Managing Workspaces in a User Interface

• US 20120246596A1
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas, Louch, John O.
• Granted Patent: US 10,152,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/799
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

In some implementations, a method for managing virtual workspaces is described. In some implementations, workspace images corresponding to different virtual workspaces can be displayed on a user interface of a computing device. When an application window is moved onto one of the workspace images, the window can be scaled down to fit within the workspace image. In some implementations, a window grouping or cluster can be moved onto one of the workspace images and scaled down accordingly. In some implementations, a method for generating a new virtual workspace is described. In some implementations, a placeholder workspace image that has no corresponding virtual workspace can be displayed on a user interface of a computing device. In response to an application window being moved onto the placeholder workspace image, a new virtual workspace (and new workspace image) can be generated that includes the windows that were moved onto the placeholder workspace image.

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 having a first size and corresponding to a different virtual workspace available to a user of the computer system;

displaying an enlarged view of an active virtual workspace including an application window associated with the active virtual workspace, where the enlarged view has a second size that is greater than the first size;

receiving user input indicating a movement of the application window from the enlarged view onto a particular one of the plurality of workspace images; and

scaling down the application window to fit within the particular workspace image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

progressively scaling down the application window as the window is moved near the particular workspace image.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting when the application window is moved across a threshold on the user interface; and

in response to the detecting, scaling down the application window to fit within the particular workspace image.

4. 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 having a first size and corresponding to a different virtual workspace available to a user of the computer system;

displaying an enlarged view of an active virtual workspace including an application window cluster associated with the active virtual workspace, where the enlarged view has a second size that is greater than the first size;

receiving user input indicating a movement of the application window cluster from the enlarged view onto a particular one of the plurality of workspace images; and

scaling down the application window cluster to fit within the particular workspace image.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

progressively scaling down the application window cluster as the window is moved near the particular workspace image.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting when the application window cluster is moved across a threshold on the user interface; and

in response to the detecting, scaling down the application window cluster to fit within the particular workspace image.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the application window cluster includes a plurality of application windows associated with a single application.

8. 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 placeholder workspace image in the user interface, where the placeholder image does not have a corresponding virtual workspace;

displaying a plurality of application windows associated with one of the virtual workspaces;

receiving user input indicating a movement of at least one of the plurality of application windows onto the placeholder image; and

in response to the user input, generating a new virtual workspace and corresponding workspace image that includes the at least one application window.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting an initiation of the movement of the at least one application window; and

presenting the placeholder workspace image in response to the detecting.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes:

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

displaying an enlarged view of an active virtual workspace including an application window associated with the active virtual workspace, where the enlarged view has a second size that is greater than the first size;

receiving user input indicating a movement of the application window from the enlarged view onto a particular one of the plurality of workspace images; and

scaling down the application window to fit within the particular workspace image.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the instructions cause:

progressively scaling down the application window as the window is moved near the particular workspace image.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the instructions cause:

detecting when the application window is moved across a threshold on the user interface; and

in response to the detecting, scaling down the application window to fit within the particular workspace image.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes:

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

displaying an enlarged view of an active virtual workspace including an application window cluster associated with the active virtual workspace, where the enlarged view has a second size that is greater than the first size;

receiving user input indicating a movement of the application window cluster from the enlarged view onto a particular one of the plurality of workspace images; and

scaling down the application window cluster to fit within the particular workspace image.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the instructions cause:

progressively scaling down the application window cluster as the window is moved near the particular workspace image.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, where the instructions cause:

detecting when the application window cluster is moved across a threshold on the user interface; and

in response to the detecting, scaling down the application window cluster to fit within the particular workspace image.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the application window cluster includes a plurality of application windows associated with a single application.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes:

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 placeholder workspace image in the user interface, where the placeholder image does not have a corresponding virtual workspace;

displaying a plurality of application windows associated with one of the virtual workspaces;

receiving user input indicating a movement of at least one of the plurality of application windows onto the placeholder image; and

in response to the user input, generating a new virtual workspace and corresponding workspace image that includes the at least one application window.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the instructions cause:

detecting an initiation of the movement of the at least one application window; and

presenting the placeholder workspace image in response to the detecting.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when

executed by the one or more processors, causes;

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

displaying an enlarged view of an active virtual workspace including an application window associated with the active virtual workspace, where the enlarged view has a second size that is greater than the first size;

receiving user input indicating a movement of the application window from the enlarged view onto a particular one of the plurality of workspace images; and

scaling down the application window to fit within the particular workspace image.

20. The system of claim 19, where the instructions cause:

progressively scaling down the application window as the window is moved near the particular workspace image.

21. The system of claim 19, where the instructions cause:

detecting when the application window is moved across a threshold on the user interface; and

in response to the detecting, scaling down the application window to fit within the particular workspace image.

22. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when

executed by the one or more processors, causes;

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

displaying an enlarged view of an active virtual workspace including an application window cluster associated with the active virtual workspace, where the enlarged view has a second size that is greater than the first size;

receiving user input indicating a movement of the application window cluster from the enlarged view onto a particular one of the plurality of workspace images; and

scaling down the application window cluster to fit within the particular workspace image.

23. The system of claim 22, where the instructions cause:

progressively scaling down the application window cluster as the window is moved near the particular workspace image.

24. The system of claim 22, where the instructions cause:

detecting when the application window cluster is moved across a threshold on the user interface; and

in response to the detecting, scaling down the application window cluster to fit within the particular workspace image.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the application window cluster includes a plurality of application windows associated with a single application.

26. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when

executed by one or more processors, causes;

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 placeholder workspace image in the user interface, where the placeholder image does not have a corresponding virtual workspace;

displaying a plurality of application windows associated with one of the virtual workspaces;

receiving user input indicating a movement of at least one of the plurality of application windows onto the placeholder image; and

in response to the user input, generating a new virtual workspace and corresponding workspace image that includes the at least one application window.

27. The system of claim 26, where the instructions cause:

detecting an initiation of the movement of the at least one application window; and

presenting the placeholder workspace image in response to the detecting.