Multi-window display control system

• US 5,889,517 A
• Filed: 09/24/1996
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Ueda, Masashi, Komiya, Ryohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kovalick, Vincent E.
• Application Number:
  US08/719,079
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1, 345/3, 345/30, 345/98, 345/100, 345/112, 345/115, 345/118, 345/119, 345/120, 345/127, 345/132, 345/340, 345/341, 345/342, 345/343, 345/344, 345/348, 395/118, 395/339, 395/340, 395/342, 395/343, 395/344, 395/501, 395/507, 395/509
• US Class Current: 715/803
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A multi-window display control system includes a display area setting device for setting a first display area in the display area on a physical screen and setting a second display area in another area, different than the first display area. A display controller controls display of an active window or windows selected as application software and all the other inactive windows in the second display area so as not to overlap each other.

Claims

1. A display control system, comprising:

an input that allows a user to select operations and to input display instructions regarding selected operations;

a memory coupled to the input that stores input selections and instructions; and

a display controller coupled to the memory and the input that controls display of selected operations by configuring the display into distinct areas of operations, including a first area of active operations and a second area of inactive operations, wherein each area of operations is capable of displaying multiple work windows.

2. The display control system of claim 1, wherein the display controller controls the display of selected operations based on patterns that are representative of each particular operation.

3. The display control system of claim 2, wherein the display controller controls the size of each pattern within each area of operations based on a total size of each area of operations and a number of patterns to be displayed in each area of operations.

4. The display control system of claim 2, wherein the display controller controls a location of each pattern within each area of operations based on a predetermined location protocol.

5. The display control system of claim 2, wherein the display controller controls placement of each pattern within each area of operations, wherein the display controller controls a plurality of patterns to be displayed in a non-overlapping manner.

6. The display control system of claim 1, wherein the display controller controls relative size of each area of operation.

7. The display control system of claim 1, wherein the display controller transfers display of operations between the active operation area and the inactive operation area.

8. The display control system of claim 1, wherein the display controller transfers display of operations between the active operation area and the inactive operation area based on input instructions.

9. The display control system of claim 1 wherein the operations relate to individual software programs and the controller controls access to the software programs depending upon in which operation area a particular operation is controlled to be displayed.

10. The display control system of claim 1, further comprising, in combination with the display control system, a display device that simultaneously displays plural areas, each having multiple work windows displayed therein, including an active area in which work windows can be accessed for use and an inactive area in which work windows cannot be accessed for use.

11. The display control system of claim 1, wherein the display controller controls placement of the first area of active operations and the second area of inactive operations to be non-overlapping.

12. The display control system of claim 1, wherein the display controller configures the display into a plurality of second areas of inactive operations.

13. The display control system of claim 1, wherein at least one work window within the second area of inactive operations is displayed in a compressed state.

14. The display control system of claim 1, wherein at least one of an application software designation, a symbol set by the user and an icon are displayed within at least one work window within the second area of inactive operations.

18. The multi-window display control system of claim 13, wherein the display area setting means changes a size ratio between the first display area and the second display area based on how many active windows and inactive windows are being simultaneously displayed.

15. A multi-window display control system including:

display area setting means for setting a first display area capable of displaying multiple work windows on a screen and setting a second display area capable of displaying multiple work windows on the same screen; and

display control means for controlling display of at least one active work window selected by a user in the first display area and displaying at least one inactive work window in the second display area, wherein the active work window and inactive work window are arranged to be non-overlapping.

16. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, wherein the display control means controls display of a plurality of windows in at least one of the first display area and the second display area, the plurality of windows being arranged in a non-overlapping manner.

17. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, wherein the display setting means sets a plurality of second display areas each displaying at least one inactive window.

19. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, wherein the display control means arranges the inactive windows in the second display area in accordance with a time sequence of previously selected windows.

20. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, wherein the display control means includes:

determining means for determining an area of each window of the inactive windows to be displayed in the second display area based on a number of inactive windows and a total area of the second display area; and

area changing means for changing an area of each inactive window corresponding to the determined area of each window.

21. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, further including window changing means for changing a status of an active window to an inactive window when all of the active window cannot be displayed in the first display area because of size constraints.

22. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, wherein the display control means controls display of the at least one active window to be larger than display of the at least one inactive window.

23. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, wherein at least one inactive window within the second display area is displayed in a compressed state.

24. The multi-window display control system of claim 15, wherein at least one of an application software designation, a symbol set by the user and an icon are displayed within at least one inactive window within the second display area.

25. A method of controlling the display of a plurality of operation windows, comprising the steps of:

dividing a display area into an active display area for operation windows actively used and an inactive display area for operation windows not actively used;

establishing a size of each operation window in each display area;

establishing a position for each operation window in each display area; and

selecting at least one operation window to be displayed in the active display area.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of

determining if the selected operation window can fit in the active display area,

wherein when the selected window can fit, then positioning the selected operation window in the active display area, and

wherein when the selected window cannot fit, then selecting a previously displayed active window to be moved to the inactive display area to allow the selected operation window to be positioned in the active display area.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of establishing a size of each operation window in each display area includes determining how many windows are to be displayed compared to a total size of the display area.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of establishing a position for each operation window in each display area includes positioning the operation windows based on a preset protocol corresponding at least one factor selected from the following group of factors:

frequency of use of a window, length of time a window has been displayed, and amount of window that is displayed when overlapped with other windows.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of warning a user when an operation window cannot be displayed as instructed.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of establishing a position for each operation window in each display area includes arranging the operation windows in a non-overlapping manner.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of dividing a display area includes dividing the display area into the active display area and a plurality of inactive display areas.