Grouping and Browsing Open Windows

• US 20120131496A1
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Goossens, Thomas, Robinet, Fabrice
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for managing open windows in a desktop GUI are disclosed. In various implementations, open windows displayed within a 2D desktop plane can be organized into one or more 3D browsable stacks in a 3D desktop space, where each stack includes open windows associated with a common value for a grouping property. A graphical representation indicating the respective value of the grouping property associated with each 3D browsable stack can be displayed in proximity to the 3D browsable stack. As the user browses through the open windows in the browsable stack, one window is displayed in a frontal view at a time while the other windows are displayed in a side view. When the user selects an open window from the stack, the 3D desktop can be restored to the 2D desktop showing the selected window as the current active window of the 2D desktop.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors of a device, comprising:

grouping a plurality of open windows into one or more groups based on respective values of a grouping property associated with the plurality of open windows, each group of open windows sharing a common value for the grouping property; and

causing each group of open windows to be presented in a respective stack, where the respective stack includes representations of the open windows in the group and permits user browsing through the representations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the plurality of open windows in a two-dimensional (2D) desktop environment; and

while the open windows are presented in the 2D desktop environment, detecting an input for browsing the plurality of open windows,

wherein the groups of open windows are presented in the groups'"'"' respective stacks in response to the detecting, and the respective stacks are presented in a three-dimensional (3D) desktop environment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the grouping property is an application type associated with the open windows, and each group of open windows include the open windows provided by a common application executing in the 2D desktop environment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a respective graphical representation indicative of the value of the grouping property associated with each group of open windows in proximity to the stack associated with the group.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an input for browsing a first stack including a first group of open windows; and

in response to the detecting, cycling through the representations of the open windows in the first stack one by one, presenting one representation in a first view while keeping other representations in the first stack in a second view.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the input is a hovering event by a pointing device over the first stack.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein cycling through the representations of the open windows in the first stack further comprises:

determining a position of the hovering event relative to the first stack;

determining a browsing direction based on the position of the hovering event; and

cycling through the representations of the open windows in the stack in the determined browsing direction.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the input is a scrolling event received from an input device, and wherein cycling through the representations of the open windows in the first stack further comprises:

determining a scrolling direction of the scrolling event; and

cycling through the representations of the open windows in the stack in the scrolling direction.

9. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors of a device, comprising:

presenting a plurality of open windows in a two-dimensional (2D) desktop environment;

detecting an input for browsing the plurality of open windows;

in response to detecting the input, grouping the plurality of open windows into one or more groups of open windows based on respective values of a grouping property associated with the plurality of open windows, each group of open windows sharing a common value for the grouping property; and

presenting each group of open windows in a respective stack in a three-dimensional (3D) desktop space, where the respective stack include 3D representations of the open windows in the group, and permits user browsing through the representations one by one.

10. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

grouping a plurality of open windows into one or more groups based on respective values of a grouping property associated with the plurality of open windows, each group of open windows sharing a common value for the grouping property; and

causing each group of open windows to be presented in a respective stack, where the respective stack includes representations of the open windows in the group and permits user browsing through the representations.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting the plurality of open windows in a two-dimensional (2D) desktop environment; and

while the open windows are presented in the 2D desktop environment, detecting an input for browsing the plurality of open windows,

wherein the groups of open windows are presented in the groups'"'"' respective stacks in response to the detecting, and the respective stacks are presented in a three-dimensional (3D) desktop environment.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the grouping property is an application type associated with the open windows, and each group of open windows include the open windows provided by a common application executing in the 2D desktop environment.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting a respective graphical representation indicative of the value of the grouping property associated with each group of open windows in proximity to the stack associated with the group.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting an input for browsing a first stack including a first group of open windows; and

in response to the detecting, cycling through the representations of the open windows in the first stack one by one, presenting one representation in a first view while keeping other representations in the first stack in a second view.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the input is a hovering event by a pointing device over the first stack.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein cycling through the representations of the open windows in the first stack further comprises:

determining a position of the hovering event relative to the first stack;

determining a browsing direction based on the position of the hovering event; and

cycling through the representations of the open windows in the stack in the determined browsing direction.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the input is a scrolling event received from an input device, and wherein cycling through the representations of the open windows in the first stack further comprises:

determining a scrolling direction of the scrolling event; and

cycling through the representations of the open windows in the stack in the scrolling direction.

18. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

presenting a plurality of open windows in a two-dimensional (2D) desktop environment;

detecting an input for browsing the plurality of open windows;

in response to detecting the input, grouping the plurality of open windows into one or more groups of open windows based on respective values of a grouping property associated with the plurality of open windows, each group of open windows sharing a common value for the grouping property; and

presenting each group of open windows in a respective stack in a three-dimensional (3D) desktop space, where the respective stack include 3D representations of the open windows in the group, and permits user browsing through the representations one by one.

19. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

grouping a plurality of open windows into one or more groups based on respective values of a grouping property associated with the plurality of open windows, each group of open windows sharing a common value for the grouping property; and

causing each group of open windows to be presented in a respective stack, where the respective stack includes representations of the open windows in the group and permits user browsing through the representations.

20. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

presenting a plurality of open windows in a two-dimensional (2D) desktop environment;

detecting an input for browsing the plurality of open windows;

in response to detecting the input, grouping the plurality of open windows into one or more groups of open windows based on respective values of a grouping property associated with the plurality of open windows, each group of open windows sharing a common value for the grouping property; and

presenting each group of open windows in a respective stack in a three-dimensional (3D) desktop space, where the respective stack includes 3D representations of the open windows in the group, and permits user browsing through the representations one by one.