Multi-application tabbing system

• US 7,426,697 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stabb, Charles W., Pettiross, Jeffrey W., Cooperman, Hillel N., Ligameri, Mark R., Holecek, Ales
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Sy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/036,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 715/759, 715/779, 715/781, 715/517, 715/850
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen is described. The method includes steps of associating a first window with at least one second window, the at least one second window being independent of and external to the first window, and combining the first window and the at least one second window into a common window on a display screen, the first window and the at least one second window being configured to share a common window frame. An indicator may appear on the display as a target region when a user desires to associate the first and the second windows. Subsequent operations performed on the common window are performed automatically on any underlying window. For example, when a user chooses to save the contents of the common window, the contents of all of the windows of the common window may be saved.

Claims

1. A method for combining a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising steps of:

receiving an input to associate a first window of a first size and at least one second window of a second size, wherein the input is a signal corresponding to a movement of the at least one second window over a target location of the first window;

associating the first window with the at least one second window, said at least one second window being independent of and external to the first window, and the first size being different from the second size;

combining the first window and the at least one second window into a common window on a display screen, the first window and the at least one second window being configured to share a common window frame;

allowing each of the first window and the at least one second window to be selected from the common window frame;

sizing the common window frame to the first size when content of the first window is selected; and

sizing the common window frame to the second size when content of the second window is selected.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of performing an operation on the common window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of performing includes changing an orientation of the common window based upon an activation of a mode selection interface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target location is an object that appears on the first window when the at least one second window is dragged within a predefined area of the first window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an operation performed on the common window automatically performs the operation on the first window and the at least one second window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the common window frame includes a first tab to access the first window and a second tab to access the at least one second window.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second tab is partially obscured when the first window is an active window.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first window corresponds to a first application program and the second window corresponds to a second application program.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first application program and the second application program are different application programs.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

receiving an input corresponding to a request to disassociate the first window and the at least one second window; and

removing the first window and the at least one second window from the common window.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of combining a first taskbar button in a taskbar area corresponding to the first window and a second taskbar button in the taskbar area corresponding to the at least one second window into a common taskbar button in the taskbar area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the common taskbar button corresponds to the first taskbar button when the first window is active and the common taskbar button corresponds to the second window when the at least one second window is active.

13. A computer readable storage medium having a series of computer-executable instructions for performing a method of combining a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising:

sending an instruction to combine a first top level window corresponding to a first application program and an at least one second top level window corresponding to a second application program into a common window, wherein the combination of the first top level window and the at least one second top level window is responsive to the first top level window and the at least one second top level window having been dragged into a predetermined target region displayed on the display screen.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises sending an instruction to modify the common window.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first application program and the second application program are the same application program.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the common window is configured to be modified by the first application program.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first application program and the second application program are different application programs.

18. A computer readable storage medium having a series of computer-executable instructions for performing a method for combining a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising steps of:

receiving an input to associate a first window and at least one second window, wherein the input is a signal corresponding to a movement of the at least one second window over a target location of the first window;

associating the first window with the at least one second window, said at least one second window being independent of and external to the first window, and the first size being different from the second size;

combining the first window and the at least one second window into a common window on a display screen, the first window and the at least one second window being configured to share a common window frame;

allowing each of the first window and the at least one second window to be selected from the common window frame;

sizing the common window frame to the first size when content of the first window is selected; and

sizing the common window frame to the second size when content of the second window is selected.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first window corresponds to a first application program and the second window corresponds to a second application program.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first application program and the second application program are different application programs.