System and Method for Providing a Window Management Mode

• US 20060248404A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ligameri, Mark R., Lindsay, Donald J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A mode of managing windows in a graphical user interface in which the application windows may be presented in a tiled manner is provided. Upon invocation of the mode inactive application windows may be scaled down and organized in a manner so as to set them aside from the currently active application window while the active application window may remain at or near full size and be positioned in a centralized location in the desktop space.

Claims

1. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of application windows on a display screen, the method comprising:

responsive to a first command, rendering plural application windows in a scaled down form in a desktop space and rendering a first application window at or near full size in the desktop space, and

responsive to a second command, rendering a second application window at or near full size in the desktop space, wherein none of the plural application windows overlap the first and second application windows.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first application window and the second application window is at the top of the Z-order and overlaps the other of the first application window and the second application window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in response to user selection of the one of the first and second application windows below the top of the Z-order, moving the other of the first and second application windows to the top of Z-order.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein after responding to the second command, in response to a third command selecting a third application window, the third application window being one of the plural application windows, rendering the third application window at or near full size in the desktop space, and rendering the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order in a scaled down form in the desktop space, wherein none of the other plural application windows and the other of the first and second application windows overlap the third application window and the one of the first and second application windows.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to the third command the third application window and the one of the first and second application windows swap relative positions in the desktop space.