System and method for managing software applications in a graphical user interface

• US 9,933,911 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Czerwinski, Mary, Smith, Greg, Meyers, Brian, Baudisch, Patrick Markus, Robertson, George G., Robbins, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/069,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,569 Days
• Field of Search: 715779, 715767, 715771, 715781, 715788
• 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

A system and method for managing software application windows in a graphical user interface having a desktop and taskbar display area are provided. Each instantiated program is represented as one or more graphical windows in the desktop and as a control tile in the taskbar. Control tiles are grouped into control tile groups that facilitate organization and single access control. Project control tile groups allow the grouping of multiple software applications. Additionally, minimized control tile group layout and state may be preserved and previewed prior to being restored.

Claims

1. A method for managing at least two software applications in a computer system including a display, the method comprising:

organizing a first graphic control corresponding to a first software application of the at least two software applications, the first software application being represented as a first graphical window in a first portion of the display;

organizing a second graphic control corresponding to a second software application of the at least two software applications, the second software application being represented as a second graphic window in the first portion of the display;

associating the first graphic control and second graphic control with a group graphic control;

displaying the group graphic control within a second portion of the display, the group graphic control representing the first and second graphic controls in a collapsed manner;

receiving a selection of the group graphic control;

providing, on the first portion of the display, a preview of the first graphical window and the second graphical window, the preview comprising respective snapshots of the first graphical window and the second graphical window at a particular time; and

restoring, based at least in part on receiving a selection corresponding to the group graphic control, at least one of the first graphical window or the second graphical window on the first portion of the display.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein organizing the first graphic control and organizing the second graphic control includes receiving, via a user interface, an input representing at least a partial graphically drawn shape around the first and second graphic controls.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein organizing the first graphic control and organizing the second graphic control includes receiving, via a user interface, an input to cause encompassing, at least partially, the first and second graphic controls by a geometric selection tool.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a single user action to act upon the first and second graphic controls in the group; and

performing, upon the receiving, the single user action to the at least two software applications substantially simultaneously.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a single user action to act upon the first and second graphic controls in the group; and

arranging the first graphic window and the second graphic window in a predefined layout based on the single user action, the predefined layout including one of cascading, tiling, single window centralizing, or equal division of open windows.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

generating a record of a layout of the first graphical window and the second graphical window;

storing the record of the layout of the first graphical window and the second graphical window;

generating a preview of the record of the layout of the first graphical window and the second graphical window in the first portion of the display; and

specifying a location for restoration of the first graphical window and the second graphical window.

20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein restoring at least one of the first graphical window or the secon dgraphical window includes:

restoring the first graphical window to a first predetermined location within the first portion of the display; and

restoring the second graphical window to a second predetermined location within the first portion of the display.

7. A method for managing a plurality of software applications executed on a computer system including a display, wherein the plurality of software applications are represented as graphical windows on a desktop portion of the display and as control tiles on a taskbar portion of the display, the method comprising:

grouping a first control tile corresponding to a first software application of the plurality of software applications and a second control tile corresponding to a second software application of the plurality of software applications, the first control tile and the second control tile being associated with first and second graphical windows, respectively;

associating the first control tile and the second control tile with a control tile group;

displaying the first and second control tiles as the control tile group within the taskbar portion of the display;

receiving an indication of a selection of the control tile group;

providing, on the desktop portion of the display, a preview of the first and second graphical windows, the preview comprising respective snapshots of the first and second graphical windows at a particular time; and

restoring, based at least in part on receiving a selection corresponding to the control tile group, at least one of the first or second graphical windows.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising collapsing the control tile group based on available display space on the taskbar or based on available space on the desktop portion of the display.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising collapsing the control tile group based on a frequency of access of the first or second control tiles or based on a user defined collapsing priority.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the collapsing comprises collapsing the control tile group when the frequency of access of the control tile group is below a preset threshold or when the control tile group has been accessed fewer times than other control tile groups.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

generating a record of a layout of the first and second graphical windows;

storing the record of the layout of the first and second graphical windows;

generating a preview of the first and second graphical in the desktop portion of the display; and

manipulating the preview to specify dimensions of the first and second graphical windows.

12. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising

generating a record of a layout of the first and second graphical windows;

storing the record of the layout of the first and second graphical windows; and

generating a preview of the first and second graphical windows in the desktop portion of the display, wherein displaying the preview of the first and second graphical windows in the desktop portion of the display includes displaying one of a reduced size representation, a full size representation, or a semi-transparent representation of the first and second graphical windows on the desktop portion of the display.

13. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing the method recited in Claim 7.

14. A computer system for managing a plurality of software applications, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

displaying, based at least in part on two or more software applications being instantiated on the computer system, the two or more software applications as respective graphical windows;

displaying, based at least in part on two or more software applications being instantiated on the computer system, two or more control tiles corresponding to the two or more respective software applications, wherein at least two control tiles of the two or more control tiles correspond to a single software application of the two or more software applications;

receiving an indication to associate the two or more control tiles as a group control tile corresponding to the single software application;

displaying, based at least in part on receiving the indication, the group control tile, wherein the group control tile represents the two or more control tiles as a group; and

executing a single user action on a subset of the group, wherein the single user action comprises toggling a first group of software applications with a second group of software applications between a minimized state and a restored state, the first group of software applications being in the minimized state when the second group of software applications are in the restored state, and the first group of software applications being in the restored state when the second group of software applications are in the minimized state.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, the acts further comprising forming a software application group comprising a plurality of software applications by creating the group control tile comprising a plurality of control tiles of the two or more control tiles, each of the plurality of control tiles in the control tile group corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of software applications in the software application group.

16. The system as recited in claim 14, the acts further comprising executing another single user action upon another subset of the group, the another single user action being performed to each of one or more software applications in a corresponding software application group substantially simultaneously based on the subset of the group.

17. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein displaying the two or more control tiles as the group includes displaying the two or more control tiles as a project for toggling the two or more software applications corresponding to the two or more control tiles between the minimized state and the restored state.

18. The system as recited in claim 14, the acts further comprising storing state information corresponding to the two or more software applications and displaying, restoring, and previewing a time-dependent representation of the project, wherein the state information includes at least one of user information, version information, and contextual information.

19. The system as recited in claim 14, the acts further comprising:

obtaining an indication to collapse the two or more control tiles into the group control tile;

displaying the group solely as a group control tile;

obtaining an indication to remove two or more control tiles from the group; and

displaying the two or more control tiles removed from the group as separate control tiles.