Method, memory and apparatus for automatically resizing a window

• US 5,666,498 A
• Filed: 03/29/1996
• Issued: 09/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Amro, Hatim Yousef
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, BA
• Application Number:
  US08/626,196
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 395/333, 395/334, 395/339, 395/340, 395/342, 395/343, 395/344, 395/345
• US Class Current: 715/800
• 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: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture direct a computer system to automatically resize a window. The method includes the computer-implemented steps of in response to detecting a transfer of focus to a first window, determining the number of windows displayed on the computer display, determining the size of the display screen, determining the size of the first window, squaring the size of the first window, dividing the square of the size of the first window by the size of the computer display to create a first resultant, dividing one by a total number of windows displayed on the computer display and adding one thereto, creating a second resultant, and multiplying the first resultant by the second resultant to create a third resultant, if the third resultant is greater than 30% of the size of the first window and less than 70% of the size of the first window, assigning the third resultant as the zoom out size, if the third resultant is less than 30% of the size of the first window, reducing the size of the first window by 70%, and if the third resultant is greater than 70% of the dimensions of the first window, reducing the size of the first window by 30%.

Claims

1. A method for directing a computer system, having at least a processor, user controls, and computer display, to automatically resize a first window of a certain size displayed on the computer display of a certain size, comprising the steps of:

in response to detecting a loss of focus from the first window, determining a number of windows displayed on the computer display;

dividing the square of the size of the first window by the size of the computer display to create a first resultant;

dividing one by a total number of windows displayed on the computer display and adding one thereto, creating a second resultant;

multiplying the first resultant by the second resultant to create a third resultant;

if the third resultant is greater than a first threshold percentage of the size of the first window and less than a second threshold percentage of the size of the first window, assigning the third resultant as the zoom out size;

if the third resultant is less than the first threshold percentage of the size of the first window, reducing the size of the first window by the second threshold percentage; and

if the third resultant is greater than the second threshold percentage of the dimensions of the first window, reducing the size of the first window by the first threshold percentage.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

determining height and width dimensions of the first window and the computer display;

squaring the dimensions of the height for the first window;

dividing the square of the height by the height of the computer display to create the first resultant;

multiplying the first resultant by the second resultant to create the third resultant for height;

if the third resultant is greater than 30% of the height of the first window and less than 70% of the height of the first window, assigning the third resultant as the zoom out size for height;

if the third resultant is less than 30% of the height of the first window, reducing the height of the first window by 70%;

if the third resultant is greater than 70% of the dimensions of the first window, reducing the height of the first window by 30%; and

repeating the above steps for the width of the window.