User interface for application interface manipulation

• US 9,791,994 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hynes, Christopher, Louch, John O., Ording, Bas, Bumgarner, Timothy Wayne, Peyton, Eric Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US11/760,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,784 Days
• Field of Search: 715764, 715796, 715788
• 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

Abstract

Selection of visualization objects, such as applications windows, is performed by determining a position of a system object. A graphical representation of a system object can be positioned over a display area of an application interface. The application interface is preeminently displayed in response to a graphical representation of system object being positioned over a corresponding display area of the application interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing for display a first application interface having a display area, a second application interface, an icon, and an object receptacle, the first application interface being at least partially obscured by the second application interface, the object receptacle being displayed outside of the first application interface and the second application interface;

receiving an input moving the icon over the object receptacle;

in response to the input moving the icon over the object receptacle;

determining that the first application interface is associated with the icon; and

in accordance with the determination that the first application interface is associated with the icon, providing for display the first application interface such that the first application interface is not obscured by the second application interface, without presenting data associated with the icon in the first application interface;

receiving a continuation of the input, the continuation of the input including movement of the icon to a location on the display that is within the display area of the first application interface; and

in response to receiving the continuation of the input, presenting data associated with the icon in the display area of the first application interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an application program is associated with the first application interface; and

determining that the icon represents an object of the application program.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to determining that the icon represents an object of the application program, producing a visualization where the first application interface is preeminently displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the input moving the icon over the object receptacle, determining that a predetermined period of time elapses before providing the first application interface for display.

5. The method of claim 1, where providing for display the first application interface comprises:

scaling at least one of the first application interface and the second application interface such that the first application interface is not obscured by the second application interface and the second application interface is not obscured by the first application interface.

6. The method of claim 5, where scaling at least one of the first application interface and the second application interface includes:

scaling a size of the at least one of the first application interface and the second application interface in accordance with a size of a graphical user interface and a number of application interfaces to be displayed within the graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an application program associated with an object represented by the icon is not executing; and

then

launching a new application interface associated with the application program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each of the first and second application interfaces is associated with application software executing on a computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

in response to determining that the icon is positioned within a predetermined first display area, preeminently displaying the first application interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second application interfaces are displayed in a two-dimensional desktop interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second application interfaces are displayed in a three-dimensional desktop interface.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the object receptacle comprises a graphical representation corresponding to an application program.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon comprises a graphical representation corresponding to a document.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

providing for display a first application interface having a display area, a second application interface, an icon, and an object receptacle, the first application interface being at least partially obscured by the second application interface, the object receptacle being displayed outside of the first application interface and the second application interface;

receiving an input moving the icon over the object receptacle;

in response to the input moving the icon over the object receptacle;

determining that the first application interface is associated with the icon; and

in accordance with the determination that the first application interface is associated with the icon, providing for display the first application interface such that the first application interface is not obscured by the second application interface, without presenting data associated with the icon in the first application interface;

receiving a continuation of the input, the continuation of the input including movement of the icon to a location on the display that is within the display area of the first application interface; and

in response to receiving the continuation of the input, presenting data associated with the icon in the display area of the first application interface.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

launching an application program associated with the icon after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after receiving the input moving the icon over the object receptacle.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

in response to the input, displaying a plurality of application interfaces such that each application interface of the plurality of application interfaces is displayed without being obscured by another application interface of the plurality of application interfaces.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

scaling a size of each application interface of the plurality of application interfaces in accordance with a size of a graphical user interface and a number of application interfaces to be displayed within the graphical user interface.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the object receptacle comprises a graphical representation corresponding to an application program.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the icon comprises a graphical representation corresponding to a document.

20. A system, comprising:

one or more computers configured to perform operations comprising;

providing for display a first application interface having a display area, a second application interface, an icon, and an object receptacle, the first application interface being at least partially obscured by the second application interface, the object receptacle being displayed outside of the first application interface and the second application interface;

receiving an input moving the icon over the object receptacle;

in response to the input moving the icon over the object receptacle;

determining that the first application interface is associated with the icon; and

in accordance with the determination that the first application interface is associated with the icon, providing for display the first application interface such that the first application interface is not obscured by the second application interface, without presenting data associated with the icon in the first application interface;

receiving a continuation of the input, the continuation of the input including movement of the icon to a location on the display that is within the display area of the first application interface; and

in response to receiving the continuation of the input, presenting data associated with the icon in the display area of the first application interface.

21. The system of claim 20, the operations further comprising:

preeminently displaying the first application interface in a graphical user interface.

22. The system of claim 20, the operations further comprising:

launching an application program associated with the icon after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after receiving the input moving the icon over the object receptacle.

23. The system of claim 20, the operations further comprising:

displaying a plurality of application interfaces in a graphical user interface such that each application interface of the plurality of application interfaces is displayed without being obscured by another application interface of the plurality of application interfaces.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the object receptacle comprises a graphical representation corresponding to an application program.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the icon comprises a graphical representation corresponding to a document.