Computer Interface Having A Virtual Single-Layer Mode For Viewing Overlapping Objects
First Claim
1. A method of providing alternate views of a plurality of windows on a display for a graphical user interface executing on a computer, comprising the steps of:
- displaying a plurality of windows in a first view where at least one window can obscure another window;
in response to entry of a command to present an alternative view, displaying the windows at respective locations on the display so that at least a portion of each of said windows is visible to a user, while maintaining the proportional sizes of said windows relative to one another, in said alternative view; and
returning the windows to their original locations in response to a user action.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-human interface provides a mechanism to manage the available space of a computer display in a manner that facilitated navigation among multiple windows that are overlaid upon one another. The interface includes a user-selectable mode in which the windows are rearranged, and resized if necessary, so that all open windows can be simultaneously viewed within the area if the display, thereby enabling any one of the windows is “flattened” so that all windows appear at the same virtual depth, rather than overlapping one another. With this approach, there is no need to minimize windows in order to access one that is overlaid by another, thereby enabling the user to keep the content of all windows visible and accessible. Subsets of windows can be repositioned in the same manner, or all windows can be removed from the display area for access to desktop objects.
133 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of providing alternate views of a plurality of windows on a display for a graphical user interface executing on a computer, comprising the steps of:
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displaying a plurality of windows in a first view where at least one window can obscure another window;
in response to entry of a command to present an alternative view, displaying the windows at respective locations on the display so that at least a portion of each of said windows is visible to a user, while maintaining the proportional sizes of said windows relative to one another, in said alternative view; and
returning the windows to their original locations in response to a user action. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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- 10. A computer-readable medium containing a program that is executed by a computer to provide an alternative view for a computer user interface of the type that presents a normal viewing mode in which plural windows are displayed in a layered environment in positions where a window can overlap and obscure another window, said program causing said plural windows to move from their positions in said normal viewing mode to respective locations within a display in response to a user command to invoke the alternative view, such that at least a portion of each of said plural windows is visible in said alternative viewing mode, while maintaining the relative proportional sizes of said plural windows, and then return to the positions they occupied in the normal viewing mode.
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15. A computer system, comprising:
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a display device; and
a graphical user interface having a first mode in which plural windows are displayed in a layered view on said device such that a window can overlap and obscure another window, and a second mode that is invoked upon entry of a command to switch to said second mode, in which said plural windows are temporarily moved from their positions in said first mode to respective locations within the area of said display such that at least a portion of each of said plural windows is visible, while maintaining the relative proportional sizes of said plural windows, and subsequently returned to the positions they occupied in said first mode. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification