SCREEN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20130167078A1
• Filed: 12/24/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: INADEV Corporation
• Original Assignee: INADEV Corporation
• Inventors: Monnig, Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 9,696,880 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/800
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

A screen management system may receive a user input to divide a screen area and divide the screen area into a plurality of divided screen areas. A different application may be displayed in each of the divided screen areas. User input comprised of dragging a resizing bar in a direction is received and the plurality of divided screen areas are resized in response to the user input.

Claims

1. A screen area management method comprising:

receiving a user input to divide a screen area;

dividing, by a processor, the screen area into a plurality of divided screen areas;

displaying a different application in each of the divided screen areas;

displaying a resizing bar between the plurality of divided screen areas;

receiving a user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar in a direction; and

resizing the plurality of divided screen areas in response to the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of divided screen areas are two dimensional, and

the resizing bar divides the plurality of divided screen areas along a first dimension of the two dimensions, and

the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar in a direction comprises dragging the resizing bar along a second dimension of the two dimensions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the two dimensions comprise an x dimension and a y dimension, and

the resizing bar divides the plurality of divided screen areas along the y dimension, and

the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar in a direction comprises dragging the resizing bar along the x dimension.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

in response to the resizing of the plurality of divided screen areas, resizing content displayed in each of the plurality of divided screen areas.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein resizing the content comprises:

for at least one of the plurality of divided screen areas, increasing or decreasing a size of the content displayed in the divided screen area based on an amount of increase or decrease in size of the divided screen area responsive to the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein resizing the content comprises:

for at least one of the plurality of divided screen areas, increasing or decreasing an amount of content shown in the divided screen area based on an amount of increase or decrease in size of the divided screen area responsive to the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar, wherein a size of the content is not increased or decreased

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying a control area adjacent the plurality of divided screen areas; and

communicating data items between the applications in the plurality of divided screen areas using the control area or the resizing bar.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein communicating data items comprises:

receiving the data items from at least one of the applications running in the plurality of divided screen areas;

storing the data items;

presenting an indicator for each of the data items in the control area or the resizing bar;

receiving a selection of at least one of the indicators and a user input indicative of one of the applications to receive at least one of the data items associated with the selected at least one indicator; and

transferring the at least one data item to the application.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

displaying an area adjacent the plurality of divided screen areas; and

inserting, searching, copying, moving, and creating data items to exchange between the applications for the plurality of divided screen areas using the control area.

10. A screen management system comprising:

a divided screen area management module executed by a processor to receive a user input to divide a screen area and divide the screen area into a plurality of divided screen areas;

a control area management module executed by the processor to execute and display a different application in each of the divided screen areas; and

a resizing module executed by the processor to display a resizing bar between the plurality of divided screen areas, receive a user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar in a direction, and resize the plurality of divided screen areas in response to the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of divided screen areas are two dimensional, and

the resizing bar divides the plurality of divided screen areas along a first dimension of the two dimensions, and

the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar in a direction comprises dragging the resizing bar along a second dimension of the two dimensions.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the resizing module is to resize content shown in the divided screen areas based on an amount of increase or decrease in size of the divided screen areas responsive to the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the resizing module is to increase or decrease an amount of content shown in the divided screen areas based on an amount of increase or decrease in size of the divided screen areas responsive to the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium including machine readable instructions executable by a processor to:

receive a user input to divide a screen area;

divide by a processor, the screen area into a plurality of divided screen areas;

display a different application in each of the divided screen areas;

display a resizing bar between the plurality of divided screen areas;

receive a user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar in a direction; and

resize the plurality of divided screen areas in response to the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of divided screen areas are two dimensional, and

the resizing bar divides the plurality of divided screen areas along a first dimension of the two dimensions, and

the user input comprised of dragging the resizing bar in a direction comprises dragging the resizing bar along a second dimension of the two dimensions.