US 12,754,649 B2 · Feature discovery layer

Abstract

Disclosed is an operating system (OS) discovery mode that identifies and provides access to OS and/or third-party provided features within an applicable region of a desktop. In some configurations, once the discovery mode is activated, the content displayed by the applicable region is analyzed to identify content usable by OS and/or third-party provided features. Visual cues are rendered in the applicable region near the identified content, highlighting the availability of the OS and/or third-party provided features. Users may interact with the visual cues to manipulate the underlying content or to invoke the OS and/or third-party provided features. OS and/or third-party provided features may modify content displayed by an application, launch an inline micro-experience, crop or export images, etc. While in the discovery mode, visual cues are highlighted as a discovery mouse cursor moves around the desktop. In some configurations the discovery mode is triggered automatically, causing an OS service to automatically identify and display a set of entity visual cues across the applicable region.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

retrieving a contents of a display buffer of an active window of an application;
identifying a text entity within the retrieved contents, wherein the text entity is located within a parent entity of the retrieved contents;
determining that the text entity is usable by an OS or third-party provided feature;
rendering an overlay layer over the active window of the application, wherein the overlay layer includes an entity visual cue that appears next to, underneath, around, over, or partially over the text entity, wherein the overlay layer is rendered without participation of the application, and wherein the entity visual cue is rendered in response to a system cursor being over a parent entity visual cue;
receiving, at the overlay layer, an indication of a selection of the entity visual cue;
and
invoking the OS or third-party provided feature.

4 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon computer-readable instructions that when executed by a processing unit causes a system to:

retrieve a contents of a display buffer of a window of an application;
identify a text entity within the retrieved contents;
determine that the text entity is usable by an operating system or third-party provided feature;
render, with the operating system, an overlay layer over the window of the application, wherein the overlay layer includes an entity visual cue that appears next to, underneath, around, over, or partially over the text entity, wherein the overlay layer is rendered without participation of the application;
enter a discovery mode, wherein a system cursor changes to a discovery cursor in response to entering the discovery mode, wherein the discovery cursor is visually distinct from the system cursor, and wherein the discovery cursor changes to an “I” cursor in response to moving over the text entity;
receive, at the overlay layer, a user interface command that selects the entity visual cue, wherein the user interface command would otherwise be received by the active window of the application;
and
invoke the OS or third-party provided feature.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Feature discovery layer

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Feature discovery layer

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Abstract

Claims17