Patent ID: 8689135

Claim:
A method of driving an interactive system ( 1 ) comprising a user interface system ( 2 ) with an inherently sequential input/output modality ( 12 ) and comprising a plurality of applications (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ), wherein a first application (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ) is assigned a focus level and is currently controlling the inherently sequential input/output modality ( 12 ) for performing an interaction with a user (U), at least for a certain period of time based on information pertaining to type of current interaction process of said first application and a state of operation of said interaction, wherein in a first focus level the first application is uninterruptable and in a second focus level the first application is interruptible; and wherein a second application (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ), which is currently not interactive and which is configured to perform an interaction with the user (U), sends a notification request to an interaction control unit ( 3 ), and wherein responsive to the notification request, the interaction control unit ( 3 ): determines a focus level of said first application; issues a notification (N) to the user (U) when the current interaction process of the first application (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ) is terminated or is assigned to at least the second focus level; said-notification (N) being distinguishable from any output signals (OS) of the interaction of the first application (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ); wherein the current interaction process of the first application (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ), responsive to said notification (N), is one of: terminated, and the control of the inherently sequential input/output modality ( 12 ) for performing interaction is transferred to the second application (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ) according to the focus level of the first application (A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , . . . , A n ) not being in the first focus level and in response to an application-switching command (ASC) received from the user (U); and paused, for a limited period of time, to allow for a request for information regarding said notification (N) during said limited period of time, wherein control of the inherently sequential input/output modality ( 12 ) remains with said first application.