Computer interface having a single window mode of operation

• US 20050149879A1
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Jobs, Steven P., Lindsay, Donald J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,937 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/796
• 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 computer-human interface manages the available space of a computer display in a manner which reduces clutter and confusion caused by multiple open windows. The interface includes a user-selectable mode of operation in which only those windows associated with the currently active task are displayed on the computer monitor. All other windows relating to non-active tasks are minimized by reducing them in size or replacing them with a representative symbol, such as an icon, so that they occupy a minimal amount of space on the monitor'"'"'s screen. When a user switches from the current task to a new task, by selecting a minimized window, the windows associated with the current task are automatically minimized as the window pertaining to the new task is displayed at its normal size. As a result, the user is only presented with the window that relates to the current task of interest, and clutter provided by non-active tasks is removed.

Claims

1. A method for displaying data to users in a computer system in which a plurality of different tasks are being concurrently executed, comprising the steps of:

displaying each of said plurality of different tasks in the form of either an open window or a minimized representation of the task, wherein only one of said two forms of display is visible for each of said plurality of tasks;

displaying the active one of the tasks as an open window and displaying a minimized representation for each inactive task;

detecting the selection of a task other than the active task; and

replacing the display of the open window for the active task with a minimized representation of that task, and displaying an open window for the selected task instead of its minimized representation, in response to said selection.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of detecting a modified selection of a task other than the active task, and overriding the replacement of the open window for the active task with a minimized representation, to thereby display an open window for a previously active task concurrently with the open window for the selected task.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the minimized representation of a task comprises a thumbnail view of the open window for said task.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the minimized representation of a task comprises an icon.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the open window for every selected task is displayed at the same predetermined location.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said predetermined location is in the center of a display screen.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the minimized representation of each non-active task is displayed in a docking area.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said docking area comprises a user bar located along an edge of a display area.

9. A computer-readable medium containing program code for a user interface which executes the steps of:

displaying each of a plurality of different tasks, in the form of either an open window or a minimized representation of the task, wherein only one of said two forms of display is visible for each of said plurality of tasks;

displaying the active one of the tasks as an open window and displaying a minimized representation for each inactive task;

detecting the selection of a task other than the active task; and

replacing the display of the open window for the active task with a minimized representation of that task and displaying an open window for the selected task instead of its minimized representation, in response to said selection.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein said program code executes the further steps of detecting a modified selection of a task other than the active task, and overriding the replacement of the open window for the active task with a minimized representation, to thereby display an open window for a previously active task concurrently with the open window for the selected task.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the minimized representation of a task comprises a thumbnail view of the open window for said task.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the minimized representation of a task comprises an icon.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the open window for every selected task is displayed at the same predetermined location.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein said predetermined location is in the center of a display screen.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the minimized representation of each non-active task is displayed in a docking area.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein said docking area comprises a user bar located along an edge of a display area.

17. A user interface for a computer in which a plurality of different tasks are being concurrently executed, wherein each of said tasks is indicated on a display in the form of either an open window or a minimized representation of the task, such that only one of said two forms of indications is visible for each of said plurality of tasks, and wherein the active one of said tasks is indicated by an open window and the inactive tasks are indicated by respective minimized representations, and further wherein, in response to selection of a task other than the active task, the open window indication of the active task is replaced by its minimized representation and the minimized representation of the selected task is replaced with an open window indication.

18. The user interface of claim 17 wherein the open window indication of every selected task is displayed at the same location on the display.

19. The user interface of claim 18 wherein said location is a pre-determined location at the center of the display.

20. The user interface of claim 17 wherein the minimized representation of each non-active task is displayed in a docking area along an edge of the display.