Application switching via a touch screen interface

• US 7,880,728 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Henderson, Paul E., Chandley, Adrian M., de los Reyes, August, Ackermann, Edith, Sayegh, Allen, McGrath, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu; Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Midkiff; Aaron
• Application Number:
  US11/478,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20080001924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,678 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 345/619, 715/863, 715/769, 715/835
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Detailed herein is a technology which, among other things, provides a touch screen interface for computer system which allows intuitive switching between several applications. In one approach to this technology, a touch screen display is used to display an interface for an application. A touch sensitive border region is defined at the edge of this display, and is associated with another application. Receiving input at the touch sensitive border region causes the touch screen display to display the interface for the second application.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a touchscreen display configured to;

display a central viewing area configured to execute a current application comprising a data object;

display a first selectable border region for use in accessing a first application different than the current application;

upon receiving user touch input to the touchscreen display to move the data object into the first application of the first selectable border region, execute the data object within the first application as the current application within the central viewing area; and

in response to executing the data object within the first application as the current application within the central viewing area, associate a new application different than the first application with the first selectable border region.

2. The computer system of claim 1, the touchscreen display configured to:

in response to associating the new application with the first selectable border region, associate a second new application with a second selectable border region.

3. The computer system of claim 1, the touchscreen display configured to:

upon receiving user touch input to move the data object into the first application of the first selectable border region, concurrently execute the data object within the first application as the current application within the central viewing area, and associate the new application different than the first application with the first selectable border region, and associate a second new application with a second selectable border region.

4. The computer system of claim 1, the touchscreen display configured to:

upon receiving user touch input to move the data object into the first application of the first selectable border region, concurrently execute the data object within the first application as the current application within the central viewing area and associate the new application different than the first application with the first selectable border region.

5. The computer system of claim 1, the touchscreen display configured to:

display a second selectable border region for use in accessing a second application.

6. The computer system of claim 5, the touchscreen display configured to:

upon receiving user touch input within the second selectable border region, execute the second application as the current application within the central viewing area.

7. The computer system of claim 6, the touchscreen display configured to:

associate an application different than the second application with the second selectable border region, upon executing the second application as the current application.

8. The computer system of claim 5, the touchscreen display configured to:

upon receiving user touch input within the second selectable border region, executing the second application within the second selectable border region.

9. The computer system of claim 1, the touchscreen display configured to:

display the first selectable border region at a left edge adjacent to the central viewing area;

display a second selectable border region, for use in accessing a second application, at a right edge adjacent to the central viewing area;

display a third selectable border region, for use in accessing a third application, at an upper edge adjacent to the central viewing area; and

display a fourth selectable border region, for use in accessing a fourth application, at a bottom edge adjacent to the central viewing area.

10. The computer system of claim 2, the second new application different than the first application and the new application.

11. The computer system of claim 1, the touch screen display configured to:

cycle through a plurality of applications to associate with the first selectable border region based upon repeated user touch input to the first selectable border region.

12. The computer system of claim 11, the touch screen display configured to:

concurrently execute the data object within the current application while executing the data object within the first application.

13. The computer system of claim 1, the touch screen display configured to:

execute a current application different than the first application within the central viewing area; and

execute the first application executing the data object within an expanded view of the first selectable border region.

14. The computer system of claim 1, the touch screen display configured to:

display a graphical transition of the data object moving from the current application to the first application for execution.

15. A method of using a touchscreen display, comprising:

displaying a central viewing area of a current application executing, the current application comprising a data object;

displaying a first selectable border region for use in accessing a first application, different than the current application;

upon receiving user touch input to the touchscreen display to move the data object into the first application of the first selectable border region, executing the data object within the first application as the current application within the central viewing area; and

in response to executing the data object within the first application as the current application within the central viewing area, associating a new application different than the first application with the first selectable border region.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

in response to associating the new application with the first selectable border region, associating a second new application with a second selectable border region.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising:

upon receiving user touch input to move the data object into the first application of the first selectable border region, concurrently executing the data object within the first application as the current application within the central viewing area and associating the new application different than the first application with the first selectable border region.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising:

displaying a second selectable border region for use in accessing a second application.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

upon receiving user touch input within the second selectable border region, executing the second application as the current application within the central viewing area; and

displaying an application different than the second application within the second selectable border region.

20. A computer system, comprising:

a touchscreen display configured to;

display a central viewing area configured to execute a current application comprising a data object;

display a first selectable border region for use in accessing a first application different than the current application;

upon receiving user touch input to the touchscreen display to move the data object into the first application of the first selectable border region, automatically execute the data object within the first application within the central viewing area; and

associate a new application different than the first application with the first selectable border region on the fly in response to executing the data object within the first application within the central viewing area.