Multiple child windows in dual display communication devices

• US 10,261,651 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Cassar, Ron, Reeves, Paul E., Lemberg, Volodimir Felixovich, Visosky, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Filosi, Terri L
• Application Number:
  US14/919,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20160110049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 715800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/017 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 : Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 : for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 : Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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 3/1423 : controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 : display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 : Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 : Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 : Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 : Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 : Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to methodologies and devices for handling maximizing and minimizing of hierarchically related windows.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

executing a multi-screen application on a multi-display communication device, wherein the multi-display communication device comprises two or more touch sensitive displays, wherein the multi-screen application has two or more windows associated with the multi-screen application, wherein the two or more windows includes a first window and a second window, and wherein the first window is a parent window and the second window is a child window;

receiving, by processor executable middleware in the multi-display communication device, a command to minimize or maximize the two or more windows from the multi-screen application, wherein the command comprises a first gesture executed on a first gesture capture region with a first finger of a user placed on the first gesture capture region and a second gesture concurrently executed on a second gesture capture region with a second finger of the user placed on the second gesture capture region;

receiving, by the processor executable middleware in the multi-display communication device, an orientation of the multi-display communication device;

determining if the command is a minimize command or the command is a maximize command;

if the command is the minimize command and the received orientation is a portrait orientation, the processor executable middleware;

selecting a first touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays for displaying the parent window in a minimized size; and

ceasing to display the child window on a second touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays;

if the command is the maximize command and the received orientation is the portrait orientation, the processor executable middleware;

selecting the first touch sensitive display for displaying the parent window in the maximized size; and

causing the child window to be displayed on the second touch sensitive display in the maximized size;

if the command is a minimize command and the received orientation is a landscape orientation;

selecting the first touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays for displaying the parent window in a minimized size; and

displaying a desktop of the multi-display communication device on the second touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays; and

if the command is a maximize command and the received orientation is the landscape orientation;

displaying the parent window in both the first touch sensitive display and the second touch sensitive display in a maximized size.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximize command is a spread gesture.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein neither the first window nor the second window is displayed in the second touch sensitive display when the command is received, and wherein the second window appears to move from the first touch sensitive display to the second touch sensitive display, thereby revealing the first window in the first touch sensitive display.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second window is displayed in the second touch sensitive display when the command is received, wherein the first window appears to move from the second touch sensitive display to the first touch sensitive display, whereby the first window is displayed by the first touch sensitive display and the second window is displayed by the second touch sensitive display.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the multi-display communication device is in the portrait display mode and wherein the first touch sensitive display is the right-most touch sensitive display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the minimize command is a pinch gesture.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second window are concurrently displayed in the second touch sensitive display and the first touch sensitive display, respectively, when the minimize command is received, and wherein the first window appears to move from the second touch sensitive display to the first touch sensitive display, thereby covering a lower level window previously displayed on the second touch sensitive display.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first window and second window are concurrently displayed in the first touch sensitive display and the second touch sensitive display, respectively, when the minimize command is received, and wherein the second window appears to move from the second touch sensitive display to the first touch sensitive display and under the first window, thereby disappearing under the first window displayed on the second touch sensitive display.

9. A non-transient and tangible computer readable medium having processor-executable instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

executing a multi-screen application on a multi-display communication device, wherein the multi-display communication device comprises two or more touch sensitive displays, wherein the multi-screen application has two or more windows associated with the multi-screen application, wherein the two or more windows includes a first window and a second window, and wherein the first window is a parent window and the second window is a child window;

receiving, by processor executable middleware in the multi-display communication device, a command to minimize or maximize the two or more windows from the multi-screen application, wherein the command comprises a first gesture executed on a first gesture capture region with a first finger of a user placed on the first gesture capture region and a second gesture concurrently executed on a second gesture capture region with a second finger of the user placed on the second gesture capture region;

receiving, by the processor executable middleware in the multi-display communication device, an orientation of the multi-display communication device;

determining if the command is a minimize command or the command is a maximize command;

if the command is the minimize command and the received orientation is a portrait orientation, the processor executable middleware;

selecting a first touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays for displaying the parent window in a minimized size; and

ceasing to display the child window on a second touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays;

if the command is the maximize command and the received orientation is the portrait orientation, the processor executable middleware;

selecting the first touch sensitive display for displaying the parent window in the maximized size; and

causing the child window to be displayed on the second touch sensitive display in the maximized size;

if the command is a minimize command and the received orientation is a landscape orientation;

selecting the first touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays for displaying the parent window in a minimized size; and

displaying a desktop of the multi-display communication device on the second touch sensitive display of the two or more touch sensitive displays; and

if the command is a maximize command and the received orientation is the landscape orientation;

displaying the parent window in both the first touch sensitive display and the second touch sensitive display in a maximized size.

10. A communication device, comprising:

at least first and second touch sensitive displays to display windows;

a processor in communication with the at least first and second touch sensitive displays, the processor to execute;

a multi-screen application, wherein the multi-screen application has two or more windows associated with the multi-screen application, wherein the two or more windows includes a first window and a second window, and wherein the first window is a parent window and the second window is a child window;

middleware;

a computer readable memory in communication with the processor, the computer readable memory comprising instructions to cause the middleware to;

receive a command to minimize or maximize the two or more windows from the multi-screen application, wherein the command comprises a first gesture executed on a first gesture capture region with a first finger of a user placed on the first gesture capture region and a second gesture concurrently executed on a second gesture capture region with a second finger of the user placed on a second gesture capture region;

receiving, by the middleware of the communication device, an orientation of the communication device;

determining if the command is a minimize command or the command is a maximize command;

if the command is the minimize command and the received orientation is a portrait orientation, the processor executable middleware;

selects a first touch sensitive display for displaying the parent window in a minimized size; and

ceases to display the child window on a second touch sensitive display;

if the command is the maximize command and the received orientation is the portrait orientation, the processor executable middleware;

selects the first touch sensitive display for displaying the parent window in the maximized size; and

causes the child window to be displayed on the second touch sensitive display in the maximized size;

if the command is a minimize command and the received orientation is a landscape orientation;

selects the first touch sensitive display for displaying the parent window in a minimized size; and

displays a desktop of the multi-display communication device on the second touch sensitive display; and

if the command is a maximize command and the received orientation is the landscape orientation;

displays the parent window in both the first touch sensitive display and the second touch sensitive display in a maximized size.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the maximize command is a spread gesture.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein neither the first window nor the second window is displayed in the second touch sensitive display when the command is received, and wherein the second window appears to move from the first touch sensitive display to the second touch sensitive display, thereby revealing the first window in the first touch sensitive display.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the second window is displayed in the second touch sensitive display when the command is received, wherein the first window appears to move from the second touch sensitive display to the first touch sensitive display, whereby the first window is displayed by the first touch sensitive display and the second window is displayed by the second touch sensitive display.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the multi-display communication device is in the portrait display mode and wherein the first touch sensitive display is the right-most touch sensitive display.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the minimize command is a pinch gesture.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the first and second window are concurrently displayed in the second touch sensitive display and the first touch sensitive display, respectively, when the minimize command is received, and wherein the first window appears to move from the second touch sensitive display to the first touch sensitive display, thereby covering a lower level window previously displayed on the second touch sensitive display.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the first window and second window are concurrently displayed in the first touch sensitive display and the second touch sensitive display, respectively, when the minimize command is received, and wherein the second window appears to move from the second touch sensitive display to the first touch sensitive display and under the first window, thereby disappearing under the first window displayed on the second touch sensitive display.

18. The device of claim 10, wherein the first and second touch sensitive displays are physically separate touch sensitive displays.

19. The device of claim 10, wherein the two or more windows includes a third window and the second window is a child of the third window.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein if the command is the minimize command, the processor executable middleware ceasing to display the lowest level child window on the second touch sensitive display;

and if the command is the maximize command, the processor executable middleware causing the lowest level child window to be displayed on the second touch sensitive display.