INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD

• US 20140149931A1
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Miki, Tsukasa
• Application Number:
  US13/971,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20140149931A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/803
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a setting controller, a display processor, and a saving storage processor. The setting controller sets a plurality of areas on a desktop screen in accordance with a screen layout for the desktop screen comprising a plurality of regions. The display processor allocates an application window on the desktop screen to one of the plurality of areas to display the application window in the one of the plurality of areas. The saving storage processor automatically saves setting information when the application window is allocated to the one of the plurality of areas and is displayed in the one of the plurality of areas.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a setting controller configured to set a plurality of areas on a desktop screen in accordance with a screen layout for the desktop screen comprising a plurality of regions;

a display processor configured to allocate an application window on the desktop screen to one of the plurality of areas to display the application window in the one of the plurality of areas; and

a saving storage processor configured to automatically save setting information when the application window is allocated to the one of the plurality of areas and is displayed in the one of the plurality of areas,

wherein the setting information is indicative of (i) identification information of an application program corresponding to the application window, (ii) the screen layout, and (iii) the area in which the application window is displayed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a restorer configured to restore, in accordance with the setting information, a state of the desktop screen to a first state in which the plurality of areas are set on the desktop screen, and the application window is allocated to the one of the plurality of areas and is displayed in the one of the plurality of areas.

3. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the saving storage is further configured to save content identification information in association with the identification information of the application program, and

wherein the content identification information is indicative of a content referred to by the application program.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the setting controller is further configured to set a plurality of areas on the desktop screen in accordance with a first screen layout selected by a user from a plurality of screen layouts which differ from each other in positions of one or more boundaries or the number of the boundaries, the boundaries in the desktop screen comprising a plurality of regions.

5. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the display processor is further configured to:

when a user operates a first graphical user interface on the application window,

select, from the plurality of areas, a first area to which the first graphical user interface belongs; and

allocate the application window to the first area to display the application window in the first area.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display processor is further configured to change a position and size of the application window in accordance with a position and size of the one of the plurality of areas to display the application window in the one of the plurality of areas.

7. The apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the setting controller is further configured to set a plurality of areas on the desktop screen in accordance with one of a plurality of screen layouts which differ from each other in positions of one or more boundaries or the number of the boundaries, the boundaries in the desktop screen comprising a plurality of regions,

wherein the saving storage is further configured to save automatically additionally setting information, when an application window is allocated to one of the plurality of areas and is displayed in the one of the plurality of areas, and

wherein the setting information is indicative of (i) identification information of an application program corresponding to the application window, (ii) the one of a plurality of screen layouts, and (iii) the area in which the application window is displayed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a history display processor configured to display a list of the saved setting information on the desktop screen.

9. A display control method comprising:

setting a plurality of areas on a desktop screen in accordance with a screen layout for the desktop screen comprising a plurality of regions;

allocating an application window on the desktop screen to one of the plurality of areas to display the application window in the one of the plurality of area; and

automatically saving setting information when the application window is allocated to the one of the plurality of areas and is displayed on the one of the plurality of areas,

wherein the setting information is indicative of (i) identification information of an application program corresponding to the application window, (ii) the screen layout, and (iii) the area in which the application window is displayed.

10. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium comprising a computer program configured to be executed by a computer, the computer program controlling the computer to execute functions of:

setting a plurality of areas on a desktop screen in accordance with a screen layout for the desktop screen comprising a plurality of regions;

allocating an application window on the desktop screen to one of the plurality of areas to display the application window in the one of the plurality of area; and

automatically saving setting information when the application window is allocated to the one of the plurality of areas and is displayed on the one of the plurality of areas,

wherein the setting information is indicative of (i) identification information of an application program corresponding to the application window, (ii) the screen layout, and (iii) the area in which the application window is displayed.