Method of transition between window states

• US 6,396,520 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Ording, Bas
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/477,738
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 345/798,803,804,802,800,788,799,672,681,682,660,666,667,779
• US Class Current: 715/798
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manipulating a window within a graphical user interface (GUI) of an operating system in a manner that provides a transitional effect between window states, which is pleasing to the user. This transitional effect includes changing the shape of a window while scaling and moving the window between two different sizes and positions. In one embodiment of the present invention, the transitional effect may be employed as a window is minimized into an icon, or restored from an icon. In another embodiment of the present invention, the transitional effect is employed as a window is minimized within its title bar, or restored therefrom. The transitional effect may achieve scaling by a variety of filtering techniques including pixel averaging and pixel removal.

Claims

1. A method of manipulating a window, comprising the steps of:

obtaining location information associated with a first window position on a computer screen;

obtaining location information associated with a second window position on the computer screen;

defining a set of curves, wherein said curves connect said first window position to said second window position;

scaling a window located at said first window position to fit within said curves; and

moving said window within said curves from said first position to said second position in a manner so as to give the appearance of sliding.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting the amplitude of said curves until they connect said first window position and said second window position.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of continuously scaling said window as it is sliding from said first position to said second position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of scaling comprises filtering each scan line of said window.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of filtering utilizes a pixel averaging technique.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of filtering utilizes a pixel removing technique.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of substituting each scan line of said window with a scan line of a different image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the image displayed at said first position is a full-sized window.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the image displayed at said second position is a title bar.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the image displayed at said second position is an icon.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the image displayed at said second position is a full-sized window.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the image displayed at said first position is a title bar.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the image displayed at said first position is an icon.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said curves are straight lines.

15. A computer-readable medium containing a computer program that performs the steps of:

obtaining location information for a first window position on a computer screen;

obtaining location information for a second window position on a computer screen;

calculating curves from said first window position to said second window position;

scaling said window to fit within said curves; and

sliding a window within said curves from said first position to said second position.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said computer program further performs the step of:

continuously scaling said window as it is sliding from said first window position to said second window position.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said step of scaling comprises filtering each scan line of said window using one of a pixel averaging technique and a pixel removal technique.

18. A computer system, comprising:

a display device; and

a processor which controls said display device to selectively display a first representation of a window at a first position and a second representation of said window at a second position, and which is responsive to a user input to calculate curves which define a path from said first position to said second position and control said display device to generate a transition from said first representation to said second representation by scaling said window to fit within said curves and moving an image of said window along said path.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein said processor is further configured to continuously scale the scan lines of the image of said window to fit within said curves, and to move the scan lines of the image of said window together within said curves from said first position to said second position, and to communicate the continuously scaled scan lines of the image of said window to said display device.

20. A computer system, comprising:

means for generating a first representation of a window at a first position on a display;

means responsive to a user input for calculating curves to define a path from said first position to a second position on said display;

means for scaling said first representation of a window to fit within said calculated curves; and

means for moving the scaled representation of the window along the path defined by said curves from said first position to said second position on said display to create a second representation of said window at said second position on said display.