Unified communications application functionality in condensed views

• US 10,152,210 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gunderson, Nathan, Garding, Phillip, Gong, Zaoyang, Durgin, Kris, Java, Punit
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Hua
• Application Number:
  US14/949,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]

Abstract

A unified communications application is described herein. The unified communications application is displayable in one of two views: a full view and a condensed view. When displayed in the condensed view, which consumes less than fifty percent of a display screen, the unified communications application is employable by a user thereof to participate in real-time conversations/meetings with contacts of the user.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a display in communication with the processor; and

memory that has loaded therein;

an operating system;

a first application; and

a second application, wherein the operating system is a window-less operating system that supports simultaneous presentment of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of different applications on the display, and further wherein the operating system, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform acts comprising;

displaying a GUI of the first application over an entirety of the display, the GUI of the first application being of a first preset view;

responsive to receipt of an indication that the GUI of the first application is to be displayed as having a second preset view, displaying the GUI of the first application in a first region of the display, wherein the GUI of the first application is displayed as having the second preset view, and further wherein the first region of the display is less than an entirety of the display;

subsequent to the GUI of the first application being displayed in the second preset view and in the first region, receiving a user request to display a GUI of the second application concurrently with the GUI of the first application; and

responsive to receiving the user request, displaying the GUI of the second application in a second region of the display concurrently with the GUI of the first application when the GUI of the first application has the second preset view, wherein the first region of the display and the second region of the display are adjacent to one another.

2. The computing device of claim 1, the first application being a unified communications (UC) application, wherein both the first preset view and the second preset view comprises a control corresponding to a real-time communications modality supported by the UC application, the real-time communications modality being one of instant messaging, video conferencing, or content sharing.

3. The computing device of claim 1, the first application being a unified communications (UC) application, wherein both the first preset view and the second preset view comprises a control corresponding to a non real-time communications modality, the non real-time communications modality being voicemail playback.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the second preset view occupies more than 50% of the display.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the second preset view occupies less than 50% of the display.

6. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the first region and the second region take up an entirety of the display.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first application is a unified communications (UC) application, the acts further comprising:

when the GUI of the first application is displayed in the second preset view, receiving a real-time communication from a second computing device in network communication with the computing device; and

presenting the real-time communications in the GUI of the first application when displayed in the second preset view without expanding the GUI of the first application on the display.

8. The computing device of claim 1, the GUI of the first application displayable in only the first preset view or the second preset view.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first application is a unified communications (UC) application, the acts further comprising:

when the GUI of the first application is being displayed on the display in the first preset view, displaying an instant message received from another computing device in network communication with the computing device; and

responsive to detecting a predefined gesture over the display, displaying the GUI of the first application in the second preset view such that the instant message remains displayed on the display.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the

first region consumes less than 50% of the display and the second region consumes more than 50% of the display.

11. A method comprising:

at a tablet computing device that executes a window-less operating system;

displaying, on a touch-sensitive display of the tablet computing device, a graphical user interface (GUI) of a first application in a first preset view, wherein the GUI of the first application in the first preset view consumes an entirety of the touch-sensitive display;

responsive to detecting a predefined gesture over the touch-sensitive display, displaying, on the touch-sensitive display, the GUI of the first application in a second preset view, wherein the GUI of the first application in the second preset view consumes a first region of the touch-sensitive display that is less than an entirety of the touch-sensitive display;

subsequent to the GUI of the first application being displayed in the second preset view and in the first region, receiving a user request to display a GUI of the second application concurrently with the GUI of the first application;

displaying, in a second region of the display, a GUI of the second application concurrently with the GUI of the first application when the GUI of the first application is displayed in the second preset view, wherein the first region of the display and the second region of the display are adjacent to one another.

12. The method of claim 11, the predefined gesture over the touch-sensitive display comprises a movement of a finger of a user of the tablet computing device over the touch-sensitive display.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first region consumes 50% of the touch-sensitive display.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the

first region and the second region collectively consume an entirety of the touch-sensitive display.

15. The method of claim 11,

wherein the first region consumes less than 50% of the touch-sensitive display, and the second region consumes more than 50% of the touch-sensitive display.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first region consumes more than 50% of the touch-sensitive display and the second region consumes less than 50% of the touch-sensitive display.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the GUI of the first application in the second preset view comprises a text entry field, the method further comprising:

responsive to receiving an indication that text is to be entered into the text entry field, displaying a soft keyboard on the touch-sensitive display; and

reducing size of the GUI of the first application in the second preset view when the soft keyboard is displayed.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the GUI of the first application in the first preset view comprises displaying a message in the GUI of the first application in the first preset view, the message received from another computing device in network communication with the tablet computing device, and wherein displaying the GUI of the first application in the second preset view comprises displaying the message in the GUI of the first application in the second preset view.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the GUI of the first application is displayable only in one of the first preset view or the second preset view.

20. Computer-readable memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

displaying, on a touch-sensitive display of a tablet computing device that is executing a window-less operating system, a graphical user interface (GUI) of a first application in a first preset view, wherein the GUI of the first application consumes an entirety of the touch-sensitive display of the tablet computing device when displayed in the first preset view;

responsive to receiving an indication that the GUI of the first application is to be displayed in a second preset view rather than the first preset view, transitioning the graphical user interface of the first application from the first preset view to the second preset view, wherein the GUI of the first application consumes less of the touch-sensitive display when displayed in the second preset view;

subsequent to the GUI of the first application being displayed in the second preset view, receiving a user request to display a GUI of a second application concurrently with the GUI of the first application;

displaying the GUI of the second application concurrently with the GUI of the first application when the GUI of the first application is displayed in the second preset view, wherein the GUI of the second application and the GUI of the first application are adjacent to one another.