SLEEP STATE FOR HIDDEN WINDOWS

• US 20120084724A1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: IMERJ LLC (Flex, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sirpal, Sanjiv, Reeves, Paul Edward, Cassar, Ron, Swaminathan, Nikhil, Visosky, John Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/248,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084724A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 : Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 : for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 : for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 : Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 : by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 : controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 : display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 : Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 : Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 : Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 : Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 : Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

Systems and methods are provides for changing a user interface for a multi-screen device. The user interface can change based on the movement of a window. The system can receive a user interface event that modifies the display of windows in the user interface. Upon receiving the user interface event, the system determines if a window has been covered or uncovered. If a window has been covered, the window is placed in a sleep state. If a window is uncovered, the window is activated from a sleep state. A sleep state is a window state where an application associated with the window does not receive user interface inputs and/or does not render the window.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium, having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions executable by a processor, the computer-executable instructions causing the processor to execute a method for changing a user interface for a device, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions to receive an user interface event;

instructions to determine if a window is covered by the user interface event; and

if a window is covered by the user interface event, instructions to place any covered window into an inactive state.

2. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions to determine if a window is uncovered by the user interface event; and

if a window is uncovered by the user interface event, instructions to place any uncovered window into an active state.

3. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 2, wherein the user interface event is a movement of a window.

4. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 3, wherein the new position in the window stack can be associated with at least one of two displays of the dual screen device.

5. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

instructions to execute a timer; and

instructions to wait until the timer expires before placing a window into an active or inactive state.

6. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 5, wherein two or more user interface events occur before the timer expires.

7. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 5, further comprising altering a logical data structure in response to placing a window in an inactive or active state.

8. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the logical data structure comprises one or more of:

a window identifier adapted to identify the window in relation to other windows in the user interface;

a display identifier adapted to identify which of one or more displays of a multi-screen screen device the window is associated; and

an active indicator adapted to identify whether the window is active or inactive.

9. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the active indicator is set when a window is uncovered.

10. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the active indicator is eliminated when a window is covered.

11. A device comprising:

a user interface comprising at least two displays disposed on at least one screen;

a memory;

a processor in communication with the memory and each of the two displays, the processor operable to;

receive an movement of a first window in the user interface, wherein the movement of the first window covers a second window;

determine that the second window was covered by the first window; and

place the second window into an inactive state.

12. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the first window is moved from a second display to a first display.

13. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the second window was displayed and active on the first display before the first window was moved.

14. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to:

determine that a third window was uncovered by the movement of the first window; and

place the third window into an active state.

15. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 14, wherein, after the first window is moved, the third window is displayed and active on the second display.

16. A method for changing a user interface, the method comprising:

receiving an user interface event, wherein the user event causes at least one of covers a first window or uncovers a second window;

determining that the first window is covered or that the second window is uncovered; and

placing the first window into an inactive state or the second window into an active state.

17. The method defined in claim 16, further comprising, in response to placing the first window into the inactive state or placing the second window into an active state, changing a logic data structure associated with one of the first window or the second window.

18. The method defined in claim 16, wherein the logic data structure comprises:

a window identifier adapted to identify the window in relation to other windows in the user interface;

a display identifier adapted to identify which of one or more displays of a multi-screen screen device the window is associated; and

an active indicator adapted to identify whether the window is active or inactive.

19. The method defined in claim 16, wherein the user interface includes at least one other inactive window.

20. The method defined in claim 16, wherein the user event is one of a movement of a window, an opening of a window, revealing a desktop, or closing a window.