Multiple window behavior system

• US 7,552,397 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stabb, Charles W., Pettiross, Jeffrey W., Cooperman, Hillel N., VedBrat, Kanwal, Ligameri, Mark R., Holecek, Ales
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Sy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/036,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 715/779, 715/759, 715/778, 715/781, 715/782, 715/766, 715/767, 715/769
• US Class Current: 715/788
• 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 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A method for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen is described. The method includes steps of associating a first window with a second window, where the second window is independent of the first window, arranging the first window and the second window on a display screen, where the first window and the second window are configured to fit within a predetermined region of the display screen, and notifying an application program corresponding to the first window that the second window is associated with the first window. An indicator may appear on the display as a target region when a user desires to associate the first and the second windows. Subsequent operations performed on the first window are performed automatically on the second window. For example, when a user is comparing two documents, she can scroll down one document and have the second document automatically scroll as well.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising steps of:

associating a first window with at least one second window, said at least one second window being independent of the first window, responsive to an input corresponding to a movement of the at least one second window over a target location of the first window, and wherein the target location is an object that appears on the first window when the at least one second window is dragged within a predefined area of the first window;

responsive to associating the first window with the at least one second window, arranging the first window and the at least one second window on a display screen, the first window and the at least one second window being configured to fit within a predetermined region of the display screen; and

notifying an application program corresponding to the first window that the at least one second window is associated with the first window.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of automatically changing the orientation of the at least one second window responsive to a step of changing the orientation of the first window.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of performing an operation on the first window.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of automatically performing a corresponding operation on the at least one second window responsive to a step of performing an operation on the first window.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of changing an orientation of the first window based upon an activation of a mode selection interface.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of notifying the application program corresponding to the first window that the at least one second window is no longer associated with the first window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of associating includes a step of framing the first window and the at least one second window in a common window.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of notifying an application program corresponding to the second window that the first window is associated with the at least one second window.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the application program corresponding to the first window and the application corresponding to the at least one second window are the same application program.

10. A method of associating multiple windows into a common window on a display screen, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a first input corresponding to a request to move a first open window by a mouse pointer;

determining that the first open window has been moved within a predefined area of a region of a display screen;

responsive to determining that the first open window has been moved within the predefined area, displaying an indicator corresponding to a target region for associating windows;

receiving a second input corresponding to a request to drop the first open window by the mouse pointer over the indicator; and

associating the first open window with a second open window into a common open window.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indicator includes a visual indicator displayed on a portion of the second open window.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising a step of receiving a third input corresponding to a request to perform an operation on the common window, wherein the operation performed on the common window is performed on the first open window and the second open window.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising a step of receiving a third input corresponding to a request to disassociate the first open window from the second open window.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the indicator includes a visual indicator displayed only when the first window has been moved within the predefined area.

15. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a series of computer-executable instructions for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, the instructions performing steps of:

sending an instruction to display a first window corresponding to a first application program and a second window corresponding to a second application program into a predetermined arrangement;

associating the first window with the second window responsive to an input corresponding to a movement of the second window over an indicator that corresponds to a target region for associating windows, wherein the indicator is an object that appears when the second window is dragged within a predefined area of a region of a display screen;

sending a first notification message to the first application program that the second window corresponding to the second application program is associated with the first window;

sending a second notification message to the second application program that the first window corresponding to the first application program is associated with the second window; and

sending an instruction to automatically modify the second window in response to a modification of the first window.

16. The computer-readable storage of claim 15, wherein the first application program and the second application program are the same application program.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising an instruction to perform a step of sending an instruction to group the first window and the second window into a common window.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the common window is configured to be accessed by the first application program.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the common window is configured to be modified by at least one of the first application program and the second application program.