Systems and methods for efficiently navigating between applications with linked content on an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display

• US 9,785,340 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lemay, Stephen O., Foss, Christopher P., Lee, Woo-Ram, Yang, Lawrence Y., Stack, Caelan G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, William
• Application Number:
  US14/738,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20150363066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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

Systems and methods for efficiently navigating between applications with linked content on a touch-sensitive display (“TSD”) are disclosed herein. In one aspect, the method includes displaying, in a full-screen mode on the TSD, a first application including a first selectable user interface (“UI”) element associated with a second application. The method further includes detecting a selection of the first selectable user interface element and, in response thereto: (i) displaying the second application, including a second selectable UI element, in a predefined portion of the TSD and (ii) displaying a first indication corresponding to the first application in an additional portion of the TSD. The method also includes detecting a selection of the second selectable UI element and, in response thereto: (i) displaying the third application in the predefined portion of the TSD and (ii) displaying a second indication corresponding to the second application in the additional portion of the TSD.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the electronic device to:

display, in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display, a first application including a first selectable user interface element associated with a second application;

detect a selection of the first selectable user interface element;

in response to detecting the selection of the first selectable user interface element;

(i) display the second application, including a second selectable user interface element corresponding to a third application, in a predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the second application occupies substantially all of the predefined portion;

(ii) display a first indication corresponding to the first application in an additional portion of the touch-sensitive display that is distinct from and adjacent to the predefined portion, wherein a combination of the predefined portion and the additional portion occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display, and the first indication occupies substantially all of the additional portion;

detect a selection of the second selectable user interface element;

in response to detecting the selection of the second selectable user interface element;

(i) display the third application in the predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the third application occupies substantially all of the predefined portion; and

(ii) display a second indication corresponding to the second application in the additional portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the combination of the predefined portion and the additional portion occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display, and the second indication occupies substantially all of the additional portion.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the second application in the predefined portion includes sliding the second application in a first direction on to the touch-sensitive display until the second application occupies the predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein sliding the second application on to the touch-sensitive display includes sliding the second application over the displayed first application.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

before sliding the second application on to the touch-sensitive display, reduce a display size of the first application such that the first application appears to move backwards, relative to a user of the electronic device, within the touch-sensitive display.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein displaying the third application in the predefined portion includes sliding the third application in a first direction on to the touch-sensitive display until the third application occupies the predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein sliding the third application on to the touch-sensitive display includes sliding the third application over the displayed second application.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

before sliding the third application on to the touch-sensitive display, reduce a display size of the second application such that the second application appears to move backwards, relative to a user of the electronic device, within the touch-sensitive display.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

detect a touch input at the second indication; and

in response to detecting the touch input at the second indication, slide the third application off of the touch-sensitive display in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, until the third application is no longer visible on the touch-sensitive display.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein sliding the third application off of the touch-sensitive display includes revealing, as the third application slides off of the touch-sensitive display, the second application having the reduced display size.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein revealing the second application includes increasing the display size of the second application until the second application is again displayed in the full-screen mode, such that increasing the display size of the second application creates an appearance that the second application is moving, within the touch-sensitive display, towards the user of the electronic device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein revealing the second application includes (i) increasing the display size of the second application until the second application occupies the predefined portion and (ii) re-displaying the first indication corresponding to the first application in the additional portion.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second indications include an arrow affordance pointing in a direction opposite to the first direction.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the first indication and displaying the second indication include determining a visual appearance for the first indication and the second indication, respectively, based on a physical characteristic of the touch-sensitive display and displaying the first indication and the second indication, respectively, with the determined visual appearance.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to cease displaying the first indication and/or the second indication after a predefined period of time in which no user input is detected at the additional portion.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the additional portion is between an edge of the touch-sensitive display and the predefined portion.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the additional portion has a width that is substantially the same as the width of the predefined portion and further wherein the additional portion has a height that is substantially less than the height of the predefined portion.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first selectable user interface element is embedded in a first user interface of the first application, and the second selectable user interface element is embedded in a second user interface of the second application.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the additional portion is smaller than the predefined portion.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to;

display, in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display, a first application including a first selectable user interface element associated with a second application;

detect a selection of the first selectable user interface element;

in response to detecting the selection of the first selectable user interface element;

(i) display the second application, including a second selectable user interface element, in a predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the second application occupies substantially all of the predefined portion;

(ii) display a first indication corresponding to the first application in an additional portion of the touch-sensitive display that is distinct from and adjacent to the predefined portion, wherein a combination of the predefined portion and the additional portion occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display, and the first indication occupies substantially all of the additional portion;

detect a selection of the second selectable user interface element;

in response to detecting the selection of the second selectable user interface element;

(i) display the third application in the predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the third application occupies substantially all of the predefined portion; and

(ii) display a second indication corresponding to the second application in the additional portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the combination of the predefined portion and the additional portion occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display, and the second indication occupies substantially all of the additional portion.

20. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display;

displaying, in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display, a first application including a first selectable user interface element associated with a second application;

detecting a selection of the first selectable user interface element;

in response to detecting the selection of the first selectable user interface element;

(i) displaying the second application, including a second selectable user interface element, in a predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the second application occupies substantially all of the predefined portion;

(ii) displaying a first indication corresponding to the first application in an additional portion of the touch-sensitive display that is distinct from and adjacent to the predefined portion, wherein a combination of the predefined portion and the additional portion occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display, and the first indication occupies substantially all of the additional portion;

detecting a selection of the second selectable user interface element;

in response to detecting the selection of the second selectable user interface element;

(i) displaying the third application in the predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the third application occupies substantially all of the predefined portion; and

(ii) displaying a second indication corresponding to the second application in the additional portion of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the combination of the predefined portion and the additional portion occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display, and the second indication occupies substantially all of the additional portion.