Method and system for transforming the geometrical shape of a display window for a computer system

• US 6,016,145 A
• Filed: 03/04/1999
• Issued: 01/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sonntag, Martin L., Horvitz, Eric J., Markley, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/262,108
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 345/340, 345/333, 345/341, 345/334-335, 345/339, 345/342-347, 345/348-349, 345/352-355, 345/350-351, 345/356-357, 345/113, 345/114-120
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/978 Audio interaction as part of an operator interface

Abstract

Controlling the size of sides defining the area of a window presenting an enclosed area for displaying information on a display screen of a computer system. A transformation control can be presented on the display screen. This transformation control can be used to transform a window having a first geometrical shape to a window having a second geometrical shape. The window is transformed to the second geometrical shape in response to selection of the first transformation control. This transformation of the window is completed by adjusting the window sides, which define the presentation area for displaying information.

Claims

1. In a computer system having an operating system operative to display computer application data in a window on a display monitor, said windows having sides defining an enclosed area for presenting said data on said display monitor, said computer system characterized by resources including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and display monitor said resources communicating via a system bus, said CPU operative to control processes for defining the size and shape of displayed windows, a method for resizing sides defining the area of the window, comprising:

defining an isometric work space on said display screen;

displaying a window of information in said isometric work space on said display screen, said window having a first geometrical shape;

providing a first transformation control in said isometric work space, for said display system, for transforming said window of said operating system to a second geometrical shape in said isometric work space; and

upon selection of said first transformation control, transforming said window to said second geometrical shape in said isometric work space, said CPU and said control processes in response to said selection of said first transformation control being capable of performing a three-dimensional transformation of said first geometrical shape to produce said second geometrical shape.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said window contains data symbols and said method further comprising rescaling the size of said data symbols upon selection of said first transformation control.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein rescaling said data symbols rescales said data symbols to a size proportionate to the transformation of the shape of said second geometrical shape.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a second transformation control in said isometric work space for transforming said window of said operating system to a third geometrical shape in said isometric work space;

and upon selection of a second transformation control, transforming said window to said third geometrical shape in said isometric work space.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said window contains data symbols and said method further comprising rescaling the size of said data symbols upon selection of said second transformation control.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein rescaling of said data symbols rescales said data symbols to a size proportionate to the transformation of the shape of said third geometrical shape.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein transforming said window to a second geometrical shape comprises transforming said window to a geometrical shape that conveys depth perception to said window in said isometric work space.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein transforming said window to a second geometrical shape comprises decreasing the dimensions of at least one of the sides defining the boundary of said window.

9. A computer system operative to display computer application data in a window on a display monitor, said windows having borders defining and enclosed area for presenting said data on said display monitor, comprising:

resources including;

a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory;

a display monitor, and a system bus, said resources communicating via said system bus; and

said CPU having an operating system operative to partition the display screen of said display monitor into a plurality of preselected areas for displaying windows of multiple applications in an isometric work space, each window having a first geometrical shape, and said CPU operative to confine selected ones of said displayed windows to selected ones of said partitioned areas in said isometric work space, said operating system being capable of performing a three-dimensional transformation of each first geometrical shape to produce a respective second geometrical shape within a respective partitioned area.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein said CPU is further operative to transform the borders and data of a selected window to predetermined shapes upon selection of a partitioned area designated to display said selected window in said isometric work space.

11. A computer-usable object, which when stored in a computer memory, manipulates the boundaries and data of a displayed window in an isometric work space on a display monitor, said object comprising:

computer-readable code including;

(a) a data structure for allocating storage for a data representation of the window having a first geometrical shape in said isometric work space and the data of said window; and

(b) a member function for transforming said data representation of said window to data representation of a second geometrical shape for said window in said isometric work space, said second member function being capable of performing a three-dimensional transformation of said data representation to produce said second geometrical shape.

12. In a computer system having an operating system operative to display computer application data in a window on a display monitor, said windows having sides defining an enclosed area for presenting said data on said display monitor, said computer system characterized by resources including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and display monitor said resources communicating via a system bus, said CPU operative to control processes for defining the size and shape of displayed windows, a method for resizing sides defining the area of the window, comprising:

defining an isometric work space on said display screen;

displaying a window of information in said isometric work space on said display screen having a first geometrical shape;

providing a first transformation control in said isometric work space, for said display system, for transforming said window of said operating system to a second geometrical shape in said isometric work space, said first transformation control being capable of performing a three-dimensional transformation of said first geometrical shape to produce said second geometrical shape; and

upon selection of said first transformation control, providing an indication of the geometrical shape in said isometric work space that said transformation control will render.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein providing an indication comprises providing a pointer that points to a location on said display screen designated to display said window in a particular shape in said isometric work space.