Multi-application environment

• US 10,303,325 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2015
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Sundelin, Nils Anders, Anderson, Bret P., Wong, Tsz Yan, Sareen, Chaitanya Dev, Miner, Patrice L., Harris, Jensen, Matthews, David A., Nan, Jennifer, Worley, Matthew I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weng, Pei Yong
• Application Number:
  US14/800,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• 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 3/04817 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses enabling a multi-application environment. In some embodiments, these techniques and apparatuses enable multi-application environments having combinations of immersive interfaces, windows-based interfaces, and a desktop treated as an immersive interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting a first interface associated with a first application within a multi-application environment;

receiving a first portion of a single continuous gesture associated with a single finger or input device, the first portion of the single continuous gesture beginning at a starting point at an edge of a display and ending at an end point at least a preset distance from the edge of the display in the multi-application environment, and the first portion of the single continuous gesture requesting access to an application-selection menu of the multi-application environment;

presenting, in response to the receiving the first portion of the single continuous gesture, the application-selection menu of the multi-application environment;

receiving, over the application-selection menu, a second portion of the single continuous gesture associated with the single finger or input device, the second portion of the single continuous gesture beginning at the end point of the first portion of the single continuous gesture and ending at an additional end point in the multi-application environment, and the second portion of the single continuous gesture indicating selection of a second interface of a second application for presentation within the multi-application environment; and

presenting, in response to the receiving the second portion of the single continuous gesture, a portion of the second interface of the second application within the multi-application environment.

2. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein each application selectable from the application-selection menu is represented by a respective reduced-size image associated with the selectable application.

3. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third portion of the single continuous gesture in a direction opposite to that of the second portion of the single continuous gesture; and

ceasing, responsive to the receiving the third portion of the single continuous gesture, to present the portion of the second interface of the second application within the multi-application environment.

4. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third portion of the single continuous gesture in a direction substantially similar to that of the second portion of the single continuous gesture; and

presenting, responsive to the receiving the third portion of the single continuous gesture, the second interface of the second application fully within the multi-application environment.

5. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 4, wherein the multi-application environment comprises multiple regions in which to present interfaces associated with applications and the method further comprises selecting, based on a direction of the third portion of the single continuous gesture, one of the multiple regions in which to present the second interface of the second application.

6. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the single continuous gesture is an edge gesture having a later point not at the edge of the display.

7. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the application-selection menu comprises a queue of previously-interacted-with applications.

8. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 7, wherein the previously-interacted-with applications of the queue are arranged from most-recently-interacted-with applications to least-recently-interacted-with applications.

9. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 8, wherein an order of the queue is circular such that the most-recently-interacted-with applications follow the least-recently-interacted-with applications in the order of the queue.

10. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, over the queue, one or more subsequent portions of the single continuous gesture; and

advancing, responsive to the receiving the one or more subsequent portions of the single continuous gesture, through the queue of previously-interacted-with applications.

19. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the single continuous gesture are received via a touch-sensitive display of a computing device.

20. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the single continuous gesture is received via the single finger.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

presenting, via a display associated with the system, a multi-application environment having two or more regions in which to present interfaces;

receiving a first portion of a single continuous gesture associated with a single finger or input device, the first portion of the single continuous gesture beginning at a starting point at an edge of the display and ending at an end point at least a preset distance from the edge of the display in the multi-application environment, and the first portion of the single continuous gesture requesting access to an application-selection menu of the multi-application environment;

presenting, in response to the receiving the first portion of the single continuous gesture, the application-selection menu of the multi-application environment;

receiving, over the application-selection menu, a second portion of the single continuous gesture associated with the single finger or input device, the second portion of the single continuous gesture beginning at the end point of the first portion of the single continuous gesture and ending at an additional end point in the multi-application environment, and the second portion of the single continuous gesture selecting an application from the application-selection menu; and

presenting, in response to the receiving the second portion of the single continuous gesture, an interface associated with the application in one of the two or more regions of the multi-application environment.

12. The system as described in claim 11, wherein the second portion of the single continuous gesture is an end portion of the single continuous gesture, and wherein the application-selection menu is configured as a queue of selectable applications, and the operations further comprise:

receiving, over the application-selection menu, one or more intermediate portions of the single continuous gesture, the one or more intermediate portions comprising portions of the first portion or the second portion of the single continuous gesture; and

advancing, in response to the receiving the one or more intermediate portions of the single continuous gesture, through the selectable applications of the queue.

13. The system as described in claim 12, wherein the one or more intermediate portions of the single continuous gesture comprise a combination of circular gesture portions or back-and-forth gesture portions.

14. The system as described in claim 12, wherein the selectable applications of the queue comprise previously-interacted-with applications of the multi-application environment.

15. The system as described in claim 11, wherein the single continuous gesture is an edge gesture having a later point not at the edge of the display.

16. The system as described in claim 11, wherein the system is implemented as a gaming device, smart phone, laptop computer, tablet computer, or set-top box.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that, responsive to execution by one or more hardware-based processors, cause the one or more hardware-based processors to perform operations:

presenting a first interface associated with a first application within a first region of a multi-application environment, the multi-application environment having multiple regions in which to present interfaces without frame controls;

receiving a first portion of a single continuous gesture associated with a single finger or input device, the first portion of the single continuous gesture beginning at a starting point at an edge of a display and ending at an end point at least a preset distance from the edge of the display in the multi-application environment, and the first portion of the single continuous gesture requesting access to an application-selection menu of the multi-application environment;

presenting, in response to the receiving the first portion of the single continuous gesture, the application-selection menu of the multi-application environment;

receiving, over the application-selection menu, a second portion of the single continuous gesture associated with the single finger or input device, the second portion of the single continuous gesture beginning at the end point of the first portion of the single continuous gesture and ending at an additional end point in the multi-application environment, and the second portion of the single continuous gesture selecting a second application; and

presenting, in response to the receiving the second portion of the single continuous gesture, a second interface associated with the second application in a second region of the multi-application environment.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise moving or re-sizing the first interface to a third region of the multi-application environment to accommodate the presentation of the second interface in the second region.