Optimal display of multiple windows within a computer display

• US 7,844,917 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rigolet, Jean-Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABDUL-ALI, OMAR R
• Application Number:
  US11/669,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 715/798, 715/781, 715/788, 715/799, 715/800
• US Class Current: 715/798
• 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 3/0481 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An apparatus and method for optimally displaying multiple windows on a display is provided. The multiple windows can be sequentially or simultaneously resized and/or repositioned. The method performs at least one of resizing or repositioning operation on at least one of the multiple windows to fit within the available display area. The method provides the user the ability to see a maximum of information from multiple windows and allows access to the scroll bars, title bars, status bars and command window of the multiple windows.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

a. determining parameters of a display;

b. determining parameters of multiple windows;

c. calculating new parameters for a selected window based on the content of the selected window;

d. initiating a process for managing the arrangement of the multiple windows either (1) sequentially one at a time as initiated by a user selection of (i) either an icon in a title bar of each one of the multiple windows or (ii) a user specified preference selected from a list comprising a local window action for selecting the sequential process, or (2) simultaneously as determined by the user specified preference selected from the list comprising a global window action for selecting the simultaneous process;

e. performing at least one of resizing and repositioning operation on the selected window based on the new parameters by altering outline edges of the selected window and moving the selected window to a corresponding immediate corner of the display and an abutment of outline edges of the adjacent windows, wherein the resultant window is positioned near the initial location after at least resizing or repositioning the selected window; and

f. responsive to the sequential process being selected, performing step e. for each one of a plurality of windows per the user selection, wherein each one of the plurality of windows is simultaneously displayed on the display after completion of the sequential process for each one of the plurality of windows.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising moving a hidden and overlapped window to an active window of the display.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising checking whether a scroll bar, a status bar, a toolbar and a title bar of the resultant window is visible in the display after being positioned.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one of resizing and repositioning operation is performed sequentially, and wherein the icon is displayed in a title bar of each one of the multiple windows responsive to a local window activation button being selected in a configuration panel.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resizing operation and the repositioning operation are both performed, and wherein the repositioning operation is performed after the resizing operation.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameters of the display include form factor, display resolution and available size on the display.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameters of the selected window include outline of the window, window size, window content and form factor.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program stored thereon, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

a. determine parameters of a display;

b. determine parameters of multiple windows;

c. calculate new parameters for a selected window based on the content of the selected window;

d. initiating a process for managing the arrangement of the multiple windows either (1) sequentially one at a time as initiated by a user selection of (i) either an icon in a title bar of each one of the multiple windows or (ii) a user specified preference selected from a list comprising a local window action for selecting the sequential process, or (2) simultaneously as determined by the user specified preference selected from the list comprising a global window action for selecting the simultaneous process;

e. perform at least one of resizing and repositioning operation on the selected window based on the new parameters by altering outline edges of the selected window and moving the selected window to a corresponding immediate corner of the display and an abutment of outline edges of the adjacent windows, wherein the resultant window is positioned near the initial location after resizing and repositioning of the selected window; and

f. responsive to the sequential process being selected, performing step e. for each one of a plurality of windows per the user selection, wherein each one of the plurality of windows is simultaneously displayed on the display after completion of the sequential process for each one of the plurality of windows.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a. a memory;

b. a resizing module, residing in the memory, for performing at least one of resizing and repositioning operation on one or more windows in a display utilizing available display size, wherein the resizing module determines parameters of the display and the one or more windows;

wherein the resizing module calculates new parameters for a selected window based on the content of the selected window;

wherein the resizing module modifies the size and position of at least one window by altering outline edges of the selected window and moving the selected window to a corresponding immediate corner of the display and an abutment of outline edges of the adjacent windows;

c. a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface comprises an icon for resizing a window in a title bar of each window, wherein the resizing is performed in accordance with the at least one processor coupled to the memory executing the process steps associated with the resizing module; and

d. a configuration module residing in the memory, wherein the configuration module manages simultaneous arrangement of multiple windows to be resized and repositioned in response to a global window action button being triggered in a configuration panel, and manages sequential arrangement of the one or more windows to be resized and repositioned one at a time in response to a local window action button being triggered in the configuration panel;

wherein the one or more windows are a plurality of windows, wherein the resizing module resizes and repositions each of the plurality of windows sequentially one at a time in response to a first button being configured in a desk command menu, with each one of the plurality of windows being simultaneously displayed on a graphical user interface after being resized and repositioned, and wherein the resizing module resizes and repositions the one or more windows simultaneously in response to a second button being configured in a desk command menu.