DISPLAY WINDOW WITH MULTI-LAYER, PARALLEL TAB DISPLAY

• US 20130086507A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Poston, Ricky, He, Ting, Cooper, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A layer manager provides at least two content layers within a user interface window of a software application. A tab manager provides at least two content tabs within at least one of the content layers. A transfer manager is configured to transfer at least one content tab between the at least two content layers.

Claims

1. A computer system including instructions recorded on a computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor, the system comprising:

a layer manager configured to cause the at least one processor to provide at least two content layers within a user interface window of a software application;

a tab manager configured to cause the at least one processor to provide at least two content tabs within at least one of the content layers; and

a transfer manager configured to cause the at least one processor to transfer at least one content tab between the at least two content layers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two content layers are provided in a stacked arrangement in which a first content layer is visible at a front of the stacked arrangement and remaining content layers are at least partially obscured behind the first content layer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein one of the remaining content layers includes at least one content tab that is at least partially obscured, and wherein the layer manager is configured to provide a layer selector which is visible within the display window and selectable to cause the transfer manager to cause the remaining content layer, and thus the at least one content tab that is at least partially obscured, to be displayed as the visible, front layer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the layer selector is provided in conjunction with each content tab and includes an element which identifies the corresponding tab as being included within the layer specified by the element.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the tab manager is configured to provide content tabs included in one of the content layers with a tab transfer element, which, in response to user selection thereof, causes the transfer manager to execute an inter-layer tab transfer of the selected tab from its current content layer to a different content layer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tab manager is configured to provide the at least two content tabs in conjunction with user-selectable sizing elements for adjusting a relative size of the at least two tabs relative to one another within the at least one content layer.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising default options which are selectable by a user and which store display configurations of the at least two content layers and the at least two content tabs across two or more sessions.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least two content tabs is displayed with a tab float element, which, in response to a user selection thereof, causes the tab manager to display the corresponding tab outside of the display window as being separately and independently movable and/or adjustable with respect to the at least two content layers.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two content tabs are aligned with one another, and wherein a view generator is configured to cause at least one screen control of the display window to control all of the at least two content tabs while maintaining the alignment thereof.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing at least two content layers within a user interface window of a software application;

providing at least two content tabs within at least one of the content layers; and

transferring at least one content tab between the at least two content layers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least two content layers are provided in a stacked arrangement in which a first content layer is visible at a front of the stacked arrangement and remaining content layers are at least partially obscured behind the first content layer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one of the remaining content layers includes at least one content tab that is at least partially obscured, and wherein a layer selector is provided which is visible within the display window and selectable to cause the remaining content layer, and thus the at least one content tab that is at least partially obscured, to be displayed as the visible, front layer.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein content tabs included in one of the content layers are provided with a tab transfer element, which, in response to user selection thereof, causes an inter-layer tab transfer of the selected tab from its current content layer to a different content layer.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the at least two content tabs is displayed with a tab float element, which, in response to a user selection thereof, causes the corresponding tab to be displayed outside of the display window and to be separately and independently movable and/or adjustable with respect to the at least two content layers.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least two content tabs are aligned with one another, and wherein at least one screen control of the display window is provided which controls all of the at least two content tabs while maintaining the alignment thereof.

16. A computer program product, the computer program product being tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to:

provide at least two content layers within a user interface window of a software application;

provide at least two content tabs within at least one of the content layers; and

transfer at least one content tab between the at least two content layers.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the at least two content layers are provided in a stacked arrangement in which a first content layer is visible at a front of the stacked arrangement and remaining content layers are at least partially obscured behind the first content layer.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein one of the remaining content layers includes at least one content tab that is at least partially obscured, and wherein a layer selector is provided which is visible within the display window and selectable to cause the remaining content layer, and thus the at least one content tab that is at least partially obscured, to be displayed as the visible, front layer.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein content tabs included in one of the content layers are provided with a tab transfer element, which, in response to user selection thereof, causes an inter-layer tab transfer of the selected tab from its current content layer to a different content layer.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the at least two content tabs are aligned with one another, and wherein at least one screen control of the display window is provided to control all of the at least two content tabs while maintaining the alignment thereof.