System and method for visually browsing of open windows

• US 9,201,564 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Holecek, Ales, Stabb, Charles W, Cooperman, Hillel N, Pettiross, Jeffrey W, Ligameri, Mark R, Vedbrat, Kanwal, Lindsay, Donald J
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US13/690,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• 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 referred to as visual window browsing allows a user to browse through windows on their desktop. Aspects of the invention include responsive to a command, moving open windows to form a visual stack with the topmost window in the stack being in focus. Responsive to a browse the windows in the visual stack can be browsed, where the topmost window moves to the bottom of the visual stack and the other windows move higher in the stack, with the second highest window becoming the topmost window and being in focus. Successive browse commands causes this behavior to repeat allowing a user to cycle through each of the open windows.

Claims

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

responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of windows overlapping in a visual stack, a first window of the plurality of windows in the visual stack has focus and is a top window of the Z-order, wherein the step of reconfiguring responsive to the first command includes transitioning a two dimensional visual representation of each of the plurality of windows to the first three dimensional representation using animation; and

responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of windows overlapping in the visual stack, which includes a second window of the plurality of windows that is in focus and becomes the top window of the Z-order and a third window that is absent from the display screen when the first three dimensional visual representation is presented, the third window is an addition in the Z-order and is a visual part of the second three dimensional visual representation, wherein the step of reconfiguring responsive to the second command includes transitioning from the first three dimensional visual representation to the second three dimensional visual representation using animation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first window moves to the bottom of the Z-order responsive to the second command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the Z-ordering of the windows prior to reconfiguring responsive to the first command.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the Z-order is based on file name.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of reconfiguring each include resizing the windows presented based on the Z-ordering from smallest to largest.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first window is not in focus immediately prior to reconfiguring responsive to the first command and becomes in focus responsive to the first command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconfiguring responsive to the first command further includes:

determining that a number of open windows presented on the display screen when receiving the first command exceeds a threshold number; and

presenting only the threshold number of windows in the first three dimensional visual representation.

8. A computer readable hardware storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for performing a method of concurrently displaying a plurality of windows for a plurality of applications on a display screen when executed by a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

determining that a number of open windows exceeds a threshold number;

responsive to a command to initiate visual window browsing, determining a z-ordering of the number of open windows and presenting only the threshold number of open windows in a three dimensional visual stack representation on a display in accordance with the z-ordering, wherein the topmost window of the three dimensional visual stack is in focus and the open windows are arranged alphabetically by application title;

listening for a command to preview contents of a specific window in three-dimensional visual stack or a command to browse to another window in the z-ordering;

responsive to a command to preview contents of a specific window in the three-dimensional visual stack that is not the topmost window, revealing additional content of the specific window for a predetermined amount of time; and

responsive to a command to browse to another window in the z-ordering, determining a next window in z-ordering to be in focus, moving the next window to top of three dimensional visual stack, setting focus to the next window, and moving the topmost window that was previously in focus to the bottom of the three dimensional visual stack.

9. The computer readable hardware storage medium according to claim 8, wherein each window not presented on the display is lower in the Z-order than each of the windows presented on the display.

10. The computer readable hardware storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the Z-order is based on file name.

11. The computer readable hardware storage medium according to claim 8, wherein each window that is not the topmost window in Z-order is partially obscured by a portion of a window higher in Z-order.

12. The computer readable hardware storage medium according to claim 8, wherein each window increases in size as the Z-order lowers.

13. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

computer storage memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, implement a method for concurrently displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen, the method comprising the steps of;

(1) responsive to a first command, reconfiguring a plurality of windows to present a first three dimensional visual representation of windows overlapping in a visual stack, a first window of the plurality of windows in the visual stack has focus and is a top window of the Z-order, wherein the step of reconfiguring responsive to the first command includes transitioning a two dimensional visual representation of each of the plurality of windows to the first three dimensional representation using animation; and

(2) responsive to a second command, reconfiguring the plurality of windows to present a second three dimensional visual representation of windows overlapping in the visual stack, which includes a second window of the plurality of windows that is in focus and becomes the top window of the Z-order and a third window that is absent from the display screen when the first three dimensional visual representation is presented, the third window is an addition in the Z-order and is a visual part of the second three dimensional visual representation, wherein the step of reconfiguring responsive to the second command includes transitioning from the first three dimensional visual representation to the second three dimensional visual representation using animation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first window moves to the bottom of the Z-order responsive to the second command.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising determining the Z-ordering of the windows prior to reconfiguring responsive to the first command.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the Z-order is based on file name.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the steps of reconfiguring each include resizing the windows presented based on the Z-ordering from smallest to largest.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the first window is not in focus immediately prior to reconfiguring responsive to the first command and becomes in focus responsive to the first command.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the reconfiguring responsive to the first command further includes:

determining that a number of open windows presented on the display screen when receiving the first command exceeds a threshold number; and

presenting only the threshold number of windows in the first three dimensional visual representation.