Arranging tiles

• US 10,579,250 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Leonard, Chantal M., Kuehnle, Holger, Whytock, John C., Deutsch, Rebecca, Miner, Patrice L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Parker, Jeanette J
• Application Number:
  US14/529,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for arranging tiles. These techniques and apparatuses enable users to quickly and easily arrange tiles within an interface, such as an application-launching interface. In some cases, users may arrange tiles in an interface with as little as one continuous gesture.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

presenting a first view of a user interface that displays multiple tiles, wherein at least one tile of the multiple tiles displays content associated with an application;

receiving, in the first view of the user interface, a first selection of a tile of the multiple tiles, the first selection moving the selected tile to a region in the first view of the user interface that is designated for facilitating movement of the selected tile to one or more locations;

responsive to receiving the first selection, zooming out from the first view of the user interface to a second view of the user interface that displays the multiple tiles and an array of multiple other tiles not previously displayed in the first view of the user interface;

receiving, in the second view of the user interface, a second selection to place the selected tile at a location that is occupied by a current tile of the multiple other tiles;

zooming in to a third view of the user interface;

placing the selected tile at the location that is occupied by the current tile in the third view of the user interface, wherein the first selection and the second selection are portions of a single continuous gesture such that the zooming out and the placement of the selected tile occur based on the single continuous gesture; and

automatically reflowing one or more of the multiple other tiles in the array based at least in part on placing the selected tile at the location that is occupied by the current tile, the reflowing moving at least the current tile to another location.

2. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the array includes columns and rows having superior and subordinate locations, a left-most column having locations superior to locations within columns arranged right of the left-most column, and a top-most row of each column having locations superior to rows arranged below the top-most row in each column, and wherein automatically reflowing the one or more of the multiple other tiles moves:

the current tile down in a current column unless no lower location exists in the current column;

or

the current tile over from the current column to another column arranged to the right of the current column if no lower location exists in the current column.

3. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the operation of receiving the second selection includes dwelling or hovering the selected tile at least partially over the location that is occupied by the current tile and the operations further comprise indicating, responsive to the dwelling or the hovering and prior to placing the selected tile, the location at which the selected tile is to be placed by altering an appearance of the current tile or a tile immediately superior to the current tile.

4. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the region in the first view is at an edge of the user interface.

5. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the multiple tiles are part of a first group of tiles and the multiple other tiles are part of other groups of tiles, the first group of tiles and the other groups of tiles organized for application launching.

6. A computing device as described in claim 5, wherein the one or more of the multiple other tiles belong to a particular one of the other groups and the automatically reflowing the one or more of the multiple other tiles is limited to the particular one of the other groups.

7. A computing device as described in claim 1, wherein the second view of the user interface provides a plurality of different locations within which the selected tile can be placed.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting a first view of a user interface that displays multiple tiles, wherein at least one tile of the multiple tiles displays content associated with an application;

receiving, in the first view of the user interface, a first selection of a tile of the multiple tiles, the first selection moving the selected tile to an edge region in the first view of the user interface that is designated for facilitating movement of the selected tile to one or more locations;

responsive to receiving the first selection, zooming out from the first view of the user interface to a second view of the user interface that displays the multiple tiles and an array of multiple other tiles not previously displayed in the first view of the user interface;

receiving, in the second view of the user interface, a second selection to place the selected tile at a location that is occupied by a current tile of the multiple other tiles;

zooming in to a third view of the user interface;

placing the selected tile at the location that is occupied by a current tile in the third view of the user interface, wherein the first selection and the second selection are portions of a single continuous gesture such that the zooming out and the placement of the selected tile occur based on the single continuous gesture; and

automatically reflowing one or more of the multiple other tiles in the array based at least in part on placing the selected tile at the location that is occupied by the current tile.

9. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 8, wherein the array includes columns and rows having superior and subordinate locations, a left-most column having locations superior to locations within columns arranged right of the left-most column, and a top-most row of each column having locations superior to locations rows arranged below the top-most row in each column, and wherein automatically reflowing the one or more of the multiple other tiles includes:

moving the current tile down in a current column unless no lower location exists in the current column;

or

moving the current tile over from the current column to another column arranged to the right of the current column if no lower location exists in the current column.

10. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 8, wherein the multiple tiles are part of a first group of tiles and the multiple other tiles are part of other groups of tiles, the first group of tiles and the other groups of tiles organized for application launching.

11. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 10, wherein the one or more of the multiple other tiles belong to a particular one of the other groups and the automatically reflowing the one or more of the multiple other tiles is limited to the particular one of the other groups.

12. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 8, wherein the second view of the user interface provides a plurality of different locations within which the selected tile can be placed.

13. A computing device comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

presenting a first view of a user interface that displays multiple tiles that belong to a first group of tiles, wherein at least one tile of the multiple tiles displays content associated with an application;

receiving, in the first view of the user interface, a first selection of a tile of the multiple tiles, the first selection moving the selected tile to a region in the first view of the user interface that is designated for facilitating movement of the selected tile across groups of tiles;

responsive to receiving the first selection, zooming out from the first view of the user interface to a second view of the user interface that displays the multiple tiles that belong to the first group of tiles and an array of multiple other tiles not previously displayed in the first view of the user interface, wherein the multiple other tiles belong to a second group of tiles;

receiving, in the second view of the user interface, a second selection to place the selected tile at a location within the second group of tiles that is occupied by a current tile of the multiple other tiles;

zooming in to a third view of the user interface;

placing the selected tile at the location within the second group of tiles that is occupied by the current tile in the third view of the user interface, wherein the first selection and the second selection are portions of a single continuous gesture such that the zooming out and the placement of the selected tile occur based on the single continuous gesture; and

automatically reflowing one or more of the multiple other tiles in the array based at least in part on placing the selected tile at the location within the second group of tiles that is occupied by the current tile.

14. A computing device as described in claim 13, wherein the second group of tiles provides a plurality of different locations within which the selected tile can be placed.

15. A computing device as described in claim 13, wherein the region in the first view is at an edge of the user interface.