UNIFIED DESKTOP DOCKING BEHAVIOR FOR WINDOW STICKINESS

• US 20130076593A1
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Reeves, Paul E., Sirpal, Sanjiv, de Paz, Alexander, Gimpl, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45541 Bare-metal, i.e. hypervisor runs directly on hardware

Abstract

Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents desktops or windows based on a set of pre-determined rules.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device;

providing a computer system;

docking the device to the computer system to form a unified system;

generating a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop includes at least a first user interface associated with the device and a second user interface associated with the computer system, and wherein the unified desktop emulates a personal computer environment;

while docked, opening a least a first window on the second user interface;

undocking the device, wherein the first window closes in response to the undocking;

re-docking the device; and

in response to re-docking the device, re-opening the first window on the second user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing a first rule, wherein the first rule is associated with changes in the display of the first window after undocking the device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first rule is associated with the first window that was displayed on the computer system before undocking.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, after undocking, the first window is not displayed on the first user interface or the second user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, before re-docking, the first user interface displays a second window.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second window is moved to the first user interface after re-docking.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing a data structure associated with the first window in response to undocking.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data structure includes at least one of a window identifier and state information for the first window at a time when the undocking occurred.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

in response to re-docking, accessing the data structure to re-open the first window.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data structure further includes a time stamp associated with when the device was undocked, and wherein the data structure includes at least a second window identifier and a second state information associated with a second window.

11. A unified system, comprising:

a computer system comprising;

a first screen;

a processor;

a memory

a device comprising;

a second screen;

a second memory;

a second processor;

wherein the device is docked with the computer system to form the unified system, the device is operable to;

while docked, open a least a first window on the first screen;

in response to undocking the device, store a data structure associated with the first window;

in response to re-docking the device, re-open the first window on the first screen.

14. The unified system of claim 11, wherein the device is further operable to in response to re-docking, access the data structure to re-open the first window.

15. The unified system of claim 14, wherein the data structure includes at least one of a window identifier and state information for the first window at a time when the undocking occurred.

12. The unified system 11, wherein a first rule is associated with changes in the display of the first window on the computer system after undocking the device, wherein the first rule is associated with the application window that was displayed on the computer system before undocking.

13. The unified system of claim 12, wherein a second rule is associated with the re-display of the first window on the computer system after re-docking the device.

16. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing a unified desktop, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

upon re-docking a device with a computer system, instructions to generate a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop includes a first user interface associated with the device and a second user interface associated with the computer system, and wherein the unified desktop emulates a personal computer environment;

based on the re-docking, instructions to re-open, on the second user interface, an application window previously open when the device was last docked with the computer system.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein a first rule is associated with changes in the display of the application window on the computer system after undocking the device, wherein a second rule is associated with changes in the display of the application window on the computer system after re-docking the device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to access, in response to the re-docking, a data structure to re-open the application window.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the data structure includes at least one of a time stamp, a window identifier, and state information for the application window at a time when the undocking occurred.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein, before re-docking, the first user interface displays a second window, and wherein the second window is moved to the first user interface after re-docking and displayed with the application window.