Docking and undocking user interface objects

• US 8,578,290 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2005
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Amadio, Louis, Erickson, Paul, Fisher, Oliver, Amos, Keira
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEFFINGTON, JOHN M
• Application Number:
  US11/206,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20070044035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,001 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781, 715/779, 715/767, 715/772, 715/777, 715/778, 715/783, 715/790, 715/792, 715/798, 715/799, 715/801, 715/805, 715/842
• US Class Current: 715/778
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for displaying information or a part within a second application, such as a sidebar application. The part can be docked in the sidebar application or undocked from the sidebar application and can send corresponding docking messages in a docking protocol to the sidebar application based on the docking status of the part or the location of the part in relation to the sidebar application. Graphically depicted animations indicate to a user the docking and/or undocking processes.

Claims

1. A method of providing information in an application window via a graphical user interface of an operating system of a computing device, said graphical user interface providing a desktop window corresponding to the operating system, a first application window displayed in the desktop window, said first application window corresponding to a first application, a second application window displayed in the desktop window, said second application window corresponding to a second application, and a third application window displayed in the desktop window, said third application window corresponding to a third application docked within the second application window, said method comprising:

launching a first application for execution on the computing device, said first application displaying information in the first application window, wherein launching the first application includes sending, by the first application, a docking status message to the second application, said docking status message indicating a last docking status of the first application window, such that the last docking status indicates if the first application window was previously docked within the second application window during a previous execution of the first application on the computing device;

in response to the receipt of the docking status message indicating the last docking status, docking the first application window within the second application window when the last docking status comprises a previously docked message indicating that the first application window was previously docked within the second application window during the previous execution of the first application and not docking the first application window within the second application window when the last docking status comprises a not previously docked message indicating that the first application window was not previously docked within the second application window during the previous execution of the first application;

receiving, by the second application, a movement message from the first application indicating movement of the first application window in relation to the second application window, wherein the movement message includes an identifier associated with the first application and coordinates, said coordinates describing the first application window and the location of first application window; and

in response to the receipt of the movement message indicating movement from the first application, docking the first application window within the second application window when the coordinates included in the received movement message indicate that the first application window overlaps at least a portion of the second application window, wherein docking the first application window within the second application window includes displaying an animation indicating that the first application window is overlapping the second application window, and wherein said displaying an animation includes displaying an animated deformation of a border of the second application window and displaying an animated deformation of the third application window docked within the second application window, said displaying of animated deformations in response to the position of the first application window in the second application window.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second application is a sidebar and the first application is a part executable in the sidebar.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the previously docked message consists of WM_SIDEBAR_STARTDOCKET and wherein the not previously docked message consists of WM_SIDEBAR_STARTUNDOCKET.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein when the first application window overlaps at least a portion of the second application window and the movement message comprises WM_SIDEBAR_DROP.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first application was previously docked on the second application and the docking status message comprises WM_SIDEBAR_DRAGOVER.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first application was not previously docked on the second application and the first application window does not overlap the second application window.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the docking status message comprises WM_SIDEBAR_DRAGOUT.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a message from the first application to the second application and the first application window overlaps the second application window, the message comprising WM_SIDEBAR_DRAGOVER.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying step includes passing control of the first application to the second application.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein passing control includes creating a new window for the first application, the new window including content from the first application window and wherein passing control further includes deleting said first application window.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising after the displaying step, moving the first application window away from the second application window.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein moving the first application window away from the second application window includes copying content of the first application window into a new window of the first application and deleting the first application window.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein moving the first application window includes moving the first application window out of the second application window in a move direction and wherein said displaying an animation includes displaying a lateral displacement of a border of the second application window in the move direction when the first application window abuts the border of the second application window and displaying a lateral displacement of the border of the second application window in a direction opposite to the move direction when the first application window substantially passes the border of the second application window during the step of moving.

14. A method of providing information in an application window via a graphical user interface of an operating system of a computing device, said graphical user interface providing a desktop window corresponding to the operating system, a first application window displayed in the desktop window, the first application window corresponding to a first application, and a second application window displayed in the desktop window, said second application window corresponding to a second application, said method comprising:

displaying the first application window within the second application window, said second application window displayed in the desktop window, said second application owning the first application window, wherein the second application controls the display of the first application window when the first application window is displayed within the second application window;

determining, by the first application, that the first application window does not overlap the display of the second application window by determining movement of the first application window in relation to the second application window and comparing the window coordinates of the first application window to the window coordinates of the second application window,

in response to determining the first application window does not overlap the display of the second application window, sending, by the first application, a control request message to the second application indicating to the second application that the position of the first application window has been removed from within the location of the second application window;

receiving, by the second application, the control request message from the first application;

in response to the received control request message, relinquishing, by the second application, the control of the first application window, said relinquishing comprising;

creating a new first application window for the first application within the desktop window, wherein the first application owns the new first application window;

determining the new first application window is not overlapping the second application window;

copying, by the second application, the contents of the first application window within the second application window into the new first application window of the first application; and

deleting, by the second application, the first application window within the second application window.

15. A method of providing information in an application window via a graphical user interface of an operating system, said graphical user interface providing a desktop window corresponding to the operating system, a first application window displayed in the desktop window, said first application window corresponding to a first application, and a second application window displayed in the desktop window, said second application window corresponding to a second application, said method comprising:

launching a first application for execution, said first application displaying information in the first application window;

in response to the launching of the first application, sending, by the first application, a docking status message to the second application, said second application having a corresponding second application window displayed in a desktop window, the docking status message indicating a last docking status of the first application window in relation to the second application window, such that the last docking status indicates if the first application window was previously docked within the second application window during a previous execution of the first application, wherein the first application window is docked within the second application window when the last docking status comprises a previously docked message indicating that the first application window was previously docked within the second application window during a previous execution of the first application, said docking comprising;

identifying an overlap of at least a portion of the first application window with the second application window;

passing control of the first application window to the second application;

creating, by the second application, a new application window for the first application in the second application window;

copying, by the second application, the contents of the first application window into the new application window of the second application; and

deleting, by the second application, the first application window;

sending, by the first application, a movement message to the second application while the first application window is being moved in relation to the second application window, the movement message indicating a first moving status if the first application window was not previously docked to the second application and the first application window does not overlap the second application window, otherwise the movement message indicating a second moving status;

sending, by the first application, a release message to the second application after the first application window has been moved if the first application window overlaps at least a portion of the second application window, the release message identifying the first application and indicating that the first application window has been released onto the second application window, wherein the first application window is docked to the second application window responsive to said release message, said docking comprising;

identifying an overlap of at least a portion of the first application window with the second application window;

passing control of the first application window to the second application;

creating, by the second application, a new application window for the first application in the second application window;

copying, by the second application, the contents of the first application window into the new application window of the first application; and

deleting, by the second application, the first application window.