Patent ID: 8910240

Claim:
A method performed by a computing device having a memory and processor configured to execute multiple applications, the method comprising: maintaining, in the memory of the computing device: multiple sets of distinct content items, wherein each set includes one or more content items having a different content type, multiple content providers, each content provider associated with a different content type, multiple applications configured to submit requests for one or more content items; a data structure containing multiple Uniform Resource Indicators (URI), a URI including an indication of a content type and a reference to a content item, and a universal interface configured to: receive a request from any of the multiple applications for a content item stored in the memory of the computing device, the request including an entire URI or a truncated URI, and alone or in conjunction with an activity manager, using the data structure and the entire URI or the truncated URI to determine which content provider separate from the requesting application is to respond to the request and identify one or more content items responsive to the request; receiving, by the universal interface, a request for a particular content item from a first application of the multiple applications, the request including a truncated URI; alone or in conjunction with the activity manager, using, by the universal interface, the data structure and the entire URI or the truncated URI to determine a particular content provider that is separate from the first application to respond to the request; using, by the particular content provider, the entire URI or the truncated URI to obtain the content item responsive to the request that is stored in the data structure; transmitting, with the particular content provider and to the universal interface, the content item that is responsive to the request; and transmitting, with the universal interface, the content item to the at least one requesting application.