Managing an immersive interface in a multi-application immersive environment

• US 9,535,597 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US13/657,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20130042203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: 715/788, 715/800
• 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:

presenting, concurrently and in a multi-application immersive environment, a first immersive interface of a first application in a first region of the multi-application immersive environment and a second immersive interface of a second application in a second region of the multi-application immersive environment, the first region having a first predetermined region width, the first immersive interface presenting content in a preconfigured arrangement corresponding to the first predetermined region width;

receiving selection to the multi-application immersive environment to alter a first size at which the first immersive interface is currently presented;

responsive to the selection to alter the first size of the first immersive interface, altering both the first size of the first immersive interface and a second size at which the second immersive interface is currently presented, the altering automatically sizing the first immersive interface to fit a third region and automatically sizing the second immersive interface to fit a fourth region; and

presenting, concurrently in the multi-application immersive environment, the first immersive interface in the third region and the second immersive interface in the fourth region, the first immersive interface presenting content in a second arrangement corresponding to a size of the third region, the second arrangement different from the first arrangement, the display of the third region and the fourth region in the multi-application immersive environment replacing the display of first region and the second region.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein altering both the first size and the second size alters both the first size of the first immersive interface and the second size of the second immersive interface concurrently and without occluding either of the first or the second immersive interfaces.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising presenting, through the multi-application immersive environment, content simultaneously in the first immersive interface from the first application and in the second immersive interface from the second application.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined region width of the first region specifies a predetermined pixel width, the first region having a variable length.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first region and the second region fully occupy a dimension of a display on which the multi-application immersive environment is presented.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein receiving selection receives selection through a gesture moving the first immersive interface from the first region to the third region, the altering reducing the first size of the first immersive interface to a thumbnail image and, responsive to being moved over the third region, snapping the first immersive interface to the third region and automatically filling the third region with the first immersive interface.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein receiving selection receives selection through a drag-and-drop gesture of the first immersive interface from the first region of the multi-application immersive environment to the third region of the multi-application immersive environment and wherein the altering automatically switches the first immersive interface from the first region to the third region.

8. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 7, wherein the drag-and-drop gesture has a start point at an edge of the second immersive interface and a later point not at the edge, and wherein the altering is responsive to the later point not being at the edge and reduces the first size of the first immersive interface to a thumbnail image and displays a movement of the thumbnail image progressively with the drag-and-drop gesture.

9. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the receiving selection receives selection through a drag-and-drop gesture of the first immersive interface from the first region, the first region being smaller than the third region, and wherein the altering automatically increases the first size of the first immersive interface to fully occupy the third region.

10. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 9, wherein the drag-and-drop gesture has a start point at an edge of the second immersive interface and a later point not at the edge, and wherein the altering is responsive to the later point not being at the edge and reduces the first size of the first immersive interface to a thumbnail image and displays a movement of the thumbnail image progressively with the drag-and-drop gesture.

11. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 9, wherein the first region and the fourth region are a same size.

12. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the selection to alter the first size of the first immersive interface is received through a hot key, a mouse, or a hardware button.

13. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the multi-application immersive environment concurrently displays a third immersive interface at a third size and the altering both the first size of the first immersive interface and the second size of the second immersive interface does not alter the third size of the third immersive interface.

14. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the multi-application immersive environment concurrently displays a third immersive interface at a third size and further comprising, responsive to the selection to alter the first size of the first immersive interface and without further selection, altering the third size of the third immersive interface.

15. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first arrangement of content corresponding to the first predetermined region width presented by the first immersive interface is preconfigured during development of the first application.

16. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined region width is the same across multiple different devices.

17. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the predetermined arrangement of content presented by the first immersive interface in the first region is preconfigured based on the first predetermined region width being used during development of the first application.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, responsive to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

presenting, concurrently and in a multi-application immersive environment, a first interface of a first application in a first region of the multi-application immersive environment and a second interface of a second application in a second region of the multi-application immersive environment, the first region having a first predetermined region width, the first interface presenting content in a predetermined arrangement corresponding to the first predetermined region width;

receiving a selection to the multi-application immersive to alter a first size at which the first interface is currently presented;

responsive to the selection to alter the first size, simultaneously altering both the first size of the first interface and a second size at which the second interface is currently presented, the altering sizing the first interface to fit a third region and sizing the second interface to fit a fourth region, the altering causing the first interface to present content in a second arrangement corresponding to a size of the third region, the second arrangement being different from the first arrangement;

receiving a selection to add a third interface to the immersive environment; and

responsive to the selection to add the third interface, simultaneously adding the third interface and altering the first size of the first interface or the second size of the second interface, the simultaneous adding automatically sizing one of the first, second, or third interfaces to a region of the multi-application immersive environment having a second predetermined region width.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 18, wherein one of the first, second, or third interfaces is a windows-based interface.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 18, wherein the selection to alter the first size is a gesture having a start point at an edge of the first interface and a later point not at the edge of the first interface.