WINDOW MINIMIZATION TRIGGER

• US 20090183107A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: MATTHEWS, DAVID A., SIMPSON, JARED, CHEN, PAI-HUNG, ANDERSON, BRET P., ZOU, SONG
• Granted Patent: US 8,214,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 method and computer-storage media for minimizing application windows based on a triggering event are provided. Embodiments of the present invention include determining that a triggering event has occurred with respect to a target window, automatically minimizing all of the minimizable application windows except the target application window, and generating an undo record that may be used to restore the minimized windows upon the determination that a second triggering event has occurred with respect to the target window. In one embodiment, the triggering event is shaking the target application window.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system having a display device and an input device for minimizing one or more application windows displayed on the display device in response to a triggering event, the method comprising:

displaying on the display device two or more application windows;

determining that the triggering event was performed by the input device with respect to a first application window;

incident to said determining, minimizing all of said two or more application windows that are minimizable except for the first application window, wherein said first application window remains displayed on the display device, and wherein a minimizable application window is any application window that is presently capable of being minimized; and

creating an undo record that records one or more display characteristics of said two or more application windows when the all of said two or more application windows that are minimizable are minimized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering event is shaking the first application window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein shaking the first application window occurs when the first application window has been shaken greater than a threshold number of single shakes, wherein a single shake occurs when the first application window is moved a first direction either a threshold distance or at greater than a threshold velocity and then moved in a second direction either the threshold distance or at greater than the threshold velocity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first direction is within a threshold angle of opposite from the second direction.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a single shake occurs when the first application window is moved a first direction a threshold distance and at greater than a threshold velocity and then moved in a second direction the threshold distance and at greater than the threshold velocity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the triggering event was performed by the input device a second time with respect to the first application window; and

restoring all of said two or more applications windows based on the one or more display characteristics in the undo record.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more display characteristics include one or more of an application window size for the two or more application windows, a Z-order for the two or more application windows, and a location of the two or more application windows.

8. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of managing application windows, the method comprising:

determining that a first application window has been shaken a first time, wherein the first application window is shaken when the first application window receives greater than a threshold number of single shakes, wherein a single shake occurs when the first application window is moved a first direction either a threshold distance or at greater than a threshold velocity and then moved in a second direction either the threshold distance or at greater than the threshold velocity; and

causing all minimizable application windows except the first application window to be minimized, wherein a minimizable application window is capable of minimization when the first application window is shaken.

9. The one or more media of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the first application window has been shaken a second time; and

causing all application windows to be restored to a size and a location identical to when the first application window was shaken the first time.

10. The one or more media of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises determining that a disqualification event has not occurred prior to causing the all application windows to be restored, wherein the disqualification events include one or more of closing the first application window, opening a new application window, and restoring one or more application windows.

11. The one or more media of claim 8, wherein the single shake occurs when the first application window is moved the first direction the threshold distance at greater than a threshold velocity and then moved in the second direction the threshold distance at greater than the threshold velocity.

12. The one or more media of claim 8, wherein the threshold number of single shakes is three.

13. The one or more media of claim 8, wherein a single shake occurs when the first application window is moved a first direction a threshold distance and at greater than a threshold velocity and then moved in a second direction the threshold distance at greater than the threshold velocity.

14. The one or more media of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises creating an undo record that captures a size, a location, and a Z-order for open application windows when the first application window is shaken.

15. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instruction embodied thereon for performing a method of managing application windows, the method comprising:

determining that a first application window has been shaken a first time, wherein the first application window is shaken when the first application window receives greater than a threshold number of single shakes, wherein a single shake occurs when the first application window is moved a first direction either a threshold distance or at greater than a threshold velocity and then moved in a second direction either the threshold distance or at greater than the threshold velocity;

causing each minimizable application window on a display device except the first application window to be minimized;

upon determining that the first application window is shaken the first time, creating an undo record that records one or more display characteristics for open application windows when the first application window is shaken;

determining that the first application window has been shaken a second time; and

causing the open application windows to be displayed according to the one or more display characteristics captured in the undo record.

16. The one or more media of claim 15, wherein the method further includes:

determining whether a disqualification event has occurred between the first application window being shaken the first time and the second time.

17. The one or more media of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

upon determining that the disqualification event has occurred, causing each of the application windows displayed when the first application window is shaken the second time to be minimized except the first application window and one or more non-minimizable application windows; and

upon determining that the first application window is shaken the second time and the disqualification event occurred, creating an updated undo record that records updated display characteristics of the each of the application windows displayed when the first application window is shaken the second time.

18. The one or more media of claim 15, wherein a single shake occurs when the first application window is moved a first direction a threshold distance and at greater than a threshold velocity and then moved in a second direction the threshold distance and at greater than the threshold velocity.

19. The one or more media of claim 15, wherein the first application window is moved by a user grabbing the first application window with a pointing device and causing the first application window to move by moving the pointing device.

20. The one or more media of claim 19, wherein the pointing device includes one or more of a mouse, a track pad, a touch screen, a trackball, a graphics tablet with stylus, a light pen, a space ball and a pointing stick.