Virtual desktop manager system and method

• US 20050125739A1
• Filed: 11/22/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Darrel C. Goeddel, Jeffrey W. Thompson, Matthew G. Byron, Matthew S. Klahn, Michael Jay Swanson
• Original Assignee: Darrel C. Goeddel, Jeffrey W. Thompson, Matthew G. Byron, Matthew S. Klahn, Michael Jay Swanson
• Inventors: Klahn, Matthew S., Byron, Matthew G., Goeddel, Darrel C., Thompson, Jeffrey W., Swanson, Michael Jay
• Application Number:
  US10/995,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/778
• 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

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method and computer implemented system for presenting multiple virtual desktops on a display of a computer system. A “pager” window is displayed on a desktop (either real or virtual) which comprises multiple subpanes, each of which contains a scaled virtual desktop having dimensions that are proportional to, but less than the dimensions of a corresponding virtual desktop. Each scaled virtual desktop provides a representation of the corresponding full-size virtual desktop that would display one or more application windows whose content may optionally be replaced by the icon designating the application program or data file displayed therein, for sake of visual clarity. The present invention also provides a mechanism for varying the background image of virtual desktop, and thus, of each scaled virtual desktop pane, in addition to a number of enhancements to the user interface for controlling the virtual desktop environment including transparency hiding of the pager window, constant aspect ratio scaling of the pager window, mouse desktop changing with corner exclusion, display and interaction with window lists, individual pop up menus for windows, starting desktop selection, a method for moving windows between virtual desktops, a method to override virtual desktop behaviors, a method for placing child windows on the same desktop as the parent window, notification of desktop changes, tracking topmost application on other desktops, sticky monitors, and API remote control.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system for presenting multiple virtual desktops on a display of a computer system for previewing by a user which comprises:

a pager window having multiple subplanes, said subplanes having a scaled virtual desktop having dimensions proportional but less than the dimensions of a corresponding virtual desktop; and

means for automatically causing said windows to become transparent to a user-defined degree at a user-defined rate.