Method and apparatus for automatically and intelligently arranging windows on a display device

• US 5,838,318 A
• Filed: 11/10/1995
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Salvador, Anthony C., Skarbo, Rune A., Porter, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Katbab, A.
• Application Number:
  US08/556,026
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 395/340, 395/342, 395/343, 395/344, 395/345, 395/333, 395/334, 345/340, 345/342
• US Class Current: 715/790
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically arranging windows on a display device where each of a first set of the plurality of windows includes a class designation, and the class designation for each window of this first set of windows can be different. The method identifies the class designation for each window of this first set of windows and arranges the first set of windows on the display according to the class designation of each window of the first set.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing a domain of one or more windows among a plurality of windows on a display;

identifying a class designation for each window of the domain of windows, wherein one or more windows of the domain of windows have a same class designation; and

re-arranging automatically the plurality of windows on the display according to the domain and the class designation, wherein windows of the domain having the same class designation are treated equally in the re-arranging.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying comprises:

requesting the class designation from each of the domain of windows; and

recording the class designation identified by each of the domain of windows.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the re-arranging comprises:

dividing the display into a plurality of display areas;

allocating a first number of display areas of the plurality of display areas to the domain of windows, wherein the first number of display areas corresponds to a second number of different class designations in the domain of windows; and

positioning each window of the domain of windows having the same class designation in one of the first number of display areas.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the re-arranging further comprises:

positioning each window of the domain of windows having the same class designation in one of the first number of display areas in a tiled manner.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the re-arranging further comprises:

positioning each window of the domain of windows having the same class designation in one of the first number of display areas in a cascaded manner.

6. A method comprising:

recognizing a domain of one or more windows among a plurality of windows on a display;

determining a class designation for each window of the domain of windows wherein one or more windows of the domain of windows have a same class designation;

dividing the display into a plurality of areas; and

positioning automatically each window of the domain of windows corresponding to a particular class designation equally in a same one of the plurality of areas.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of a plurality of domains of the plurality of windows on the display corresponds to a different one of a plurality of applications which are being executed in a conferencing environment, wherein a domain can be one window.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the dividing comprises separating a portion of the display into the plurality of areas, wherein the portion of the display is less than the entire display.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining further comprises:

sending a message to a first window of the plurality of windows requesting a first class designation identifier which corresponds to the first window; and

recording the first class designation identifier and a window identifier, wherein the window identifier corresponds to the first window.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the method is responsive to an occurrence of a predetermined event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined event comprises opening a new window of the plurality of windows.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined event comprises closing a first window of the plurality of windows.

13. An apparatus comprises:

a bus;

a storage device, coupled to the bus; and

a processor, coupled to the bus, the processor to recognize a domain of one or more windows among a plurality of windows on a display, to identify a class designation for each window of the domain of windows, wherein one or more windows of the domain of windows have a same class designation, and to automatically re-arrange the plurality of windows on the display according to the domain and the class designation, wherein windows of the domain of windows having the same class designation are treated equally in the re-arranging.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is also to divide the display into a plurality of display areas, allocate a first number of display areas of the plurality of display areas to domain of windows, wherein the first number of display areas corresponds to a second number of different class designation in the domain of windows, and position each window of the domain of windows having the same class designation in one of the first number of display areas.

15. An apparatus comprises:

means for recognizing a domain of one or more windows among a plurality of windows on a display;

means for determining a class designation for each window of the domain of windows, wherein one or more windows of the domain of windows have a same class designation;

means for dividing the display into a plurality of areas; and

means for positioning automatically each window of the domain of windows corresponding to a particular class designation equally in a same one of the plurality of areas.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for dividing comprises means for separating a portion of the display into the plurality of areas, wherein the portion of the display is less than the entire display.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for determining further comprises:

means for sending a message to a first window of the domain of windows requesting a first class designation identifier which corresponds to the first window; and

means for recording the first class designation identifier and a window identifier, wherein the window identifier corresponds to the first window.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for recognizing, means for determining, means for dividing, and means for positioning are each responsive to an occurrence of a predetermined event.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the predetermined event comprises opening a new window of the plurality of windows.

20. A machine-readable storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions for use by a processor, wherein the plurality of programming instructions implements the method of:

recognizing a domain of one or more windows among a plurality of windows on a display;

identifying a class designation for each window of the domain of windows, wherein one or more windows of the domain of windows have a same class designation; and

re-arranging automatically the domain of windows on the display according to the domain and the class designation, wherein windows of the domain of windows having the same class designation are treated equally in the re-arranging.

21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the identifying comprises:

requesting the class designation from each of the domain of windows; and

recording the class designation identified by each of the domain of windows.

22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the re-arranging comprises:

dividing the display into a plurality of display areas;

allocating a first number of display areas of the plurality of display areas to the domain of windows, wherein the first number of display areas corresponds to a second number of different class designations in the domain of windows; and

positioning each window of the domain of windows having the same class designation in one of the first number of display areas.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the re-arranging further comprises:

positioning each window of the domain of windows having the same class designation in one of the first number of display areas in a tiled manner.

24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the re-arranging further comprises:

positioning each window of the domain of windows having the same class designation in one of the first number of display areas in a cascaded manner.