Transparent windows methods and apparatus therefor

• US 20080046837A1
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nicholls, Geoffrey Deane Owen, Beauchamp, Tim
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/804
• 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 for optimizing pen-based annotations on a non-pen enabled window. The method includes starting a visible non-pen-enabled window further including position indicia and size indicia; starting a transparent pen-enabled window; and associating the visible non-pen-enabled window with the transparent pen-enabled window based on the position indicia and size indicia. The method further includes aligning the transparent pen-enabled window with the visible non-pen-enabled window, and accepting user input comprising a message. If the message further includes pen indicia, the method also includes forwarding the message to the transparent pen-enabled window. Else, the method includes forwarding the message to the first application.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing pen-based annotations on a non-pen enabled window comprising:

providing a visible non-pen-enabled window including position indicia and size indicia;

providing a transparent pen-enabled window;

associating said visible non-pen-enabled window with said transparent pen-enabled window based on said position indicia and size indicia;

aligning said transparent pen-enabled window with said visible non-pen-enabled window;

accepting user input comprising a message;

determining using said transparent pen-enabled window whether said message comprises an annotation made by a pen;

if said message comprises an annotation made by a pen, forwarding said message to said transparent pen-enabled window; and

if said message does not comprise an annotation made by a pen, forwarding said message to a first application associated with said visible non-pen-enabled window.

2. The method of claim 1, where said transparent pen-enabled window comprises a transparent control.

3. The method of claim 1, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a control.

4. The method of claim 1, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a button.

5. The method of claim 1, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a browser.

6. The method of claim 1, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a menu.

7. A method of optimizing pen-based annotations on a non-pen enabled window comprising:

providing a visible non-pen-enabled window including position indicia and size indicia;

providing starting a transparent pen-enabled window;

associating said visible non-pen-enabled window with said transparent pen-enabled window based on said position indicia and size indicia;

accepting user input comprising a message;

determining using said transparent pen-enabled window whether said message comprises an annotation made by a pen;

if said message comprises an annotation made by a pen, aligning said transparent pen-enabled window with said visible non-pen-enabled window;

forwarding said message to said transparent pen-enabled window; and

moving said transparent pen-enabled window such that said transparent pen-enabled window is no longer aligned with said visible non-pen-enabled window thereby enabling automatic refresh of said non-pen-enabled window; and

else if said message does not comprise an annotation made by a pen, forwarding said message to said visible non-pen-enabled window.

8. The method of claim 7, where said transparent pen-enabled window comprises a transparent control.

9. The method of claim 7, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a control.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said moving said transparent pen-enabled window includes at least one of placing said transparent pen-enabled window in a lower Z-order than said visible non-pen-enabled window and removing said transparent pen-enabled window from a visible desktop.

11. The method of claim 7, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a browser.

12. The method of claim 7, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a menu.

13. An apparatus for optimizing pen-based annotations on a non-pen enabled window comprising:

a means of providing a visible non-pen-enabled window including position indicia and sire indicia;

a means of providing a transparent pen-enabled window;

a means of associating said visible non-pen-enabled window with said transparent pen-enabled window based on said position indicia and size indicia;

a means of aligning said transparent pen-enabled window with said visible non-pen-enabled window;

a means of accepting user input comprising a message;

a means for determining using said transparent pen-enabled window whether said message comprises an annotation made by a pen;

if said message comprises an annotation made by a pen, a means of forwarding said message to said transparent pen-enabled window; and

a means of forwarding said message to a first application associated with said visible non-pen-enabled window if said message does not comprise an annotation made by a pen.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, where said transparent pen-enabled window comprises a transparent control.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a control.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a button.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a browser.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a menu.

19. An apparatus for optimizing pen-based annotations on a non-pen enabled window comprising:

a means of providing a visible non-pen-enabled window including position indicia and size indicia;

a means of providing a transparent pen-enabled window;

a means of associating said visible non-pen-enabled window with said transparent pen-enabled window based on said position indicia and size indicia;

a means of accepting user input comprising a message;

a means of determining using said transparent pen-enabled window whether said message comprises an annotation made by a pen;

if said message comprises an annotation made by a pen, a means of aligning said transparent pen-enabled window with said visible non-pen-enabled window;

a means of forwarding said message to said transparent pen-enabled window; and

,

a means of moving said transparent pen-enabled window such that said transparent pen-enabled window is no longer aligned with f said visible non-pen-enabled window thereby enabling automatic refresh of said non-pen-enabled window; and

else, a means of forwarding said message to said visible non-pen-enabled window if said message does not comprise an annotation made by a pen.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, where said transparent pen-enabled window comprises a transparent control.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a control.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said moving means includes at least one of means for placing said transparent pen-enabled window in a lower Z-order than said visible non-pen-enabled window and means for removing said transparent pen-enabled window from a visible desktop.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a browser.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, where said non-pen enabled window comprises a menu.