Managing position and size for a desktop component

• US 7,290,217 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Starbuck, Bryan T, Flynn, Sean L, Jones, Christopher R, Brown, Christopher R, Anderson, Edward J, Ramasubramanian, Sankar, Schmidt, Michael A, Enomoto, Mark H, Williams, Gayna
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US10/949,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20050039147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/781, 715853-855, 715856-862, 715517-521, 715/788, 715/790, 715/791, 715/796, 715/799, 715/808, 715/812, 715/817, 345/157, 345/163, 345/145, 345/146
• US Class Current: 715/764
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

In a graphical desktop environment displaying desktop components, a control is provided to track the position of a pointer on a screen, and when the pointer enters relevant regions with respect to a desktop component, a thin or thick border in displayed around the desktop component to enable a user to resize the desktop component, and/or a caption bar is displayed along an edge of the component to enable a user to move the desktop component on the desktop. The caption bar may additionally be provided with menu and close buttons, to enable the user to bring up a menu of properties and/or actions for the desktop component, and close the desktop component, respectively. When the pointer is outside any region relevant to a desktop component, no borders or caption bars are displayed, thereby resulting in a visually less cluttered appearance.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a display and a pointing device, the pointing device controlling a position of a pointer on the display, a method for manipulating a subdocument visually embedded in a composite document output from the computer to the display, the subdocument initially appearing as an image, rather than as a window with windows functionality, and having a boundary defining a geometric area within the composite document, the method comprising:

(a) tracking the position of the pointer on the display;

(b) monitoring the position of the pointer relative to the subdocument;

(c) automatically and without further user input displaying a first border around the subdocument when the pointer enters a first predefined region located within the boundary of the subdocument; and

(d) automatically and without further user input displaying a second border around the subdocument when the pointer enters a second predefined region located near the boundary of the subdocument.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically and without further user input removing the second border displayed around the subdocument when the pointer moves out of the second predefined region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically and without further user input removing the second border displayed around the subdocument when the pointer moves to an external region relative to the subdocument and a predetermined amount of time expires.

4. In a computer system having a display and a pointing device, the pointing device controlling a position of a pointer on the display, a method for manipulating a subdocument visually embedded in a composite document output from the computer to the display, the subdocument initially appearing as an image, rather than as a window with windows functionality, and having a boundary defining a geometric area within the composite document, the method comprising:

(a) tracking the position of the pointer on the display;

(b) monitoring the position of the pointer relative to the subdocument;

(e) automatically and without further user input displaying a first border around the subdocument when the pointer enters a first predefined region located within the boundary of the subdocument; and

(d) automatically and without further user input displaying a caption bar along an edge of the subdocument when the pointer enters a predefined caption bar region located adjacent to the boundary of the subdocument.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically and without further user input removing the caption bar displayed along an edge of the subdocument when the pointer moves out of the predefined caption bar region.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically and without further user input displaying a second border around the subdocument in conjunction with the caption bar when the pointer enters a predetermined area of the predefined caption bar region.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically and without further user input removing the caption bar displayed along an edge of the subdocument and the second border displayed around the subdocument when the pointer moves out of the predefined caption bar region.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically and without further user input removing the caption bar displayed along an edge of the subdocument and the second border displayed around the subdocument when the pointer moves to an external region relative to the subdocument and a predetermined amount of time expires.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically and without further user input removing the caption bar displayed along an edge of the subdocument when the pointer moves to an external region relative to the subdocument and a predetermined amount of time expires.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising maintaining the caption bar along an edge of the subdocument when the pointer enters a predefined maintained caption bar region relative to the subdocument.

11. In a computer system having a display and a pointing device, the pointing device controlling a position of a pointer on the display, a method for manipulating a subdocument visually embedded in a composite document output from the computer to the display, the subdocument initially appearing as an image, rather than as a window with windows functionality, and having a boundary defining a geometric area within the composite document, the method comprising:

(a) tracking the position of the pointer on the display;

(b) monitoring the position of the pointer relative to the subdocument;

(c) automatically and without further user input displaying a first border around the subdocument when the pointer enters a first predefined region located within the boundary of the subdocument; and

(d) automatically and without further user input removing the first border displayed around the subdocument when the pointer moves to an external region outside of the boundary of the subdocument and a predetermined amount of time expires.

12. In a computer system having a display and a pointing device, the pointing device controlling a position of a pointer on the display, a method for manipulating a subdocument visually embedded in a composite document output from the computer to the display, the subdocument initially appearing an as image, rather than as a window with windows functionality, and having a boundary defining a geometric area within the composite document, the method comprising:

(a) providing a control including a visual clement for;

(1) tracking the position of the pointer;

(2) monitoring the position of the pointer relative to the subdocument; and

(3) displaying the visual clement;

(b) activating the control; and

(c) automatically and without further user input displaying the visual element when the control detects that the pointer has entered a first predefined region located within the boundary of the subdocument;

wherein the visual element is a border, the control has a boundary defined by edge segments having a thickness, and displaying the visual element further comprises;

(c1) moving and centering the control under the subdocument;

(c2) resizing the control such that the control has a boundary having substantially same, but slightly larger, dimensions as the subdocument boundary;

(c3) increasing the thickness of the edge segments of the control boundary; and

(c4) automatically and without further user input displaying the control boundary as a thick border around the subdocument.

13. In a computer system having a display and a pointing device, the pointing device controlling a position of a pointer on the display, a method for manipulating a subdocument visually embedded in a composite document output from the computer to the display, the subdocument initially appearing an as image, rather than as a window with windows functionality, and having a boundary defining a geometric area within the composite document, the method comprising:

(a) providing a control including a visual element for;

(1) tracking the position of the pointer;

(2) monitoring the position of the pointer relative to the subdocument; and

(3) displaying the visual element;

(b) activating the control; and

(c) automatically and without further user input displaying the visual element when the control detects that the pointer has entered a first predefined region located within the boundary of the subdocument;

wherein the visual element is a caption bar, and displaying the visual element further comprises;

(c1) automatically and without further user input displaying the caption bar along an edge of the subdocument boundary.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising maintaining the caption bar along an edge of the subdocument when the control detects that the pointer enters a predefined maintained caption bar region relative to the subdocument.

15. In a computer system having a display and a pointing device, the pointing device controlling a position of a pointer on the display, a method for manipulating a subdocument visually embedded in a composite document output from the computer to the display, the subdocument initially appearing an as image, rather than as a window with windows functionality, and having a boundary defining a geometric area within the composite document, the method comprising:

(a) providing a control including a visual element for;

(1) tracking the position of the pointer;

(2) monitoring the position of the pointer relative to the subdocument; and

(3) displaying the visual element;

(b) activating the control;

(c) automatically and without further user input displaying the visual element when the control detects that the pointer has entered a first predefined region located within the boundary of the subdocument; and

(d) automatically and without further user input removing the visual element from the display when the control detects that the pointer has moved to an external region outside of the boundary of the subdocument and a predetermined amount of time has expired.