Method of launching an application and selecting the application target window

• US 10,019,066 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Inventors: Boblett, Brennan, Penke, Nalinichandra, Goldman, Roy, Fairman, Michael, Hsieh, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chaudhuri, Anita D
• Application Number:
  US13/765,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20140096051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,974 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/015 the regulating means comprising electric or electronic elements B60G17/002, B60G17/005 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/043 Sunroofs B60J7/047 - B60J7/053 take precedencee.g. sliding above the roof
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

A method of launching a software program or application is provided for use with a graphical user interface (GUI) display. One portion of the GUI display includes a taskbar while a second portion is divided into a plurality of windows. To launch one of the programs/applications represented by the icons within the taskbar, the user first selects the icon representing the icon to be launched. When the user drags the selected icon into one of the windows and then releases the icon, the selected program/application is launched in the selected window.

Claims

1. A method of launching a software application on a graphical user interface (GUI) screen of a display coupled to a system controller that provides access to a plurality of vehicular subsystems, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a taskbar on a first portion of said GUI screen;

displaying a plurality of icons within said taskbar, wherein each of said plurality of icons represents a corresponding one of a plurality of applications;

configuring a second portion of said GUI screen into a plurality of windows, wherein each of said plurality of windows is pre-sized;

receiving a user selection of a selected icon, wherein said selected icon is one of said plurality of icons located within said taskbar, and wherein said selected icon represents an application, of the plurality of applications, to be launched;

determining, based on user input, that a user is dragging said selected icon from an initial location on said taskbar into a selected window of said plurality of windows;

displaying a semi-transparent overlay, corresponding to the application to be launched, on at least one window of said plurality of windows as said selected icon is positioned within the at least one window; and

launching the application in said selected window of said plurality of windows when determining that said selected icon is released by the user within said selected window, wherein the application provides at least one of control options or monitoring information relating to a vehicular subsystem of the plurality of vehicular subsystems.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said GUI screen comprises a touch-screen, wherein receiving a user selection of said selected icon includes determining that the user is touching said selected icon on said touch-screen, and wherein determining that said selected icon is released by the user includes determining that the user is no longer touching said selected icon on said touch-screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a user selection of said selected icon includes determining that the user is placing a cursor over said selected icon with a mouse controller and performing a click-and-hold operation with a mouse controller button, and wherein determining that said selected icon is released by the user includes determining that the user unclicks said mouse controller button.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein launching the application further comprises completely materializing said semi-transparent overlay in said selected window when said selected icon is released.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of applications includes one or more applications for controlling one or more of the plurality of vehicular subsystems.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said GUI screen is mounted within a central console of a vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of applications include at least one of an entertainment system application, a navigation system application, an energy tracking application, a browser application, a camera application or a phone application.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a plurality of persistent controls on a third portion of said GUI screen.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said plurality of persistent controls include at least one of:

vehicle setting controls;

passenger cabin temperature setting controls;

vehicle seat warmer controls;

audio volume controls;

or

defroster controls.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of altering an appearance of said selected icon after receiving said user selection of said selected icon.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein altering the appearance of said selected icon includes enlarging said selected icon.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein altering the appearance of said selected icon includes changing a color associated with said selected icon.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein following launching of the application, the method further comprises:

in response to determining a user tap of said selected icon, toggling the selected window from a first window size to a second window size, wherein the second window size covers substantially all of said second portion of said GUI screen.

14. The method of claim 1, the method further comprises:

when determining a double tap of said selected icon by a user, launching the application represented by said selected icon in a full screen mode.