Interface and system for manipulating thumbnails of live windows in a window manager

• US 20060242602A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Saks, Jevan, Fortier, Chris, Schechter, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The present invention provides an interface, system, or method for displaying a window on a display in which a thumbnail corresponding to an application window is capable of being modified based on modifications in the application window. The modifications of the thumbnail may be accomplished in real-time. Also, the present invention provides an interface, system, and method for displaying a window or a thumbnail on a display in which a Desktop Window Manager (DWM) registers a source window and a destination window and/or may update or modify a thumbnail associated with the source window. Special effects may be applied to the thumbnail. The present invention further provides a method for registering and/or modifying a thumbnail and its properties or maintaining a list of thumbnail registrations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying a window on a display device, the method comprising:

displaying a source window, the source window comprising content that is capable of being modified;

displaying a destination window wherein at least a portion of the destination window contains a thumbnail, the thumbnail containing content that is substantially similar to at least a portion of the content of the source window; and

modifying the content of the source window, wherein the modification of the source window is displayed in the thumbnail.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of registering the thumbnail, wherein registering the thumbnail comprises receiving a window handle for said source window.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of registering further comprises establishing an association between the source window and the thumbnail so that at least a portion of the content of the source window is drawn into the thumbnail.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of registering further comprises receiving a size parameter and storing the source window at a size corresponding to the size parameter.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the registering further comprises receiving a unique handle representing the association between the source window and the thumbnail.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of unregistering the thumbnail, the unregistering comprising removing the unique handle representing the association between the source window and the thumbnail.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of unregistering the thumbnail comprises deleting said unique handle representing the association between the source window and the thumbnail.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising maintaining a list of window associations, the list of window associations comprising information of the association between the source window and the thumbnail.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a first parameter for defining at least a portion of the source window, wherein said modifying comprises determining at least a portion of the source window to draw into the thumbnail based on said first parameter.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a second parameter for defining at least a portion of the destination window, wherein said modifying further comprises determining at least a portion of the destination window to render the thumbnail based on said second parameter.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said modifying further comprises receiving a control value and setting the opacity of the thumbnail based on the value of the control value.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the value of the control value is between 0 and 255.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said modifying further comprises receiving a Boolean value and making the thumbnail invisible based on the Boolean value.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

displaying a source window on a display, the source window comprising content that is capable of being modified;

displaying a destination window wherein at least a portion of the destination window contains a thumbnail containing content that is substantially similar to at least a portion of the content of the source window; and

modifying the content of the source window, wherein the modification of the source window is displayed in the thumbnail.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

registering the thumbnail;

maintaining a list of window associations comprising information of an association between the source window and the corresponding thumbnail.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein said registering comprises:

receiving a window handle for the source window;

establishing an association between the source window and the corresponding thumbnail so that at least a portion of the content of the source window is drawn into the thumbnail;

receiving a size parameter and storing the source window at a size corresponding to the size parameter;

receiving a unique handle representing the association between the source window and the destination window.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein said modifying comprises:

determining at least a portion of the source window to draw into the destination window based on a first parameter for defining at least a portion of the source window;

determining at least a portion of the destination window to render content based on a second parameter for defining the thumbnail;

receiving a control value and setting the opacity of the thumbnail based on the value of the control value;

receiving a Boolean value and making the thumbnail invisible based on the Boolean value.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 further computer-executable instructions for performing the step of unregistering the thumbnail comprising deleting a unique handle representing the association between the source window and the thumbnail.

19. A system for displaying a window on a display device, the system comprising:

a display for displaying a source window comprising content that is capable of being modified and a destination window corresponding to said source window;

a manager for registering a thumbnail, the thumbnail being in a destination window and corresponding to at least a portion of the source window, said registering comprising;

receiving a window handle for said source window;

establishing an association between the source window and the thumbnail so that at least a portion of the content of the source window is drawn into the thumbnail;

receiving a window size parameter corresponding to the source window and storing the source window at a size corresponding to the size parameter; and

receiving a unique handle representing the association between the source window and the thumbnail;

a processor for modifying the content of the source window, wherein the modification of the source window is displayed in a corresponding portion of the thumbnail, said modifying comprising;

determining at least a portion of the source window to draw into the thumbnail based on a first parameter for defining at least a portion of the source window;

determining the thumbnail to render based on a second parameter for defining at least a portion of the destination window in which to render the thumbnail;

receiving a control value and setting the opacity of at least a portion of the thumbnail based on the value of the control value;

receiving a Boolean value and setting the visibility of the at least a portion of the thumbnail based on the Boolean value.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the manager for further unregistering the thumbnail, the unregistering comprising removing the association between the source window and the thumbnail.