Managing Workspaces in a User Interface

• US 20120096395A1
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas, Louch, John O.
• Granted Patent: US 9,292,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/790
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Providing a bridge interface for managing virtual workspaces is disclosed. A plurality of workspace images is presented in a user interface, each workspace image corresponding to a different virtual workspace available to a user of a computer system. A plurality of application windows associated with one of the virtual workspaces is presented. The presented application windows are visually grouped into one or more clusters, at least one cluster including a set of application windows, and at least a first of the application windows in the set of application windows visually overlaps a second application window in the set of application windows. User input indicating a movement of the application windows in the at least one cluster is received. The presentation of the at least one cluster is modified to make the second application window appear more visible to the user.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processors executing on a computer system, the method comprising:

presenting a plurality of workspace images in a user interface, each workspace image corresponding to a different virtual workspace available to a user of the computer system;

presenting a plurality of application windows associated with one of the virtual workspaces, wherein the presented application windows are visually grouped into one or more clusters, at least one cluster including a set of application windows, at least a first of the application windows in the set of application windows visually overlapping a second application window in the set of application windows;

receiving user input indicating a movement of the application windows in the at least one cluster; and

modifying the presentation of the at least one cluster to make the second application window appear more visible to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein making the second application window appear more visible to the user comprises spreading out the first and second application windows in a radial direction.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second application windows are spread out so that no portion of the first and second application windows overlap each other.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein making the second application window in the cluster appear more visible to the user comprises providing visual feedback to the user that gives the user a sense that the user has nudged the cluster of application windows to make the application windows move slightly apart from each other.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving successive iterations of input from the user, each iteration of user input effecting a visually nudging of the application windows to further spread the application windows apart from each other.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the user input is an upward or downward swipe by the user on a multi-touch input device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input indicating a second movement of the application windows in the at least one cluster; and

modifying the presentation of the at least one cluster to make the second application window appear less visible to the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying a cluster of application windows comprises visually presenting the application windows as a stack of overlapping windows having different associated Z-depths.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the application windows have respective center points and wherein visually presenting the stack of overlapping windows in a cluster comprises displaying the application windows such that their respective center points are substantially aligned.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a visibility of each application window in a cluster is determined based on at least one of a dimension associated with each window, a type of each window, a time each window was last accessed, a title of each window, or empirical data associated with a user'"'"'s preferences.

11. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, generate on a display device a graphical user interface for presenting virtual workspaces and perform the following operations:

present a plurality of workspace images in a user interface, each workspace image corresponding to a different virtual workspace available to a user of the computer system;

present a plurality of application windows associated with one of the virtual workspaces, wherein the presented application windows are visually grouped into one or more clusters, at least one cluster including a set of application windows, at least a first of the application windows in the set of application windows visually overlapping a second application window in the set of application windows;

receive user input indicating a movement of the application windows in the at least one cluster; and

modify the presentation of the at least one cluster to make the second application window appear more visible to the user.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein making the second application window appear more visible to the user comprises spreading out the first and second application windows in a radial direction.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the first and second application windows are spread out so that no portion of the first and second application windows overlap each other.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein making the second application window in the cluster appear more visible to the user comprises providing visual feedback to the user that gives the user a sense that the user has nudged the cluster of application windows to make the application windows move slightly apart from each other.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein displaying a cluster of application windows comprises visually presenting the application windows as a stack of overlapping windows having different associated Z-depths.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the application windows have respective center points and wherein visually presenting the stack of overlapping windows in a cluster comprises displaying the application windows such that their respective center points are substantially aligned.

17. A system comprising:

a display device;

a computing device in communication with the display device, wherein the computing device is configured to perform at least the following;

present a plurality of workspace images in a user interface, each workspace image corresponding to a different virtual workspace available to a user of the computer system;

present a plurality of application windows associated with one of the virtual workspaces, wherein the presented application windows are visually grouped into one or more clusters, at least one cluster including a set of application windows, at least a first of the application windows in the set of application windows visually overlapping a second application window in the set of application windows;

receive user input indicating a movement of the application windows in the at least one cluster; and

modify the presentation of the at least one cluster to make the second application window appear more visible to the user.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein making the second application window appear more visible to the user comprises spreading out the first and second application windows in a radial direction.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the first and second application windows are spread out so that no portion of the first and second application windows overlap each other.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein making the second application window in the cluster appear more visible to the user comprises providing visual feedback to the user that gives the user a sense that the user has nudged the cluster of application windows to make the application windows move slightly apart from each other.