Expandable application representation

• US 10,459,607 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2017
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gu, Jiawei
• Primary Examiner(s): Titcomb, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/808,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20180095620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 715736
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

Expandable application representation techniques are described. The techniques may include support of an expandable tile that may function as an intermediary within a root level (e.g., start menu or screen) of a file system. The expandable tile, for instance, may be output via a gesture to gain additional information that was not included in an unexpanded version of the tile, may be utilized to provide inputs to an application such that a user, and so on. Thus, this may support non-modal interaction by a user. Techniques are also described in which the expanded representation is included in a taskbar, which may also be used for non-modal interaction, sending of content represented in the representation to a device or application, continuation of interaction initiated with the representation by a mobile computing device, and so on. Expandable tile techniques may also be utilized to support interaction between shells of an operating system, such as a desktop and immersive shell. Further description of these and other examples involving and not involving an expandable tile are also contemplated.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

outputting representations of applications in a root level of a file hierarchy maintained by an operating system of the computing device, the root level of the file hierarchy being located on a start menu or a start screen or both, the representations selectable to launch execution of respective said applications, each of the representations comprising an application icon or an application tile as opposed to a folder; and

responsive to recognition by the operating system of an input configured to cause expansion of one of the representations of respective said applications, expanding a display of the representation of the respective application for inclusion at the root level with one or more other said representations of respective said applications, the expanded display of the representation of the respective application configured to accept one or more inputs for the respective application.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the expanded display of the representation is configured to accept one or more inputs other than the launching of the execution of the respective application.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the expanded display of the representation of the respective application is configured to accept one or more inputs of textual characters entered by a user that are displayed as part of the representation.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the expanded display of the representation of the respective application is configured to accept one or more inputs involving content represented within the expanded display.

5. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the content represented within the expanded display is consumable as part of execution of the respective application.

6. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising causing execution of the respective application responsive to selection of the expanded display of the representation.

7. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising causing execution of the respective application in an immersive shell of the operating system responsive to a selection received from a user.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the representations of the application are configured to output notifications as part of the respective said applications without executing the respective said applications.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the expanded display of the representation is displayable using a plurality of different sub-modes that provide different levels of functionality in relation to the respective application.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the plurality of sub-modes include a first said sub-mode in which the expanded display includes additional information regarding a notification included in the representation, a second said sub-mode in which the expanded display supports user inputs, and a third said sub-mode in which full functionality of the respective application is accessible in the root level.

11. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising rearranging one or more other representations of respective said applications at the root level responsive to the expanding of the display.

12. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the rearranging is performed using a grid layout.

13. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the expanding the display of the representation includes use of an animation showing a successively expanding transition from the representation to the expanded representation at the root level.

14. A system comprising:

one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to implement an operating system of a computing device that is configured to support a plurality of display modes, the plurality of display modes including;

a first said display mode in which representations are output of applications in a root level of a file hierarchy of the operating system, the root level of the file hierarchy being located on a start menu or a start screen or both, the representations of the applications selectable to launch execution of respective said applications, each of the representations comprising an application icon or an application tile as opposed to a folder;

a second said display mode in which at least one of the representations is expandable for display at the root level, the expanded display of the at least one representation configured to accept one or more inputs for a respective one of said applications; and

a third said display mode entered through selection of the at least one representation or the expanded display of the at least one representation to cause a full screen view of a respective application.

15. A system as described in claim 14, wherein the second said display mode includes one or more of the representations of the first said display mode and is entered through interaction with the at least one said representation.

16. A system as described in claim 15, wherein the interaction is a gesture.

17. A system as described in claim 14, wherein the second said display mode and the third said display mode are enterable via interaction with different parts of the at least one representation displayed in the first said display mode.

18. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

outputting representations of applications in a grid layout in a root level of a file hierarchy maintained by an operating system of the computing device, the root level of the file hierarchy being located on a start menu or a start screen or both, the representations selectable to launch execution of respective said applications, each of the representations comprising an application icon or an application tile as opposed to a folder; and

responsive to recognition by the operating system of an input configured to cause expansion of one of the representations, expanding a size of a display of the representation for inclusion at the root level with one or more other said representations, the expanded display causing rearrangement of one or more other ones of the representations in the root level in the grid layout that maintains the grid layout.

19. A method as described in claim 18, wherein the expanded display of the representation is configured to receive one or more inputs involving input of text within the expanded representation.

20. A method as described in claim 18, wherein the expanded display of the representation is configured to accept one or more inputs involving content represented within the expanded display.