Maintaining visibility and status indication of docked applications and application bars

• US 6,108,003 A
• Filed: 03/18/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hall, George E. Jr., Shields, Ian Beaumont, Molander, Mark Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/040,732
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 345/340, 345/341, 345/342, 345/348, 345/349
• US Class Current: 715/772
• 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 method and system is presented which enables the user to maintain the receipt of information from an application bar while the application bar is minimized. In addition, the conveyance of information and availability of controls to the user is maintained while the user moves the window which the application bar is docked to off or around the presentation space.

Claims

1. In an information processing system having a presentation space upon which one or more windows reside, a method of presenting a change in status of an application having an application bar in hidden mode wherein a change in status would cause the application bar to change from hidden mode to a more fully visible mode wherein a user configured a profile for said application bar, said profile containing one or more tolerances for the status of said application bar such that said application bar only changed to a more fully visible mode when said one or more tolerances were exceeded.

2. In an information processing system having a presentation space upon which one or more windows reside, computer readable coded for presenting a change in status of an application having an application bar in hidden mode wherein a change in status would cause the application bar to change from hidden mode to a more visible mode and wherein a user configured a profile for said application bar, said profile containing one or more tolerances for the status of said application bar such that said application bar only changed to said more visible mode when said one or more tolerances were exceeded.

3. An information processing system having a presentation space upon which one or more windows reside, means of presenting a change in status of an application having an application bar in hidden mode wherein a change in status would cause the application bar to change from hidden mode to a more visible mode and wherein a user configured a profile for said application bar, said profile containing one or more tolerances for the status of said application bar such that said application bar only changed to said more visible mode when said one or more tolerances were exceeded.