Method and system for automatically displaying content of a window on a display that has changed orientation

• US 20050177798A1
• Filed: 02/06/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Naguthanawala, Murtuza S., Figueroa, Joseph N., Thomson, Michael James
• Granted Patent: US 7,441,204 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method and system for automatically displaying content of a window on a display that has changed orientation is described. The content of a window, such as a dialog box, that has been authored for a particular size is repositioned and resized such that the window is viewable in its entirety when the display screen orientation is changed (e.g., from portrait to landscape.) A scroll bar is added to allow full access to content that is not visible within the display screen when necessary. Likewise, the scrollbar is removed when the scrollbar is no longer necessary in the new orientation. The repositioning and resizing of the window, as well as the addition or removal of the scrollbar occurs without interruption of other operating system applications.

Claims

1. A method for automatically adjusting a window displayed within a display screen in response to a change in display orientation from a first orientation to a second orientation, comprising:

determining a position of the window when the display orientation corresponds to the first orientation;

determining whether the window is fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation;

adjusting at least one of a size and the position of the window when the window is not fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation; and

displaying the window within the display screen according to the at least one of an adjusted size and adjusted position when the display orientation corresponds to the second orientation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first orientation is portrait and the second orientation is landscape.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first orientation is landscape and the second orientation is portrait.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a scroll bar to the window when the entire window is not fully displayed within the display screen having the second orientation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing a scroll bar from the window when the scrollbar is present in the window having the first orientation and when the entire window is fully displayed within the display screen having the second orientation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of a size and the position of the window further comprises adjusting at least one of the size and the position of the window such that a maximum portion of the window is visible on the display screen having the second orientation.

7. A system for automatically adjusting a window displayed within a display screen in response to a change in display orientation from a first orientation to a second orientation, comprising:

a shell coupled to the display screen, the shell being configured to;

determine a position of the window when the display orientation corresponds to the first orientation;

determine whether the window is fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation; and

adjust at least one of a size and the position of the window when the window is not fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation; and

a window manager coupled to the shell and the display, the window manager being configured to display the window within the display screen according to the at least one of an adjusted size and adjusted position when the display orientation corresponds to the second orientation.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first orientation is portrait and the second orientation is landscape.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first orientation is landscape and the second orientation is portrait.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the window manager is configured to add a scroll bar to the window when the entire window is not fully displayed within the display screen having the second orientation.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the window manager is configured to remove a scroll bar from the window when the scrollbar is present in the window having the first orientation and when the entire window is fully displayed within the display screen having the second orientation.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the shell sends a customized scrollbar notification to the window manager when the entire window is not fully displayed within the display screen having the second orientation such that boundaries of a viewing area on the display screen are adjustable.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the shell is an external component such that an original equipment manufacturer can customize design attributes associated with the shell.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for automatically displaying content of a window designed for a display having a first orientation on the display having a second orientation, the instructions comprising:

determining a position of the window when the display orientation corresponds to the first orientation;

determining whether the window is fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation;

adjusting at least one of a size and the position of the window when the window is not fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation; and

displaying the window within the display screen according to the at least one of an adjusted size and adjusted position when the display orientation corresponds to the second orientation.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first orientation is portrait and the second orientation is landscape.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first orientation is landscape and the second orientation is portrait.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising adding a scroll bar to the window when the entire window is not fully displayed within the display screen having the second orientation.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising removing a scroll bar from the window when the scrollbar is present in the window having the first orientation and when the entire window is fully displayed within the display screen having the second orientation.

19. A system for automatically displaying content of a window designed for a display having one of a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation on the display having the other of a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation, comprises:

means for determining a position of the window when the display orientation corresponds to one of a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation;

means for determining whether the window is fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation;

means for adjusting at least one of a size and the position of the window when the window is not fully displayed subsequent to the change in display orientation; and

means for displaying the window within the display screen according to the at least one of an adjusted size and adjusted position when the display orientation corresponds to the other of a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for adding a scroll bar to the window when the entire window is not fully displayed within the display screen having the other of a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for removing a scroll bar from the window when the scrollbar is present in the window having one of a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation and when the entire window is fully displayed within the display screen having the other of a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation.