# US 10,503,342 B2 · User interface spaces

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- Number: US 10,503,342 B2
- Document ID: US10503342B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/462,623
- Filed: 2006-08-04
- Published: 2008-02-07
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2006-08-04
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Assana Fard; John O. Louch; Ralph Brunner; Haroon Sheikh; Eric Peyton; Christopher Hynes
- Inventors: Assana Fard; John O. Louch; Ralph Brunner; Haroon Sheikh; Eric Peyton; Christopher Hynes
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10503342B2

## CPC

- 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
- G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence)
- G06F 3/04845: for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
- G06F 3/04847: Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
- 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
- G06T 13/80: Two-dimensional [2D] animation, e.g. using sprites
- G06T 2200/24: involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A user interface can have one or more spaces presented therein. A space is a grouping of one or more program windows in relation to windows of other application programs, such that the program(s) of only a single space is visible when the space is active. A view can be generated of all spaces and their contents.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
at an electronic device that is in communication with a display and one or more input devices:
displaying, on the display, a first space in a zoomed mode without displaying other spaces, wherein the first space includes a plurality of windows including a first window, a second window, and a third window in a first arrangement, and wherein the first arrangement includes the first window positioned at a first position within the first space, the second window positioned at a second position within the first space, and the third window positioned at a third position within the first space;
while the first space is being displayed in the zoomed mode without displaying the other spaces, receiving, via the one or more input devices, a first request to display representations of multiple spaces including a reduced-scale representation of the first space and a representation of a second space that includes a plurality of windows;
in response to receiving the first request to display representations of multiple spaces, displaying, on the display, the representations of the multiple spaces including concurrently displaying the reduced-scale representation of the first space that includes reduced-scale representations of the plurality of windows in the first space, and the representation of the second space that includes the plurality of windows in the second space;
while displaying, on the display, the representations of the multiple spaces, receiving, via the one or more input devices, a second request to drag a respective reduced-scale representation of the first window from the reduced-scale representation of the first space to the representation of the second space; and
in response to receiving the second request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the first window from the reduced-scale representation of the first space to the representation of the second space, moving the first window from the first space to the second space, wherein while the reduced-scale representation of the first space and the representation of the second space are concurrently displayed, the reduced-scale representations of the plurality of windows in the first space are displayed in a second arrangement that is different from the first arrangement and is automatically selected by the electronic device, and wherein the second arrangement includes the second window positioned at a fourth position within the first space that is different from the second position and includes the third window positioned at a fifth position within the first space that is different from the third position.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced-scale representations of the plurality of windows in the first space correspond to a first subset of current user interface contents that has been assigned to the first space, and wherein the plurality of windows in the representation of the second space correspond to a second subset of the current user interface contents that has been assigned to the second space.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein a third subset of the current user interface contents has been assigned to the first space and the second space, and wherein displaying the representations of the multiple spaces includes concurrently displaying the third subset of the current user interface contents in the reduced-scale representation of the first space and in the representation of the second space.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the representations of the multiple spaces are displayed in a space view mode, and wherein additional subsets of the current user interface contents have been assigned to additional spaces, in addition to the first and second subsets of the current user interface contents having been assigned to the first and second spaces, respectively.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the representations of the multiple spaces include a representation of a third space, further comprising:
while displaying, on the display, the representations of the multiple spaces, receiving, via the one or more input devices, a third request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the respective window from the representation of the second space to the representation of the third space; and
in response to receiving the third request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the respective window from the representation of the second space to the representation of the third space, moving the first window from the second space to the third space.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the representations of the multiple spaces are displayed in a grid format in a space view mode, the grid format including at least one row and at least one column for the representations of the multiple spaces.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a transition from displaying the first space in the zoomed mode without displaying the other spaces to displaying the representations of the multiple spaces includes an animation sequence.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein moving the first window from the first space to the second space includes an animation sequence.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the respective window is received while the electronic device is in an edit mode.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, via the one or more input devices, a third request to move a group of the plurality of windows in the first space, wherein each of the group of the plurality of windows corresponds to a common application type; and
in response to receiving the third request, moving the group of the plurality of windows in the first space to the second space.

### Claim 11

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which, when executed by an electronic device with one or more processors, a display, and one or more input devices, cause the electronic device to:
display, on the display, a first space in a zoomed mode without displaying other spaces, wherein the first space includes a plurality of windows including a first window, a second window, and a third window in a first arrangement, and wherein the first arrangement includes the first window positioned at a first position within the first space, the second window positioned at a second position within the first space, and the third window positioned at a third position within the first space;
while the first space is being displayed in the zoomed mode without displaying the other spaces, receive, via the one or more input devices, a first request to display representations of multiple spaces including a reduced-scale representation of the first space and a representation of a second space that includes a plurality of windows;
in response to receiving the first request to display representations of multiple spaces, display, on the display, the representations of the multiple spaces including concurrently displaying the reduced-scale representation of the first space that includes reduced-scale representations of the plurality of windows in the first space, and the representation of the second space that includes the plurality of windows in the second space;
while displaying, on the display, the representations of the multiple spaces, receive, via the one or more input devices, a second request to drag a respective reduced-scale representation of the first window from the reduced-scale representation of the first space to the representation of the second space; and
in response to receiving the second request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the first window from the reduced-scale representation of the first space to the representation of the second space, move the first window from the first space to the second space, wherein while the reduced-scale representation of the first space and the representation of the second space are concurrently displayed, the reduced-scale representations of the plurality windows in the first space are displayed in a second arrangement that is different from the first arrangement and is automatically selected by the electronic device, and wherein the second arrangement includes the second window positioned at a fourth position within the first space that is different from the second position and includes the third window positioned at a fifth position within the first space that is different from the third position.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the reduced-scale representations of the plurality of windows in the first space correspond to a first subset of current user interface contents that has been assigned to the first space, and wherein the plurality of windows in the representation of the second space correspond to a second subset of the current user interface contents that has been assigned to the second space.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a third subset of the current user interface contents has been assigned to the first space and the second space, and wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to, concurrently display, as part of the representations of the multiple spaces, the third subset of the current user interface contents in the reduced-scale representation of the first space and in the representation of the second space.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the representations of the multiple spaces are displayed in a space view mode, and wherein additional subsets of the current user interface contents have been assigned to additional spaces, in addition to the first and second subsets of the current user interface contents having been assigned to the first and second spaces, respectively.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the representations of the multiple spaces include a representation of a third space, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
while displaying, on the display, the representations of the multiple spaces, receive, via the one or more input devices, a third request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the respective window from the representation of the second space to the representation of the third space; and
in response to receiving the third request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the respective window from the representation of the second space to the representation of the third space, move the first window from the second space to the third space.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the representations of the multiple spaces are displayed in a grid format in a space view mode, the grid format including at least one row and at least one column for the representations of the multiple spaces.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein a transition from displaying the first space in the zoomed mode without displaying the other spaces to displaying the representations of the multiple spaces includes an animation sequence.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein moving the first window from the first space to the second space includes an animation sequence.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second request to drag the respective reduced-scale representation of the respective window is received while the electronic device is in an edit mode.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to:
receive via the one or more input devices, a third request to move a group of the plurality of windows in the first space, wherein the each of the group of the plurality of windows corresponds to a common type; and
in response to receiving the third request, move the group of the plurality of windows in the first space to the second space.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second arrangement corresponds to the reduced-scale representations of the plurality of windows in the first space being spaced farther apart than the plurality of windows in the first space in the first arrangement.

### Claim 22 (depends on 11)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second arrangement corresponds to the reduced-scale representations of the plurality of windows in the first space being spaced farther apart than the plurality of windows in the first space in the first arrangement.