# US 12,182,380 B2 · Tabbed user interface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,182,380 B2 - Document ID: US12182380B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/358,614 - Filed: 2023-07-25 - Published: 2024-01-25 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2022-05-27 - Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Applicants: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Inventors: Chad Rothschiller; Mujtaba Shabbir Khambatti; Patrick Evan Little; Felix Andrew; Pooja Mehta - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12182380B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0483: Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor - G06F 3/04812: Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A data processing system implements displaying a tabbed user interface comprising a plurality of tabs for navigating among a plurality of electronic documents; determining a first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a first tab group according to a first grouping criterion; and causing a first tab group control element to be displayed proximate to the first tab, the first tab group control element providing a set of tools for accessing content associated with the first tab group and for creating new tabs associated with the first tab group. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A data processing system comprising: a processor; and a machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: displaying a tabbed user interface including a plurality of tabs on a tab bar for navigating among a plurality of electronic documents; determining a first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a first application; causing a first tab control element to be displayed on the tab bar adjacent to the first tab; and in response to activation of the first tab control element, providing in the first tab control element a set of tools associated with the first application for performing application-specific tasks associated with the first application. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The data processing system of claim 1, wherein determining the first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with the first application further comprises: creating new tabs associated with the first application. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: grouping a first subset of the plurality of tabs associated with a first criterion into a first tab group; causing tabs of the first tab group to be displayed adjacent to one another on the tabbed user interface; and causing the first tab control element to be displayed proximate to the tabs of the first tab group on the tabbed user interface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The data processing system of claim 3, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: determining a second tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a second tab group; and causing a second tab control element to be displayed proximate to the second tab of the plurality of tabs, the second tab control element providing a set of tools for accessing content associated with a second tab group and for creating new tabs associated with the second tab group. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The data processing system of claim 4, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: determining the second tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a second application, and wherein the second tab control element is a second application-specific tab control element providing a set of tools for accessing content associated with the second application and for creating new tabs associated with the second application. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The data processing system of claim 4, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: determining that the second tab is a currently active tab of the tabbed user interface; and collapsing the first tab group to hide the tabs associated with the first tab group responsive to determining that the second tab is currently active. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: receiving a first user input to activate the first tab control element; and causing the tabs associated with the first tab group to be displayed on the tabbed user interface proximate to the first tab control element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: receiving a first user input indicating that a pointer is positioned over the first tab control element without clicking on or otherwise interacting with the first tab control element; causing the tabs associated with the first tab group to be displayed on the tabbed user interface proximate to the first tab control element while the pointer is positioned over the first tab control element; and causing the tabs associated with the first tab group to be hidden once the pointer is no longer positioned over the first tab control element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: receiving a first user input to activate the first tab control element; and causing a control pane associated with the first tab control element to be displayed proximate to the first tab control element, the control pane comprising one or more controls for controlling various functionality of an application associated with the first tab group. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the machine-readable storage medium includes instructions configured to cause the processor alone or in combination with other processors to control the data processing system to perform operations of: analyzing user-related data to identify a list of document recommendations to be presented to a user of the data processing system, the document recommendations including one or more of recently accessed documents, documents shared with the user, or documents identified by one or more machine learning models as being relevant to the user; and presenting the list of document recommendations on the control pane. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The data processing system of claim 3, wherein a behavior of the first tab control element, the tabs associated with the first tab group, or both are configurable by a user of the tabbed user interface. ### Claim 12 A method implemented in a data processing system for providing a tabbed user interface, the method comprising: displaying the tabbed user interface comprising a plurality of tabs on a tab bar for navigating among a plurality of electronic documents; determining a first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a first application; and causing a first tab control element to be displayed on the tab bar adjacent to the first tab, the first tab control element when activated providing in the first tab control element a set of tools associated with the first application for performing application-specific tasks associated with the first application. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein determining the first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with the first application further comprises: determining the first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a first criterion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: grouping a first subset of the plurality of tabs associated with the first criterion into a first tab group; causing tabs of the first tab group to be displayed adjacent to one another on the tabbed user interface; and causing the first tab control element to be displayed proximate to the tabs of the first tab group on the tabbed user interface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: determining a second tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a second tab group; and causing a second tab control element to be displayed proximate to the second tab of the plurality of tabs, the second tab control element providing a set of tools for accessing content associated with a second tab group and for creating new tabs associated with the second tab group. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining the second tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a second application, and wherein the second tab control element is a second application-specific tab control element providing a set of tools for accessing content associated with the second application and for creating new tabs associated with the second application. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining that the second tab is a currently active tab of the tabbed user interface; and collapsing the first tab group to hide the tabs associated with the first tab group responsive to determining that the second tab is currently active. ### Claim 18 A machine-readable medium on which are stored instructions that, when executed, cause a processor of a programmable device to perform operations of: displaying a tabbed user interface comprising a plurality of tabs on a tab bar for navigating among a plurality of electronic documents; determining a first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a first application; and causing a first tab control element to be displayed on the tab bar adjacent to the first tab, the first tab control element when activated providing in the first tab control element a set of tools associated with the first application for performing application-specific tasks associated with the first application. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein determining the first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with the first application further comprises: determining the first tab of the plurality of tabs is associated with a first criterion. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The machine-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to perform operations of: grouping a first subset of the plurality of tabs associated with the first criterion into a first tab group; causing tabs of the first tab group to be displayed adjacent to one another on the tabbed user interface; and causing the first tab control element to be displayed proximate to the tabs of the first tab group on the tabbed user interface.