Repositioning applications in a stack

• US 8,930,846 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Sirpal, Sanjiv, Gimpl, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US13/247,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 715/790
• 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 dual-screen user device and methods for revealing a combination of desktops on single and multiple screens are disclosed. A number of desktops and/or running applications can be selectively displayed on dual screen displays conditioned upon inputs received and the state of the device Desktop displays and applications can be selectively shifted between the screens by user gestures or moved off of the screens by other user gestures and therefore hidden. The hidden desktops and screens however can be re-displayed by yet another gesture. The user gestures prevent the user from having to open and close the running desktops and applications, or to execute other user commands that otherwise result in a laborious effort by the user to manage the multiple desktops and applications. One user gesture or input enables a user to change an order of the window stack by simply re-launching a selected desktop or application.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a plurality of desktops and/or applications, each having at least one window, on a multi-screen device, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a first input that represents an instruction to reveal one of a desktop or application on a first display of the multi-screen device;

selecting, by a processor, a first desktop or application to display on the first display;

receiving a second input that represents an instruction to reveal one of a desktop or application on a second display of the multi-screen device;

selecting, by a processor, a second desktop or application to display on the second display;

displaying, by a processor, the selected first and second desktops or applications on the first and second displays;

receiving, by a processor, a third input that represents an instruction to launch one of a desktop or application;

selecting, by a processor, a third desktop or application to add to a window stack comprising the first, second, and third desktops or applications;

initially, by a processor, positioning the third desktop or application in the window stack in a non-displayed position;

selectively, by a processor, moving the third desktop or application to another position by re-launching the third desktop or application from the first or second displays, resulting in the third desktop or application being re-displayed on the display from which it was re-launched, thereby changing an order of the desktops and applications running in the window stack.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third inputs comprise at least one of the following:

i) a user input gesture;

ii) a combination of user input gestures;

iii) a memory output;

iv) a response to a programmed condition; and

v) hardware timers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third inputs is achieved by at least a user input gesture.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the third input is a user gesture comprising at least one of a tap or long hold gesture.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the window stack comprises a number of other desktops or applications that have been launched by respective inputs from the user, and wherein the selectively moving step changes the order of the desktops and applications running in the window stack including the number of other desktops or applications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user further manipulates the order of the window stack by at least another user input gesture in which at least one of the desktops or applications is selected and re-launched, resulting in that that selected desktop or application being re-displayed on the display from which it was re-launched.

7. 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 receive a first predetermined input that represents an instruction to determine and reveal a first desktop or application on a first display of the multi-screen device;

instructions configured to receive a second predetermined input that represents an instruction to determine and reveal a second desktop or application on a second display of the multi-screen device;

instructions configured to respond to the first and second predetermined inputs with outputs that cause the first desktop or application to be displayed on the first display and cause the second desktop or application to be displayed on the second display;

instructions configured to receive a third predetermined input that represents an instruction to determine and launch a third desktop or application;

instructions configured to respond to the third predetermined input that causes the third desktop or application to be placed in a non-visible position within a window stack comprising the first, second, and third desktops or applications;

instructions configured to receive a fourth predetermined input that represents an instruction to re-launch the third desktop or application; and

instructions configured to respond to the fourth predetermined input that causes the third desktop or application to be placed in a visible position on the display from which the fourth predetermined input was executed.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first display corresponds to a primary screen and wherein the second display corresponds to a secondary screen.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the window stack comprises a number of other desktops or applications that have been launched by respective instructions, and wherein the instructions configured to respond to the fourth predetermined input also causes a change in the order of the desktops and applications running in the window stack including the number of other desktops or applications.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the order of the window stack is further manipulated by additional instructions configured to receive yet additional inputs that represent instructions to re-launch additional desktops or applications, and instructions configured to respond to the additional inputs causing the additional desktops and applications to be placed in selected visible positions on the displays from which the additional instructions were executed.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

at least one of the predetermined inputs comprise at least a user input gesture.

12. A multi-screen user device, comprising:

a first display including a first display area;

a second display including a second display area;

a first user input gesture area of the first display;

a second user input gesture area of the second display, wherein the first and second user input gesture areas are configured to accept input from a user;

a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that include;

a first set of instructions configured to determine a number and identity of desktops or applications selected to be run by a user;

a second set of instructions configured to determine, based on the number and identity of the desktops or applications running, a window stack comprising a logical representation of the desktops and applications within an ordered group whereby a user can selectively move a selected desktop or application to either a visible position on another display or a non-visible position; and

a third set of instructions responsive to a gesture made by the user to move a selected desktop or application from an original position in the window stack to another position in the window stack, wherein the third set of instructions include an instruction to re-launch the selected desktop or application causing the selected desktop or application to be displayed on the display from which the selected desktop or application was launched.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first display corresponds to a primary screen and wherein the second display corresponds to a secondary screen.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the first user input gesture area is located on an off-screen area of the first display and outside of the first display area.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the second user input gesture area is located on an off-screen area of the second display and outside of the second display area.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the first and second displays show different displayed images by user input gestures that manipulate an order of the desktops and applications in the window stack.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the window stack comprises a number of other desktops or applications that have been launched by additional respective instructions, including at least one instruction to re-launch another selected desktop or application causing the additional selected desktop or application to be displayed on the display from which the additional selected desktop or application was launched.