INTEGRATED GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

• US 20130014039A1
• Filed: 07/06/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Manousek, Wolfgang, Lachenmann, Andreas Juergen, Neugebauer, Matthias Gnter, Hillebrand, Mark A., Kenn, Holger Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 10,503,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives a first graphical user interface of a first computer-executable application and a second graphical user interface of a second computer-executable application. The system also includes an integration component that automatically causes a portion of the first graphical user interface and a portion of the second graphical user interface to be simultaneously displayed on a display screen in an integrated graphical user interface that appears to an end user as being a single application.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first graphical user interface of a first computer-executable application;

receiving a second graphical user interface of a second computer-executable application;

accessing a data store that comprises a configuration, the configuration defining display parameters when at least a portion of the first graphical user interface and a portion of the second graphical user interface are displayed together as an integrated graphical user interface on a display screen; and

displaying at least the portion of the first graphical user interface and the portion of the second graphical user interface as the integrated graphical user interface on the display screen based at least in part upon contents of the configuration, the integrated graphical user interface appearing to an end user as belonging to a single computer-executable application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer-executable application and the second computer-executable application executing in a first logical computing partition and a second logical computing partition, respectively.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first logical computing partition and the second logical computing partition execute a first operating system and a second operating system, respectively.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first logical computing partition and the second logical computing partition reside on a first computing device and a second computing device, respectively.

5. The methodology of claim 1 executed in a computer system of an automobile.

6. The methodology of claim 1 executed in a mobile telephone.

7. The methodology of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that user input has been received for one of the first computer-executable application or the second computer-executable application in the integrated graphical user interface; and

selectively transmitting the user input to the one of the first computer-executable application or the second computer-executable application responsive to detecting that the user input has been received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first graphical user interface and the second graphical user interface are received in accordance with a remoting user interface protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer-executable application and the second computer-executable application are executing on a same computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third graphical user interface from a third computer-executable application; and

causing a portion of the third graphical user interface to be overlaid on the portion of the second graphical user interface that is displayed in the integrated graphical user interface based at least in part upon contents of the configuration.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein locations, shapes, and sizes of the first graphical user interface and the second graphical user interface are one of defined at the pixel level in the configuration or dynamically modified at runtime.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer-executable application and the second computer-executable application are developed by first and second developers, respectively, and wherein the configuration is developed by a third developer.

13. A system, comprising:

a receiver component that receives;

a first graphical user interface of a first computer-executable application; and

a second graphical user interface of a second computer-executable application; and

an integration component that automatically causes a portion of the first graphical user interface and a portion of the second graphical user interface to be simultaneously displayed on a display screen in an integrated graphical user interface that appears to an end user as being a single application.

14. The system of claim 13 comprised by a computing apparatus in an automobile.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first computer-executable application is executing in a first logical partition and the second computer-executable application is executing in a second logical partition.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first logical partition resides on a first computing device and the second logical partition resides on a second computing device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first logical partition executes a first operating system and the second logical partition executes a second operating system.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the integration component accesses a data store that comprises a configuration, the configuration defining the portion of the first graphical user interface and the portion of the second graphical user interface that are included in the integrated user interface.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the configuration defines, by pixels, the portion of the first graphical user interface and the portion of the second graphical user interface that are to be displayed in the integrated graphical user interface.

20. A computer-readable data storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving a first graphical user interface of a first computer-executable application executing in a first logical partition;

receiving a second graphical user interface of a second computer-executable application executing in a second logical partition;

selecting a portion of the first graphical user interface that is to be displayed in an integrated graphical user interface to an end user;

selecting a portion of the second graphical user interface that is to be displayed in the integrated graphical user interface to the end user;

selecting a first position on a display screen to display the portion of the first graphical user interface;

selecting a second position on the display screen to display the portion of the second graphical user interface; and

causing the portion of the first graphical user interface and the portion of the second graphical user interface to be concurrently displayed on the display screen in the integrated graphical user interface at the first position and the second position, respectively, wherein the integrated graphical user interface appears to an end user as being for a single application.