Desk drawer user interface

• US 5,825,348 A
• Filed: 01/08/1997
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiegel, Joel, Norman, George, Ludolph, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US08/780,626
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 345/113, 345/115, 345/118, 345/119, 345/120, 345/121, 345/145, 345/146, 345/156, 345/157, 345/339, 345/340, 345/342, 395/339, 395/340, 395/342, 395/343, 395/344
• US Class Current: 345/672
• 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 display oriented software user interface for the generation and display of a secondary display region within a primary display region of a computer controlled information management system having windows or localized sections of displayable information and icons. The secondary display region, Desk Drawer, providing advanced capabilities to the management system by generating a readily accessible region wherein icons may be placed and always accessed thereafter when the secondary display region is present. The presence of the secondary display region may be governed by a separate screen region responsive to the cursor display position.

Claims

1. In a computer controlled information management system including a display screen containing a first display region which allows the display of a plurality of overlapping windows at a given time, a method comprising:

displaying a second display region covering at least a portion of said first display region and any windows being displayed within said portion of the first display region, said second display region, when present in a mode, being completely viewable within said display screen such that, while said second display region is displayed it is always displayed over and covering other data including said plurality of windows to the extent said plurality of windows are in said portion of said first display region;

resizing said second display region by positioning a pointer displayed on said display screen on a first region of said second display region;

selectively transferring information from said second display region into one of said plurality of windows.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said step of selectively transferring information comprises selecting a selected information and dragging the selected information from said second display region to said one of said plurality of windows.

3. A method as in claim 2 wherein said second display region is a window.

4. A method as in claim 2 wherein said second display region comprises a trigger region which is displayed when said second display region is not displayed.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein said trigger region, when displayed cannot be obscured on said display screen by any of said plurality of windows.

6. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions for:

displaying a first display region which allows the display of a plurality of windows on a display screen;

displaying a second display region which covers at least a portion of said first display region and any windows being displayed within said portion, said second display region, when present in a mode, being completely viewable on said display screen such that, while said second display region is displayed, it is always displayed over and covering said plurality of windows to the extent said plurality of windows are in said portion of said first display region;

resizing said second display region by positioning a pointer displayed on said display screen on a first region of said second display region;

selectively transferring information from said second display region into one of said plurality of windows.

7. A computer readable medium as in claim 6 wherein said step of selectively transferring information comprises selecting a selected information and dragging the selected information from said second display region to said one of said plurality of windows.

8. A computer readable medium as in claim 7 wherein said second display region is a window.

9. A computer readable medium as in claim 7 wherein said second display region comprises a trigger region which is displayed when said second display region is not displayed.

10. A computer readable medium as in claim 9 wherein said trigger region, when displayed cannot be obscured on said display screen by any of said plurality of windows.