Multi-application environment

• US 9,104,307 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• 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:
  US13/118,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20120304092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765
• 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, via a display, multiple interfaces associated with multiple respective applications within a multi-application environment, a first one of the multiple interfaces being a first immersive interface occupying a first region of the multi-application environment, a second one of the multiple interfaces being a second immersive interface occupying a second region of the multi-application environment, the first immersive interface presenting a desktop that includes at least one windows-based interface and a taskbar through which interaction with the first immersive interface is enabled;

presenting first content through the first immersive interface and second content through the second immersive interface, the second content being moving, visual media content;

receiving, via a first portion of a gesture, initiation of user selection to present, within the multi-application environment, a third interface associated with a previously-interacted-with application;

presenting, responsive to initiation of the user selection, an image representing the third interface over the multi-application environment, the image being a reduced-sized image of content previously-presented via the third interface;

determining, based on a second portion of the gesture that completes the user selection, selection of the first region or second region in which to present the third interface, the second portion of the gesture indicated by movement of the image over the first region or second region; and

responsive to selection of the first region, expanding, based on a size of the first region, the image representing the third interface into at least a portion of the first region effective to present the third interface in the first region while concurrently reducing a size of, or removing, the first immersive interface from the first region of the multi-interface environment;

or

responsive to selection of the second region, expanding, based on a size of the second region, the image representing the third interface into at least a portion of the second region effective to present the third interface in the second region while concurrently reducing a size of, or removing, the second immersive interface from the second region of the multi-application environment.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the third interface is a third immersive interface and the reduced-sized image represents content previously-presented by the third immersive interface.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein presenting the first content presents first moving, visual media in real time and presenting the second content presents the second content in real time.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising enabling interaction with an application associated with the windows-based interface and through the multi-application environment.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first content or the second content is received by the multi-application environment from one of the multiple respective applications.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first immersive interface, second immersive interface, and third interface does not include a visible control.

19. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first immersive interface or the second immersive is removed from the respective region and the operations further comprise moving the immersive interface removed from the respective region a fourth region of the multi-application environment.

20. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first immersive interface or the second immersive is removed from the respective region and third interface is presented such that the third interface fully occupies the respective region.

7. 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, via a display, multiple interfaces associated with multiple respective applications within a multi-application environment, a first one of the multiple interfaces being a first immersive interface occupying a first region of the multi-application environment, a second one of the multiple interfaces being a second immersive interface occupying a second region of the multi-application environment, the first immersive interface presenting a desktop that includes at least one windows-based interface and a taskbar through which interaction with the first immersive interface is enabled;

presenting first content through the first immersive interface and second content through the second immersive interface, the second content being moving, visual media content;

receiving, via a first portion of a gesture, initiation of user selection to present, within the multi-application environment, a third interface associated with a previously-interacted-with application;

presenting, responsive to initiation of the user selection, an image representing the third interface over the multi-application environment, the image being a reduced-sized image of content previously-presented via the third interface;

determining, responsive to receiving a second portion of the gesture that completes the user selection, selection of the first region or second region in which to present the third interface, reception of the second portion of the gesture indicated by movement of the image over the first region or second region; and

responsive to selection of the first region, expanding the image representing the third interface into at least a portion of the first region effective to present the third interface in the first region and reducing a size of, or removing, the first immersive interface from the first region of the multi-interface environment;

or

responsive to the selection of the second region, expanding the image representing the third interface into at least a portion of the second region effective to present the third interface in the second region and reducing a size of, or removing, the second immersive interface from the first region of the multi-application environment.

8. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein a size of the first region is different from a size of the second region and the method further comprises moving, based on a pre-determined size of the third interface, an immersive interface divider to alter the size of the first region or the size of the second region.

9. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 8, wherein altering the size of the first region or the second region includes sizing the first region or the second region to a respective predetermined size of the first immersive interface or the second immersive interface.

10. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 8, wherein altering the size of the first region or the size of the second region includes switching the sizes of the first region and the second region.

11. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the display is a gesture-sensitive display and the first and second portions of the gesture are received through the gesture-sensitive display and over the multi-application environment.

12. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 11, wherein the first portion of the gesture has a start point at an edge of the multi-application environment and a later point not at the edge of the multi-application environment.

13. A system comprising:

one or more hardware-based processors; and

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 respective applications within a multi-application environment, a first one of the multiple interfaces being a first immersive interface occupying a first region of the multi-application environment, a second one of the multiple interfaces being a second immersive interface occupying a second region of the multi-application environment, the first immersive interface presenting a desktop that includes at least one windows-based interface and a taskbar through which interaction with the first immersive interface is enabled;

presenting first content through the first immersive interface and second content through the second immersive interface, the second content being moving, visual media content;

receiving, via a first portion of a gesture, initiation of user selection to present, within the multi-application environment, a third interface associated with a previously-interacted-with application;

presenting, responsive to initiation of the user selection, an image representing the third interface over the multi-application environment, the image being a reduced-sized image of content previously-presented via the third interface;

determining, responsive to receiving a second point of the gesture that completes the user selection, selection of the first region or second region in which to present the third interface, the second portion of the gesture indicated by movement of the image over the first region or second region; and

responsive to selection of the first region, expanding the image representing the third interface into at least a portion of the first region effective to present the third interface in the first region and reducing a size of, or removing, the first immersive interface from the first region of the multi-interface environment;

or

responsive to the selection of the second region, expanding the image into at least a portion of the second region effective to present the third interface in the second region and reducing a size of, or removing, the second immersive interface from the second region of the multi-interface environment.

14. A system as described in claim 13, wherein the third interface is a third immersive interface and the reduced-sized image represents content previously-presented by the third immersive interface.

15. A system as described in claim 13, wherein the first immersive interface, second immersive interface, or third interface does not include a visible control.

16. A system as described in claim 13, wherein the first immersive interface or the second immersive is removed from the respective region and the operations further comprise moving the immersive interface removed from the respective region to a fourth region of the multi-application environment.

17. A system as described in claim 13, wherein the display is a gesture-sensitive display and the first and second portions of the gesture are received through the gesture-sensitive display.

18. A system as described in claim 13, wherein the first portion of the gesture has a start point at an edge of the multi-application environment and a later point not at the edge of the multi-application environment.