Opening child windows in dual display communication devices

• US 9,213,431 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Sirpal, Sanjiv, Reeves, Paul E., de Paz, Alexander, Ficklin, Jared L., Burton, Denise, Wygonik, Gregg
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US13/248,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20120174028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 715/795, 715/790, 345/1.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 : Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 : for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 : for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 : Drag-and-drop
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 : controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 : display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 : Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 : Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 : Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 : Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 : Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to methodologies and devices for handling maximizing and minimizing of hierarchically related windows.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by processor executable middleware in a multi-display communication device, a command by an off-display gesture capture region to maximize a set of related windows from a common multi-screen application, the set of related windows comprising a higher level window and a first lower level window at least one of displayed and to be displayed by different touch sensitive displays, wherein the command comprises a gesture performed by the user, and wherein the gesture is executed on an off-display gesture capture region with one finger of the user placed on a first off-display gesture capture region disposed on a first screen, and another finger of the user placed on a second off-display gesture capture region disposed on a second screen;

selecting, by the processor executable middleware, a predetermined touch sensitive display for displaying one of the higher and first lower level windows and causing the other of the higher and first lower level windows to be displayed on the other touch sensitive display;

receiving, by the processor executable middleware, a selection of an item displayed in the higher level window; and

in response, opening and displaying, by the processor executable middleware and in the touch sensitive display displaying the first lower level window, a second lower level window comprising the selected item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the common multi-screen application is an email application, wherein the higher level view is an inbox, and wherein the selected item is an email listed in the inbox.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is a gesture received by an off-display gesture capture region and the selection is a gesture received by the touch sensitive display displaying the higher level window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the second lower level window is opened and displayed, the first lower level window is closed automatically.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is a drag or a flick, wherein the lower level window is in the predetermined touch sensitive display when the gesture is received, wherein the higher level window appears to move from the predetermined touch sensitive display to the other touch sensitive display, whereby the lower level window is displayed by the predetermined touch sensitive display and the higher level window is displayed by the other touch sensitive display.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the multi-display communication device is in the portrait display mode and wherein the predetermined touch sensitive display is the right-most touch sensitive display.

7. A non-transient and tangible computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions to perform the steps of claim 1.

8. A communication device, comprising:

at least first and second touch sensitive displays to display windows;

a processor; and

a computer readable memory, the computer readable memory comprising processor executable middleware that;

receives a command by an off-display gesture capture region to maximize a set of related windows from a common multi-screen application, the set of related windows comprising a higher level window and a first lower level window at least one of displayed and to be displayed by different touch sensitive displays, wherein receiving a command comprises receiving a gesture performed by the user, and wherein the gesture is executed on an off-display gesture capture region with one finger of the user placed on a first off-display gesture capture region disposed on a first screen, and another finger of the user placed on a second off-display gesture capture region disposed on a second screen;

selects a predetermined touch sensitive display for displaying one of the higher and first lower level windows and causing the other of the higher and first lower level windows to be displayed on the other touch sensitive display;

receives a selection of an item displayed in the higher level window; and

in response, opens and displays, in the touch sensitive display displaying the first lower level window, a second lower level window comprising the selected item.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the common multi-screen application is an email application, wherein the higher level view is an inbox, and wherein the selected item is an email listed in the inbox.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the command is a gesture received by an off-display gesture capture region and the selection is a gesture received by the touch sensitive display displaying the higher level window.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein, when the second lower level window is opened and displayed, the first lower level window is closed automatically.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the command is a drag or a flick, wherein the lower level window is in the predetermined touch sensitive display when the gesture is received, wherein the higher level window appears to move from the predetermined touch sensitive display to the other touch sensitive display, whereby the lower level window is displayed by the predetermined touch sensitive display and the higher level window is displayed by the other touch sensitive display.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the multi-display communication device is in the portrait display mode and wherein the predetermined touch sensitive display is the right-most touch sensitive display.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an off-display gesture capture region in a multi-display communication device, a command to one of maximize and minimize a set of related windows, wherein receiving a command comprises receiving a gesture performed by the user, and wherein the gesture is executed on an off-display gesture capture region with one finger of the user placed on a first off-display gesture capture region disposed on a first screen, and another finger of the user placed on a second off-display gesture capture region disposed on a second screen; and

in response, performing, by processor executable middleware, the one of maximizing and minimizing the set of related windows.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one of maximizing and minimizing is maximizing, wherein the set of related windows comprises higher and lower level hierarchically related windows and further comprising:

selecting a predetermined touch sensitive display for displaying one of the higher and lower level windows and causing the other of the higher and lower level windows to be displayed on the other touch sensitive display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the command is a drag or a flick, wherein the higher and lower level window are concurrently displayed in the selected and other touch sensitive displays when the gesture is received, wherein the lower level display is displayed in the selected touch sensitive display when the gesture is received, and wherein the higher level window appears to move from the other touch sensitive display to the selected touch sensitive display, thereby covering the lower level window in the other touch sensitive display.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the command is a drag or a flick, wherein the higher and lower level window are concurrently displayed in the selected and other touch sensitive displays when the gesture is received, wherein the higher level display is displayed in the selected touch sensitive display when the gesture is received, and wherein the lower level window appears to move from the other touch sensitive display to the selected touch sensitive display, thereby disappearing under the higher level window in the other touch sensitive display.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the one of maximizing and minimizing is minimizing, wherein the set of related windows comprises higher and lower level hierarchically related windows and further comprising:

selecting a touch sensitive display for displaying the higher level window and ceasing to display the lower level window on the other touch sensitive display.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the command is a drag or a flick, wherein neither the higher nor lower level window is displayed in the predetermined touch sensitive display when the gesture is received, and wherein the lower level window appears to move from the other touch sensitive display to the predetermined touch sensitive display, thereby revealing the higher level window in the other touch sensitive display.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the command is a drag or a flick, wherein the lower level window is in the predetermined touch sensitive display when the gesture is received, wherein the higher level window appears to move from the predetermined touch sensitive display to the other touch sensitive display, whereby the lower level window is displayed by the predetermined touch sensitive display and the higher level window is displayed by the other touch sensitive display.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein a parent and child window in the set of related windows are concurrently displayed on differing touch sensitive displays and are nonoverlapping.

22. A non-transient and tangible computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions that perform the steps of claim 14.

23. A multi-display communication device that performs the steps of claim 14.