Window scroll-bar
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for generating a window scroll-bar, comprising:
- displaying the window scroll-bar on a display, wherein the window scroll-bar comprises a plurality of sections associated with a plurality of respective windows on the display;
displaying a slider within the window scroll-bar; and
as the slider moves across a section boundary into a section, incrementally fading into view a respective window associated with the section on the display responsive to the motion of the slider through a range near the section boundary.
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Abstract
A method, system, and program product for generating a window scroll-bar. In the preferred embodiment, a controller displays the window scroll-bar on a display screen. The window scroll-bar contains sections associated with respective windows on the display. The window scroll-bar also contains a slider, which moves within a section and between sections. As the slider moves within a particular section, the window associated with that section moves on the display toward the nearest boundary of the display. Thus, by moving the window scroll-bar slider, the user can move overlapping windows out of the way and find the window of interest.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method for generating a window scroll-bar, comprising:
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displaying the window scroll-bar on a display, wherein the window scroll-bar comprises a plurality of sections associated with a plurality of respective windows on the display;
displaying a slider within the window scroll-bar; and
as the slider moves across a section boundary into a section, incrementally fading into view a respective window associated with the section on the display responsive to the motion of the slider through a range near the section boundary. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
ordering the plurality of sections in the window scroll-bar by last use of the respective, associated window.
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7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the window scroll-bar comprises:
ordering the plurality of sections in the window scroll-bar by most use of the respective, associated window.
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8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step displaying the window scroll-bar further comprises:
ordering the plurality of sections in the window scroll-bar by most use weighted by last use of the respective, associated window.
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9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the window scroll-bar further comprises:
ordering the plurality of sections in the window scroll-bar by time since activation of the respective, associated window.
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10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the window scroll-bar further comprises:
ordering the plurality of sections in the window scroll-bar by user choice.
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11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the window scroll-bar further comprises:
creating a size of each of the plurality of sections, wherein the section size is proportional to use of the respective, associated window.
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12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the window scroll-bar further comprises:
changing a z-order of the plurality of windows to match the order of the plurality of sections in the window scroll-bar.
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13. An apparatus that generates a window scroll-bar, comprising:
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a processor;
memory coupled to the processor;
a controller residing in the memory and executing on the processor, wherein the controller displays the window scroll-bar on a display, wherein the window scroll-bar comprises a plurality of sections associated with a plurality of respective windows on the display, and wherein the controller displays a slider within the window scroll-bar, wherein as the slider moves across a section boundary into a section, the controller incrementally fades into view a respective window associated with the section responsive to the motion of the slider through a range near the section boundary. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A program product, comprising:
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a controller that displays a window scroll-bar on a display, wherein the window scroll-bar comprises a plurality of sections associated with a plurality of respective windows on the display, and wherein the controller displays a slider within the window scroll-bar, wherein as the slider moves across a section boundary into a section, the controller incrementally fades into view a respective window associated with the section responsive to the motion of the slider through a range near the section boundary; and
signal-bearing media bearing the controller. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification