Windowing and controlling system thereof comprising a computer device

• US 20060200778A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Favourite Systems AS
• Original Assignee: Favourite Systems AS
• Inventors: Gritzman, Michael, Larsen, Arve, Lunde, Thorstein
• Application Number:
  US10/551,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200778A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A method and a program system comprising a plurality of windows displayed as an evolving series of instances of said windows with different sizes is described. The content of said evolving series of instances of window sizes may be changed according to specific rules and a change is performed when a size is equal with at least one predefined reference size for a window. A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a possibility to display and manage a plurality of windows comprising standard input and output windows as well as system indicators on a small computer screen such as used in mobile telephones or Personal Digital Assistants.

Claims

1. Method for windowing and controlling system thereof comprising a computer device or system communicating with a display, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

defining basic geometrical shape and graphical appearance for a least one window;

providing at least one set of different sizes for said at least one window comprising at least one size arranged as a reference window size;

providing a relation to graphical appearance of content to be comprised and displayed in said at least one reference window size;

displaying windows on said display by arranging said controlling system to display said at least one window as an evolving series of instances of different sizes corresponding to said at least one set of different window sizes; and

retaining said basic geometrical shape in all said displayed instances of said displayed windows.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said relation to said graph appearance of said content of said at least one reference window size comprises at least one parameter shaping said graphical appearance.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one set of sizes of windows comprises three different sizes.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one set of sizes of windows comprises at least two different sizes.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein said displaying of said evolving instances of sizes of said displayed windows may be interrupted by user actions or system actions related to said displaying of one of said instances of said displayed windows, thereby causing said one instance of window to be resized and displayed in a larger defined size from said at least one set of sizes for that window.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein said displaying of said evolving instances of sizes of said windows may be interrupted by user actions or system actions related to said displaying of one of said instances of said windows, thereby causing said one instance of window to be resized and displayed in a smaller defined size from said at least one set of sizes for that window.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein said controlling system comprises a parameter related to an importance of a window.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein said importance parameter is a number between zero and one, meaning one to be the highest importance.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein said importance parameter for said window is used to scale a size of said window proportional to a value of said importance factor.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein said displaying of said series of evolving sizes of windows comprises displaying at least one graphical image representing a state of an application or a service running in said computer device or system, in said at least one window in all its said instances of sizes.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein said displaying of said series of evolving sizes of windows further comprises the steps of:

providing a parameter indicating a state of an application or a service running in said computer device or system;

arranging at least one of said windows as a window representing said state of said application or service;

modifying the displayed size or a location for displaying said one window on said display in communication with said computer device or system in accordance with a value of said parameter indicating said state of said application or service.

12. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

arranging at least one window among said windows in said controlling system as corresponding to an application or service running in said computer device or system;

providing means for defining a value for at least one parameter for said application or service in another of said windows;

providing means to drag and drop at least said one window comprising said value of said at least one parameter on to said window corresponding with said application or service, thereby transferring said value to said parameter for said application or service.

13. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

arranging at least one window among said windows in said controlling system as corresponding to an application or service running in said computer device or system;

providing means for reading or mirroring a value for at least one parameter for said application or service ins said arranged window for said application or service;

providing means to display a content comprised in said series of evolving said window sizes corresponding to said application or service, wherein said content may be changed as a function of said value of said at least one parameter and current instance of window size comprised in said at least one series of displayed window sizes.

14. Method according to claim 1, wherein said step of defining said basic geometrical shape and graphical appearance for said at least one window is provided in a remote computer device or system, and then downloaded as needed via a network communicating with said controlling system of said windowing system.

15. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving input from an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a stylus or artefact, a soft keyboard or similar device in communication with said computer device or system either directly connected to said computer device or system, or via a network communicating with said computer device or system;

transferring said input via said controlling system to a recently activated window activated by an application, user interaction or service or similar action in said computer device or system;

if said recently active window is not provided to receive input, provide another new window enabling receiving such input;

displaying said input in said activated window or said new window.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein said receiving of input in said activated window or said new window comprises activating a parsing of received text in said activated or said new window.

17. Method according to claim 16, wherein said activating of said parsing is provided by dragging and dropping said window receiving said input on to another window comprising said parsing.

18. Method according to claim 1, wherein said step of displaying said evolving windows sizes on said display in communication with said computer device or system, comprises the step of starting said displaying by touching or stroking a surface of said display with an artefact or similar device or a finger.

19. Program system for controlling a windowing system comprising a computer device or system communicating with a display, comprising:

means for defining basic geometrical shapes and graphical appearances for at least one window;

means for defining at least one set of different sizes, or calculating means calculating different sizes, for said at least one window where at least one of said sizes is defined as a reference window size;

means for relating, indicating, mirroring or modifying graphical computer images by other means to be displayed in at least said one reference window size, or modifying an appearance of said reference window size;

means for displaying windows on said display by arranging said program system to display said at least one window as an evolving series of instances of different sizes corresponding to said at least one set of different window sizes;

20. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said modifying of said appearance or said displaying of said graphical computer images of said content of said at least one reference window size comprises at least one parameter shaping said graphical computer images or said appearance of said windows.

21. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said sets of sizes of windows comprises three different sizes.

22. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said sets of sizes of windows comprises at least two different sizes.

23. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said displaying of said evolving instances of sizes of said displayed windows may be interrupted by user actions or system actions related to said displaying of one of said instances of said displayed windows, thereby causing said one instance of window to be resized and displayed in a larger defined size from said at least on set of sizes for that window by said program system.

24. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said displaying of said evolving instances of sizes of said displayed windows may be interrupted by user actions or system actions related to said displaying of one of said instances of said displayed windows, thereby causing said one instance of window to be resized and displayed in a smaller defined size from said at least one set of sizes for that window by said program system.

25. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said program system comprises a parameter related to an importance of a window.

26. Program system according to claim 25, wherein said importance parameter is a number between zero and one, meaning one to be the highest importance.

27. Program system according to claim 26, wherein said importance parameter for said window is used to scale a size of said window proportional to a value of said importance factor in said program system.

28. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said displaying of said series of evolving sizes of windows comprises means for displaying at least one graphical image representing a state of an application or a service running in said computer device or system, in said at least one window in all its said instances of sizes.

29. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said displaying of said series of evolving sizes of windows further comprises the means:

means for providing a parameter indicating a state of an application or a service running in said computer device or system;

means for arranging at least one window representing said state of said application or service;

means for modifying the displayed size or a location for said displaying of said one window on said display in communication with said computer device or system as a function of a value of said parameter indicating said state of said application or service.

30. Program system according to claim 19, further comprising the means:

means for arranging at least one window representing a state of an application or service;

means for defining a value for at least one parameter for said application or service in at least one window;

means for dragging and dropping at least said one window comprising said value of said at least one parameter on to said window corresponding with said application or service, thereby transferring said value to said parameter for said application or service.

31. Program system according to claim 19, further comprising the means:

means for arranging at least one window representing a state of an application or service;

means for reading or mirroring a value for at least one parameter for said application or service in at least one window;

means for displaying content comprised in said series of evolving window sizes corresponding to said application or service, wherein said content may be changed by means as a function of said value of said at least one parameter and current instance of window size comprised in said series of displayed window sizes.

32. Program system according to claim 19, comprising means located in a remote computer device or system defining said basic geometrical shape and graphical appearance of said at least one window, and means to downloaded said at least one window as needed via a network communicating with said program system.

33. Program system according to claim 19, further comprising the means:

means for receiving input from an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a stylus or artefact, a soft keyboard or similar device in communication with said computer device or system either directly connected to said computer device or system, or via a network communicating with said computer device or system running said program system;

means for transferring said input via said controlling system to a recently activated window activated by an application, user interaction or service or similar action in said computer device or system;

if said recently active window is not provided to receive input, said program system is setting up another new window enabling receiving such input;

means for displaying said input in said activated window or said new set up window.

34. Program system according to claim 33, wherein said means receiving input in said activated window or said new set up window comprises means for activating a parsing of received text in said activated or said new set up window.

35. Program system according to claim 34, wherein said means for activating said parsing is provided by dragging and dropping said window receiving said input onto another window comprising means for said parsing.

36. Program system according to claim 19, wherein said means for displaying said evolving windows sizes on said display in communication with said computer device or system, comprises means of starting said displaying by sensing a touching or stroking of a surface of said display with an artefact or similar device or a finger.