Method, memory and apparatus for automatically resizing a window while continuing to display information therein

• US 6,011,551 A
• Filed: 10/09/1998
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Amro, Hatim Yousef
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/169,228
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 345/339, 345/340, 345/342, 345/343, 345/344, 345/345, 345/347, 345/670, 345/671, 345/672, 345/673, 345/821, 345/822, 345/823, 345/824, 345/825, 345/826, 345/827, 345/129 , 345/127, 345/130, 345/132
• US Class Current: 715/788
• 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, apparatus, and article of manufacture for directing a computer system, having at least a processor, user controls, and computer display, to automatically resize a window displayed on the computer display. The method includes the first step of in response to a command from user controls over a first portion of the window, determining whether the window is zoomed out. The second step includes if the window is not zoomed out, automatically resizing the window to a smaller size while continuing to display the contents of the window. The third step includes re-displaying on the computer display the window using the smaller size.

Claims

1. A method for directing a computer system, having at least a processor, user controls, and computer display, to automatically resize a selected window displayed on the computer display among a plurality of windows, the selected window displaying information, comprising the steps of:

in response to a command from user controls over a portion of the selected window, determining whether the selected window is in a zoomed out size;

if the selected window is not in the zoomed out size, automatically resizing the selected window to the zoomed out size while continuing to display the information in the selected window, wherein said zoomed out size is computed as a function of a size of the computer display, the total number of windows displayed and the size of the selected window immediately before being zoomed out; and

if the selected window is in the zoomed out size, automatically enlarging the selected window to a default size.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the poritn of the selected window comprises a zoomed out button object.

3. A computer system for automatically resizing a selected window displayed in a default state on a computer display among a plurality of windows, the selected window displaying information comprising:

user controls;

key board;

in response to a command from user controls over a first portion of the selected window, means for determining whether the selected window is in a zoomed out size;

if the selected window is not in the zoomed out size, means for automatically resizing the selected window to the zoomed out size while continuing to display the information in the selected window, wherein said zoomed out size is computed as a function of a size of the computer display, the total number of windows displayed and the size of the selected window immediately before being zoomed out; and

if the selected window is in the zoomed out size, means for automatically enlarging the selected window a default size.

4. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for directing a computer system, having at least a processor, user controls, key board, and computer display, to automatically resize a selected window displayed on the computer display among a plurality of windows, the selected window displaying information the computer usable medium comprising;

in response to a command from user controls over a first portion of the selected window, first computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to determine if the selected window is in a zoomed out size;

if the selected window is not in the zoomed out size, second computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to automatically resize the selected window to the zoomed out size while continuing to display the information, wherein said zoomed out size is computed as a function of the size of the computer display, the total number of windows displayed and the size of the selected window immediately before being zoomed out; and

if the selected window is in the zoomed out size, third computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to automatically enlarge the selected window to a default size.