Connecting Standard Operating System Windows with a Visual Tack

• US 20100031189A1
• Filed: 08/01/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Groezinger, Frank
• Application Number:
  US12/184,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20100031189A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

The method presented herein is directed to connecting and coordinating the movements of two or more windows open on a display screen. The method provides for the application of a visual tack indicator to show the user that the windows are grouped together and to distribute commands to each window in the group.

Claims

1. A computer program product for displaying an electronic tack comprising a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on at least one computer causes the at least one computer to:

implement user instructions to open at least two separate user windows on a display;

implement user instructions to overlap the at least two separate windows;

implement user instructions to position an electronic tack icon at a user selected position on an overlapping portion of the at least two separate windows by;

obtaining a pixel position for the user selected position;

determining which of the at least two separate windows are located at the pixel position and storing the result of this determination in a manager application;

associating a command application with each of the at least two separate windows, wherein the command application determines when a command has been applied to one of the at least two separate windows located at the pixel position and distributes that command to all windows located at the pixel position; and

causing an electronic tack icon to be displayed at the user selected position;

implement each of the following commands simultaneously for all windows at the pixel position and under the electronic tack when selected for a single window under the electronic tack;

move window, bring window to front of non-tacked windows, close window,

wherein the electronic tack icon displays the number of windows located at the pixel position and under the electronic tack.