# US 11,113,368 B2 · Method and electronic device for controlling permission of application program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,113,368 B2 - Document ID: US11113368B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/110,542 - Filed: 2018-08-23 - Published: 2019-02-28 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-23 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Dong-Wook Seo; Seong-Hun Moon; Moon-Kyung Kim; Myeong-Jin Oh; Se-Yeong Lee; Da-Som Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11113368B2 ## CPC - G06F 21/31: User authentication - G06F 3/04886: by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus - G06F 9/4411: {Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers} - G06F 9/451: Execution arrangements for user interfaces - G06F 21/10: Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material (protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16) {; Digital rights management [DRM]} - G06F 21/44: Program or device authentication - G06F 21/604: {Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems} - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06F 3/04847: Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing, a touchscreen display, a wireless communication circuit, a processor electrically connected to the touchscreen display and the wireless communication circuit, and a memory electrically connected to the processor, wherein the memory is configured to store an application program comprising a user interface, and store an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to store a permission for accessing, by an application program stored in the memory, at least one among hardware components or software components of the electronic device, activate the application program, allow the application program to access the at least one among hardware components or software components based on the stored permission and display a user interface (UI) of the application program on the touchscreen display, hide a part of the user interface while the application program is executed in a background state, and monitor whether the application program uses the at least one among hardware components or software components while the application program is executed in the background state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device comprising: a housing; a touchscreen display; a wireless communication circuit; a processor electrically connected to the touchscreen display and the wireless communication circuit; and a memory electrically connected to the processor, wherein the memory is configured to store an application program comprising a user interface, and store an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to: store a permission for accessing, by an application program stored in the memory, at least one among hardware components or software components of the electronic device according to a background state or a foreground state of the application program; classify the permission to correspond to at least one of a normal permission and a dangerous permission based on the at least one among the hardware components or the software components to which the permission allows access; receive an access request for the hardware or software components; operate a first activity of the application program while the application program is in the foreground state; convert the application program from the foreground state to the background state while the first activity is being operated; identify an acquisition request from the application program for the permission; based on identifying that the application program is executed in the background state, the permission is classified as the dangerous permission, and the permission is not used for the first activity, prevent the application program from using the permission; and based on identifying that the application program is executed in the background state, the permission is classified as the dangerous permission, and the permission is used for the first activity, allow use of the permission to access the at least one hardware components or software components. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to provide, through the touchscreen display, a notification when the application program uses the at least one among hardware components or software components while the application program is executed in the background state. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the memory stores an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to provide a configuration UI to the touchscreen display, and wherein the configuration UI comprises a list of application programs each having at least one button configured to select whether the notification is provided. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the configuration UI further comprises a button configured to provide a history in which the application program uses the at least one among hardware components or software components within a designated period while the application program is executed in the background state, and wherein the memory stores an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to, when a user input for the button that is configured to provide the history is received, provide the history on the touchscreen display. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The electronic device of claim 3, wherein when a user input for an application program among the list of application programs is received, a list of the at least one among hardware components or software components comprising at least one button enabling the selection of the permission is displayed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the memory stores an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to transmit the notification to an external electronic device by using the wireless communication circuit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to, when the application program is one of installed and executed, store the permission. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to, when at least two components among the at least one among hardware components or software components of the electronic device operate in association with each other, restrict the application program from accessing one of the at least two components among the one of hardware components and software components of the electronic device while the application program is executed in the background state. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores an instruction that, when executed, enables the processor to provide the application program with one of predetermined data and randomly generated data when the application program accesses the at least one among hardware components or software components while the application program is executed in the background state. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores a function provided when the application program is executed in the foreground state and a function provided when the application program is executed in the background state. ### Claim 11 A method for controlling a permission of an application program of an electronic device, the method comprising: storing a permission for accessing, by the application program, at least one among hardware components or software components of the electronic device according to a background state or a foreground state of the application program; classifying the permission to correspond to at least one of a normal permission and a dangerous permission based on the at least one among the hardware components or the software components to which the permission allows access; receiving an access request for the hardware or software components; operating a first activity of the application program while the application program is in the foreground state; converting the application program from the foreground state to the background state while the first activity is being operated; identifying an acquisition request from the application program for the permission; based on identifying that the application program is executed in the background state, the permission is classified as the dangerous permission, and the permission is not used for the first activity, preventing the application program from using the permission; and based on identifying that the application program is executed in the background state, the permission is classified as the dangerous permission, and the permission is used for the first activity, allowing use of the permission to access the at least one hardware components or software components. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: providing the touchscreen display with a notification when the application program uses the at least one among the hardware components or software components while the application program is executed in the background state. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: providing a configuration UI to the touchscreen display, wherein the configuration UI comprises a list of application programs each having at least one button configured to select whether the notification is provided. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: wherein the configuration UI further comprises a button configured to provide a history in which the application program uses the at least one among hardware components or software components within a designated period while the application program is executed in the background state, and providing the history on the touchscreen display when a user input for the button is received. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: when a user input for one application program of the list of application programs is received, displaying a list of at least one among hardware components or software components each comprising at least one button enabling the selection of the permission. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including a plurality of instructions that when executed perform a method for controlling a permission of an application program of an electronic device, the method comprising: storing a permission for accessing, by the application program, at least one among hardware components or software components of the electronic device according to a background state or a foreground state of the application program; classifying the permission to correspond to at least one of a normal permission and a dangerous permission based on the at least one among the hardware components or the software components to which the permission allows access; receiving an access request for the hardware or software components; operating a first activity of the application program while the application program is in the foreground state; converting the application program from the foreground state to the background state while the first activity is being operated; identifying an acquisition request from the application program for the permission; based on identifying that the application program is executed in the background state, the permission is classified as the dangerous permission, and the permission is not used for the first activity, preventing the application program from using the permission; and based on identifying that the application program is executed in the background state, the permission is classified as the dangerous permission, and the permission is used for the first activity, allowing use of the permission to access the at least one hardware components or software components.