Dual screen application behaviour

• US 8,599,106 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Gimpl, Martin, Cassar, Ron, Visosky, John Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US13/247,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20120081270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11- 13, 345/156, 345/169, 345/173, 345/659, 361/679.01, 361/679.56, 715/761, 715/788, 715/790, 715/864
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 : Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 : for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 : for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 : Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 : by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 : controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 : display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 : Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 : Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 : Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 : Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 : Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

A multi-screen user device and methods for logically controlling the display behavior of applications and other displayable data are disclosed. Specifically, when a dual-screen application is displayed to the primary and secondary screens of a device the dual-screen application can be minimized to a single screen by closing the device. When the device is reopened, the minimized dual-screen application is maintained in a minimized state on the screen to which it was minimized. Specific rules can be implemented to determine whether the dual-screen application will be maximized to run on the primary and secondary screens of a device upon reopening.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the size of a dual-screen application displayed on a multi-screen device, comprising:

displaying a dual-screen application on a first screen and a second screen of the multi-screen device;

receiving a first predetermined input that represents an instruction to deactivate displaying to the second screen of the multi-screen device;

responding to the first predetermined input with an output that deactivates the second screen display and causes the dual-screen application to be displayed in a single-screen mode on the first screen of the multi-screen device;

receiving a second predetermined input that represents an instruction to reactivate displaying to the second screen of the multi-screen device;

responding to the second predetermined input with an output that reactivates displaying to the second screen and causes the dual-screen application to continue to be displayed in a single-screen mode on the first screen of the multi-screen device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in a dual-screen mode, the dual-screen application is displayed on the first and second screens and wherein the first predetermined input is caused by a physical change of state to the multi-screen device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in a dual-screen mode, the dual-screen application is displayed on the first and second screens and wherein the second predetermined input is caused by a physical change of state to the multi-screen device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical change of state is effected by at least one of opening the multi-screen device and closing the multi-screen device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-screen device is running a second application stored in a virtual stack.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, after receiving the second predetermined input, the second application is displayed to the second screen of the multi-screen device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to the second predetermined input further includes referring to modal rules of the dual-screen application, and wherein the modal rules define the manner in which the dual-screen application is displayed to the first screen.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the modal rules define that the dual-screen application is maximized to display data to the first and second screens.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the modal rules define that the dual-screen application is displayed to the first screen.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a computing system to execute a method, the instructions comprising:

instructions configured to display a dual-screen application on a first screen and a second screen of the multi-screen device;

instructions configured to receive a first predetermined input that represents an instruction to deactivate displaying to the second screen of the multi-screen device;

instructions configured to respond to the first predetermined input with an output that deactivates the second screen display and causes the dual-screen application to be displayed in a single-screen mode on the first screen of the multi-screen device;

instructions configured to receive a second predetermined input that represents an instruction to reactivate displaying to the second screen of the multi-screen device;

instructions configured to respond to the second predetermined input with an output that reactivates displaying to the second screen and causes the dual-screen application to continue to be displayed in a single-screen mode on the first screen of the multi-screen device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein, in a dual-screen mode, the dual-screen application is displayed on the first and second screens and wherein the first predetermined input is caused by a physical change of state to the multi-screen device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein, in a dual-screen mode, the dual-screen application is displayed on the first and second screens and wherein the second predetermined input is caused by a physical change of state to the multi-screen device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the physical change of state is effected by at least one of opening the multi-screen device and closing the multi-screen device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the multi-screen device is running a second application stored in a virtual stack.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein, after receiving the second predetermined input, the second application is displayed to the second screen of the multi-screen device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein responding to the second predetermined input further includes referring to modal rules of the dual-screen application, and wherein the modal rules define the manner in which the dual-screen application is displayed to the first screen.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the modal rules define that the dual-screen application is maximized to display data to the first and second screens.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the modal rules define that the dual-screen application is displayed to the first screen.

19. A dual-screen user device, comprising:

a first screen including a first display area;

a second screen including a second display area;

a hinge configured to connect the first screen with the second screen;

a first sensor configured to produce a first signal indicative of a position of the hinge;

a processor in communication with the first screen, the second screen, and the first sensor, the processor operable to;

display a dual-screen application on the first screen and the second screen of the dual-screen device;

receive a first predetermined input that represents an instruction to deactivate displaying to the second screen of the dual-screen device;

respond to the first predetermined input with an output that deactivates the second screen and causes the dual-screen application to be displayed in a single-screen mode on the first screen of the dual-screen device;

receive a second predetermined input that represents an instruction to reactivate displaying to the second screen of the dual-screen device;

respond to the second predetermined input with an output that reactivates the second screen and causes the dual-screen application to continue to be displayed in a single-screen mode on the first screen of the dual-screen device, and

determine, based at least partially on the first signal, that the hinge has moved from a first position in which the first and second screens are open to a second position in which the first and second screens are closed.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the first and second predetermined inputs are derived from the first signal wherein, in a dual-screen mode, the dual-screen application is displayed on the first and second screens, and wherein the second position is the first predetermined input, and first position is the second predetermined input.