Method and apparatus for managing windows in three dimensions in a two dimensional windowing system

• US 6,229,542 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, John David
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/113,814
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 345/339, 345/340, 345/342, 345/343, 345/344, 345/345, 345/348, 345/355, 345/358, 345/976, 345/977, 345/419, 345/425, 345/430, 345/433, 345/435, 345/438, 345/439, 345/473
• US Class Current: 715/782
• 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

Abstract

Managing windows in a graphical user interface by receiving a signal indicating a gesture from a user, capturing pixels of a window, applying the captured pixels as a texture to a display object in a three dimensional window, and animating the display object to a first location in the three dimensional window corresponding to the window, when the gesture indicates deactivating the window. Further actions include moving the display object to a second location in the three dimensional window, displaying the window over the display object, and hiding the display object, when the gesture indicates activating the window.

Claims

1. A method of managing windows comprising:

receiving a signal indicating a gesture from a user;

when the gesture indicates deactivating a window, capturing pixels of the window and applying the captured pixels as a texture to a display object corresponding to the window, the display object being a three dimensional geometric model located at a first location in a three dimensional space, and

when the gesture indicates activating the window, moving the display object to a second location in the three dimensional space and displaying the window over the display object, thereby hiding the display object from view by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising animating the display object to the first location in the three dimensional space when the gesture indicates deactivating the window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein animating the display object comprises rendering the display object at a plurality of locations within the three dimensional space.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the window comprises a two dimensional window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the three dimensional space comprises a two dimensional image of a three dimensional scene represented on a display.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the three dimensional space as a desktop window in the foreground of a display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location comprises a background location within the three dimensional space and the second location comprises a foreground location within the three dimensional space.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the display object has a shape similar to the window.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising hiding the display object when the gesture indicates activating the window.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the display object comprises orienting the display object within the three dimensional space.

11. An article comprising a machine readable medium having a plurality of machine readable instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor the instructions cause a system to receive a signal indicating a gesture from a user;

when the gesture indicates deactivating a window, to capture pixels of the window and to apply the captured pixels as a texture to a display object corresponding to the window, the display object being a three dimensional geometric model located at a first location in a three dimensional space; and

, when the gesture indicates activating the window, to move the display object to a second location in the three dimensional space and to display the window over the display object, thereby hiding the display object from view by the user.

12. The article of claim 11, further comprising instructions to animate the display object to the first location in the three dimensional space when the gesture indicates deactivating the window.

13. The article of claim 11, further comprising instructions to hide the display object when the gesture indicates activating the window.

14. The article of claim 11, wherein the three dimensional space comprises a two dimensional image of a three dimensional scene represented on a display.

15. The article of claim 11, further comprising instructions to display the three dimensional space as a desktop window in the foreground of a display.

16. The article of claim 11, wherein the first location comprises a background location within the three dimensional space and the second location comprises a foreground location within the three dimensional space.

17. A system for managing windows in a graphical user interface comprising:

means for deactivating a window, the deactivating means comprising means for capturing pixels of the window, means for applying the captured pixels as a texture to a display object in a three dimensional space, the display object being a three dimensional geometric model corresponding to the window, and means for animating the display object to a first location in the three dimensional space; and

means for activating the window, the activating means comprising means for moving the display object to a second location in the three dimensional space, and means for displaying the window over the display object thereby hiding the display object from view by a user.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving a gesture from a user.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the three dimensional space comprises a two dimensional image of a three dimensional scene represented on a display.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first location comprises a background location within the three dimensional space and the second location comprises a foreground location within the three dimensional space.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the display object has a shape similar to the window.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the moving means comprises means for orienting the display object within the three dimensional space.

23. An apparatus for providing a generalized three dimensional windowing system in a graphical user interface comprising:

a window deactivator to deactivate a window by capturing pixels of the window and by applying the captured pixels as a texture to a display object corresponding to the window, the display object being a three dimensional geometric model in a three dimensional space; and

a window activator to activate the window by moving the display object to a second location in the three dimensional space, by displaying the window over the display object thereby hiding the display object from view by a user.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the window deactivator further comprises means for animating the display object to a first location in the three dimensional space.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first location comprises a background location within the three dimensional space and the second location comprises a foreground location within the three dimensional space.