Adaptive sizing and positioning of application windows

• US 10,254,942 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Vranjes, Miron, Jones, Oliver R., Sundelin, Nils Anders, Sareen, Chaitanya Dev, Frederickson, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Repsher, III, John T
• Application Number:
  US14/448,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 715803, 715807
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses enabling adaptive sizing and positioning of application windows. In some embodiments, these techniques and apparatuses enable sizing and positioning of application windows to provide an optimized layout of application windows.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a user input to move a floating application window, the user input effective to snap the floating application window into a region of a multi-application environment;

identifying one or more edges of one or more additional application windows of one or more respective additional applications;

determining, based on the one or more edges of the one or more additional application windows, a size for the floating application window or a position for the floating application window such that the floating application window fills the region of the multi-application environment to at least one of the one or more edges of the one or more additional application windows, the determining comprising;

determining whether the one or more additional application windows include a vertically adjacent application window that is vertically adjacent to the region or a horizontally adjacent application window that is horizontally adjacent to the region;

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include the vertically adjacent application window, determining the size or position for the floating application window based on one or more edges of the vertically adjacent application window;

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include both the vertically adjacent application window and the horizontally adjacent application window, determining the size or the position for the floating application window based on the one or more edges of the vertically adjacent application window while disregarding edges of the horizontally adjacent application window; and

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include the horizontally adjacent application window and that the one or more additional application windows do not include the vertically adjacent application window, determining the size or the position for the floating application window based on one or more edges of the horizontally adjacent application window; and

presenting, based on the size determined for the floating application window or the position determined for the floating application window, the floating application window in the region of the multi-application environment to enable user interaction.

2. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the region of the multi-application environment corresponds with a predefined area of the multi-application environment having a predefined size or a predefined position and the method further comprises:

determining, based on the predefined area, a size for the one or more additional application windows or a position for the one or more additional application windows such that the identified edge of one or more additional application windows aligns with an edge of the predefined area and the floating application window fills the predefined area; and

altering, based on the determined size for the one or more additional application windows or the determined position for the one or more additional application windows, a current size or a current position for the one or more additional application windows.

3. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 2, wherein the multi-application environment is presented via a display having edges and the predefined area of the multi-application environment includes one of:

a first predefined area of the multi-application environment having two edges in contact with two of the edges of the display;

a second predefined area of the multi-application environment having three edges in contact with three of the edges of the display;

or

a third predefined area of the multi-application environment having four edges in contact with four of the edges of the display.

4. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the size of the floating application window or the position of the floating application window are determined such that a combined height of the floating application window and the vertically adjacent application window is approximately equal to a height of a display through which the multi-application environment is presented, or a combined width of the floating application window and the horizontally adjacent application window is approximately equal to a width of the display through which the multi-application environment is presented.

5. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein two or more other edges of at least one of the one or more additional application windows align with respective edges of the multi-application environment.

6. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the user input is received via touch input, mouse input, touchpad input, keyboard input, voice input, or stylus input.

18. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more additional application windows occupies the region of the multi-application environment and the operations further comprise relegating the at least one of the one or more additional application windows to another primacy layer of the multi-application environment.

19. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein, prior to receiving the user input, the floating application window overlaps at least one of the one or more additional application windows in the multi-application environment.

7. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media storing processor-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, perform operations comprising;

receiving an input initiating placement of a floating application window into a region of a multi-application environment;

identifying one or more edges of one or more additional application windows of one or more respective additional applications;

determining, based on the one or more edges of the one or more additional application windows, a size for the floating application window or a position for the floating application window such that the floating application window fills the region of the multi-application environment to at least one of the one or more edges of the one or more additional application windows, the determining comprising;

determining whether the one or more additional application windows include a vertically adjacent application window that is vertically adjacent to the region or a horizontally adjacent application window that is horizontally adjacent to the region;

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include the vertically adjacent application window, determining the size or position for the floating application window based on one or more edges of the vertically adjacent application window;

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include both the vertically adjacent application window and the horizontally adjacent application window, determining the size or the position for the floating application window based on the one or more edges of the vertically adjacent application window while disregarding edges of the horizontally adjacent application window;

or

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include the horizontally adjacent application window and that the one or more additional application windows do not include the vertically adjacent application window, determining the size or the position for the floating application window based on one or more edges of the horizontally adjacent application window; and

presenting, based on the size determined for the floating application window or the position determined for the floating application window, the floating application window in the region of the multi-application environment to enable user interaction.

8. The system as described in claim 7, wherein the region of the multi-application environment corresponds with a predefined area of the multi-application environment having a predefined size or a predefined position, and wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, based on the predefined area, a size for the one or more additional application windows or a position for the one or more additional application windows such that the identified edge of one or more additional application windows aligns with an edge of the predefined area and the floating application window fills the predefined area; and

altering, based on the determined size for the one or more additional application windows or the determined position for the one or more additional application windows, a current size or a current position for the one or more additional application windows.

9. The system as described in claim 8, wherein the multi-application environment is presented via a display and the predefined area of the multi-application environment includes one of:

a first predefined area of the multi-application environment having two edges in contact with two of the edges of the display;

a second predefined area of the multi-application environment having three edges in contact with three of the edges of the display;

or

a third predefined area of the multi-application environment having four edges in contact with four of the edges of the display.

10. The system as described in claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more additional application windows occupies the region of the multi-application environment and the operations further comprise moving, prior to presenting the floating application window in the region, the at least one of the one or more additional application windows to another region of the multi-application environment.

11. The system as described in claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise determining a size for the at least one of the one or more additional application windows such that the at least one of the one or more additional application windows fills a predefined area of the multi-application environment that corresponds to the another region of the multi-application environment.

12. The system as described in claim 11, wherein the size for the at least one of the one or more additional application windows is determined based on a preference of an application user interface associated with the at least one of the one or more additional application windows.

13. The system as described in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise presenting, prior to presenting the floating application window in the region of the multi-application environment, a preview of the floating application window that visibly indicates the determined size or the determined position for the floating application window.

14. The system as described in claim 13, wherein the region of the multi-application environment includes an area along an edge of the multi-application environment or an area at a corner of the multi-application environment.

15. A computing device comprising:

at least a memory and a processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a user input to move an application window, the user input effective to snap the application window into a region of a multi-application environment;

identifying one or more edges of one or more additional application windows of one or more respective additional applications;

determining, based on the one or more edges of the one or more additional application windows, a size for the application window or a position for the application window such that the application window fills the region of the multi-application environment to at least one of the one or more edges of the one or more additional application windows, the determining comprising;

determining whether the one or more additional application windows include a vertically adjacent application window that is vertically adjacent to the region or a horizontally adjacent application window that is horizontally adjacent to the region;

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include the vertically adjacent application window, determining the size or position for the application window based on one or more edges of the vertically adjacent application window;

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include both the vertically adjacent application window and the horizontally adjacent application window, determining the size or the position for the application window based on the one or more edges of the vertically adjacent application window while disregarding edges of the horizontally adjacent application window;

or

responsive to determining that the one or more additional application windows include the horizontally adjacent application window and that the one or more additional application windows do not include the vertically adjacent application window, determining the size or the position for the application window based on one or more edges of the horizontally adjacent application window; and

presenting, based on the determined size or position for the application window, the application window in the region of the multi-application environment to enable user interaction.

16. The computing device as described in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise presenting the multi-application environment via multiple displays and wherein one of the edges of the multi-application environment aligns with an edge of one of the multiple displays.

17. The computing device as described in claim 15, wherein the size for the application window and the position for the application window are further determined based on a preference of an application user interface associated with the application window or one of the additional application windows.