminal for further usage, if included in the updated application program.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the updated application program includes a network address of the network server providing user interface files to be downloaded. 
     
     
         4 . An electronic device comprising:
 a data processing unit;   a memory, coupled to said data processing unit, for storage of an operating system and application programs, said operating system enabling a separation of user interface data from the rest of data processing operations;   an input/output interface coupled to said memory and said data processing unit;   the data processing unit being configured to send a request, to a network server, for an application program from a terminal, wherein the request includes at least a user interface descriptor; and   the input/output interface being configured to download from the network server, in response, the request of the application program based on at least the user interface descriptor as to correspond to the terminal.   
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 4 , the device being further configured to:
 examine, whether the application program includes any further user interface files; and   select at least one further user interface file appropriate for the terminal for further usage, if included in the application program.   
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 5 , wherein the application program includes a network address of the network server providing user interface files to be downloaded. 
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 5 , wherein the operating system is the Symbian operating system. 
     
     
         8 . A computer program product, stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and executable in a data processing device, for updating a user interface file for an application program, the computer program product comprising:
 a computer program code section for sending a request, to a network server, for an application program from a terminal, wherein the request includes at least a user interface descriptor; and   a computer program code section, to download from the network server, in response, the request of the application program based on at least the user interface descriptor as to correspond to the terminal.   
     
     
         9 . The computer program product according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a computer program code section for examining, after downloading, whether the application program includes any further user interface files; and   a computer program code section for selecting a user interface file appropriate for the terminal for further usage, if included in the application program.   
     
     
         10 . The computer program product according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a computer program code section for retrieving from the application program a network address of the network server providing user interface files to be downloaded.   
     
     
         11 . The computer program product according to  claim 8 , wherein the computer program product is compatible with Symbian operating system.