SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HANDLING STACKABLE WORKSPACES

• US 20140075373A1
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Kuscher, Alexander Friedrich, Violet, Scott Ronald, Murphy, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 9,639,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Systems and methods for navigating stackable workspaces on an electronic device are provided. A system includes a navigation module configured to display a first workspace of a plurality of workspaces stacked along a stacking axis. The plurality of workspaces includes a second workspace stacked on the first workspace. At least one application is open in the first workspace or in the second workspace. The system also includes a detection module configured to detect at least one of a first inter-workspace swipe gesture and an intra-workspace swipe gesture. The navigation module is configured to display the second workspace in response to the first inter-workspace swipe gesture. The navigation module is configured to switch between features or applications of the at least one application in response to the intra-workspace swipe gesture.

Claims

1. A system for navigating stackable workspaces on an electronic device, the system comprising:

a navigation module configured to display a first workspace of a plurality of workspaces stacked along a stacking axis, the plurality of workspaces comprising a second workspace stacked on the first workspace, wherein at least one application is open in the first workspace or in the second workspace; and

a detection module configured to detect at least one of a first inter-workspace swipe gesture and an intra-workspace swipe gesture;

wherein the navigation module is configured to display the second workspace in response to the first inter-workspace swipe gesture, and

wherein the navigation module is configured to switch between features or applications of the at least one application in response to the intra-workspace swipe gesture.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first inter-workspace swipe gesture and the intra-workspace swipe gesture are perpendicular to one another.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first inter-workspace swipe gesture is toward a top of the first workspace.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the intra-workspace swipe gesture is toward a side of the first workspace or the second workspace.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first inter-workspace swipe gesture and the intra-workspace swipe gesture is a three-fingered swipe gesture.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the detection module is configured to detect a second inter-workspace swipe gesture.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the navigation module is configured to display the first workspace in response to the second inter-workspace swipe gesture.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the second inter-workspace swipe gesture is toward a bottom of the second workspace.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the features of the at least one application comprise at least one of windows, frames, tabs, buttons, and access points.

10. A computer-implemented method for navigating stackable workspaces on an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a first workspace of a plurality of workspaces stacked along a stacking axis, the plurality of workspaces comprising a second workspace stacked on the first workspace, wherein at least one application is open in the first workspace or in the second workspace;

detecting at least one of a first inter-workspace swipe gesture and an intra-workspace swipe gesture;

displaying the second workspace in response to the first inter-workspace swipe gesture; and

switching between features or applications of the at least one application in response to the intra-workspace swipe gesture.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the second workspace comprises traversing the stack from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein traversing the stack from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis comprises emulating movement of the stack such that the first workspace travels towards a vanishing point along the stacking axis and the second workspace travels onto a screen of the electronic device from a position beyond the screen of the electronic device.

13. A system for providing a user interface on an electronic device, the system comprising:

a workspace module configured to generate a first workspace;

a navigation module configured to generate a navigation menu comprising a set of access points, each access point being associated with an application; and

a detection module configured to detect a swipe gesture performed on a first access point of the set of access points,

wherein the workspace module is configured to open the application associated with the first access point in a first window at an end of the swipe gesture in the first workspace,

wherein a size of the first window is less than a maximized size of the first workspace, the maximized size of the first workspace being substantially equal to a size of a screen of the electronic device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first workspace is part of a plurality of workspaces stacked along a stacking axis, wherein the workspace module is configured to open at least one of the plurality of applications in a second workspace of the stack of workspaces, wherein the second workspace is stacked on the first workspace.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the detection module is configured to detect a second workspace scrolling command.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the navigation module is configured to display the second workspace in response to the second workspace scrolling command.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein displaying the second workspace comprises traversing the stack from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the navigation module is configured to display the navigation menu when the first workspace is displayed and when the second workspace is displayed.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the navigation module is configured to display the navigation menu during the traversing the stack from the first workspace to the second workspace along the stacking axis.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the first window is centered at the end of the swipe gesture.