SYTEM AND METHOD OF WINDOWS MANAGEMENT

• US 20070245256A1
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BOSS, Gregory, PANDYA, Aroopratan, WATERS, Timothy, HAMILTON II, Rick
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/768
• 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

Abstract

A system and method of windows management. The system and method comprises at least one window having information displayed thereon and a processor for determining an application type associated with the at least one window and rendering the at least one window at a predetermined opacity level based on the application type.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

at least one window having information displayed thereon; and

a processor for determining an application type associated with the at least one window and rendering the at least one window at a predetermined opacity level based on the application type.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor maintains an opaque state of an active window of the at least one window.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor lowers an opacity level of the at least one window based on a predetermined period of time of inactivity of the at least one window.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines a position of activity occurring on an active window of the at least one window, and moves inactive windows away from the activity.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor iteratively determines a time of inactivity of n number of windows of the at least one window and sets an opacity level based on the time of inactivity.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the processor renders an active window, which was previously inactive, to a higher opacity level, upon activity occurring in the previous inactive window.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the processor, upon determining that the active window has been inactive for a predetermined amount of time lowers the opacity level.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor iteratively operates on n+1 windows to determine a state of each window of the at least one window in order to adjust an opacity level of the each window based on a time period of inactivity.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the processor resizes the n+1 windows to a smaller size based on a predetermined amount of time of inactivity.

10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the processor tiles the n+1 windows behind an active window based on a predetermined amount of time of inactivity, wherein windows which are inactive for a longer time period are tiled behind windows that have been inactive for a shorter time period.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor resizes n windows of the at least one window to a smaller size for each time period of inactivity.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the processor tiles the n windows away from an active window of the at least one window.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines if a window of the at least one window is inactive and decreases a size and opacity level of the window and moves the window to a window stack.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein user input is interpreted by the processor as operating in an active window and renders the active window in a fully opaque state.

15. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processor renders a screen representation of the at least one window on a taskbar.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the application type is an activity.

17. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface providing a user set of default parameters to set an opacity of a window based on at least one of a time of inactivity of the window and the application type.

18. A computer system comprising:

at least one window having information displayed on a graphical user interface; and

a processor for determining an activity on the at least one window and adjusting an opacity level of the at least one window based on the activity, such that inactive windows are rendered at a lower opacity than that of an active window of the at least one window, and the processor renders the active window at a lower opacity level based on a predetermined time period of inactivity and returns the opacity level to a higher or original level based on an activity occurring in the window.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the processor lowers an opacity level of the inactive window based on a predetermined period of time of inactivity.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a position of the active window, and moves the inactive windows away from activity occurring within the active window.

21. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the processor iteratively determines a time of inactivity of n number of the inactive windows and sets an opacity level based on the time of inactivity.

22. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the processor resizes the inactive windows to a smaller size based on a predetermined amount of time of inactivity.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the processor tiles the inactive windows such that the inactive windows which are inactive for a longer time period are tiled behind the inactive windows that have been inactive for a shorter time period.

24. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the processor determines when an activity occurs in a window and renders the window with the activity to an opaque state.

25. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the processor renders a screen representation of the at least one window on a taskbar.

26. The computer system of claim 18, further comprising providing a user interface which includes a set of default parameters to set at least one of an opacity and application type.

27. A method, comprising:

determining a number of windows open in a desktop environment;

iteratively operating on the number of windows to;

determine a time period each of the number of windows has been open;

determine whether each of the number of windows is active or inactive; and

decrease an opacity of one or more windows of the number of windows, respectively, as each of the one or more windows is found to be inactive, and incrementally decrease the opacity after a predetermined time of inactivity has passed.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising decreasing a size of the one or more windows as each of the one or more windows is found to be inactive, and incrementally decreasing the size after a predetermined time of inactivity has passed.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising moving each of the one or more windows to a back of a window stack after a predetermined time of inactivity has passed.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing an incremental default value for the opacity of the one or more windows.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising having a service provider charge a fee for providing services implementing steps of claim 27.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising setting an opacity level based on an application which launches selective ones of the number of windows.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing screen images of selective ones of the number of windows on a taskbar.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising determining an activity occurring in a window and rendering the window with the activity to an opaque state.

35. A method for deploying computing infrastructure, comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a process of managing windows comprising:

determining a number of windows open on a desktop;

iteratively operating on the number of windows to;

determine a time period each of the number of windows has been open;

determine whether each of the number of windows is active or inactive; and

decrease an opacity of one or more windows of the number of windows, respectively, as each of the one or more windows is found to be inactive, and incrementally decrease the opacity after a predetermined time of inactivity has passed.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the deploying is provided by a service provider.

37. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

determine a number of windows open on a desktop;

determine a time period each of the number of windows has been open;

determine whether each of the number of windows is active or inactive; and

decrease an opacity of one or more windows of the number of windows, respectively, as each of the one or more windows is found to be inactive, and incrementally decreasing the opacity after a predetermined time of inactivity has passed.