Unified desktop triad control user interface for a browser

• US 9,529,494 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Reeves, Paul E., Sirpal, Sanjiv, de Paz, Alexander, Gimpl, Martin, Schrock, Rodney W.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): REPSHER III, JOHN T
• Application Number:
  US13/605,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 715/761, 715/837
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller

Abstract

Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents a new user interface to allow access to functions of the unified desktop.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device;

providing a computer system;

docking the device to the computer system to form a unified system;

generating a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop includes at least a first user interface associated with the device and a second user interface associated with the computer system;

while docked, receiving a first user interface input in a triad control area;

in response to the first user interface input, providing a triad control, wherein the triad control is displayed in one of the first user interface and the second user interface;

receiving a second user interface input on a user-selectable icon in the triad control, wherein the user-selectable icon is associated with a browser control;

in response to the second user interface input, providing a browser control user interface, wherein the browser control user interface presents two or more items of information associated with a web browsing functionality of the device in two or more portions of the browser control user interface that are associated with the web browsing functionality of the device, wherein the browser control user interface is scrollable to view more of the two or more items of information, wherein;

a first portion of the browser control user interface includes two or more bookmarks, wherein a bookmark is a uniform resource identifier stored by a user in a browser application executed on the device;

a second portion of the browser control user interface includes two or more most visited websites;

a third portion includes a list of two or more downloads that have been recently downloaded by the browser application of the device; and

a fourth portion includes a history that includes a second list of two or more recently-visited websites using the browser application of the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the browser control user interface presents one or more items of information that are associated with the web browsing functionality of the device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein information is presented as one or more selectable icons.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selectable icon is selected to conduct a web browser session using a web browser application and a network communication capability of the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the browser control user interface is physically separated into two or more areas, wherein each area includes one of the first, second, third, or fourth portions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a first area includes the one or more bookmarks that are selectable.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more names for the most visited web sites are selectable.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more downloads are selectable.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein each portion includes a header designating what is contained by each of the first, second, third, and fourth portions.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the two or more portions include icons that are selectable to navigate the web browser application to a website associated with the icon.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the browser control user interface includes a search function with a user interface, and wherein the user interface of the search function accepts a search string.

12. A unified system, comprising:

a device comprising;

a first screen;

a first memory;

a first processor;

a computer system comprising;

a second screen;

a second memory;

a second processor, wherein the device is docked with the computer system to form the unified system;

wherein the unified system is programmed to;

generate a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop includes at least a first user interface associated with the device and a second user interface associated with the computer system;

while docked, receive a first user interface input in a triad control area;

in response to the first user interface input, provide a triad control, wherein the triad control is displayed in one of the first user interface and the second user interface;

receive a second user interface input on a user-selectable icon in the triad control, wherein the user-selectable icon is associated with a browser control; and

in response to the second user interface input, provide a browser control user interface, wherein the browser control user interface presents two or more items of information associated with a web browsing functionality of the device, wherein two or more portions of the browser control user interface are associated with the web browsing functionality of the device, wherein the browser control user interface is scrollable to view more of the two or more items of information, and wherein;

a first portion of the browser control user interface includes two or more bookmarks, wherein a bookmark is a uniform resource identifier stored by a user in a browser application executed on the device;

a second portion of the browser control user interface includes two or more most visited websites;

a third portion includes a list of two or more downloads that have been recently downloaded by the browser application of the device; and

a fourth portion includes a history that includes a second list of two or more recently-visited websites using the browser application of the device.

13. The unified system of claim 12, wherein the browser control user interface presents the one or more items of information that are associated with the web browsing functionality of the device, wherein the one or more items of information is presented as one or more selectable icons, and wherein the selectable icon is selected to conduct a web browser session using the web browser application and a network communication capability of the device.

14. The unified system of claim 12, wherein the browser control user interface is separated into two or more areas, and wherein each of the two or more areas include one of the first, second, third, and fourth portions, wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth portions include icons that are selectable to navigate a web browser to a website associated with the icon.

15. The unified system of claim 14, wherein the one or more bookmarks, the one or more names for the most visited websites, the one or more downloads that have been recently downloaded by the device from a network, and the one or more recently-visited websites are selectable.

16. The unified system of claim 12, wherein the browser control user interface includes a search function with a user interface, and wherein the user interface of the search function accepts a search string.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing a unified desktop, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

upon docking a device with a computer system, instructions to generate a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop includes a first user interface associated with the device and a second user interface associated with the computer system;

while docked, instructions to receive a first user interface input in a triad control area;

in response to the first user interface input, instructions to provide a triad control, wherein the triad control is displayed in one of the first user interface and the second user interface;

instructions to receive a second user interface input on a user-selectable icon in the triad control, wherein the user-selectable icon is associated with a browser control; and

in response to the second user interface input, instructions to provide a browser control user interface, wherein the browser control user interface presents two or more items of information associated with a web browsing functionality of the device, wherein two or more portions of the browser control user interface are associated with the web browsing functionality of the device, wherein the browser control user interface is scrollable to view more of the two or more items of information, and wherein;

a first portion of the browser control user interface includes two or more bookmarks, wherein a bookmark is a uniform resource identifier stored by a user in a browser application executed on the device;

a second portion of the browser control user interface includes two or more most visited websites;

a third portion includes a list of two or more downloads that have been recently downloaded by the browser application of the device; and

a fourth portion includes a history that includes a second list of two or more recently-visited websites using the browser application of the device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the browser control user interface presents the one or more items of information that are associated with the web browsing functionality of the device, wherein the one or more items of information is presented as one or more selectable icons, and wherein the selectable icon is selected to conduct a web browser session using the web browser application and a network communication capability of the device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the browser control user interface is separated into two or more areas, wherein the two or more areas include icons that are selectable to navigate a web browser to a website associated with the icon.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the browser control user interface includes a search function with a user interface, and wherein the user interface of the search function accepts a search string.