Multi-application environment

• US 9,052,820 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Sundelin, Nils A., Anderson, Bret P., Wong, Tsz Yan, Sareen, Chaitanya Dev, Miner, Patrice L., Harris, Jensen, Matthews, David A., Nan, Jennifer, Worley, Matthew I.
• Primary Examiner(s): WENG, PEI YONG
• Application Number:
  US13/657,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses enabling a multi-application environment. In some embodiments, these techniques and apparatuses enable multi-application environments having combinations of immersive interfaces, windows-based interfaces, and a desktop treated as an immersive interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting multiple interfaces associated with multiple applications within, and fully occupying, a multi-application environment, the multiple applications being different applications, the multi-application environment fully occupying a display and capable of presenting content associated with two or more of the multiple applications through two or more of the multiple interfaces, respectively, at least one of the two or more of the multiple interfaces being an immersive interface, at least another of the two or more multiple interfaces being a windows-based interface, the immersive interface and the multi-application environment not including a window frame that has visual controls;

presenting first content and second content associated with a first application and a second application of the two or more of the multiple applications, respectively, through a first interface and a second interface of the two or more of the multiple interfaces, respectively;

receiving selection through a gesture made over the multi-application environment and without selecting a visible control, the selection to add a third interface associated with a previously-interacted-with application to the multi-application environment; and

responsive to receiving the selection and while displaying an interface divider to visibly indicate respective regions of the multi-application environment occupied by the at least two of the multiple interfaces, adding the third interface associated with the previously-interacted-with application to the multi-application environment, the third interface presenting previously-interacted-with content of the previously-interacted-with application.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein presenting the first content and the second content presents the first content and the second content concurrently.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 2, wherein presenting the first content and the second content concurrently presents the first content as a first moving, visual media in real time and presents the second content as a second moving, visual media in real time.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the immersive interface represents a desktop, the desktop including the windows-based interface or a taskbar within the immersive interface.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 4, further comprising enabling interaction with an application associated with the windows-based interface and through the multi-application environment.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 4, wherein the desktop includes the task bar, and further comprising enabling interaction, through the multi-application environment, with the task bar.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first content and the second content are received by the multi-application environment from the first application and the second application, respectively.

8. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the selection to add the third interface, removing one of the multiple interfaces, altering a position of one of the multiple interfaces, or reducing a current size of one of the multiple interfaces.

9. One or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that, responsive to execution by one or more hardware-based processors, cause the one or more hardware-based processors to perform operations comprising:

presenting multiple interfaces associated with multiple applications within a multi-application environment, at least one of the multiple interfaces being an immersive interface in which content is presented, the immersive interface representing a desktop having at least one windows-based interface or task bar, the multi-application environment fully occupying a display and not having a window frame that includes visual controls;

presenting first content and second content associated with a first application and a second application of the multiple applications, respectively, through a first interface and a second interface of the multiple interfaces, respectively;

receiving a gesture indicating a selection to add another interface associated with a previously-interacted-with application to the multiple-application environment, the gesture received over the multi-application environment and without selection of a visible control, the gesture having a start point at an edge of the multi-application environment and a later point not at the edge of the multi-application environment; and

responsive to receiving the gesture and while displaying an interface divider to visibly indicate respective regions of the multi-application environment occupied by at least two of the multiple interfaces, adding the other interface associated with the previously-interacted-with application to the multi-application environment, the other interface presenting previously-interacted-with content of the previously-interacted-with application.

10. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 9, wherein adding the other interface to the multi-application environment alters a size of at least one of the multiple interfaces occupying one of the respective regions the multi-application environment.

11. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 9, wherein adding the other interface to the multi-application environment alters a location of at least one of the multiple interfaces occupying one of the respective regions the multi-application environment.

12. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise automatically sizing the other interface to a first pre-defined region of the multi-application environment and the at least one of the multiple interfaces to a second pre-defined region of the multi-application environment.

13. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to the selection to add the other interface removing one of the multiple interfaces from the multi-application environment.

14. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise enabling interaction with the windows-based interface or the task bar.

15. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein enabling interaction with the windows-based interface enables interaction through input other than gesture-based input made over a gesture-sensitive display.

16. A system comprising:

one or more hardware-based processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more hardware-based processors, cause the one or more hardware-based processors to perform operations comprising;

presenting multiple interfaces associated with multiple applications within a multi-application environment, at least one of the multiple interfaces being an immersive interface, at least another of the multiple interfaces being a windows-based interface, the multi-application environment fully occupying a display and not including a window frame that has visual controls;

presenting first content and second content associated with a first application and a second application of the multiple applications, respectively, through a first interface and a second interface of the two or more multiple interfaces and at a same time;

receiving selection to add a third interface associated with a previously-interacted-with application to the multi-application environment, the selection received through the multi-application environment without selecting a visual control; and

responsive to receiving the selection and while displaying an interface divider to visibly indicate respective regions of the multi-application environment occupied by the at least two of the multiple interfaces, adding the third interface associated with the previously-interacted-with application to the multi-application environment, the third interface presenting previously-interacted-with content of the previously-interacted-with application.

17. A system as described in claim 16, wherein responsive to execution by the one or more hardware-based processors, the instructions further cause the one or more hardware-based processors to perform operations comprising, responsive to receiving the selection to add the third user interface, removing one of the multiple interfaces, altering a position of one of the multiple interfaces, or reducing a current size of one of the multiple interfaces.

18. A system as described in claim 17, wherein responsive to execution by the one or more hardware-based processors, the instructions further cause the one or more hardware-based processors to perform operations comprising automatically sizing the third interface to a first region of the multi-application environment and the other of the multiple interfaces to a second region of the multi-application environment.

19. A system as described in claim 16, wherein presenting the first content and the second content presents the first content as a first moving, visual media in real time and presents the second content as a second moving, visual media in real time.

20. A system as described in claim 16, wherein responsive to execution by the one or more hardware-based processors, the instructions further cause the one or more hardware-based processors to perform operations comprising enabling interaction with the windows-based interface through the multi-application environment.