Managing an immersive interface in a multi-application immersive environment

• US 9,158,445 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• 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: Wong, Tsz Yan, Satterfield, Jesse Clay, Sundelin, Nils A., Anderson, Bret P., Miner, Patrice L., Sareen, Chaitanya Dev, Jarrett, Robert J., Nan, Jennifer, Worley, Matthew I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US13/118,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20120304114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 715/800, 715/792, 715/798
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for managing an immersive interface in a multi-application immersive environment. In some embodiments, these techniques and apparatuses enable a user to alter sizes and/or a layout of multiple immersive interfaces with as little as one selection.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

enabling selection, through a gesture having a start point at an edge of a multi-application immersive environment and a later point not at another edge of the multi-application immersive environment, to display a new immersive interface of a new application in a selected region of multiple regions of a multi-application immersive environment, the selected region corresponding to the edge of the multi-application immersive environment, the multi-application immersive environment displaying a current immersive interface that fully occupies the multi-application immersive environment, the current immersive interface displaying content at a current size and in a current arrangement, the new immersive interface of the new application not displayed in the multi-application immersive environment prior to receiving the selection; and

responsive to the selection to display the new immersive interface in the selected region;

displaying the new immersive interface at a size fully occupying the selected region; and

resizing the current immersive interface to fully occupy a different region of the multiple regions that does not occlude the selected region, the resized current immersive interface displaying content at a different size and a different arrangement from that of the current size and the current arrangement.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein displaying the new immersive interface in the selected region displays the new immersive interface at a predetermined size.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

enabling selection to display another immersive interface of another application in a third region of the immersive environment; and

responsive to selection to display the other immersive interface in the third region, displaying the other immersive interface in the third region.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 3, wherein displaying the other immersive interface in the third region is responsive to receiving another gesture over the third region.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein displaying the new immersive interface in the selected region is immediately responsive to the selection to display the new immersive interface in the selected region and without receiving a further selection.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein enabling selection through the gesture having the start point at the edge of the multi-application immersive environment and the later point not at another edge of the multi-application immersive environment enables selection through a gesture-sensitive display on which the multi-application immersive environment is displayed.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 6 , further comprising, responsive to the gesture having the start point at the edge of the multi-application immersive environment and the later point not at another edge of the multi-application immersive environment, displaying a thumbnail-size image representing the new immersive interface progressively with the gesture and indicating that the new immersive interface will be displayed in the selected region prior to displaying the new immersive interface in the selected region.

8. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein displaying the new immersive interface in the selected region is further responsive to a reversal in the gesture, the reversal a change in direction back toward the edge of the multi-application immersive environment.

9. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising determining, responsive to the selection, the new application to be a previously-interacted-with application of one or more other applications.

10. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 9, wherein determining the new application to be a previously-interacted-with application of one or more other applications proceeds through a queue of multiple interacted-with applications including the previously-interacted-with application.

11. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the gesture is approximately perpendicular to the edge of the multi-application immersive environment at which the gesture began.

12. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the later point not at another edge of the multi-application immersive environment is not at the edge of the multi-application immersive environment.

13. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the edge at which the gesture has a start point is adjacent to the selected region.

14. A computing device comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

receiving a first portion of a gesture made through a gesture-sensitive display and over a multi-application immersive environment currently displaying a current immersive interface at a current size and with a current arrangement of content in a first region of multiple regions of the multi-application immersive environment, the gesture having a start point at an edge of the multi-application immersive environment and a later point not at another edge, the first portion of the gesture selecting a new application;

displaying, progressively with the first portion of the gesture as the gesture is received, a reduced-size image of a new immersive interface associated with the new application, the new immersive interface associated with the new application not displayed in the multi-application immersive environment prior to receiving the first portion of the gesture;

receiving a second portion of the gesture having a still later point not at another edge of the multi-application immersive environment, the second portion selecting a region of the multi-application immersive environment;

responsive to the second portion of the gesture selecting the selected region, expanding the reduced-size image to fully occupying the selected region with the new immersive interface associated with the new application; and

displaying the current immersive interface in a second region of the multi-application immersive environment, the current immersive interface;

fully occupying the second region;

not occluding the selected region; and

displaying the content at a different size and in a different arrangement from that of the current size and the current arrangement.

15. A computing device as described in claim 14, wherein the reduced-size image is thumbnail-sized and a live version of the new immersive interface.

16. A computing device as described in claim 14, wherein the new application is a previously-interacted-with application.

17. A computing device as described in claim 14, wherein displaying the reduced-size image is responsive to determining that the later point is not at another edge of the multi-application immersive environment.

18. A computing device as described in claim 14, wherein the second portion of the gesture drags the reduced-size image to the selected region.

19. A computing device as described in claim 14, the operations further comprising, responsive to the first portion of the gesture, shrinking the new immersive interface to the reduced-size image.

20. A computing device as described in claim 14, wherein displaying the current immersive interface in the second region and expanding the reduced-size image to fully occupying the selected region with the new immersive interface associated with the new application are performed concurrently.