Browsing and interacting with open windows

• US 8,910,072 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2013
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Goossens, Thomas, Robinet, Fabrice
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US14/046,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20140040815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• US Class Current: 715/782
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for managing open windows in a desktop GUI are disclosed. In various implementations, within a three-dimensional desktop, the open windows can be displayed in a three-dimensional browsable parade. As the user browses through the open windows in the browsable parade, the open window passing through a designated primary location of the three-dimensional desktop becomes the current active window of the desktop. An application menu bar of the current active window can be displayed on the three-dimensional desktop. The application menu bar and the active window together provide the full range of interactive capabilities that the native application environment of the open window would allow, even though the open window is currently displayed within the browsable parade.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting a first window and a second window along a path in a first region in a user interface presented on a display of the device, the first window and the second window positioned at a primary location and a secondary location, respectively, the primary location and the secondary location included in the path;

identifying a first application that corresponds to the first window that is displayed at the primary location;

presenting a first application-level menu bar in a second region that is separate from the first region in the user interface, the first application-level menu bar to permit interaction with the first application;

detecting an input to transition the second window from the secondary location to the primary location along the path; and

in response to the detecting;

in the first region, presenting the second window at the primary location instead of the first window; and

in the second region, presenting a second application-level menu bar instead of the first application-level menu bar, the second application-level menu bar to permit interaction with a second application that corresponds to the second window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the input to transition comprises detecting a selection of the second window while the second window occupies the secondary location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first window is included in a first group comprising a third window and the second window is included in a second group comprising the fourth window, wherein windows in the first group and the second group are provided by a first common application and a second common application, respectively.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein windows in a group are configured to advance along the path as a unit.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

detecting a different input to transition the second group from the secondary location to the primary location along the path; and

in response to detecting the different input, presenting the second window and the fourth window in the second group at the primary location, wherein a window of the second group becomes an active window.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein windows in a group are presented in a three-dimensional (3D) space, the method further comprising:

detecting a different input to raise a viewing angle of the 3D space; and

in response to detecting the different input, presenting the first window and the third window at a raised viewing angle in the 3D space.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the second window at the primary location instead of the first window comprises presenting the second window in the primary location to be larger than the first window.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application-level menu bar includes a plurality of selectable commands to provide inputs to the first application that corresponds to the first application window and the second application-level menu bar includes a plurality of selectable commands to provide inputs to the second application that corresponds to the second application that corresponds to the second application window.

15. The medium of claim 7, wherein presenting the second window at the primary location instead of the first window comprises presenting the second window in the primary location to be larger than the first window.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

presenting a first window and a second window along a path in a first region in a user interface presented on a display of the device, the first window and the second window positioned at a primary location and a secondary location, respectively, the primary location and the secondary location included in the path;

identifying a first application that corresponds to the first window that is displayed at the primary location;

presenting a first application-level menu bar in a second region that is separate from the first region in the user interface, the first application-level menu bar to permit interaction with the first application;

detecting an input to transition the second window from the secondary location to the primary location along the path; and

in response to the detecting;

in the first region, presenting the second window at the primary location instead of the first window; and

in the second region, presenting a second application-level menu bar instead of the first application-level menu bar, the second application-level menu bar to permit interaction with a second application that corresponds to the second window.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein detecting the input to transition comprises detecting a selection of the second window while the second window occupies the secondary location.

11. The medium of claim 9, wherein the first window is included in a first group comprising a third window and the second window is included in a second group comprising the fourth window, wherein windows in the first group and the second group are provided by a first common application and a second common application, respectively.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein windows in a group are configured to advance along the path as a unit.

13. The medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

detecting a different input to transition the second group from the secondary location to the primary location along the path; and

in response to detecting the different input, presenting the second window and the fourth window in the second group at the primary location, wherein a window of the second group becomes an active window.

14. The medium of claim 11, wherein windows in a group are presented in a three-dimensional (3D) space, the operations further comprising:

detecting a different input to raise a viewing angle of the 3D space; and

in response to detecting the different input, presenting the first window and the third window at a raised viewing angle in the 3D space.

16. The medium of claim 9, wherein the first application-level menu bar includes a plurality of selectable commands to provide inputs to the first application that corresponds to the first application window and the second application-level menu bar includes a plurality of selectable commands to provide inputs to the second application that corresponds to the second application that corresponds to the second application window.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

presenting a first window and a second window along a path in a first region in a user interface presented on a display of the device, the first window and the second window positioned at a primary location and a secondary location, respectively, the primary location and the secondary location included in the path;

identifying a first application that corresponds to the first window that is displayed at the primary location;

presenting a first application-level menu bar in a second region that is separate from the first region in the user interface, the first application-level menu bar to permit interaction with the first application;

detecting an input to transition the second window from the secondary location to the primary location along the path; and

in response to the detecting;

in the first region, presenting the second window at the primary location instead of the first window; and

in the second region, presenting a second application-level menu bar instead of the first application-level menu bar, the second application-level menu bar to permit interaction with a second application that corresponds to the second window.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein detecting the input to transition comprises detecting a selection of the second window while the second window occupies the secondary location.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first window is included in a first group comprising a third window and the second window is included in a second group comprising the fourth window, wherein windows in the first group and the second group are provided by a first common application and a second common application, respectively.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein windows in a group are configured to advance along the path as a unit.

21. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

detecting a different input to transition the second group from the secondary location to the primary location along the path; and

in response to detecting the different input, presenting the second window and the fourth window in the second group at the primary location, wherein a window of the second group becomes an active window.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein windows in a group are presented in a three-dimensional (3D) space, the operations further comprising:

detecting a different input to raise a viewing angle of the 3D space; and

in response to detecting the different input, presenting the first window and the third window at a raised viewing angle in the 3D space.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the first application-level menu bar includes a plurality of selectable commands to provide inputs to the first application that corresponds to the first application window and the second application-level menu bar includes a plurality of selectable commands to provide inputs to the second application that corresponds to the second application that corresponds to the second application window.