Dynamic user interface for navigating among GUI elements

• US 8,732,613 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Yang, Guan, Zhiwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fibbi, Christopher J
• Application Number:
  US13/605,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20140068475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765, 715/788, 715/798, 715/830, 715/833, 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

In one example, a computing device executes a plurality of application processes, each of which has an associated graphical user interface element. The computing device renders a common graphical user interface on a presence-sensitive screen. The common graphical user interface includes a currently rendered graphical user interface element associated with a currently selected application process from among the plurality of application processes; a tab row comprising a plurality of tabs, wherein each of the graphical user interface elements corresponds to one of the plurality of tabs; and a slide bar positioned proximate to the tab row. The computing device renders a first tab in the tab row with a larger size than other graphical tabs in the plurality of tabs responsive to receipt by the presence-sensitive screen of a gesture input associated with a region of the slide bar that is closest to the first tab.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing, by a mobile computing device, a plurality of application processes, wherein each of the plurality of application processes has an associated graphical user interface element;

outputting, by the mobile computing device and for display, a common graphical user interface, wherein the common graphical user interface comprises;

a currently rendered graphical user interface element that is associated with a currently selected application process from among the plurality of application processes;

a tab row comprising a plurality of graphical tabs, wherein each of the plurality of graphical tabs corresponds to one graphical user interface element that is associated with a respective one of the plurality of application processes; and

a slide bar positioned proximate to the tab row, wherein the slide bar comprises a plurality of tab edge lines, wherein each of the plurality of tab edge lines indicates an edge of at least one of the plurality of graphical tabs;

responsive to receipt of an indication of a gesture input associated with a region of the slide bar that is closer to a first graphical tab in the tab row than to other graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs;

outputting, by the mobile computing device and for display, the first graphical tab with a larger size than the other graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs; and

outputting, by the mobile computing device and for display, a change to a spacing between two tab edge lines of the plurality of tab edge lines that indicate respective edges of the first graphical tab, such that the positions of the respective edges indicated by the plurality of tab edge lines stay between adjacent tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application processes comprise web browser application processes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application processes comprise application processes associated with two or more mobile applications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, responsive to lack of receipt of the indication of the gesture input associated with the region of the slide bar, outputting a graphical tab for the currently rendered graphical user interface element with a larger size than graphical tabs other than the graphical tab in the plurality of graphical tabs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the larger size comprises a greater width.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting, in an intermediate size smaller than the larger size, each of a group of graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs, wherein each of the group of graphical tabs are adjacent to the first graphical tab in the tab row, and wherein the intermediate size is larger than a size of graphical tabs that are not adjacent to the first graphical tab.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising outputting the first graphical tab and the group of graphical tabs in a variable range of sizes, based at least in part on a relative position of the region of the slide bar.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising outputting the first graphical tab in a size that decreases continuously responsive to receipt of an indication of the gesture input moving toward a region associated with an edge of the first graphical tab rendered with the larger size.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising outputting a graphical tab of the group of graphical tabs in a size that increases continuously responsive to receipt of an indication of the gesture input moving closer to a region associated with the graphical tab of the group of graphical tabs.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein responsive to receipt of an indication the gesture input associated with a region that is closer to a second graphical tab in the tab row than to the first graphical tab, outputting the second graphical tab with a size that is larger than the first graphical tab.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising alternating between:

outputting the plurality of graphical tabs in the tab row while maintaining the plurality of graphical tabs within a width of a presence-sensitive screen; and

outputting the tab row to extend off the presence-sensitive screen, based at least in part on a number of graphical tabs of the tab row that fit within the width of the presence-sensitive screen.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a user selection of a first graphical tab; and

outputting a graphical user interface element that corresponds to the first graphical tab.

13. A mobile computing device, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one data storage device; and

machine-readable code stored on the at least one data storage device, the machine-readable code comprising executable instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to;

execute a plurality of application processes, wherein each of the plurality of application processes has an associated graphical user interface element;

output a common graphical user interface for display, wherein the common graphical user interface comprises;

a currently rendered graphical user interface element that is associated with a currently selected application process from among the plurality of application processes;

a tab row comprising a plurality of graphical tabs, wherein each of the plurality of graphical tabs corresponds to one graphical user interface element that is associated with a respective one of the plurality of application processes; and

a slide bar positioned proximate to the tab row, wherein the slide bar comprises a plurality of tab edge lines, wherein each of the plurality of tab edge lines indicates an edge of at least one of the plurality of graphical tabs;

responsive to receipt of an indication of a gesture input associated with a region of the slide bar that is closer to a first graphical tab in the tab row than to other graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs in the tab row;

output for display the first graphical tab in the tab row with a larger size than the other graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs responsive to receipt, and

output for display a change to a spacing between two tab edge lines of the plurality of tab edge lines that indicate respective edges of the first graphical tab, such that the positions of the respective edges indicated by the plurality of tab edge lines stay between adjacent tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the executable instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to output, in an intermediate size smaller than the larger size, each of a group of graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs, wherein each of the group of graphical tabs are adjacent to the first graphical tab in the tab row, and wherein the intermediate size is larger than a size of graphical tabs that are not adjacent to the first graphical tab.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions for causing at least one processor to:

execute a plurality of application processes, wherein each of the plurality of application processes has an associated graphical user interface element;

output a common graphical user interface for display by a mobile computing device, wherein the common graphical user interface comprises;

a currently rendered graphical user interface element that is associated with a currently selected application process from among the plurality of application processes;

a tab row comprising a plurality of graphical tabs, wherein each of the plurality of graphical tabs corresponds to one graphical user interface element that is associated with a respective one of the plurality of application processes; and

a slide bar positioned proximate to the tab row, wherein the slide bar comprises a plurality of tab edge lines, wherein each of the plurality of tab edge lines indicates an edge of at least one of the plurality of graphical tabs;

responsive to receipt of an indication of a gesture input associated with a region of the slide bar that is closer to a first graphical tab in the tab row than to other graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs in the tab row;

output for display the first graphical tab in the tab row with a larger size than the other graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs responsive to receipt; and

output for display a change to a spacing between two tab edge lines of the plurality of tab edge lines that indicate respective edges of the first graphical tab, such that the positions of the respective edges indicated by the plurality of tab edge lines stay between adjacent tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the executable instructions further cause the at least one processor to output, in an intermediate size smaller than the larger size, each of a group of graphical tabs in the plurality of graphical tabs, wherein each of the group of graphical tabs are adjacent to the first graphical tab in the tab row, and wherein the intermediate size is larger than a size of graphical tabs that are not adjacent to the first graphical tab.