Multi-plane metaphoric desktop and methods of operation associated therewith

• US 7,103,850 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2000
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hall Aluminum LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Engstrom, Eric, Ort, Jeffrey G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D.
• Application Number:
  US09/718,870
• Time in Patent Office: 2,115 Days
• Field of Search: 345/850, 345/848, 345/778, 345/760, 345/781, 345/783, 345/646, 345/790, 345/782, 345/791, 345/793, 345/794, 345/795, 345/796, 345/797, 345/836, 345/852, 345/629, 345/672, 345/473, 715/790, 715/782, 715/791, 715/793, 715/794, 715/795, 715/796, 715/797, 715/836, 715/852, 715/850, 715/848, 715/778, 715/760, 715/781, 715/783
• US Class Current: 715/778
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A computing device is provided with a number of programming instructions to cause display of first execution results of a first set of applications in a first plane of a metaphoric desktop, and display of second execution results of a second set of applications in a second plane of the metaphoric desktop. In one embodiment, the programming instructions are further designed to morph the metaphoric desktop from one plane to another. In one embodiment, the second set of applications are on-line applications, and the programming instructions are designed to cause the metaphoric desktop to morph from the first plane to the second plane when the computing device is being connected on line; and cause the metaphoric desktop to morph back to the first plane in response to a user request to return to the first plane.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

rendering on a display of an apparatus, a metaphoric desktop having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface and said back surface being opposite facing surfaces of the same plane;

rendering first execution results of first one or more applications on the front surface of the metaphoric desktop, the front surface being a currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop resulting in the first execution results being currently visible;

rendering second execution results of second one or more applications on the back surface of the metaphoric desktop, the back surface being currently invisible while the front surface is the currently visible surface, resulting in the second execution results being currently invisible; and

morphing the back surface to replace the front surface to become the currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop to make visible the second execution results, and make invisible the first execution results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said second one or more applications are on-line applications, and the method further comprises monitoring for the apparatus being connected on-line.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said morphing comprises morphing from said front surface of the metaphoric desktop to the back surface of the metaphoric desktop in response to detection of an event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said morphing comprises animating a 180 degree rotation of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over either a diagonal axis, a vertical axis, or a horizontal axis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said morphing comprises animating a plurality of 180 degree rotations of a plurality of portions of the front and back surfaces of metaphoric desktop over a plurality of corresponding vertical axes or a plurality of corresponding horizontal axes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

said rendering of first execution results of the first one or more applications in a front surface of a metaphoric desktop comprises storing pictorial representations of said first execution results of the first one or more applications into a standard display screen buffer by a graphics service;

and

said rendering of second execution results of the second one or more applications in a back surface of the metaphoric desktop comprises redirecting said graphics service to store pictorial representations of said first execution results of said first one or more applications to an alternate display screen buffer, and storing pictorial representations of said second execution results of said second one or more applications into said standard display screen buffer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein

said second one or more applications are on-line applications;

and

said redirecting of said graphics service to store pictorial representations of said first execution results of said first one or more applications to an alternate display screen buffer, and subsequent storing of pictorial representations of said second execution results of said second one or more applications into said standard display screen buffer, are initially performed in response to said apparatus being connected on-line.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises resuming said storing of pictorial representations of said first execution results of said first one or more applications to said standard display screen buffer by said graphics service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said resumption is performed in response to a user request to return to said front surface of said metaphoric desktop.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said morphing comprises animating a plurality of 180 degree rotations of a plurality of portions of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over a plurality of corresponding vertical axes and a plurality of corresponding horizontal axes.

11. An apparatus comprising:

storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to render a metaphoric desktop having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface and said back surface being opposite facing surfaces of the same plane, to render first execution results of first one or more applications on the front surface of the metaphoric desktop, the front surface being a currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop resulting in the first execution results being currently visible, to render second execution results of a second one or more applications on the back surface of the metaphoric desktop, the back surface being currently invisible while the front surface is currently visible, resulting in the second execution results being currently invisible, and to morph the back surface to replace the front surface to become the currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop to make the second execution results visible and make the first execution results invisible; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said second one or more applications are on-line applications, and the programming instructions are further designed to monitor for the apparatus being connected on-line.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to morph from said front surface of the metaphoric desktop to the back surface of the metaphoric desktop in response to detection of an event.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said programming instructions are designed to effectuate said morphing by animating a 180 degree rotation of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over either a diagonal axis, a vertical axis, or a horizontal axis.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said programming instructions are designed to effectuate said morphing by animating a plurality of 180 degree rotations of a plurality of portions of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over a plurality of corresponding vertical axes or a plurality of corresponding horizontal axes.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said programming instructions are designed to effectuate

said rendering of first execution results of the first one or more applications on a front surface of a metaphoric desktop by storing pictorial representations of said first execution results into a standard display screen buffer by a graphics service, and

said rendering of second execution results of the second one or more applications in a back surface of the metaphoric desktop by redirecting said graphics service to store pictorial representations of said first execution results of said first one or more applications to an alternate display screen buffer, and storing pictorial representations of said second execution results of said second one or more applications into said standard display screen buffer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein

said second one or more applications are on-line applications;

and

said programming instructions are designed to initially perform said redirecting of said graphics service to store pictorial representations of said first execution results of said first one or more applications to an alternate display screen buffer, and subsequent storing of pictorial representations of said second execution results of said second one or more applications into said standard display screen buffer, in response to said apparatus being connected on-line.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the programming instructions are further designed to resume said storing of pictorial representations of said first execution results of said first one or more applications to said standard display screen buffer by said graphics service.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said programming instructions are designed to perform said resumption in response to a user request to return to said front surface of said metaphoric desktop.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said programming instructions are designed to effectuate said morphing by animating a plurality of 180 degree rotations of a plurality of portions of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over a plurality of corresponding vertical axes and a plurality of corresponding horizontal axes.

21. A graphical user interface comprising:

a metaphoric desktop having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface and said back surface being opposite facing surfaces of the same plane with only one of said front surface and said back surface being currently visible at a time;

the front surface being used to display first execution results of a first one or more applications when the front surface is a currently visible surface, resulting in the first execution results being currently visible; and

the back surface being used to display second execution results of a second one or more applications, invisible while the front surface is the currently visible surface, and becoming visible when the metaphoric desktop morphs the back surface to replace the front surface as the currently visible surface, the first execution results becoming invisible after the back surface replaces the front surface as the currently visible surface.

22. The graphical user interface of claim 21, wherein the metaphoric desktop morphs from the front surface to the back surface in response to an event.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 21, wherein said morphing comprises a 180 degree rotation of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over either a diagonal axis, a vertical axis, or a horizontal axis.

24. The graphical user interface of claim 21, wherein said morphing comprises a plurality of 180 degree rotations of a plurality of portions of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over a plurality of corresponding vertical axes or a plurality of corresponding horizontal axes.

25. The graphical user interface of claim 21, wherein said morphing comprises a plurality of 180 degree rotations of a plurality of portions of the front and back surfaces of the metaphoric desktop over a plurality of corresponding vertical axes and a plurality of corresponding horizontal axes.

26. A system comprising:

a communication interface;

storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to render first execution results of first one or more applications on a front surface of a metaphoric desktop having the front surface and a back surface, said front surface and said back surface being opposite facing surfaces of the same plane, the front surface being a currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop resulting in the first execution results being currently visible, render second execution results of a second one or more applications on the back surface of the metaphoric desktop, currently invisible while the front surface is currently visible, resulting in the second execution results being currently invisible, and morph the back surface to replace the front surface to become the currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop to make the second execution results visible and make the first execution results invisible; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said second one or more applications are on-line applications, and the programming instructions are further designed to monitor for the apparatus being connected on-line.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to morph from said front surface of the metaphoric desktop to the back surface of the metaphoric desktop in response to detection of an event.

29. A computer readable medium comprising:

a storage medium; and

a plurality of programming instructions stored in the storage medium, and designed to enable an apparatus to render on a display, a metaphoric desktop having a front surface and a back surface, said front surface and said back surface being opposite facing surfaces of the same plane, to render first execution results of first one or more applications on the front surface of a metaphoric desktop, the front surface being a currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop resulting in the first execution results being currently visible, to render second execution results of a second one or more applications on the back surface of the metaphoric desktop, the back surface being currently invisible while the front surface is currently visible, resulting in the second execution results being currently invisible, and to morph the back surface to replace the front surface to become the currently visible surface of the metaphoric desktop to make the second execution results visible and make the first execution results invisible.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said second one or more applications are on-line applications, and the programming instructions are further designed to enable the apparatus monitor for the apparatus being connected on-line.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to morph from said front surface of the metaphoric desktop to the back surface of the metaphoric desktop in response to detection of an event.