# US 8,543,933 B2 · Slideshow display of images for user-defined groups of applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,933 B2 - Document ID: US8543933B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/035,173 - Filed: 2008-02-21 - Published: 2009-08-27 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2008-02-21 - Assignees: Emtrace Technologies USA, Inc. - Applicants: Nae Kwon Jung - Inventors: Nae Kwon Jung - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543933B2 ## 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 9/451: Execution arrangements for user interfaces - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A group is defined by a user to include two or more different applications executed on a computing device. The group is associated with one foreground window and one or more background windows on a screen of the computing device. Images of one application selected as a foreground application is displayed in the foreground window. The applications not selected as the foreground application displays images in the background windows. The foreground window is overlaid on the top of the windows of other applications, thereby partially or totally occluding the windows of other applications in the same group. The foreground application changes with elapse of time or upon detection of an event. Therefore, the same foreground window display images for different applications in the group at different times. The number of windows cluttering a screen of the application can be reduced because the user can interact with different applications in the group using the same foreground window. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer readable non-transitory storage medium storing computer instructions adapted to selectively display images of multiple applications on a screen, the computer instructions when executed configured to cause a processor to: receive a user-selected definition of a group, the group including two or more different applications and associated with one foreground window and one or more background windows on the screen, the user-selected definition of the group including a sequence by which the different applications are to be displayed in the foreground window; receive a selection of a first application of the group as a foreground application; display images of the selected foreground application in the foreground window of the group; display images of the one or more background windows in a cascaded manner partly overlaid by the foreground window; change the foreground application of the group from the first application to a second application of the group according to the sequence responsive to detecting elapse of a first predetermined amount of time; change the foreground application of the group from the second application to a third application of the group according to the sequence responsive to detecting elapse of a second predetermined amount of time different from the first predetermined amount of time; and display images of the changed foreground application in the foreground window of the group at a same location of the screen as the foreground window of the selected foreground application. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the two or more different applications comprise widgets. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer program readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more different applications receives information for display from different remote servers via a network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising computer instructions causing the processor to: display a pop-up menu responsive to selecting one or more of the different applications; receive user input associated with the pop-up menu to assign selected one or more of the different applications to a created group; and generate a definition for the created group to include the two or more different applications. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the user-selected definition includes the predetermined event for overriding the sequence. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the foreground window and the one or more background windows are of a same size. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions to: change the foreground application of the group to a fourth application of the group by overriding the sequence responsive to detecting a predetermined event at the fourth application. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the predetermined event comprises receiving information from a remote server associated with the fourth application. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the predetermined event comprises receiving of user input indicating selection of the fourth application. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined amount of time and the second predetermined amount of time are set by a user. ### Claim 11 A method for selectively displaying images of multiple applications on a screen, comprising: receiving a user-selected definition of a group, the group including two or more different applications and associated with one foreground window and one or more background windows on the screen, the user-selected definition of the group including a sequence by which the different applications are to be displayed in the foreground window; receiving a selection of a first application of the group as a foreground application; displaying images of the selected foreground application in the foreground window of the group; displaying images of the one or more background windows in a cascaded manner partly overlaid by the foreground window; changing the foreground application of the group from the first application to a second application of the group according to the sequence responsive to detecting elapse of a first predetermined amount of time; changing the foreground application of the group from the second application to a third application of the group according to the sequence responsive to detecting elapse of a second predetermined amount of time different from the first predetermined amount of time; and displaying images of the changed foreground application in the foreground window of the group at a same location of the screen as the foreground window of the selected foreground application. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the two or more different applications comprise widgets. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: the first application receiving information from a first server for display on the screen; and the second application receiving information from a second server for display on the screen. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: displaying a pop-up menu responsive to selecting one or more of the different applications; receiving user input associated with the pop-up menu to assign selected one or more of the different applications to a created group; and generating a definition for the created group to include the two or more different applications. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising including the predetermined event for overriding the sequence in the user-selected definition. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the foreground window and the one or more background windows are of a same size. ### Claim 17 A computing device comprising a processor for executing multiple applications simultaneously, comprising: a user input module for receiving a user-selected definition of a group, the group including two or more different applications and associated with one foreground window and one or more background windows, the user-selected definition of the group including a sequence by which the different applications are to be displayed in the foreground window; an application display organizer connected to the user input module for selecting a first application in each group as a foreground application, the application display organizer changing the foreground application of the group from the first application to a second application of the group according to the sequence responsive to detecting elapse of a first predetermined amount of time, the application display organizer changing the foreground application of the group from the second application to a third application of the group according to the sequence responsive to detecting elapse of a second predetermined amount of time different from the first predetermined amount of time, the application display organizer displaying images of the changed foreground application in the foreground window of the group at a same location of the screen as the foreground window of the selected foreground application; and a display driver connected to the application display organizer, the display driver generating images for the foreground window of the group and the background windows of the group on a screen, the images of the one or more background windows in a cascaded manner partly overlaid by the foreground window. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein the two or more different applications comprise widgets. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, further comprising a communication interface connected to the application display organizer, the two or more different applications receiving information from different remote servers via the communication interface. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein the application display organizer is configured to: display a pop-up menu responsive to selecting one or more of the different applications; receive user input associated with the pop-up menu to assign selected one or more of the different applications to a created group; and generate a definition for the created group to include the two or more different applications. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein the application display organizer is configured to include the predetermined event for overriding the sequence in the user-selected definition. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The computing device of claim 17, wherein the foreground window and the one or more background windows are of a same size.