Multi-application environment

• US 9,104,440 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, Anderson, Bret P., Wong, Tsz Yan, Sareen, Chaitanya Dev, Miner, Patrice L., Harris, Jensen, Matthews, David A., Nan, Jennifer, Worley, Matthew I., Sundelin, Nils A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WENG, PEI YONG
• Application Number:
  US13/118,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20120304108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781, 715/765
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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, a multi-application environment having a full-size region displaying a first user interface associated with a first application, the full-size region including two or more subordinate regions of the multi-application environment, the full-size region occupying substantially all of the multi-application environment;

presenting an application queue of previously-interacted-with applications in which the previously-interacted-with applications are represented by respective images of user interfaces associated with the previously-interacted-with applications and ordered from most-recently-interacted-with to least-recently-interacted-with;

receiving, via gesture input selecting one of the respective images from the application queue, selection of a second application for presentation in the multi-application environment, the second application being one of the previously-interacted-with applications, a portion of the gesture input indicated by movement of the respective image that corresponds with at least a portion of the gesture input, the gesture input including a start point at an edge of the multi-application environment and a later point not at the edge of the multi-application environment;

displaying, responsive to the selection of the second application, an interface divider to visibly indicate respective areas of the full-size region occupied by the two or more subordinate regions of the multi-application environment;

determining, based on the later point of the gesture input or another point of the gesture in the multi-application environment, selection of one of the two or more subordinate regions in which to present the second user interface associated with the second application; and

presenting, responsive to completion of the gesture and instead of the respective image representing the second application;

the second user interface associated with the second application within the selected subordinate region of the two or more subordinate regions; and

a third user interface associated with the first application within one or more of the other subordinate regions.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first user interface associated with the first application is different than the third user interface associated with the first application.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein displaying the first user interface presents the first user interface fully occupying the full-size region or one of the two or more subordinate regions.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the other point in the multi-application environment is a successive point in the selected subordinate region of the two or more subordinate regions and presenting the second user interface associated with the second application is responsive to the successive point of the gesture.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the multi-application environment fully occupies the display.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the multi-application environment does not include a window frame having controls.

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, a first user interface associated with a first application within a full-size region of a multi-application environment, the full-size region including two or more subordinate regions of the multi-application environment;

presenting an application queue of previously-interacted-with applications in which the previously-interacted-with applications are represented by respective images of user interfaces associated with the previously-interacted-with applications and ordered from most-recently-interacted-with to least-recently-interacted-with;

receiving, via a first portion of a gesture selecting one of the respective images from the application queue, selection of a second application for presentation in the multi-application environment, the second application being one of the previously-interacted-with applications, the gesture including a start point at an edge of the multi-application environment and a later point not at the edge;

responsive to receiving the first portion of the gesture;

moving the respective image representing the second user interface over the multi-application environment to indicate selection of the second application;

displaying one or more interface dividers to visibly indicate respective areas of the multi-application environment occupied by the two or more subordinate regions;

responsive to a second portion of the gesture that indicates completion of the selection;

presenting a third user interface associated with the first application within and fully filling a first region of the two or more subordinate regions of the multi-application environment previously occupied at least in part by the first user interface associated with the first application; and

presenting the second user interface associated with the second application instead of the respective image representing the second interface, the second user interface presented within and fully occupying the second region of the two or more subordinate regions of the multi-application environment previously occupied at least in part by the first user interface associated with the first application.

8. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the first second portion of the gesture includes the later point of the gesture and is received over the second region of the multi-application environment.

9. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the acts of presenting the image, displaying the one or more interface dividers, presenting the third user interface, and presenting the second user interface are performed responsive to a single selection.

10. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the first user interface associated with the first application is different than the third user interface associated with the first application.

11. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the first user interface or the second user interface is an immersive interface representing a desktop having a windows-based interface or a task bar.

12. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the multi-application environment does not include a window frame.

13. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the multi-application environment does not include a permanent visible control.

14. The one or more hardware-based computer-readable storage media as described in claim 7, wherein the application queue is a circular application queue in which the most-recently-interacted-with application follows the least-recently-interacted-with application in the order of application queue.

15. 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, via a display, a multi-application environment having a full-size region in which a first user interface associated with a first application is presented, the full-size region including two or more subordinate regions of the multi-application environment;

presenting, responsive to a first gesture portion, an application queue of previously-interacted-with applications in which the previously-interacted-with applications are represented by respective images of user interfaces associated with the previously-interacted-with applications and ordered from most-recently-interacted-with to least-recently-interacted-with, the first gesture portion including a start point at an edge of the multi-application environment;

receiving, via one of the respective images of the application queue, a second gesture portion initiating selection to present a second user interface associated with a second application, the selection indicated by movement of the respective image, the second gesture portion including another point not at the edge of the multi-application environment;

displaying, responsive to the initiation of the selection, an interface divider to visibly indicate respective areas of the full-size region occupied by the two or more subordinate regions;

presenting, responsive to an end of the second gesture portion indicating selection of the first subordinate region of the two or more subordinate regions;

the second user interface associated with the second application instead of the respective image representing the second interface, the second user interface presented within the first subordinate region of the two subordinate regions; and

presenting a third user interface associated with the first application in a second subordinate region of the two or more subordinate regions.

16. The system as described in claim 15, wherein the first user interface associated with the first application is an immersive interface and the third user interface associated with the first application is not an immersive interface.

17. The system as described in claim 15, wherein displaying the first user interface presents the first user interface fully occupying the full-size region or one of the two or more subordinate regions.

18. The system as described in claim 15, wherein the multi-application environment does not include a window frame or permanent visible control.

19. The system as described in claim 15, wherein the first user interface or the second user interface is an immersive interface representing a desktop having a windows-based interface or a task bar.

20. The system as described in claim 15, wherein presenting the second user interface associated with the second application comprises expanding, into the first subordinate region, the respective image representing the second interface.