Unified desktop docking behavior for window stickiness

• US 9,715,252 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: de Paz, Alexander, Reeves, Paul E., Sirpal, Sanjiv, Gimpl, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Posigian, David S
• Application Number:
  US13/566,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 715717
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45541 Bare-metal, i.e. hypervisor runs directly on hardware

Abstract

Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents desktops or windows based on a set of pre-determined rules.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device having a first desktop displayed on a first screen of the device;

providing a computer system having a second, different desktop displayed on a second screen of the computer system;

docking the device to the computer system to form a unified system;

in response to the docking, hiding the first and second desktops;

generating a unified desktop for the unified system in place of the hidden first and second desktops, wherein the unified desktop includes at least a first user interface executing on the device and a second user interface executing on the computer system, and wherein the unified desktop emulates a personal computer environment for the hidden first and second desktops;

while docked, opening one or more first windows on the on the unified desktop;

undocking the device, wherein the one or more first windows on the unified desktop close in response to the undocking but remain available for when the device is re-docked;

storing a data structure of the one or more first windows that were opened on the unified desktop while docked in response to the undocking;

opening one or more second windows on the device while in an undocked state;

storing information of the one or more second windows open on the device while in the undocked state in the data structure;

re-docking the device to the computer system; and

in response to re-docking the device;

re-hiding the first and second desktops;

regenerating the unified desktop for the unified system in place of the hidden first and second desktops;

accessing the data structure to reopen the one or more first windows on the unified desktop;

re-opening the one or more first windows on the second user interface on the unified desktop using the accessed data structure; and

moving the one or more second windows open on the device while in the undocked state to the unified desktop using the stored information in the data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure includes at least one of a window identifier and state information for the one or more first windows opened on the unified desktop at a time when the undocking occurred.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data structure further includes a time stamp associated with when the device was undocked, and wherein the data structure includes at least a second window identifier and a second state information associated with the one or more second windows open on the device in the undocked state.

4. A unified system, comprising:

a computer system comprising;

a first screen;

a first processor;

a first memory; and

a first desktop displayed on the first screen; and

a device comprising;

a second screen;

a second memory;

a second processor; and

a second, different desktop displayed on the second screen;

wherein the device is docked with the computer system to form the unified system and the first desktop, executing on the computer system, and second desktop, executing on the device, are hidden in response to the docking, the device is operable to;

while docked, generate a unified desktop and open at least a first window on the unified desktop on the first screen;

in response to undocking the device, close at least the first window, but have at least the first window remain available for when the device is re-docked, and store a data structure associated with the first window;

open and execute one or more windows on the device while in an undocked state;

store information of the one or more windows open and executing on the device while in the undocked state in the data structure; and

in response to re-docking the device with the computer system;

access the stored data structure to reopen the first window,

hide the first desktop and the second desktop,

regenerate the unified desktop,

re-open the first window on the unified desktop on the first screen using the accessed data structure, and

move the one or more windows that were open and executing on the device in the undocked state to the unified desktop using the stored information in the data structure.

5. The unified system of claim 4, wherein the data structure includes at least one of a window identifier and state information for the first window at a time when the undocking occurred.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing a unified desktop, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

upon docking a device to a computer system, form a unified system, the device having a first desktop displayed on a first screen of the device and the computer system having a second, different desktop displayed on a second screen of the computer system;

in response to the docking, hide the first and second desktops;

generate the unified desktop for the unified system in place of the hidden first and second desktops, wherein the unified desktop includes at least a first user interface executing on the device and a second user interface executing on the computer system, and wherein the unified desktop emulates a personal computer environment for the hidden first and second desktops;

while docked, open one or more first windows on the on the unified desktop;

upon undocking the device, the one or more first windows close on the unified desktop in response to the undocking, but remain available for when the device is re-docked;

in response to the undocking, store a data structure of the one or more first windows that were opened on the unified desktop while docked;

open one or more second windows on the device while in an undocked state;

store information of the one or more second windows open on the device while in the undocked state in the data structure; and

upon re-docking the device with the computer system, re-hide the first and second desktops, regenerate the unified desktop for the unified system in place of the hidden first and second desktops, access the data structure to reopen the one or more first windows on the unified desktop, re-open the one or more first windows on the second user interface on the unified desktop using the accessed data structure, and move the one or more second windows open on the device in the undocked state to the unified desktop using the stored information in the data structure.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the data structure includes at least one of a time stamp, a window identifier, and state information for the one or more first windows that were opened on the unified desktop at a time when the undocking occurred.