System and method for controlling the opacity of multiple windows while browsing

• US 20060294475A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stabb, Charles W., Cooperman, Hillel N., Ligameri, Mark R., Lindsay, Donald J., Holecek, Ales
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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

Abstract

A method referred to as x-ray browsing for allowing a user to browse through windows on their desktop is provided. Aspects of the invention include responsive to a command, making a first window the window in focus on the display screen and changing the relative opacities between a content portion of the first window and a content portion of the second window. By controlling the opacities a single window can be made opaque while the remaining windows can be made transparent to allow a user to successively navigate among open windows.

Claims

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

responsive to a first command, reducing the opacity of a first window to a first level and setting the opacity of a second window at a second level, wherein the second level is greater than the first level; and

responsive to a second command, increasing the opacity of the first window to the second level and reducing the opacity of the second window to the first level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the first command, reducing the opacity of a third window to the first level; and

responsive to the second command, maintaining the opacity of the third window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second level of opacity is substantially opaque and the first level of opacity is substantially transparent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to the first and second commands, the first and second windows maintain their position in the z-order.

5. The method of claim 7, wherein prior to receiving the first command, the second window is at the top of the z-order.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to receiving the first command the second window is at the top of the z-order followed by the first window and then a third window, the method further comprising:

responsive to the first command, reducing the opacity of the third window to the first level;

responsive to the second command, maintaining the opacity of the third window at the first level; and

responsive to a third command after the second command, moving the first window to the top of the z-order, maintaining the third window below the second window in the z-order, and changing the opacity of the second window and the third window to be the same as the first window.

7. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing the method of claim 1.

8. A method for concurrently displaying in a z-order configuration at least three windows, the method comprising:

responsive to a first command, setting the opacity of all windows, but a first window, to be substantially transparent, and setting the opacity of the first window to be substantially opaque.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, responsive to a second command, changing the opacity of a second window from being substantially transparent to being substantially opaque and changing the opacity of the first window from being substantially opaque to being substantially transparent.

10. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing the method of claim 8.

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

responsive to a command, making a first window the window in focus on the display screen and changing the relative opacities between a content portion of the first window and a content portion of the second window, wherein the opacity of the content portion of the first window is greater than the opacity of the content portion of the second window.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein after performing the steps of making and changing, the method further comprises the step of making the second window the window in focus on the display screen and changing the opacities of the content portion of the first window and the content portion of the second window, wherein the opacity of the content portion of the second window is greater than the opacity of the content portion of the first window.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second windows are from a common group.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the group is defined by open windows associated with the same application.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein responsive to the command, setting the opacity of the content portion of the second window to be less than the opacity of a title portion of the second window.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the opacity of the title portion of the second window is the same as the opacity of the content portion of the first window.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a title portion of the first window has the same opacity as the title portion of the second window.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the opacity of a window is substantially opaque and the opacity of each window not in focus is substantially transparent.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein both steps of making includes determining which window to put in focus.

20. The method of claim 11, further including restoring a minimized or hidden window responsive to the command.