Computer system with multiwindow presentation manager

A computer system comprising:

• first input means for inputting information;
• display means having a display screen for displaying said input information on said display screen;
• second input means adapted to be manually operated by an operator in such a manner that a cursor displayed on said display means is moved as desired and windows are formed on said display screen of said display means and allowed to overlap one upon another;
• cursor position managing means, connected to said second input means and said display means, for calculating in real time most current coordinates of said cursor in response to movement of said cursor defined by said second input means, and outputting said calculated coordinates of said cursor as present-cursor position data, said calculated coordinates of said cursor always being subjected to updating;
• and
• window presentation managing means, connected to said second input means and said display means, for detecting when said cursor moves from one window to another window on said display screen and automatically making said another window active;
• said window presentation managing means comprises window managing means for generating plural pieces of window coordinate data defining positions and occupying-areas, on said display screen, for said windows specified by said second input means, and plural pieces of window priority data defining display priorities of said windows on said display screen;
• said window presentation managing means further comprising arithmetic operation means, connected to said cursor position managing means and said window managing means, for comparing said present-cursor position data with said plural pieces of said window coordinate data, and detecting when said cursor moves from one window to another window on said display screen and generating a detection signal;
• and
• said window presentation managing means further comprising control means, connected to said arithmetic operation means and said window managing means, for rewriting plural pieces of said window priority data so as to give said another window the highest display priority in response to said detection signal, whereby said another window having the highest display priority is moved in front of the other windows on said display screen.

A multi-window display method comprising the steps of:

• displaying windows serving as independent image display regions in such a manner that said windows are allowed to overlap one upon another on a display screen of a display device;
• calculating plural pieces of data specifying positions and sizes of said windows on said display screen:
• detecting coordinates of a movable cursor on said display screen;
• and
• comparing a present position of said cursor with said positions and sizes of said windows, and, when said cursor is detected to have moved into one of said windows on said display screen, controlling said display device so as to automatically move said one window in front of the other windows on said display screen, said one window being entirely visible while said other windows are hidden at least partially behind said one window;
• automatically activating another window and moving said another window in front of the other windows when said cursor is detected to have moved from one window to said another window;
• determining whether or not said other windows include an active window when said cursor is detected to have from one window to lie on other windows, and keeping active said active window when the determination is affirmative;
• and
• determining initial display priorities of said windows on said display screen in accordance with the order said windows are formed and stored in a memory section as windows priority data;
• and
• updating said display priorities of said windows to give a particular window the highest display priority when said cursor is detected to have moved to lie on said particular window on said display screen, and displaying said particular window having the highest display priority as said active window.