Intelligent window sizing for graphical user interfaces

• US 8,479,117 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Starr, Ephraim D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/793,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 715/800, 715/798
• US Class Current: 715/800
• 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

Abstract

A device displays a drop down detection area. When the computing device detects the presence of a cursor hovering over the drop down detection area, the computing device displays a tiling navigator on the display, which includes multiple window resizing options for a user to select in order to resize a window to particular display locations on the display.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a user interface on a display device displaying at least one window, the user interface including a drop down detection area;

detecting a presence of a cursor over the drop down detection area;

displaying a tiling navigator on the display device in response to detecting the presence of the cursor over the drop down detection area, the tiling navigator including a plurality of window resizing options to resize the window to one of a plurality of display locations on the display device;

wherein the resizing results in a resized window, the method further comprising;

displaying a subsequent window;

receiving a subsequent user selection to resize the subsequent window;

identifying the resized window'"'"'s display location;

determining an automatic resizing display location from the plurality of display locations, the automatic resizing display location being substantially devoid of the resized window'"'"'s display location; and

automatically resizing the subsequent window to the automatic resizing display location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting occurs while at least a portion of the user interface is displayed as a window on the display device, wherein the window is selected from a group consisting of an active window and an inactive window.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of window resizing options includes a predefined window arrangement, the predefined window arrangement including a plurality of predefined resizing options that each correspond to one of the plurality of display locations.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

identifying one of the plurality of display locations at which a previously-resized window is located; and

disabling the predefined resizing option corresponding to the identified display location, the disabling preventing a user from selecting the disabled predefined resizing option.

5. The method of claim 1;

comprising;

receiving a user selection that selects one of the plurality of window resizing options; and

resizing the window to one of the plurality of display locations corresponding to the selected window resizing option.

6. A machine-implemented method comprising:

displaying a user interface on a display device displaying at least one window, the user interface including a drop down detection area;

detecting a presence of a cursor over the drop down detection area;

displaying a tiling navigator on the display device in response to detecting the presence of the cursor over the drop down detection area, the tiling navigator including a plurality of window resizing options to resize the window to one of a plurality of display locations on the display device wherein the tiling navigator includes a priority resize setting and the user selection selects the priority resize setting, the method further comprising;

displaying a priority navigator that includes a plurality of priority resizing options;

receiving a priority user selection that selects one of the plurality of priority resizing options;

storing the selected priority resizing option; and

resizing the window to one of the plurality of display locations based upon the selected priority resizing option.

7. A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium that is not a carrier wave, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

displaying a user interface on a display device displaying at least one window, the user interface including a drop down detection area;

detecting that a cursor hovers over the drop down detection area;

displaying a tiling navigator on the display device in response to detecting that the cursor hovers over the drop down detection area, the tiling navigator including a plurality of window resizing options to resize the window to one of a plurality of display locations on the display device;

wherein the tiling navigator includes a priority resize setting and the user selection selects the priority resize setting, and wherein the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include;

displaying a priority navigator that includes a plurality of priority resizing options;

receiving a priority user selection that selects one of the plurality of priority resizing options;

storing the selected priority resizing option; and

resizing the window to one of the plurality of display locations based upon the selected priority resizing option.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions further include:

receiving a user selection that selects one of the plurality of window resizing options; and

resizing the window to one of the plurality of display locations corresponding to the selected window resizing option.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the detecting occurs while at least a portion of the user interface is displayed as a window on the display device, wherein the window is selected from a group consisting of an active window and an inactive window.

10. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein at least one of the plurality of window resizing options includes a predefined window arrangement, the predefined window arrangement including a plurality of predefined resizing options that each correspond to one of the plurality of display locations.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include:

identifying one of the plurality of display locations at which a previously-resized window is located; and

disabling the predefined resizing option corresponding to the identified display location, the disabling preventing a user from selecting the disabled predefined resizing option.

12. A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium that is not a carrier wave, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

displaying a user interface on a display device displaying at least one window, the user interface including a drop down detection area;

detecting that a cursor hovers over the drop down detection area;

displaying a tiling navigator on the display device in response to detecting that the cursor hovers over the drop down detection area, the tiling navigator including a plurality of window resizing options to resize the window to one of a plurality of display locations on the display device wherein the resizing results in a resized window, and wherein the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include;

displaying a subsequent window;

receiving a subsequent user selection to resize the subsequent window;

identifying the resized window'"'"'s display location;

determining an automatic resizing display location from the plurality of display locations, the automatic resizing display location being substantially devoid of the resized window'"'"'s display location; and

automatically resizing the subsequent window to the automatic resizing display location.

13. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by at least one of the processors;

a display device accessible by at least one of the processors;

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

displaying a user interface on the display device, the user interface including a drop down detection area;

displaying a window on the display device

detecting a presence of a cursor over the drop down detection area;

displaying a tiling navigator on the display device in response to the presence of the cursor over the drop down detection area, the tiling navigator including a plurality of window resizing options to resize the window to one of a plurality of display locations on the display device;

wherein the resizing results in a resized window, and wherein the set of instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, further performs actions of;

displaying a subsequent window;

receiving a subsequent user selection to resize the subsequent window;

identifying the resized window'"'"'s display location;

determining an automatic resizing display location from the plurality of display locations, the automatic resizing display location being substantially devoid of the resized window'"'"'s display location; and

automatically resizing the subsequent window to the automatic resizing display location.

14. The information handling system of claim 13 wherein the detecting occurs while at least a portion of the user interface is displayed as a window on the display device, wherein the window is selected from a group consisting of an active window and an inactive window.

15. The information handling system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the plurality of window resizing options includes a predefined window arrangement, the predefined window arrangement including a plurality of predefined resizing options that each correspond to one of the plurality of display locations, and wherein the set of instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, further performs actions of:

identifying one of the plurality of display locations at which a previously resized window is located; and

disabling the predefined resizing option corresponding to the identified display location, the disabling preventing a user from selecting the disabled predefined resizing option.

16. The information handling system of claim 13 wherein the tiling navigator includes a priority resize setting and the user selection selects the priority resize setting, and wherein the set of instructions, when executed by at least one of the processors, further performs actions of:

displaying a priority navigator that includes a plurality of priority resizing options;

receiving a priority user selection that selects one of the plurality of priority resizing options;

storing the selected priority resizing option; and

resizing the window to one of the display locations based upon the selected priority resizing option.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions include:

receiving a user selection that selects one of the plurality of window resizing options; and

resizing the window to one of the plurality of display locations corresponding to the selected window resizing option.