Transparent Windows

• US 20100037165A1
• Filed: 08/05/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Satyanarayana, Pradeep, Velarde, Debora, Correl, Stephen F., Yardley, Brent W.
• Application Number:
  US12/186,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037165A1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture are provided to support window transparency on a visual display of a computer system. At least two windows are created and present on the visual display, with each of the windows having transparency attribute. One of the windows is painted with a transparent area, and a second window is painted with a non-transparent area. An attribute is assigned to the transparent area of the window that enables the area to either be anchored to a specified position on the visual display, or free floating or fixed relative to the containing window on the visual display.

Claims

1. A method for managing a transparent window, comprising the steps of:

opening a first window and a second window on a visual display of a computer system, with the first and second windows being separate, the first window having a transparent attribute, and the second window having a non-transparent attribute for supporting presentation of data on the visual display;

painting the first and second windows, including accounting for the transparent attribute of the first window; and

the transparency attribute determining the area of transparency of the first window with respect to the second window.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising fixing a transparent area within the first window relative to the visual display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising fixing a transparent area within the first window relative to the first window.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the transparent attribute of the first window.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising specifying a shape of a transparent area of the first window.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically applying the transparency attribute when the window is painted by a window manager.

7. A computer system, comprising:

a processor in communication with a visual display;

an application supported by the processor;

a first window, and a separate second window lying underneath the first window and viewable on the visual display, the first window having a transparent area and the second window being non-transparent to support presentation of data on the visual display;

a window manager to paint the first and second windows; and

a transparency attribute used by the window manager to assign a transparency to an area of the first window.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising the window attribute to fix the transparent area within the first window relative to the visual display.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising the window attribute to fix the transparent area within the first window relative to the second window.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising the window attribute to specify a shape of a transparent area of the first window.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the transparency attribute is applied automatically when the window is painted.

12. An article comprising:

a computer-readable carrier including computer program instructions configured to manage a transparent window, the instructions comprising;

instructions to open a first window and a second window on a visual display of a computer system, with the first and second windows being separate, the first window having a transparent area, and the second window having a non-transparent area to support presentation of data on the visual display;

instructions to paint the first and second windows, including accounting for the transparent attribute of the first window; and

instructions to determine the area of transparency of the first window with respect to the second window.

13. The article of claim 12, further comprising instructions to fix a transparent area within the first window relative to the visual display.

14. The article of claim 12, further comprising instructions to fix a transparent area within the first window relative to the first window.

15. The article of claim 12, further comprising instructions to specify the transparent attribute of the first window with the aid of a window manager.

16. The article of claim 15, further comprising instructions to specify a shape of a transparent area of the first window with a window attribute.

17. The article of claim 12, further comprising instructions to automatically apply the transparent attribute when the window is painted.

18. A method for managing a transparent window, comprising the steps of:

opening at least two separate windows on a visual display of a computer system;

assigning a transparent attribute to an area of the first window, and assigning a non-transparent attribute to an area of the second window; and

fixing the transparent area of the first window relative to an element selected from the group consisting of;

the visual display and the first window.