MULTI-APPLICATION ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130047105A1
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Sundelin, Nils A., Anderson, Bret P., Wong, Tsz Yan, Sareen, Chaitanya Dev, Miner, Patrice L., Harris, Jensen, Matthews, David A., Nan, Jennifer, Worley, Matthew I.
• Granted Patent: US 9,052,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

This document describes techniques and apparatuses enabling a multi-application environment. In some embodiments, these techniques and apparatuses enable multi-application environments having combinations of immersive interfaces, windows-based interfaces, and a desktop treated as an immersive interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting multiple interfaces associated with multiple applications within a multi-application environment, the multiple applications being different applications, the multi-application environment capable of presenting content associated with two or more of the multiple applications through two or more of the multiple interfaces, respectively, at least one of the two or more of the multiple interfaces being an immersive interface, the immersive interface not including a window frame that has visual controls; and

presenting first content and second content associated with a first application and a second application of the two or more of the multiple applications, respectively, through a first interface and a second interface of the two or more of the multiple interfaces, respectively.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein presenting the first content and the second content presents the first content and the second content concurrently.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 2, wherein presenting the first content and the second content concurrently presents the first content as a first moving, visual media in real time and presents the second content as a second moving, visual media in real time.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the immersive interface represents a desktop, the desktop having at least one windows-based interface or a taskbar within the immersive interface.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 4, further comprising enabling interaction with an application associated with the windows-based interface and through the multi-application environment.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 4, wherein the desktop includes the task bar, and further comprising enabling interaction, through the multi-application environment, with the task bar.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first content and the second content are received by the multi-application environment from the first application and the second application, respectively.

8. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein another of the multiple interfaces is a windows-based interface.

9. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the multi-application environment does not include a visible control for managing a primacy of the multiple interfaces.

10. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting multiple interfaces associated with multiple applications within a multi-application environment, at least one of the multiple interfaces being an immersive interface;

receiving a selection to alter a size or a location in the multi-application environment or remove from the multiple-application environment at least one of the multiple interfaces; and

responsive to receiving the selection, altering the size of, altering the location of, or removing the selected interface from the multi-application environment.

11. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 10, wherein the selection is to alter the size of the selected interface and where altering the size of the selected interface alters another of the multiple interfaces concurrently with altering the size of the selected interface.

12. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 10, wherein the selection is to alter the location of the selected interface and where altering the location of the selected interface alters a location of another of the multiple interfaces concurrently with altering the location of the selected interface.

13. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 12, further comprising automatically sizing the selected interface to a first region of the multi-application environment and the other of the multiple interfaces to a second region of the multi-application environment.

14. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 10, wherein the selection is to remove the selected interface from the multi-application environment and where removing the selected interface from the multi-application environment automatically alters a size or location of another of the multiple interfaces.

15. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 10, wherein receiving selection is received through a gesture received over the multi-application environment.

16. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 15, wherein the gesture has a start point at an edge of the multi-application environment and a later point not at the edge.

17. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 10, wherein the immersive interface represents a desktop, the desktop having a windows-based interface or a task bar.

18. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 17, further comprising enabling interaction with the windows-based interface or the task bar.

19. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 18, wherein receiving selection is received through an input other than a gesture made over a gesture-sensitive display.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

presenting multiple interfaces associated with multiple applications within a multi-application environment, at least one of the multiple interfaces being an immersive interface;

presenting content through two or more of the multiple interfaces and at a same time;

receiving selection to alter a size or a location of one of the multiple interfaces; and

responsive to receiving the selection, concurrently altering the size or the location of the one of the multiple interfaces and another of the multiple interfaces.