User interaction with desktop environment

• US 9,635,091 B1
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chad Dustin Tillman
• Original Assignee: Chad Dustin Tillman
• Inventors: Laukkanen, Joona Antero, Rulkens, Alexander Wilhelm Maria Barbara, Lahdenniemi, Jussi Henrikki, Elomaa, Timo Jaakko Tapani, Saarinen, Pertti Tapani, Nummenmaa, Timo Eemeli, Walmink, Wouter, Savilampi, Erkki Antero
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, David
• Application Number:
  US14/481,874
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• 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 3/0481 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

Sharing resources by users of computing devices includes providing, at each computing device, a respective viewport to a common desktop environment that has the shared resources. The desktop is independently viewable and independently navigable through each respective viewport. Furthermore, each of the resources is independently viewable and able to be independently acted upon through each respective viewport. One or more resources of each computing device may be added to the desktop environment through the respective viewport of the computing device. A search user interface is provided for text string searching of resources of a respective viewport by a user at the computing device of the respective viewport; and an application launcher view user interface is provided for launching applications, which is viewable by clicking on an open space of the desktop environment as seen through the respective viewport, and by which launchable applications are searchable.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:

(a) providing at the first computing device a first viewport to a desktop environment of the first computing device;

(b) adding a first resource of the first computing device to the viewport by which first viewport the first resource of the first computing device is able to be viewed and acted upon by a user at the first computing device;

(c) adding a second resource of the first computing device to the viewport by which first viewport the second resource of the first computing device is able to be viewed and acted upon by a user at the first computing device;

(d) communicating, over a network, from the first computing device with a second computing device such that a second viewport to the desktop environment of the first computing device is provided to the second computing device by which second viewport the first and second resources of the first computing device are able to be viewed and acted upon by a user from the second computing device; and

(e) concurrently communicating over the network, from the first computing device with a third computing device such that a third viewport to the desktop environment of the first computing device is provided to the third computing device by which third viewport the first and second resources of the first computing device are able to be viewed and acted upon by a user from the third computing device;

(f) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,

(i) are able to be viewed separately from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device,

(ii) are able to be viewed from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device, and

(iii) are able to be viewed from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device;

(g) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,

(i) are able to be viewed separately from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device,

(ii) are able to be viewed from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device independently of the viewing of resources by the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device, and

(iii) are able to be viewed from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device independently of the viewing of the resources by the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device; and

(h) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,

(i) are able to be viewed separately from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device,

(ii) are able to be viewed from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device independently of the viewing of resources by the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device, and

(iii) are able to be viewed from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device independently of the viewing of the resources by the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device; and

(i) further providing for each respective viewport,

a search user interface for text string searching resources of the respective viewport by a user at the computing device of the respective viewport;

(j) wherein the method performed further comprises visually indicating within the first viewport at the first computing device a direction toward a portion of the desktop environment that is currently displayed through the second viewport on the second computing device, and wherein the method performed further comprises visually indicating within the first viewport at the first computing device another direction toward a portion of the desktop environment that is displayed through the third viewport on the third computing device.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed further comprises adjusting the first viewport at the first computing device such that not all of the resources added to the first viewport are concurrently viewable on a display of the first computing device.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the first viewport has size, position, and scale properties relative to the desktop environment of the first computing device.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the method performed further comprises adjusting at least one of size, position, and scale of the first viewport at the first computing device such that not all of the resources added to the first viewport are concurrently viewable on a display of the first computing device.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed further comprises enabling the resources added to the first viewport to be separately viewed and acted upon from the first computing device.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein one or more resources each comprises an application window at the first computing device.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a resource is acted upon by causing an application to be executed at the first computing device from one of the other computing devices, execution of the application resulting in an application window that is viewable within the viewport from which the application is caused to be executed.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed further comprises enabling a resource from one of the other computing devices that is added at the other computing device to the viewport at the other computing device to be viewed and acted upon within the first viewport at the first computing device.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed further comprises enabling access control from each of the other computing devices to each of the resources added to the first viewport at the first computing device.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a resource comprises a resource group that itself contains one or more resources.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the resource group comprises an additional viewport that is provided on another computing device and the resources of the resource group are resources that have been added to the additional viewport.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the resources comprise application windows, and wherein the method further comprises keeping the application windows seen within the additional viewport from overlapping.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the resources comprise application windows, and wherein the method further comprises keeping the application windows from being minimized.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method performed further comprises visually indicating an amount of interest towards resources viewed through a viewport by arranging the resources in a layout that is indicative of the amount of interest toward each resource.

15. A method of sharing resources by computing devices in a desktop environment, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing at the first computing device a first viewport to a desktop environment of the first computing device;

(b) adding a first resource of the first computing device to the first viewport by which first viewport the first resource of the first computing device is able to be viewed and acted upon by a user at the first computing device;

(c) adding a second resource of the first computing device to the viewport by which first viewport the second resource of the first computing device is able to be viewed and acted upon by a user at the first computing device;

(d) communicating, over a network, from the first computing device with a second computing device such that a second viewport to the desktop environment of the first computing device is provided to the second computing device by which second viewport the first and second resources of the first computing device are able to be viewed and acted upon by a user from the second computing device; and

(e) concurrently communicating over the network, from the first computing device with a third computing device such that a third viewport to the desktop environment of the first computing device is provided to the third computing device by which third viewport the first and second resources of the first computing device are able to be viewed and acted upon by a user from the third computing device;

(f) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,

(i) are able to be viewed separately from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device,

(ii) are able to be viewed from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device, and

(iii) are able to be viewed from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device;

(g) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,

(i) are able to be viewed separately from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device,

(ii) are able to be viewed from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device independently of the viewing of resources from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device, and

(iii) are able to be viewed from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device; and

(h) wherein the first and second resources of the first computing device,

(i) are able to be viewed separately from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device,

(ii) are able to be viewed from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device independently of the viewing of resources from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device, and

(iii) are able to be viewed from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device independently of the viewing of the resources from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device; and

(i) further providing for each respective viewport,

an application launcher view user interface for launching applications, which is viewable by clicking on an open space of a virtual desktop as seen through the respective viewport, and by which launchable applications are searchable; and

(j) wherein the method further comprises visually indicating within the first viewport at the first computing device a direction toward a portion of the desktop environment that is currently displayed through the second viewport on the second computing device, and wherein the method further comprises visually indicating within the first viewport at the first computing device another direction toward a portion of the desktop environment that is displayed through the third viewport on the third computing device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second resources are able to be individually acted upon from the first computing device through the first viewport at the first computing device, are able to be individually acted upon from the second computing device through the second viewport at the second computing device, and are able to be individually acted upon from the third computing device through the third viewport at the third computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting at least one of size, position, and scale of the first viewport at the first computing device such that not all of the resources added to the first viewport at the first computing device are concurrently viewable on a display of the first computing device;

adjusting at least one of size, position, and scale of the second viewport at the second computing device such that not all of the resources added to the first viewport at the first computing device are concurrently viewable on a display of the second computing device; and

adjusting at least one of size, position, and scale of the third viewport at the third computing device such that not all of the resources added to the first viewport at the first computing device are concurrently viewable on a display of the third computing device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first computing device comprises a personal computer, wherein the second computing device comprises a mobile communication device, and wherein the third communication device comprises a tablet.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the computing devices comprises a touch screen mobile computing device.