Systems and methods for handling stackable workspaces

• US 9,639,244 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Kuscher, Alexander Friedrich, Violet, Scott Ronald, Murphy, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): ULRICH, NICHOLAS S
• Application Number:
  US13/708,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20140075373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 715778, 715769, 715863, 715779, 715781, 715783, 715764, 715810, 715788, 715799
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/0481 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Systems and methods for navigating stackable workspaces on an electronic device are provided. A system includes a navigation module configured to display a first workspace of a plurality of workspaces stacked along a stacking axis. The plurality of workspaces includes a second workspace stacked on the first workspace. At least one application is open in the first workspace or in the second workspace. The system also includes a detection module configured to detect at least one of a first inter-workspace swipe gesture and an intra-workspace swipe gesture. The navigation module is configured to display the second workspace in response to the first inter-workspace swipe gesture. The navigation module is configured to switch between features or applications of the at least one application in response to the intra-workspace swipe gesture.

Claims

1. A system for navigating stackable workspaces on an electronic device, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

displaying a first workspace in a maximized size, a first application having been opened in the first workspace;

displaying a set of access points, wherein each access point of the set of access points is associated with a respective application;

detecting a first gesture performed on a first access point of the set of access points;

opening a second application associated with the first access point in the first workspace in response to the first gesture, wherein the first access point continues to be displayed after the second application is opened, and wherein the second application is different from the first application;

detecting a first inter-workspace swipe gesture or an intra-workspace swipe gesture, wherein the first inter-workspace swipe gesture comprises a swipe gesture along a single direction;

displaying the first workspace and a second workspace stacked along a stacking axis when the first inter-workspace swipe gesture is detected, wherein the displaying the first workspace and the second workspace stacked along the stacking axis comprises;

shrinking the first workspace from the maximized size to a first overview size; and

displaying an overview of the first workspace and the second workspace stacked along the stacking axis, wherein the second workspace is in a second overview size that is smaller than the maximized size; and

switching between the first application and the second application opened in the first workspace when the intra-workspace swipe gesture is detected, wherein the first inter-workspace swipe gesture and the intra-workspace swipe gesture are perpendicular to one another;

detecting a second gesture performed on the first access point;

opening a third workspace when the second gesture is detected; and

opening the second application in the third workspace.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first inter-workspace swipe gesture is toward a top of the first workspace.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the intra-workspace swipe gesture is toward a side of the first workspace.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first inter-workspace swipe gesture and the intra-workspace swipe gesture is a three-fingered swipe gesture.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a second inter-workspace swipe gesture; and

displaying the first workspace in response to the second inter-workspace swipe gesture.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second inter-workspace swipe gesture is toward a bottom of the second workspace.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, when the first inter-workspace swipe gesture is detected, emulating movement of at least the second workspace such that the second workspace covers the first workspace.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein displaying the overview of the first workspace and the second workspace comprises displaying the first workspace in the first overview size and the second workspace in the second overview size such that the first workspace covers a portion of the second workspace.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein opening the second application in the third workspace comprises opening the second application in the maximized size in the third workspace.

10. A computer-implemented method for navigating stackable workspaces on an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a set of access points, wherein each access point of the set of access points is associated with a respective application;

detecting a first gesture performed on a first access point of the set of access points;

opening a first application associated with the first access point in response to the first gesture, wherein the first access point continues to be displayed after the first application is opened;

detecting a first inter-workspace swipe gesture or an intra-workspace swipe gesture;

displaying a plurality of workspaces stacked along a stacking axis when the first inter-workspace swipe gesture is detected, the plurality of workspaces comprising a first workspace and a second workspace stacked on the first workspace, wherein the first application and a second application are open in the first workspace, wherein the displaying the plurality of workspaces comprises;

shrinking the first workspace from a maximized size to a first overview size; and

displaying an overview of the plurality of workspaces stacked along the stacking axis, wherein the second workspace is in a second overview size that is smaller than the maximized size; and

switching between the first application and the second application opened in the first workspace when the intra-workspace swipe gesture is detected, wherein the first application is different from the second application, wherein the first inter-workspace swipe gesture and the intra-workspace swipe gesture are perpendicular to one another;

detecting a second gesture performed on the first access point;

opening a third workspace when the second gesture is detected; and

opening the first application in the third workspace.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, when the first inter-workspace swipe gesture is detected, traversing from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein traversing from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis comprises emulating movement such that the first workspace travels towards a vanishing point along the stacking axis and the second workspace travels onto a screen of the electronic device from a position beyond the screen of the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first gesture comprises a swipe gesture and the second gesture comprises a tap gesture.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first access point continues to be displayed when the plurality of workspaces is displayed.

15. A system for providing a user interface on an electronic device, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

providing for display a first workspace, a first application having been opened in the first workspace;

generating a navigation menu comprising a set of access points, each access point of the set of access points being associated with a respective application;

detecting a swipe gesture performed on a first access point of the set of access points;

opening a second application associated with the first access point in a first window at an end of the swipe gesture in the first workspace, wherein the second application is different from the first application;

detecting an inter-workspace swipe gesture or an intra-workspace swipe gesture;

providing for simultaneous display the first workspace and a second workspace on a screen of the electronic device when the inter-workspace swipe gesture is detected, wherein the providing comprises;

shrinking the first workspace from a maximized size to a first overview size; and

displaying an overview of the first workspace and the second workspace stacked along a stacking axis, wherein the second workspace is in a second overview size that is smaller than the maximized size; and

switching between the first application and the second application when the intra-workspace swipe gesture is detected,

wherein;

a size of the first window is less than the maximized size of the first workspace,

the maximized size of the first workspace is substantially equal to a size of the screen of the electronic device,

the first access point continues to be displayed after the second application is opened,

the first access point continues to be displayed when the first workspace and the second workspace are simultaneously displayed,

the first window is displayed when the second application is opened, and

the inter-workspace swipe gesture and the intra-workspace swipe gesture are perpendicular to one another.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first workspace is part of a plurality of workspaces stacked along a stacking axis, the operations further comprising opening at least one of a plurality of applications in the second workspace of the plurality of workspaces, wherein the second workspace is stacked on the first workspace.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise detecting a workspace scrolling command.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the second workspace in response to the workspace scrolling command.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein displaying the second workspace comprises traversing from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the navigation menu when the first workspace is displayed and when the second workspace is displayed.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise displaying the navigation menu during the traversing from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the first window is centered at the end of the swipe gesture.