Integrating user interfaces from one application into another

• US 7,921,375 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Laird-McConnell, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitaro; Ryan F
• Application Number:
  US11/304,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The invention discloses a system and method for integrating user interfaces (UI) within an application. The invention can be configured to display an UI of a second application within a first application in a manner that the user cannot identify that the second application'"'"'s UI is displayed on top of a reference window within the first application. The invention can be configured to identify a reference window that is to be replaced by a replacement window of the second application, monitor the reference window, create the replacement window, and align the replacement window over top of the reference window.

Claims

1. A computer system including one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable components stored thereon for integrating user interfaces within an application, the computer-executable components comprising:

an identification component for identifying one or more reference windows having a size within a primary application via a secondary application;

a monitoring component for monitoring the one or more reference windows within the primary application via the secondary application;

a window creating component for creating at least one replacement window having the size by the secondary application, wherein the at least one replacement window corresponds to the secondary application different from the primary application, the secondary application stored on the computer system; and

an aligning component for aligning the at least one replacement window over the one or more reference windows in a position that hides all areas of the one or more reference windows.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one replacement window changes its position via the secondary application in a same manner as how the one or more reference windows changes positions such that the one or more reference windows remain hidden.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one replacement window displays the search results.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a search component to generate search results via the secondary application using a search query saved in a storage container located in the primary application.

5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein the search query is stored in the storage container of the primary application by the secondary application.

6. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one replacement window is removed when it has been detected that the at least one replacement window is no longer active.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-usable instructions stored thereon for performing a method for integrating an application'"'"'s user interfaces within another application, the method comprising:

ascertaining a plurality of windows within a primary application client area of a user'"'"'s browser via a secondary application;

identifying one or more applications by the secondary application having at least one of the plurality of windows running within the browser, wherein the one or more applications are installed on a computing device;

identifying one or more reference windows having a size from the plurality of windows within the primary application via the secondary application;

monitoring the one or more reference windows within the primary application via the secondary application;

receiving, at the secondary application, a request to activate a previously-saved search query located within a storage container of the primary application;

creating at least one replacement window by the secondary application having the size from the plurality of windows, wherein the at least one replacement window corresponds to the secondary application different from the primary application; and

aligning the at least one replacement window over the one or more reference windows in a position that hides all areas of the one or more reference windows.

8. The computer-readable storage media according to claim 7, wherein identifying the one or more reference windows comprises searching for at least one identifier, the at least one identifier being a class name of the reference window.

9. The computer-readable storage media according to claim 7, further comprising changing the position of the at least one replacement window via the secondary application in a same manner as how the one or more reference windows changes positions, wherein the one or more reference windows remain hidden.

10. The computer-readable storage media according to claim 7, further comprising detecting when the at least one replacement window is no longer active.

11. The computer-readable storage media according to claim 10, further comprising removing the at least one replacement window when it has been detected that the at least one replacement window is no longer active.

12. The computer-readable storage media according to claim 7, wherein the at least one replacement window displays search results from activating the search query.

13. The computer-readable storage media according to claim 7, wherein the storage container was created by the secondary application within the primary application.