Simultaneous display of multiple applications using panels

• US 9,354,899 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Roma
• Primary Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US13/088,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20120266089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 707/E17.014, 715/760, 715764-769, 715781-807, 715/810, 715/864, 709/203, 345173-179, 345/629
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods and systems for displaying content on a webpage are disclosed. The method may include receiving an application indication to open a first application on a touch device. The method may further include displaying the first application on the touch device as a panel overlaid on a portion of a viewable area of a webpage that is currently displayed on the touch device, and displaying a first icon on the touch device relative to the panel and the webpage, the icon representative of the first application. The content of the webpage may be viewable and accessible on a single display window for ease of convenience when navigating from the first application to the second application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an application indication to open a first application on a touch device while the touch device is displaying a webpage within a first display area on the touch device through a second application on the touch device, wherein the second application comprises a web browser, wherein the webpage is displayed within an entirety of the first display area and wherein the first application and second application are each a separate application that can be opened and provide functionality independent of one another, the application indication being received by an operating system independent of the web browser;

opening, by the operating system independent of and external to the web browser, the first application;

providing, by the operating system to the web browser and independent of the first application, location placement information for the first application;

generate, locally by the web browser, a customized frame for the first application when the location placement information is received from the operating system;

displaying the first application on the touch device as a panel displayed in a portion of the first display area of the web browser that is currently displaying the webpage, the first application being displayed in the web browser after having been opened by the operating system independent of and external to the web browser,

wherein the webpage includes a plurality of content frames downloaded from a website, and the locally generated customized frame containing the first application is incorporated into the webpage at a location determined from the location placement information and non-overlapping with any of the plurality of content frames; and

displaying a first icon on the touch device relative to the panel and the webpage, the first icon being representative of the first application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the webpage on the touch device together with the first application and its respective first icon on a same window.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an icon indication relative to the first icon indicating that first application that is displayed on the touch device, the icon indication being indicative of a function of the first application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first application further comprises:

displaying a full size version of the first application on the touch device as the panel overlaid on the portion of a viewable area of the webpage that is currently displayed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying multiple icons on the touch device, wherein each icon is representative of a respective application available on the touch device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving an indication of one icon of the multiple icons; and

displaying a third application associated with the one icon on the touch device overlaid on top of the webpage, the third application being displayed instead of the first application.

7. A system, comprising:

an on-screen input device configured to;

receive an application indication to open a first application on a touch device while the touch device is displaying a webpage within a first display area on the touch device through a second application on the touch device, wherein the second application comprises a web browser application, wherein the webpage is displayed within an entirety of the first display area and wherein the first application and second application are each a separate application running on an operating system that can be opened and provide functionality independent of one another; and

provide location placement information for the first application to an application manager, and independent of the first application, when the first application is opened; and

the application manager, implemented with a computing device, configured to;

generate, locally, a customized frame for the first application when the location placement information is received from the on-screen input device,

display the first application on the touch device as a panel displayed in a portion of the first display area of the web browser application that is currently displaying the webpage,

wherein the webpage includes a plurality of content frames downloaded from a website, and the locally generated customized frame including the first application is incorporated into the webpage at a location determined from the location placement information and non-overlapping with any of the plurality of content frames; and

display a first icon on the touch device relative to the panel and the webpage, the first icon being representative of the first application.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the application manager is further configured to:

display the webpage on the touch device together with the first application and its respective first icon on a same window.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the application manager is further configured to:

display an icon indication relative to the first icon indicating the first application that is displayed on the touch device, the icon indication being indicative of a function of the first application.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the application manager is further configured to:

display a full size version of the first application on the touch device as the panel overlaid on the portion of a viewable area of the webpage that is currently displayed.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the application manager is further configured to:

display multiple icons on the touch device, wherein each icon is representative of a respective application available on the touch device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the application manager is further configured to:

receive an indication of one icon of the multiple icons; and

display a third application associated with the one icon on the touch device overlaid on top of the webpage, the third application being displayed instead of the first application.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the on-screen input device is further configured to receive the application indication independent of the web browser application, and the first application is opened by the operating system independent of and external to the web browser application.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first application is displayed in the web browser application after having been opened by the operating system independent of and external to the web browser application.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of content frames are reorganized within the webpage to accommodate incorporating the customized frame within the webpage at the location determined from the location placement information.

16. A computer program product comprising instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions comprising:

instructions to provide a first application;

instructions to receive location placement information from an operating system and independent of the first application, the location placement information corresponding to a second application opened by the operating system external to, and independent of, the first application;

instructions to generate locally, by the first application, a customized frame for displaying the second application within a window of the first application when the location placement information is received from the operating system; and

instructions to display, by the first application, the customized frame containing the second application within the window of the first application after the second application having been opened by the operating system external to, and independent of, the first application, wherein the customized frame is displayed within the window at a location determined based at least in part on the location placement information and non-overlapping with any other content frames within the window of the first application.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, the instructions further comprising:

instructions to display, by the first application, at least one other frame within the window, the at least one other frame having been downloaded over a network.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first application comprises a web browser application, and the at least one other frame is downloaded from a web site over the network.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, the instructions further comprising:

instructions to relocate and resize, by the first application, the at least one other frame within the window to accommodate the display of the customized frame within the window at the location determined based at least in part on the location placement information.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, the instructions further comprising:

instructions to display, by the first application, a first icon that is representative of the second application.