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US 8,856,682 B2Granted
Displaying a user interface in a dedicated display area
AssigneeAI Squared
InventorsScott David Moore, Yi Fang, Jost Eckhardt, Richard Wayne Demar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Some embodiments are directed to techniques for displaying a user interface of an application program on a display device. The display device may be partitioned into two portions, such that the user interface and a computer desktop are displayed in separate portions of the display. As a result, the user interface does not overlap or obscure any portion of the displayed desktop.
Claims36
In a computer that has at least one hardware processor and at least one tangible memory coupled to the at least one hardware processor, wherein the tangible memory stores computer instructions for an application program, wherein the at least one hardware processor is configured to execute the computer instructions for the application program, and wherein the computer is configured to display a computer desktop on a display device that has a display area and is coupled to the computer, a method of displaying a user interface for the application program on the display device, the method comprising:
- displaying a viewport of the computer desktop on the display area of the display device while the display area is unpartitioned;
- receiving an indication to display the user interface on the display device;
- in response to receiving the indication:
- partitioning the display area into a first display portion that is dedicated for displaying the user interface and a second display portion for displaying the viewport of the computer desktop;
- displaying at least a portion of the user interface in the first display portion of the display area;
- reducing the viewport in size to create a reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop that fits in the second display portion of the display area;
- and
- displaying the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop in the second display portion of the display area, such that the user interface is not overlaid on the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop;
- providing in the user interface a plurality of controls, at least some of which are configured to control at least one aspect of the appearance of the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop displayed in the second display portion of the display area;
- and
- in response to an instruction to set a magnification level of the computer desktop displayed in the second display portion of the display area:
- if matching a magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop would not cause the first display portion to occupy more than a threshold amount of the display area, then sizing the first display portion to accommodate the user interface matched to the magnification level of the computer desktop;
- and
- if matching the magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop would cause the first display portion to occupy more than the threshold amount of the display area, then limiting the first display portion to the threshold amount of the display area by not matching the magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop.
11 more elements
At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer that is configured to display a computer desktop, perform a method of displaying a user interface for an application program on a display device that is coupled to the computer and has a display area, the method comprising:
- displaying a viewport of the computer desktop on the display area of the display device while the display area is unpartitioned;
- receiving an indication to display the user interface on the display device;
- in response to receiving the indication:
- partitioning the display area into a first display portion that is dedicated for displaying the user interface and a second display portion for displaying the viewport of the computer desktop;
- displaying at least a portion of the user interface in the first display portion of the display area;
- reducing the viewport in size to create a reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop that fits in the second display portion of the display area;
- and
- displaying the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop in the second display portion of the display area, such that the user interface is not overlaid on the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop;
- providing in the user interface a plurality of controls, at least some of which are configured to control at least one aspect of the appearance of the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop displayed in the second display portion of the display area;
- and
- in response to an instruction to set a magnification level of the computer desktop displayed in the second display portion of the display area:
- if matching a magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop would not cause the first display portion to occupy more than a threshold amount of the display area, then sizing the first display portion to accommodate the user interface matched to the magnification level of the computer desktop;
- and
- if matching the magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop would cause the first display portion to occupy more than the threshold amount of the display area, then limiting the first display portion to the threshold amount of the display area by not matching the magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop.
11 more elements
A computer configured to display a computer desktop on a display device that has a display area, the computer comprising:
- at least one tangible memory that stores computer instructions for an application program;
- and
- at least one hardware processor, coupled to the at least one tangible memory, that executes the computer instructions to:
- display a viewport of the computer desktop on the display area of the display device while the display area is unpartitioned;
- receive an indication to display the user interface on the display device;
- in response to receiving the indication:
- partition the display area into a first display portion that is dedicated for displaying the user interface and a second display portion for displaying the viewport of the computer desktop;
- display at least a portion of the user interface in the first display portion of the display area;
- reduce the viewport in size to create a reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop that fits in the second display portion of the display area;
- and
- display the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop in the second display portion of the display area, such that the user interface is not overlaid on the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop;
- provide in the user interface a plurality of controls, at least some of which are configured to control at least one aspect of the appearance of the reduced-size viewport of the computer desktop displayed in the second display portion of the display area;
- and
- in response to an instruction to set a magnification level of the computer desktop displayed in the second display portion of the display area:
- if matching a magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop would not cause the first display portion to occupy more than a threshold amount of the display area, then sizing the first display portion to accommodate the user interface matched to the magnification level of the computer desktop;
- and
- if matching the magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop would cause the first display portion to occupy more than the threshold amount of the display area, then limiting the first display portion to the threshold amount of the display area by not matching the magnification level of the user interface to the magnification level of the computer desktop.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.