System and method for visually browsing of open windows
First Claim
1. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising in order the steps of:
- responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, wherein a first window has focus, is scaled to be smaller than the remaining plurality of windows, and is the top window of Z-order and the plurality of windows are arranged alphabetically by window title; and
responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, in which a second window is located in a different position by transitioning the second window by animation from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation to its position in the second three dimensional visual representation, wherein all content of the second window is revealed while the Z-order of all the windows remains the same and the first window retains focus and the animation represents an effect of sliding out the second window from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method referred to as visual window browsing allows a user to browse through windows on their desktop. Aspects of the invention include responsive to a command, moving open windows to form a visual stack with the topmost window in the stack being in focus. Responsive to a browse the windows in the visual stack can be browsed, where the topmost window moves to the bottom of the visual stack and the other windows move higher in the stack, with the second highest window becoming the topmost window and being in focus. Successive browse commands causes this behavior to repeat allowing a user to cycle through each of the open windows.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising in order the steps of:
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responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, wherein a first window has focus, is scaled to be smaller than the remaining plurality of windows, and is the top window of Z-order and the plurality of windows are arranged alphabetically by window title; and responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, in which a second window is located in a different position by transitioning the second window by animation from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation to its position in the second three dimensional visual representation, wherein all content of the second window is revealed while the Z-order of all the windows remains the same and the first window retains focus and the animation represents an effect of sliding out the second window from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A computer readable storage medium, not a signal per se, having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing a method of concurrently displaying a plurality of windows for a plurality of applications on a display screen when executed by a computer, the method comprising the steps of:
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responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, wherein a first window has focus, is scaled to be smaller than the remaining plurality of windows, and is the top window of Z-order and the plurality of windows are arranged alphabetically by window title; and responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, in which a second window is located in a different position by transitioning the second window by animation from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation to its position in the second three dimensional visual representation, wherein all content of the second window is revealed while the Z-order of all the windows remains the same and the first window retains focus and the animation represents an effect of sliding out the second window from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer having a processor, memory, and display, the computer executes a display method, the method comprising the steps of:
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responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, wherein a first window has focus, is scaled to be smaller than the remaining plurality of windows, and is the top window of Z-order and the plurality of windows are arranged alphabetically by window title; and responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, in which a second window is located in a different position by transitioning the second window by animation from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation to its position in the second three dimensional visual representation, wherein all content of the second window is revealed while the Z-order of all the windows remains the same and the first window retains focus and the animation represents an effect of sliding out the second window from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification