Suppressing dialog boxes

• US 9,176,646 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2011
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sauve, Aaron J., Huang, Li-Hsin, Schreiner, Tony E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIAU, SHEN C
• Application Number:
  US13/007,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/777, 715/808, 715/809
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method for browser software with a tabbed interface to suppress, or delay, the display of a dialog box that is initiated by an inactive, or background, tab. An indication may be provided to the user that a dialog box needing user attention may be provided. When that tab becomes active, and the web page on that tab becomes visible, the dialog box is then displayed. This suppression method may be applied to a variety of application programs.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices;

one or more computer readable media storing instructions that, when executed via the one or more processing devices, implement a tabbed web browser having a module configured to perform operations for dialog suppression including;

determining whether a request to display a dialog within the tabbed web browser is generated by an active tab, an inactive tab, or an unknown source by at least determining whether a known thread ID is associated with the request;

displaying the dialog when the request is generated by an active tab;

suppressing the dialog, automatically without direct user intervention, when the request is generated by a background tab; and

blocking or displaying the dialog according to a security risk associated with the dialog when the request is generated by an unknown source.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tabbed web browser uses a plurality of tabs associated with a plurality of threads such that each of the plurality of tabs has a unique thread ID.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining whether a known thread ID is associated with the request comprises ascertaining a thread ID that is assigned to a source of the request and comparing the thread ID to one or more known thread IDs.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations for dialog suppression further include intercepting, by the tabbed web browser, the request to display the dialog.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations for dialog suppression further include outputting an indication configured to inform a user of the dialog when the dialog is suppressed or blocked.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the indication comprises a flashing tab.

7. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the indication comprises an audible beep.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein suppressing the dialog when the request is generated by a background tab comprises suppressing the display of the dialog using a modal message loop.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations for dialog suppression further include, when the dialog is suppressed:

causing a tab associated with the dialog that is suppressed to flash to indicate presence of the dialog;

obtaining a selection of the tab associated with the dialog to make the tab active; and

enabling display of the dialog in response to the selection to make the tab active.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the operations for dialog suppression further include assigning a unique thread ID to each of a plurality of tabs displayed by the a tabbed web browser.

11. A method of suppressing display of a dialog within a web browser comprising:

determining whether a request to display the dialog within the web browser is generated by an active tab, an inactive tab, or an unknown source by at least determining whether a known thread ID is associated with the request;

displaying the dialog when the request is generated by an active tab;

suppressing the dialog automatically without direct user intervention, when the request is generated by a background tab; and

blocking or displaying the dialog according to a security risk associated with the dialog when the request is generated by an unknown source.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the web browser is configured as a tabbed application that uses a plurality of tabs associated with a plurality of threads such that each of the plurality of tabs has a unique thread ID.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the determining whether a known thread ID is associated with the request comprises ascertaining a thread ID that is assigned to a source of the request and comparing the thread ID to one or more known thread IDs.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising intercepting, by the web browser, the request to display the dialog.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising outputting an indication configured to inform a user of the dialog when the dialog is suppressed or blocked.

16. One or more computer-readable storage memories storing instructions that, when executed via one or more processing devices, implement a tabbed web browser having a module configured to perform operations for dialog suppression including:

determining whether a request to display a dialog within the tabbed web browser is generated by an active tab, an inactive tab, or an unknown source by at least determining whether a known thread ID is associated with the request;

displaying the dialog when the request is generated by an active tab;

suppressing the dialog automatically without direct user intervention, when the request is generated by a background tab; and

blocking or displaying the dialog according to a security risk associated with the dialog when the request is generated by an unknown source.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage memories as recited in claim 16, wherein the determining whether a known thread ID is associated with the request comprises ascertaining a thread ID that is assigned to a source of the request and comparing the thread ID to one or more known thread IDs.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage memories as recited in claim 16, wherein the operations for dialog suppression further include outputting an indication configured to inform a user of the dialog when the dialog is suppressed or blocked.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage memories as recited in claim 16, wherein the operations for dialog suppression further include, when the dialog is suppressed:

causing a tab associated with the dialog that is suppressed to flash to indicate presence of the dialog;

obtaining a selection of the tab associated with the dialog to make the tab active; and

enabling display of the dialog in response to the selection to make the tab active.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage memories as recited in claim 16, wherein the operations for dialog suppression further include, intercepting the request as a call made to an dialog application programming interface (API) responsible for showing dialogs and determining whether to display, suppress, or block the dialog based at least in part upon information contained in the call.