System and method for providing a window management mode

• US 7,681,143 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lindsay, Donald J, Ligameri, Mark R
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Ting
• Application Number:
  US11/279,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 715/790, 715/794, 715/797, 715/799, 715/800, 715/802, 715/781, 715/838, 715/788, 715/783, 715/779, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/788
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A mode of managing windows in a graphical user interface in which the application windows may be presented in a tiled manner is provided. Upon invocation of the mode inactive application windows may be scaled down and organized in a manner so as to set them aside from the currently active application window while the active application window may remain at or near full size and be positioned in a centralized location in the desktop space.

Claims

1. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of application windows on a display screen, the method comprising:

responsive to a first command, rendering plural application windows in a scaled down form in a desktop space and rendering a first application window at or near full size in the desktop space, wherein rendering the plural application windows in a scaled down form comprises reducing the plural application windows in size according to a degree of scaling, wherein the degree of scaling maintains a relative aspect ratio of the plural application windows, wherein the desktop space comprises an area of a display that allows for displaying windows corresponding to application program;

representing each of the plurality of application windows as corresponding buttons in a taskbar, wherein the desktop space is separate from and does not overlap the taskbar;

maintaining the underlying functionality of the plural application windows that are in the scaled down form by providing the plural application windows in a live state, wherein maintaining comprises;

(a) providing for user interaction with the scaled-down plural application windows, wherein no window interactions with the scaled-down plural application windows or control interactions with application functionality underlying the scaled-down plural application windows are affected by rendering the plural application windows in the scaled down form; and

(b) automatically continually updating content within the scaled-down plural application windows that is presented on the display screen; and

responsive to a second command, rendering a second application window at or near full size in the desktop space, wherein none of the plural application windows overlap the first and second application windows.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first application window and the second application window is at a top of a Z-order and overlaps the other of the first application window and the second application window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein in response to user selection of the one of the first and second application windows below the top of the Z-order, moving the other of the first and second application windows to the top of Z-order.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to a third command, selecting a third application window, the third application window being one of the plural application windows;

rendering the third application window at or near full size in the desktop space and

rendering the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order in a scaled down form in the desktop space, wherein none of the other plural application windows and the other of the first and second application windows overlap the third application window and the one of the first and second application windows, wherein application windows positioned below the application window at the top of the Z-order are partially obscured by other application windows.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in response to the third command the third application window and the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order swap relative positions in the desktop space.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein swapping relative positions of the third application window and the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order in the desktop space comprises:

rendering the third application window at or near full size in the desktop space to a same relative position as the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order;

rendering the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order in a scaled down form in the desktop space to a same relative position as the third application window when in a scaled down form; and

transitioning by animation between both of the positions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transitioning by animation between both of the positions comprises:

growing the third application window to at or near full size in the desktop space to replace the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order; and

shrinking the one of the first and second application windows at the top of the Z-order to a scaled down form in the desktop space to replace the third application window when in a scaled down form.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the third command comprises issuing a right click while hovering over the third application window when in a scaled down form, and wherein the third command is issued distinctly from the first command and the second command.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering a second application window at or near full size in the desktop space comprises positioning the second application window in a location relative to inactive application windows as dynamically determined by a computer system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein dynamically determining the location relative to inactive application windows comprises determining the location based on available desktop space, a size of the rendered second application window, and a total number of the inactive application windows.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering a second application window at or near full size in the desktop space comprises positioning the second application window in a location preconfigured by a user.

12. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of application windows on a display screen, the method comprising:

receiving a command that invokes a window management mode;

rendering all inactive applications of the plurality of application windows in a scaled down form in a desktop space;

maintaining the underlying functionality of the plural application windows that are in the scaled down form by providing the plural application windows in a live state, wherein maintaining comprises;

(a) providing for user interaction with the scaled down plural application windows, wherein no window interactions with the scaled down plural application windows or control interactions with application functionality underlying the scaled down plural application windows are affected by rendering the plural application windows in the scaled down form; and

(b) automatically continually updating content within the scaled down plural application windows that is presented on the display screen;

receiving a first selection that identifies one of the inactive applications, of the plurality of application windows in a scaled down form, to become an active application;

rendering the selected inactive application of the plurality of application windows as a first active application window at or near full size in the desktop space, wherein the desktop space comprises an area of a display that allows for displaying windows corresponding to application programs;

representing each of the plurality of application windows as corresponding buttons in a taskbar, wherein the desktop space is separate from and does not overlap the taskbar;

toggling off the window management mode;

receiving a second selection that identifies another one of the inactive applications, of the plurality of application windows in a scaled down form, to become an active application;

rendering the identified inactive application as a second active application window at or near full size in the desktop space such that it is displayed at a top of a Z-order that includes the first active application window, thereby adding the second active application window to a group of active applications;

toggling on the window management mode;

receiving a third selection that selects yet another one of the inactive applications, of the plurality of application windows in a scaled down form, to become an active application; and

rendering the selected another inactive application as a third active application window at or near full size in the desktop space such that it is displayed at a top of a Z-order that includes the first active application window, thereby adding the third active application window to the group of active applications and removing the second active application from the group of active applications for previously being at the top of the Z-order, wherein the first, the second, and the third selections are issued in a similar manner.

13. A method of claim 12, further comprising:

dynamically determining a number of all the inactive applications;

rendering all the inactive applications of the plurality of application windows in the scaled down form in the desktop space, wherein a degree of scaling of the scaled down form of each of the plurality of application windows is based on the number.

14. A method of claim 13, further comprising:

dynamically determining a size of the first active application window rendered at or near full size in the desktop space;

dynamically determining the desktop space available after rendering the first active application window at or near full size;

adjusting the scaled down form of each of the plurality of application windows is based on the number of all the inactive applications, the size of the first active application window, and the available desktop space.

15. A method of claim 14, wherein rendering all inactive applications of the plurality of application windows in a scaled down form in a desktop space comprises repositioning the plurality of application windows based upon current conditions, wherein the current conditions include one or more of the following:

an orientation of the desktop space on the display screen;

a total area of the desktop space;

a position in the desktop space where the scaled-down plurality of application windows were expected to be rendered.

16. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for concurrently displaying a plurality of application windows on a display screen, the method comprising:

responsive to a first command, performing a process including;

a) rendering plural application windows in a scaled down form in a desktop space, wherein the desktop space comprises an area of a display that allows for displaying windows corresponding to application programs;

(b) representing the plural application windows as corresponding buttons in a taskbar, wherein the desktop space is separate from and does not overlap the taskbar;

(c) rendering a first application window at or near full size in the desktop space;

maintaining the underlying functionality of the plural application windows that are in the scaled down form by providing the plural application windows in a live state, wherein maintaining comprises;

(a) providing for user interaction with the scaled down plural application windows, wherein no window interactions with the scaled down plural application windows or control interactions with application functionality underlying the scaled down plural application windows are affected by rendering the plural application windows in the scaled down form; and

(b) automatically continually updating content within the scaled down plural application windows that is presented on the display screen; and

responsive to a second command, rendering a second application window at or near full size in the desktop space, wherein none of the plural application windows overlap the first and second application windows.

17. The computer-storage media of claim 16, wherein the first command comprises invoking a window management mode, wherein the plural application windows rendered in the scaled down form in the desktop space are inactive application windows, and wherein the first application window rendered at or near full size in the desktop space is an active application window.

18. The computer-storage media of claim 17, wherein the second command comprises a fight click while hovering over one of the plural application windows in the scaled down form in the desktop space, wherein the window management mode is invoked.

19. The computer-storage media of claim 17, wherein the second command comprises a selection of one of the buttons in the taskbar corresponding to one of the plural application windows in the scaled down form in the desktop space, wherein the window management mode is toggled off.

20. The computer-storage media of claim 16, the method further comprising automatically continually updating web page content within the scaled-down plural application windows that is presented on the display screen.