System and method for visually browsing of open windows

• US 20060161861A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stabb, Charles W., Pettiross, Jeffrey W., Cooperman, Hillel N., VedBrat, Kanwal, Ligameri, Mark R., Lindsay, Donald J., Holecek, Ales
• Granted Patent: US 8,341,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/782
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• 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 method referred to as visual window browsing allows a user to browse through windows on their desktop. Aspects of the invention include responsive to a command, moving open windows to form a visual stack with the topmost window in the stack being in focus. Responsive to a browse the windows in the visual stack can be browsed, where the topmost window moves to the bottom of the visual stack and the other windows move higher in the stack, with the second highest window becoming the topmost window and being in focus. Successive browse commands causes this behavior to repeat allowing a user to cycle through each of the open windows.

Claims

1. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising in order the steps of:

responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, wherein a first window is the top window of the Z-order; and

responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, wherein a second window, becomes the top window of the Z-order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first window moves to the bottom of the Z-order responsive to the second command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the Z-ordering of the windows prior to reconfiguring responsive to the first command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the Z-order is based on file name.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of reconfiguring each include resizing the windows based on the Z-ordering from smallest to largest.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reconfiguring responsive to the first command includes transitioning a two dimensional visual representation to the first three dimensional representation using animation and the step of reconfiguring responsive to the second command includes transitioning from the first three dimensional visual representation to the second three dimensional visual representation using animation.

7. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for performing the method of claim 1.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first window is not in focus immediately prior to reconfiguring responsive to the first command and becomes in focus responsive to the first command.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconfiguring responsive to the first command further includes restoring a minimized or hidden window.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a third window absent from the first three dimensional visual representation of the plurality of windows is in the Z-order and part of the second three dimensional visual representation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of reconfiguring including skewing the windows in the first and second three dimensional visual representation, wherein the amount of skew is based on the number of windows in the three dimensional visual representation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first three dimensional visual representation presents the windows in a form which exposes a maximum portion of content of each window.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each three dimensional visual representation exposes at least title information for each window displayed.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a portion of content associated with a window responsive to a mouse pointer hovering over a portion of the window.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the portion of content is displayed as a thumbnail.

16. A method for concurrently displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising in order the steps of:

responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, wherein a first window is the top window of the Z-order and in focus; and

responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, in which a second window is located in a different position wherein more content of the second window is revealed than in the first three dimensional visual representation while the Z-order of the windows remains the same.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein reconfiguring responsive to the second command includes the second window transitioning by animation from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation to its position in the second three dimensional visual representation.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the animation represents an effect of sliding out the second window from its position in the first three dimensional visual representation.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising responsive to a third command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a third three dimensional visual representation of the windows overlapping, in which the second window is the top window of the Z-order.

20. A software architecture for processing data representative of a Z-ordering of overlapping windows on a computer display, comprising:

at least one component configured to transition the windows by animation to be in a visual stack in Z-order with the topmost window in the stack being in focus; and

at least one application program interface to access the component.