Navigating among activities in a computing device

• US 9,489,107 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Duarte, Matias Gonzalo, Shiplacoff, Daniel Marc Gatan, Lyon, Jeremy Godfrey, Mercer, Paul, Thomas, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/316,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A computing device runs multiple activities concurrently and provides at least two modes for interacting with the activities. The user may toggle between the modes as desired. In a full-screen mode, one activity occupies substantially an entire display screen. In a windowed mode, the activity is visible within a window, and a portion of at least one other window is also visible. In the windowed mode, the user can cause windows to move, thereby changing focus from one activity to another. For example, the window having focus can be moved off the screen, to be replaced by a new window that is then given focus. The windows are ordered in a sequence and move in concert with one another; pushing one window off one edge of the screen causes a new window to appear at the opposite edge. A persistent positional relationship can be established among windows.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen;

a processor; and

a memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile computing device to operate in at least a full-screen mode and a windowed mode, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the mobile computing device, when operating in the windowed mode, to;

generate a window corresponding to each of a plurality of running applications, wherein each window contains a live user interface for the corresponding running application;

on the touch-sensitive display screen, display at least a portion of two or more of the generated windows along a horizontal axis in a linear arrangement;

responsive to a first user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen in a direction along the horizontal axis, move the two or more generated windows in concert with one another along the horizontal axis to cause a first window of the two or more generated windows to occupy a position formerly occupied by a second window of the two or more generated windows; and

responsive to a second user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen dragging upward on a target window of the two or more generated windows, move the target window off the display screen and close the running application corresponding to the target window.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, display completely at least two windows of the two or more generated windows.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, partially display at least three windows of the two or more generated windows.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, display completely, between the displayed portions of first and second windows of the two or more generated windows, a third window of the two or more generated windows.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

responsive to a user input, cause the touch-sensitive display screen to toggle between the full-screen mode and the windowed mode, wherein the touch-sensitive display screen displays a live user interface for a single one of the running applications when operating in the full-screen mode.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 5, wherein the user input comprises the user pressing a button provided on the mobile computing device.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 5, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

display a transition effect when toggling between the full-screen mode and the windowed mode.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 5, wherein, in the full-screen mode, the displayed live user interface occupies substantially the entire touch-sensitive display screen.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

responsive to a trigger event, cause the touch-sensitive display screen to switch from the windowed mode to the full-screen mode, wherein the touch-sensitive display screen displays a live user interface for a single one of the running applications.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein the trigger event comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

interaction with an application; and

a predetermined period of time elapsing since a user input.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

responsive to a third user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen, cause the touch-sensitive display screen to change an order of displayed windows in the linear arrangement.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

responsive to an application being launched, add a window to the two or more generated windows, the added window corresponding to the launched application.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

cause the touch-sensitive display screen to display a window of the two or more generated windows having focus in a manner that is visually distinguishable from any displayed window not having focus.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

cause the touch-sensitive display screen to display a window of the two or more generated windows having focus at a larger size than any displayed window not having focus.

29. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions causes the mobile computing device to further:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, display two windows of the two or more generated windows including the entire first window and at least a portion of the second window.

31. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein each of the windows of the two or more generated windows represents activity related to the corresponding running application that is displayed in the full-screen mode.

33. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the live user interface in each of the windows of the two or more generated windows represents activity related to the corresponding running application that was displayed in full-screen mode, immediately before the switch to windowed mode or immediately before launching another application.

35. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein the button is separate from the touch-sensitive display screen.

37. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions to close the running application causes the mobile computing device to:

move at least some of the two or more generated windows in concert with one another along the horizontal axis to cause a selected window of the two or more generated windows to occupy a position formerly occupied by the target window.

15. A method for navigating among a plurality of activities in a mobile computing device including a touch-sensitive display screen and configured to operate in at least a full-screen mode and a windowed mode, the method comprising:

running a plurality of applications using a processor provided within the mobile computing device; and

when the mobile computing device operates in the windowed mode;

generating a window corresponding to each of a plurality of running applications, wherein each window contains a live user interface for the corresponding running application;

on the touch-sensitive display screen, displaying at least a portion of two or more of the generated windows along a horizontal axis in a linear arrangement;

responsive to a first user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen in a direction along the horizontal axis, moving the two or more generated windows in concert with one another along the horizontal axis to cause a first window of the two or more generated windows to occupy a position formerly occupied by a second window of the two or more generated windows; and

responsive to a second user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen dragging upward on a target window of the two or more generated windows, moving the target window off the display screen and closing the running application corresponding to the target window.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, displaying completely at least two windows of the two or more generated windows.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, partially displaying at least three windows of the two or more generated windows.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, displaying two partially-visible windows of the two or more generated windows and further displaying completely, between the two partially-visible windows, a third window of the two or more generated windows.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

responsive to a user input, toggling between the full-screen mode and the windowed mode, wherein the display screen displays a live user interface for a single one of the running applications when operating in the full-screen mode.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the user input comprises the user pressing a button provided on the mobile computing device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying a transition effect when toggling between the full-screen mode and the windowed mode.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein, in the full-screen mode, the displayed live user interface occupies substantially the entire touch-sensitive display screen.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising, responsive to a trigger event:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, switching from a windowed mode wherein the touch-sensitive display screen displays at least a portion of the plurality of windows along the axis in the linear arrangement to a full-screen mode wherein the touch-sensitive display screen displays a live user interface for a single one of the applications.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the trigger event comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

interaction with an application; and

a predetermined period of time elapsing since a user input.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising, responsive to a third user gesture on the touch-sensitive display screen:

on the touch-sensitive display screen, changing an order of displayed windows in the linear arrangement.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising, responsive to an application being launched:

adding a window to the two or more generated windows, the added window corresponding to the launched application.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying at least a portion of the two or more generated windows comprises displaying, on the touch-sensitive display screen, a window of the two or more generated windows having focus in a manner that is visually distinguishable from any displayed window not having focus.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying at least a portion of the two or more generated windows comprises displaying, on the touch-sensitive display screen, a window of the two or more generated windows having focus at a larger size than any displayed window not having focus.

30. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying at least a portion of the two or more generated windows comprises, on the touch-sensitive display screen, displaying the entire first window and at least a portion of the second window.

32. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the windows of the two or more generated windows represents activity related to the corresponding running application that is displayed in the full-screen mode.

34. The method of claim 15, wherein the live user interface in each of the windows of the two or more generated windows represents activity related to the corresponding running application that was displayed in full-screen mode, immediately before the switch to windowed mode or immediately before launching another application.

36. The method of claim 20, wherein the button is separate from the touch-sensitive display screen.

38. The method of claim 15, wherein closing the running application comprises:

moving at least some of the two or more generated windows in concert with one another along the horizontal axis to cause a selected window of the two or more generated windows to occupy a position formerly occupied by the target window.