Updating display of workspaces in a user interface for managing workspaces in response to user input

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11150780-B2
Application number	US-201615348968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2016
Priority date	Oct 19, 2010
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

Providing a bridge interface for managing virtual workspaces is disclosed. A plurality of workspace images is presented in a user interface, each workspace image corresponding to a different virtual workspace available to a user of a computer system. A user can generate new virtual workspaces using an appropriate user input, such as by selecting a user interface object for generating new virtual workspaces. In some implementations, a new thumbnail image representing the new virtual workspace can be automatically created after the user opts for creation of the new workspace.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a display and one or more input devices:
displaying, on the display, a user interface for managing virtual workspaces, wherein displaying the user interface includes concurrently displaying:
a representation of a first virtual workspace;
a representation of a second virtual workspace, wherein the second virtual workspace is different from the first virtual workspace, and wherein the representation of the first virtual workspace and the representation of the second virtual workspace are displayed in a first region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces;
representations of a plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace, wherein the representations of the plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace are displayed in a second region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces, wherein the second region is different from the first region; and
a selectable user interface object for generating new virtual workspaces;

while displaying the user interface for managing virtual workspaces, detecting a user input, via the one or more input devices, at a location that corresponds to the selectable user interface object; and
in response to detecting the user input, updating, on the display, the user interface for managing virtual workspaces to include a representation of a third virtual workspace, wherein the third virtual workspace is different from the first virtual workspace and the second virtual workspace.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the representation of the third virtual workspace is displayed concurrently with the representation of the first virtual workspace and the representation of the second virtual workspace.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third virtual workspace is a newly created virtual workspace that is different from the first virtual workspace and the second virtual workspace.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selectable user interface object includes a plus symbol.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user input is a click on the selectable user interface object.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the representation of the first virtual workspace, the representation of the second virtual workspace, and the representation of the third virtual workspace are displayed along a respective axis.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the representation of the second virtual workspace is closer to a respective edge of the display than the representation of the first virtual workspace; and
the representation of the third virtual workspace is displayed between the representation of the second virtual workspace and the respective edge of the display.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the selectable user interface object is displayed between the representation of the second virtual workspace and the respective edge of the display.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein after the user interface is updated, the selectable user interface object is displayed between the representation of the third virtual workspace and the respective edge of the display.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third virtual workspace does not include an associated application window.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the representation of the first virtual workspace depicts a visual appearance of an arrangement of application windows in the first virtual workspace; and
the representation of the second virtual workspace depicts a visual appearance of an arrangement of application windows in the second virtual workspace.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying, on the display, a dock concurrently with the representation of the first virtual workspace, the representation of the second virtual workspace, and the representations of the plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace;
wherein the dock is displayed in a third region of the display different than the first region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces and the second region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces; and
wherein the dock comprises shortcuts to one or more applications.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second region is disposed between the first region and the third region.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first region, the second region and the third region are vertically offset regions.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces and the second region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces are vertically offset.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the representations of the plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace comprise a second arrangement of the application windows in the first virtual workspace different than the arrangement of the application windows in the first virtual workspace depicted in the representation of the first virtual workspace.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the arrangement of the application windows in the first virtual workspace corresponds to the appearance of windows in the first virtual workspace when activated, and wherein the second arrangement of the application windows groups the application window into clusters based on shared characteristics.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the representation of the first virtual workspace and the representations of the plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace are displayed in a two-dimensional desktop plane.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first virtual workspace comprises a grouping of the plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace, and wherein the second virtual workspace comprises a grouping of a plurality of application windows associated with the second virtual workspace.

20. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
memory;
a display; one or more input devices; and
one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
displaying, on the display, a user interface for managing virtual workspaces, wherein displaying the user interface includes concurrently displaying:
a representation of a first virtual workspace;
a representation of a second virtual workspace, wherein the second virtual workspace is different from the first virtual workspace, and wherein the representation of the first virtual workspace and the representation of the second virtual workspace are displayed in a first region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces;
representations of a plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace, wherein the representations of the plurality of application windows associated with the first virtual workspace are displayed in a second region of the user interface for managing virtual workspaces, wherein the second region is different from the first region; and
a selectable user interface object for generating new virtual workspaces;

while displaying the user interface for managing virtual workspaces, detecting a user input, via the one or more input devices, at a location that corresponds to the selectable user interface object; and
in response to detecting the user input, updating, on the display, the user interface for m

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ording Bas
• Louch John

Classifications

• G06F3/04883 Primary

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G06F9/451

  Execution arrangements for user interfaces · CPC title

• G06F2203/04802

  3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user · CPC title

• G06F3/0482 Primary

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title