Application program preview interface and operation method thereof

• US 9,552,132 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Hao-Ping, Chen, Ya-Ting, Wang, Yi-Ou, Lu, Meng-Ju, Tsai, Yi-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): BHARGAVA, ANIL K
• Application Number:
  US14/102,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20140173502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

An operation method for application program preview interface which is stored in a storage unit and executed in a computer system. The operation method includes the steps of: displaying a plurality of operation modes on a first display area; selecting one of the operation modes in accordance with a first indicating signal; and displaying at least one selectable object on a second display area, wherein the selectable object is an application program opened or executed in the selected operation mode.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a display unit; and

a processor configured to define an application program preview interface displayed on the display unit, wherein the application program preview interface comprises;

a first display area simultaneously displaying thumbnails of desktop layouts of multiple operation modes on the display unit by showing graphic objects, wherein each of the operation modes includes an application program which is opened or executed, and run within the selected mode;

a second display area displaying a selectable object as an application preview, wherein the selectable object is corresponding to the application program included in a selected operation mode;

a third display area displaying a list or a program shortcut icon of all the application programs corresponding to the selected operation mode,

wherein when the selectable object is displayed in the second display area, the multiple operation modes are displayed in the first display area, and wherein the first display area and the second display area are simultaneously displayed on the display unit, and

wherein the application modes comprise a desktop mode and a modern mode.

2. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein the content of the selectable object is corresponding to the application program which is opened or executed at the corresponding operation mode.

3. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein when multiple selectable objects are displayed in the second display area, the selectable objects are classified at the second display area according to a defined condition, and the selectable objects conforming to the defined condition are in a group.

4. The computing device according to claim 3, wherein the defined condition includes a file path, a file name, a file type, a file creation time or a file format.

5. The computing device according to claim 3, wherein the content of the classified selectable objects which conform to a same defined condition are shown in a stacking way or a spreading way.

6. The computing device according to claim 3, wherein when the selectable objects conforming to a same defined condition are selected, the selectable objects are shown at the second display area in a spreading way.

7. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein the selectable object is directly managed in the second display area via an operation signal, and the operation signal includes closing, playing, moving, zooming in, zooming out or text editing the content of the selectable object.

8. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein when an index signal is moved to one of the selectable objects in the second display area, the selectable object is zoomed in and displayed or the selectable object is displayed with a different border color.

9. An operation method of an application program preview Interface, wherein the application program preview interface is stored in a storage unit and executed in a computer system;

the operation method comprising;

displaying thumbnails of desktop layouts of multiple operation modes in a first display area of the application program preview interface by showing graphic objects, simultaneously;

selecting one from the operation modes according to an index signal; and

displaying a selectable object as an application preview in a second display area, wherein the selectable object is an application program which is opened or executed at a selected mode, and run within the selected mode;

displaying, in a third display area, a list or a program shortcut icon of all the application programs corresponding to the selected operation mode;

wherein when the selectable object is displayed in the second display area, the multiple operation modes are displayed in the first display area, and the first display area and the second display area are simultaneously displayed on the display unit, and

wherein the operation modes comprise a desktop mode and a modern mode.