Method, system, and graphical user interface for viewing multiple application windows

• US 20080168401A1
• Filed: 01/05/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lemay, Stephen O., Van Os, Marcel, Williamson, Richard, Blumenberg, Chris, Boule, Andre M. J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,214,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Methods, systems, and graphical user interfaces for viewing multiple application windows are disclosed. In one embodiment, a portable electronic device with a touch screen display: displays an application, which includes a displayed window and at least one hidden window; displays an icon for adding windows to the application; detects activation of the icon for adding windows; in response to detecting activation of the icon for adding windows, adds a window to the application; detects a gesture on the touch screen display; and, in response to detecting the gesture, moves a displayed window in the application off the display and moves a hidden window onto the display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a portable electronic device,

displaying a first window of an application and an icon for initiating creation of multiple windows in the application on the touch screen display;

detecting activation of the icon for initiating creation of multiple windows;

displaying an icon for adding new windows to the application;

detecting a first activation of the icon for adding new windows to the application;

creating and displaying a second window for the application;

detecting a first gesture on the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting the first gesture, moving the second window off the display and a hidden window of the application onto the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hidden window is the first window.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a second activation of the icon for adding new windows to the application;

creating and displaying a third window for the application;

detecting a second gesture on the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting the second gesture, moving the third window of the application off the display and a hidden window of the application onto the display.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the hidden window is the first window or the second window.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first gesture is the same as the second gesture.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the windows are web pages.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display,

displaying an application, wherein the application includes a displayed window and at least one hidden window;

displaying an icon for adding windows to the application;

detecting activation of the icon for adding windows;

in response to detecting activation of the icon for adding windows, adding a window to the application;

detecting a gesture on the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting the gesture, moving a displayed window in the application off the display and a hidden window onto the display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the device is a portable communications device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the touch screen display is less than three inches by five inches in size.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the gesture is a sweeping gesture along a particular axis of the display that moves the displayed window and the hidden window along the particular axis.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein a left-to-right sweeping gesture along the horizontal axis of the display moves the displayed window and the hidden window from left to right along the horizontal axis.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein a top-to-bottom sweeping gesture along the vertical axis of the display moves the displayed window and the hidden window from top to bottom along the vertical axis.

13. A graphical user interface on a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprising:

an icon for adding windows to an application;

a plurality of windows for the application that include a displayed window and at least one hidden window;

wherein the plurality of windows are created in response to detection of one or more activations of the icon for adding windows; and

wherein a gesture on the touch screen is used to move the displayed window off the display and to move a hidden window onto the display.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein the application is a browser application and the plurality of windows display at least two distinct web pages.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein the application is a word processing application and the plurality of windows display at least two distinct word processing documents.

16. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

a program, wherein the program is stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the program including;

instructions for displaying an application, wherein the application includes a displayed window and at least one hidden window;

instructions for displaying an icon for adding windows to the application;

instructions for detecting activation of the icon for adding windows;

instructions for, in response to detecting activation of the icon for adding windows, adding a window to the application;

instructions for detecting a gesture on the touch screen display; and

instructions for, in response to detecting the gesture, moving a displayed window in the application off the display and a hidden window onto the display.

17. A computer-program product, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, cause the device to;

display an application, wherein the application includes a displayed window and at least one hidden window;

display an icon for adding windows to the application;

detect activation of the icon for adding windows;

in response to detecting activation of the icon for adding windows, add a window to the application;

detect a gesture on the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting the gesture, move a displayed window in the application off the display and a hidden window onto the display.

18. A portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprising:

means for displaying an application, wherein the application includes a displayed window and at least one hidden window;

means for displaying an icon for adding windows to the application;

means for detecting activation of the icon for adding windows;

means for adding, in response to detecting activation of the icon for adding windows, a window to the application;

means for detecting a gesture on the touch screen display; and

means for moving, in response to detecting the gesture, a displayed window in the application off the display and a hidden window onto the display.