Methods and apparatus for window displaying

• US 8,972,886 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Weber, Arnaud Claude, Ainslie, Alex Neely, Shah, Roma Rajni, Strange, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US13/941,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 715/777
• US Class Current: 715/778
• 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 3/04815 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus may include one or more memories and one or more processors. The one or more memories may include instructions. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the instructions to facilitate providing a window of an application for display from a perspective in front of the window, receiving a touch input, and in response to the touch input, providing multiple windows for display on the apparatus from a perspective vertically above the multiple windows. The multiple windows may include the window. A display of one window may be switched to a display of multiple windows based on a single touch input. Methods for displaying windows and machine-readable storage medium are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch interface comprising at least one of a touchscreen or a touchpad;

one or more memories; and

one or more processors configured to execute instructions to facilitate;

providing a window of an application for display on the apparatus from a perspective in front of the window;

receiving a touch input via the touch interface; and

in response to the touch input, providing a plurality of windows for display on the apparatus from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows as a cascade of windows vertically from top to bottom, the plurality of windows comprising the window, each of the plurality of windows touchable and selectable via the touch interface,

wherein;

each of the plurality of windows comprises a first edge and a second edge,

the providing a window comprises providing the window for display on the apparatus without providing for display on the apparatus other windows of the plurality of windows, and

the providing a plurality of windows comprises;

providing for display a partial view of each of the plurality of windows from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows, wherein a portion of each of the plurality of windows is hidden from display, and

for each of the plurality of windows, providing for display an appearance that the first edge forms an acute angle with the second edge, wherein the acute angle formed by the first edge and the second edge of a first window of the plurality of windows is different from the acute angle formed by the first edge and the second edge of a second window of the plurality of windows.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the providing a window comprises displaying the window on the touchscreen from a perspective in front of the window;

the receiving the touch input comprises receiving the touch input as a single action while the window is displayed on the touchscreen from a perspective in front of the window;

the providing a plurality of windows comprises switching, based on the single action, from displaying the window on the touchscreen from a perspective in front of the window, to displaying simultaneously the plurality of windows on the touchscreen from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows; and

the switching comprises replacing a display, comprising the window on the touchscreen, with a display comprising the plurality of windows on the touchscreen.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the application is a web browser, the window is a window of the web browser, and the window comprises a web page content;

the displaying the window on the touchscreen comprises displaying the window in a browsing mode; and

the displaying the plurality of windows on the touchscreen comprises displaying the plurality of windows in a switching mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the browsing mode is configured to facilitate browsing using the web browser;

the switching mode is configured to facilitate switching between the plurality of windows without browsing and to facilitate selecting one of the plurality of windows; and

when the apparatus is in the switching mode, the apparatus is not in the browsing mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the window comprises a content;

the providing a window comprises displaying the content of the window from a perspective in front of the window;

the providing a plurality of windows comprises displaying a partial view of the content of the window from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows; and

the partial view of the content of the window comprises a view of a top portion of the content of the window.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing for display the plurality of windows at varying degrees with respect to a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows; and

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing an appearance as if the plurality of windows are attached to a shared rotating spindle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing for display a visual transition; and

the visual transition comprises an animation of a viewpoint of a display moving from directly in front of the window to above and slightly in front of the plurality of windows.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing for display the plurality of windows aligned along a vertical direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions to facilitate:

selecting, via the touch interface, one of the plurality of windows while the plurality of windows are displayed on the touchscreen; and

in response to the selection, switching from displaying the plurality of windows to displaying the selected one of the plurality of windows to view the selected one on the touchscreen.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the switching comprises displaying the selected one of the plurality of windows from a perspective in front of the selected one;

the apparatus is a mobile device; and

the mobile device comprises the touchscreen and a communications module for interfacing with a network.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored therein, the instructions for performing one or more operations, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions for providing a window of an application for display on a device from a perspective in front of the window;

one or more instructions for facilitating receipt of a touch input; and

one or more instructions for, based on the touch input, providing a plurality of windows for display from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows as a cascade of windows vertically from top to bottom, the plurality of windows comprising the window,

wherein;

each of the plurality of windows comprises a first edge and a second edge,

the providing a window comprises providing the window for display on the device without displaying on the device other windows of the plurality of windows, and

the providing a plurality of windows comprises;

providing for display a partial view of each of the plurality of windows from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows, wherein a portion of each of the plurality of windows is hidden from display, and

for each of the plurality of windows, providing for display an appearance that the first edge forms an acute angle with the second edge, wherein the acute angle formed by the first edge and the second edge of a first window of the plurality of windows is different from the acute angle formed by the first edge and the second edge of a second window of the plurality of windows.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the providing a window comprises displaying the window on the device from a perspective in front of the window;

the facilitating receipt of a touch input comprises facilitating receipt of the touch input while the window is displayed on the device from a perspective in front of the window; and

the providing a plurality of windows comprises switching from displaying the window on the device from a perspective in front of the window, to displaying the plurality of windows on the device from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the application is a web browser, and the window is a window of a web browser;

the instructions comprise one or more instructions for placing the device in a browsing mode when the window of the application is displayed from a perspective in front of the window; and

the instructions comprise one or more instructions for placing the device in a switching mode when the plurality of windows are displayed from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the browsing mode is configured to facilitate browsing using the web browser; and

the switching mode is configured to facilitate selecting one of the plurality of windows to view the selected one.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the window comprises a content;

the providing a window comprises displaying the content of the window from a perspective in front of the window; and

the providing a plurality of windows comprises displaying a partial view of the content of the window from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing for display the plurality of windows at varying degrees with respect to a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing for display a visual transition; and

the visual transition comprises an animation of a viewpoint of a display moving from directly in front of the window to above and slightly in front of the plurality of windows.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions comprise:

one or more instructions for facilitating selection of one of the plurality of windows; and

one or more instructions for, in response to the selection, facilitating switching from displaying the plurality of windows to providing for display the selected one of the plurality of windows to view the selected one.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions comprise:

one or more instructions for determining whether the touch input is a selection for a switching mode.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

each of the plurality of windows comprises a third edge,

the third edge is opposite to the second edge,

the providing a plurality of windows comprises, for each of the plurality of windows, providing for display an appearance that the third edge is not parallel to the second edge.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

each of the plurality of windows is associated with a corresponding tab,

the providing a window further comprises providing for display on the device the corresponding tab of each of the plurality of windows, and

the providing a plurality of windows further comprises providing for display on the device the corresponding tab of each of the plurality of windows.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

each of the plurality of windows comprises respective content,

the providing a window comprises providing for display the content of the window from a perspective in front of the window, and

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing for display a partial view of the respective content of each of the plurality of windows from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows, wherein a portion of the respective content is hidden from display.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

each of the plurality of windows is associated with a title, and

the providing a plurality of windows comprises providing for display an entirety of the respective title of each of the plurality of windows from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows.

24. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the plurality of windows comprises a front window and remaining windows, the providing a partial view comprises:

providing for display an appearance that the partial view of the front window is in front of the partial view of each of the remaining windows, wherein the partial view of the front window is smaller than the partial view of one of the remaining windows.

25. A machine-implemented method for displaying windows, the method comprising:

displaying a window of an application on a device from a perspective in front of the window;

receiving a touch input via a touch interface associated with the device; and

in response to the touch input, displaying a plurality of windows on the device from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows as a cascade of windows vertically from top to bottom, the plurality of windows comprising the window,

wherein;

each of the plurality of windows comprises a first edge and a second edge,

the displaying a window comprises displaying the window on the device without displaying on the device other windows of the plurality of windows, and

the displaying a plurality of windows comprises;

displaying a partial view of each of the plurality of windows from a perspective vertically above the plurality of windows, wherein a portion of each of the plurality of windows is hidden from display, and

for each of the plurality of windows, displaying an appearance that the first edge forms an acute angle with the second edge, wherein the acute angle formed by the first edge and the second edge of a first window of the plurality of windows is different from the acute angle formed by the first edge and the second edge of a second window of the plurality of windows.