Virtual desktop manager

• US 20030189597A1
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shapiro, Daniel J., Anderson, Bret Paul, Rollin, Kelly Elizabeth
• Granted Patent: US 7,010,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/778
• 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: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A method for a user to preview multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface is described. The method comprises receiving an indication from a user to preview the multiple virtual desktops and displaying multiple panes on the display. Each pane contains a scaled virtual desktop having dimensions that are proportionally less than the dimensions of a corresponding full-size virtual desktop. Each scaled virtual desktop displays with one or more scaled application windows as shadows if the corresponding full-size virtual desktop has one or more corresponding application windows that are active.

Claims

1. Method for presenting multiple virtual desktops in a single graphical user interface formed on a display of a computer system, the display having a first periphery and a second periphery, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from a user to preview the multiple virtual desktops; and

displaying multiple panes occupying at least the first periphery of the display, each pane containing a scaled virtual desktop having dimensions that are proportionally less than the dimensions of a corresponding full-size virtual desktop, each scaled virtual desktop being displayed with one or more scaled application windows if the corresponding full-size virtual desktop has one or more corresponding application windows that are active.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second periphery has an area less than the first periphery but sufficient for containing a taskbar.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of receiving an indication from the user to animate the presentation of the multiple panes on the display, the multiple virtual desktops including a current full-size virtual desktop in the view of the user, the dimensions of the current full-size virtual desktop being progressively shrunken to the dimensions of the corresponding scaled virtual desktop in one of the multiple panes when the method receives the indication from the user to preview the multiple virtual desktops.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising an act of receiving an indication from the user to select one scaled virtual desktop from the scaled virtual desktops in the multiple panes, the dimensions of the one scaled virtual desktop being progressively grown to the dimensions of the corresponding full-size virtual desktop, which is defined as the current full-size virtual desktop in the view of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of displaying a preview button so that the user may select the preview button to allow the method to receive the indication from the user to preview the multiple virtual desktops.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of displaying one or more quick switch buttons so that the user may select a quick switch button to switch to a full-size virtual desktop associated with the quick switch button.

7. Computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions of performing a method for presenting multiple virtual desktops in a single graphical user interface formed on a display of a computer system, the display having a first periphery and a second periphery, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from a user to preview the multiple virtual desktops; and

displaying multiple panes occupying at least the first periphery of the display, each pane containing a scaled virtual desktop having dimensions that are proportionally less than the dimensions of a corresponding full-size virtual desktop, each scaled virtual desktop being displayed with one or more scaled application windows if the corresponding full-size virtual desktop has one or more corresponding application windows that are active.

8. Method for sharing applications across multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from a user to share an application window; and

displaying a button representing the application window in a first virtual desktop in which the application window is opened, the button being displayed in other virtual desktops besides the first virtual desktop in which the application window is opened and being selectable from any virtual desktop to switch from another running application window to the application window.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a selection event by the button from a second virtual desktop;

displaying the application window in the second virtual desktop; and

removing the presentation of the application window from the first virtual desktop while maintaining the presentation of the button representing the application window in the first virtual desktop.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving an indication from a user to refrain from sharing an application window; and

displaying a button representing the application window in a first virtual desktop in which the application window is opened, the button being removed from other virtual desktops so that the button cannot be selected from other virtual desktops to switch from another running application window to the application window.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising an act of displaying a preview button so that the user may select the preview button to allow the method to receive an indication from the user to preview the multiple virtual desktops.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising an act of displaying one or more quick switch buttons so that the user may select a quick switch button to switch to a virtual desktop associated with the quick switch button.

13. Computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions of performing a method for sharing applications across multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from a user to share an application window; and

displaying a button representing the application window in a first virtual desktop in which the application window is opened, the button being displayed in other virtual desktops besides the first virtual desktop in which the application window is opened and being selectable from any virtual desktop to switch from another running application window to the application window.

14. Method for providing a desktop switcher to switch among multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, each virtual desktop having a background image that may be different from the background image of another virtual desktop, the method comprising:

displaying a set of thumbnails, each thumbnail representing a full-size virtual desktop of the multiple virtual desktops, and each thumbnail having a background image that corresponds to the background image of the full-size virtual desktop represented by the thumbnail;

displaying one or more shadows in each thumbnail if the full-size virtual desktop represented by the thumbnail has one or more application windows that are opened on the full-size virtual desktop, each shadow being a faint representation of an application window that is opened on the full-size virtual desktop; and

receiving an indication from a user for switching from one full-size virtual desktop to another full-size virtual desktop when the user clicks on a thumbnail from the set of thumbnails.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying the act of switching from one full-size virtual desktop to another full-size virtual desktop as an animation by setting the one virtual desktop as a starting point of the animation and the another virtual desktop as an ending point of the animation.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a dragged event when the user drags a shadow in one thumbnail to another thumbnail and receiving a dropped event when the user drops the shadow on the another thumbnail, the shadow that is dropped being defined as a dropped shadow; and

displaying the dropped shadow on the another thumbnail, and displaying the application window that corresponds to the dropped shadow on the virtual desktop that corresponds to the another thumbnail when the act of switching switches to the virtual desktop that corresponds to the another thumbnail.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving an indication from a user for changing an old background image of the virtual desktop to a new background image; and

displaying the new background image of the virtual desktop as well as the new background image for the thumbnail that corresponds to the virtual desktop.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

outlining the thumbnail for which the corresponding full-size virtual desktop is currently presented on the display.

19. Computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions of performing a method for providing a desktop switcher to switch among multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, each virtual desktop having a background image that may be different from the background image of another virtual desktop, the method comprising:

displaying a set of thumbnails, each thumbnail representing a full-size virtual desktop of the multiple virtual desktops, and each thumbnail having a background image that corresponds to the background image of the full-size virtual desktop represented by the thumbnail;

displaying one or more shadows in each thumbnail if the full-size virtual desktop represented by the thumbnail has one or more application windows that are opened on the full-size virtual desktop, each shadow being a faint representation of an application window that is opened on the full-size virtual desktop; and

receiving an indication from a user for switching from one full-size virtual desktop to another full-size virtual desktop when the user clicks on a thumbnail from the set of thumbnails.

20. Method for providing different background images for multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, the method comprising:

presenting each full-size virtual desktop including the background image of each full-size virtual desktop as a thumbnail on the display;

receiving an indication from a user that an old background image of a first full-size virtual desktop of the multiple virtual desktops is to be replaced with a new background image; and

displaying on the display the new background image of the first full-size virtual desktop of the multiple desktops in accordance with the indication received from the user if the old background image of the first full-size virtual desktop is in the view of the user, the act of displaying being adapted to display the background image of the thumbnail that corresponds to the first full-size virtual desktop.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising an act of showing on the display a first menu having a first set of menu items, each menu item in the first set of menu items corresponding to a selectable background image.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the act of receiving includes receiving a first selection event by a thumbnail representative of a desired full-size virtual desktop and then receiving a second selection event by a menu item from the first set of menu items to indicate a desired background image for the desired full-size virtual desktop, and wherein the act of displaying changes the background image of the thumbnail representative of the desired full-size virtual desktop to the desired background image.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising an act of configuring a set of shortcut keys, each shortcut key of the set of shortcut keys being selected from a group consisting of a shortcut key to invoke the display of a preview window and a shortcut key to invoke the display of a full-size virtual desktop from the multiple virtual desktops.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising an act of displaying a preview button so that the user may select the preview button to allow the method to receive an indication from the user to preview the multiple virtual desktops.

25. Computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions of performing the method for providing different background images for multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, the method comprising:

presenting each full-size virtual desktop including the background image of each full-size virtual desktop as a thumbnail on the display;

receiving an indication from a user that an old background image of a first full-size virtual desktop of the multiple virtual desktops is to be replaced with a new background image; and

displaying on the display the new background image of the first full-size virtual desktop of the multiple desktops in accordance with the indication received from the user if the old background image of the first full-size virtual desktop is in the view of the user, the act of displaying being adapted to display the background image of the thumbnail that corresponds to the first full-size virtual desktop.