Tab management in a user interface window

• US 8,631,340 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schreiner, Tony E, Epling, Jeremiah S, Drislane, Helen E, Ens, Michael J
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/146,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 345 30-111
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

Techniques to facilitate finding a tab or tabs in a user interface window are described. Various embodiments present tabs, individual tabs being associated with an opened document such as a web page or an activity, in a user interface window and automatically group at least some of the tabs together in a visually distinctive way. In at least some embodiments, this grouping is performed in response to a user interacting with the tabs in a particular way. For instance, a user may cause a tab to be created or moved within the user interface window such that the tab is grouped with a tab group or ungrouped from a tab group. Furthermore, one or more embodiments provide for certain tab-related actions, such as selecting an active tab and changing a display of a title of a tab, which can be performed in a manner based at least in part on this grouping.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising

presenting, in a browser user interface window, a plurality of tabs individual ones of which being associated with web pages or activities that have been opened;

automatically grouping multiple tabs of the plurality of tabs together in a tab group and in a visually-distinctive way, said automatically grouping being performed responsive to a user interaction with one or more of the multiple tabs;

receiving an indication that a current active tab of the multiple tabs is being closed, the current active tab being a rightmost tab in the tab group and not a rightmost tab in the plurality of tabs; and

responsive to receiving the indication, automatically selecting a new active tab from the tab group and based on the new active tab being part of the tab group, said automatically selecting comprising selecting as the new active tab a tab that is positioned to the left of the current active tab of the multiple tabs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically grouping is performed by grouping tabs using a visually distinctive color.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically grouping is performed by grouping tabs using a visually distinctive pattern.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically grouping is performed by grouping tabs using a visually distinctive color and pattern.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically grouping is performed by grouping one or more of the multiple tabs adjacent to at least one other of the multiple tabs in the tab group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interaction comprises creating a new tab by opening a web page or activity from within a tabbed web page or respective activity associated with a parent tab.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising one or both of:

ungrouping a tab responsive to a user moving a tab to be ungrouped outside of a tab group; and

changing a display of a title of a tab based at least in part on a grouping.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting a number of tab groups, including the tab group, that are permitted to be created in the user interface window based on a predetermined threshold.

9. One or more computer-readable storage devices embodying computer-readable instructions which, when executed, implement a method comprising:

presenting multiple tabs in a user interface window, at least some of the multiple tabs having an associated document or activity;

associating a subset of tabs of the multiple tabs together in a tab group, the multiple tabs including one or more other tabs that are not included in the tab group;

visually distinguishing individual tabs of the tab group, wherein visually distinguishing comprises;

depicting the individual tabs of the tab group in a location indicative of the tab group;

depicting the individual tabs of the tab group with one or more visual indicia indicative of the tab group, the individual tabs of the tab group sharing one or more common visual indicia; and

removing redundant prefix text from titles of all but one of the individual tabs of the tab group; and

receiving an indication that a current active tab of the multiple tabs is being closed, the current active tab being a rightmost tab in the tab group and not a rightmost tab of the multiple tabs; and

responsive to receiving the indication, automatically selecting a new active tab from the tab group, the new active tab being part of the tab group and positioned to the left of the current active tab.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 9, wherein associating is performed responsive to a new document or activity being opened from a document or respective activity associated with one of the multiple tabs.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 9, wherein associating is performed responsive to one of the multiple tabs being moved to within the tab group.

12. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 9, wherein the one or more visual indicia comprise one or both of a color or pattern.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 9, further comprising truncating a portion of a tab'"'"'s displayed title based on one or more criteria.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 13, wherein the one or more criteria comprise at least one of:

whether a tab is an active tab in the user interface window;

whether a tab belongs to tab group;

or

whether a tab'"'"'s title contains a pattern that indicates a portion of the title is displayed on another tab in the tab group.

15. One or more computer-readable storage devices embodying computer-readable instructions which, when executed, provide:

a web browser comprising a user interface window configured to present a plurality of tabs, each tab being associated with a corresponding opened web page; and

a tab management module associated with the web browser and configured to automatically group two or more of the plurality of tabs together in a tab group and in a visually-distinctive way responsive to one or more of the following;

opening a tab in the user interface window by opening a web page from within an opened web page;

or

moving one or more of the plurality of tabs within the user interface window,

the tab management module being further configured to;

receive an indication that a current active tab is being closed, the current active tab being a rightmost tab in the tab group and not a rightmost tab in the plurality of tabs presented in the user interface window; and

responsive to the indication that the current active tab is being closed, select as a new active tab an adjacent tab that is positioned to the left of the current active tab and based on the new active tab being part of the tab group.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the tab management module automatically groups tabs by depicting two or more tabs with a common color.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the tab management module automatically groups tabs by depicting two or more tabs with a common pattern.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the tab management module comprises part of the web browser.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the tab management module is further configured to, responsive to one or more of the plurality of tabs being moved within the user interface window:

maintain the one or more of the plurality of tabs as part of the tab group when the one or more of the plurality of tabs is moved to a position that is adjacent to at least one other tab in the tab group;

or

join the one or more of the plurality of tabs to a different tab group when the one or more of the plurality of tabs is moved to a position that is between two tabs in a different tab group.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the tab management module is further configured to change a display of a title of a tab based on one or more of:

whether a tab is an active tab in the user interface window;

or

whether a tab is grouped with one or more other tabs.