Adaptable user interface display

• US 10,042,655 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaufthal, Jonathan S., Walker, Charles Scott, Spomer, Travis
• Primary Examiner(s): REPSHER III, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US14/755,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 715746
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

Aspects of a system for automatically adapting an application user interface display on a small form factor computing device include a computing device having at least a processing device, a memory, and a display. The user interface is a functional landscape of an application that accommodates and displays, in various combinations, multiple regions of application functional controls and information. An adaptive user interface display module detects a change in available screen space for the application user interface on a small form factor computing device, and adjusts the functional landscape accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for improving operation of a computing device by automatically adapting a user interface display for a display device of a small form factor computing device, wherein the user interface display includes one of both of an application user interface display and an operating system user interface display, wherein the application user interface display includes a plurality of application user interface elements and is associated with an application being executed on the small form factor computing device, and wherein the operating system user interface display includes a plurality of operating system user interface elements and is associated with an operating system being executed on the small form factor computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the small form factor computing device, an indication of an event that affects a layout of the application user interface display;

in response to receiving the indication;

determining a size of the display device of the small form factor computing device;

receiving from the application, by an adaptive user interface (UI) module, property information of the application, wherein the property information includes layout information for the application user interface display, layout information for the operating system user interface display, and scaling information comprising a hierarchical order of scaling one or more user interface items;

determining an amount of available application space based on the size of the display device of the small form factor computing device;

comparing the amount of available application space to an amount of space needed to display items of the user interface display, wherein the amount of space needed to display items of the user interface display is a sum of sizes of each of the items of the user interface display;

adapting, by the adaptive UI module according to the scaling information of the property information of the application, the user interface display by scaling, truncating, or removing one or more of the plurality of application user interface elements and/or scaling, truncating, or removing one or more of the plurality of operating system user interface elements;

configuring, by the adaptive UI module, the application user interface display and the operating system user interface display in accordance with the property information of the application, including configuring, based on the property information of the application, a color of at least one of the plurality of operating system user interface elements dependent on a type of the application; and

displaying the application user interface display and the operating system user interface display in accordance with the property information of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the small form factor computing device, the indication of the event that affects a layout of the application user interface display includes receiving an indication of one of:

an instantiation of the application;

an instantiation of a document;

a change in a mode of the application;

a change in a display configuration of the small form factor computing device;

a change in a display configuration of the display;

a user selection; and

user input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the size of the display device is within a threshold associated with the small form factor computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the property information is associated with a mode of the application, wherein the mode includes one of:

an immersive mode;

a toolbar mode;

an edit mode; and

a palette mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the items of the user interface display include one or more of:

an application title bar;

a system tray;

an application canvas;

a palette;

a collapsed hint state palette bar;

an onscreen keyboard;

a toolbar; and

a system navigation region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount of available application space includes determining a number of effective pixels available in a width and height of the display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount of available application space includes determining an orientation of the small form factor computing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the application user interface display comprises a web-based application user interface display.

8. A small form factor computing device comprising:

a processor;

an output device for presenting a visual output to a user, the visual output comprising an application user interface; and

a memory including instructions to automatically adapt the user interface display for a display device of the small form computing device, wherein the user interface display includes one or both of the application user interface and an operating system user interface display, wherein the application user interface display includes a plurality of application user interface elements and is associated with an application being executed on the small form factor computing device, and wherein the operating system user interface display includes a plurality of operating system user interface elements and is associated with an operating system being executed on the small form factor computing device, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the small form factor computing device to perform operations to;

receive, at the small form factor computing device, an indication of an event that affects a layout of the application user interface display;

in response to receiving the indication;

determine a size of the display device of the small form factor computing device;

receive from the application, by an adaptive user interface (UI) module, property information of the application, wherein the property information includes layout information for the application user interface display, layout information for the operating system user interface display and scaling information comprising a hierarchical order of scaling one or more user interface items;

determine an amount of available application space based on the size of the display device of the small form factor computing device;

compare the amount of available application space to an amount of space needed to display items of the user interface display, wherein the amount of space needed to display items of the user interface display is a sum of sizes of each of the items of the user interface display;

adapt, by the adaptive UI module according to the scaling information of the property information of the application, the user interface display by scaling, truncating, or removing one or more of the plurality of application user interface elements and/or scaling, truncating, or removing one or more of the plurality of operating system user interface elements;

configure, by the adaptive UI module, the application user interface display and the operating system user interface display in accordance with the property information of the application, including to configure, based on the property information of the application, a color of at least one of the plurality of operating system user interface elements dependent on a type of the application; and

display the application user interface display and the operating system user interface display in accordance with the property information of the application.

9. The small form factor computing device of claim 8, wherein the event comprises one of:

an instantiation of the application;

an instantiation of a document;

a change in a mode of the application;

a change in a display configuration of the small form factor computing device;

a change in a display configuration of the display;

a user selection; and

user input.

10. The small form factor computing device of claim 8, wherein the property information is associated with a mode of the application, wherein the mode includes one of:

an immersive mode;

a toolbar mode;

an edit mode; and

a palette mode.

11. The small form factor computing device of claim 8, wherein the items of the user interface display include one or more of:

an application title bar;

a system tray;

an application canvas;

a palette;

a collapsed hint state palette bar;

an onscreen keyboard;

a toolbar; and

a system navigation region.

12. The small form factor computing device of claim 8, wherein the small form factor computing device is further caused to perform operations to:

determine the small form factor computing device is in a landscape orientation;

arrange a system tray along a first side edge of the display device, the system tray comprising one or more system-level status information items substantially in-line in a first column; and

arrange a system navigation region along a second side edge of the display, the system navigation region comprising one or more operating system navigation commands substantially in-line in a second column.

14. The small form factor computing device of claim 8, wherein the application user interface display comprises a web-based application user interface display.