Interacting with nonconforming applications in a windowing environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11194459-B2
Application number	US-201816225259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2018
Priority date	Jul 13, 2015
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

A computer-implemented technique is described herein for efficiently and reliably interacting with a nonconforming application component in a windowing environment. The nonconforming application component corresponds to a type of application (such as, but not limited to, an immersive-type full-screen application) that was not originally designed for presentation of application content in a windowing environment, or was not originally designed for presentation of application content in a windowing environment of a certain type. In some implementations, the computer-implemented technique generates a composite window by: creating a system-owned frame; receiving an application-owned window; and creating the composite window by combining the frame and the application-owned window. The technique can thereafter control the composite window by performing operations on the composite window via its system-owned frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. One or more computing devices comprising:
one or more processing devices; and
one or more storage resources storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to implement an operating system configured to:
provide a windowing environment for presentation of application content provided by a plurality of applications;
obtain selected application content from a selected immersive application designed for an immersive processing environment other than the windowing environment provided by the operating system;
receive, by the operating system, one or more presentation preferences of the selected immersive application, the one or more presentation preferences specifying one or more size permissions for presenting the selected application content of the selected immersive application;
generate a frame that is controlled by the operating system of the one or more computing devices;
create a composite window by combining the frame and the selected application content; and
present the composite window on a graphical user interface presentation in a manner that conforms with the one or more size permissions specified by the one or more presentation preferences of the selected immersive application.

2. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
prevent resizing of the composite window below a minimum size specified by the one or more size permissions of the selected immersive application.

3. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
identify a minimum width and a minimum height specified by the one or more size permissions of the selected immersive application; and
in an instance when the composite window is at the minimum width and above the minimum height, allow reduction of a height of the composite window while preventing reduction of a width of the composite window.

4. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
identify a minimum width and a minimum height specified by the one or more size permissions of the selected immersive application; and
in an instance when the composite window is at the minimum height and above the minimum width, allow reduction of a width of the composite window while preventing reduction of a height of the composite window.

5. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
identify at least two discrete sizes specified by the one or more size permissions of the selected immersive application; and
restrict resizing of the composite window to the at least two discrete sizes.

6. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
prevent resizing of the composite window above a maximum size specified by the one or more size permissions of the selected immersive application.

7. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
identify a maximum window size specified by the one or more size permissions of the selected immersive application; and
enforce the maximum window size while presenting the composite window.

8. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
identify a permitted presentation mode specified by the one or more presentation preferences received by the operating system from the selected immersive application; and
present the composite window in the permitted presentation mode.

9. A method performed by one or more computing devices, the method comprising:
by an operating system of the one or more computing devices:
providing a windowing environment for presentation of application content provided by a plurality of applications;
receiving selected application content from a selected full-screen application designed for a non-windowing environment other than the windowing environment provided by the operating system;
receiving one or more size permissions from the selected full-screen application for presentation of the selected application content received from the selected full-screen application; and
presenting the selected application content received from the selected full-screen application in the windowing environment by:
combining the selected application content with a frame controlled by the operating system to create a composite window; and
presenting the composite window in the windowing environment according to the one or more size permissions received from the selected full-screen application.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more size permissions specify a minimum size of the composite window.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more size permissions specify a minimum height and a minimum width of the composite window.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more size permissions specify at least one of a minimum height or a minimum width of the composite window.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving specification information from the selected full-screen application identifying a domain within the composite window that is associated with a system-owned feature controlled by the operating system; and
using the operating system to process inputs directed to the domain associated with the system-owned feature.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
for other inputs directed to application-owned features owned by the selected full-screen application, forwarding the other inputs to the selected full-screen application.

15. The method of claim 9 , the selected application content comprising an application window.

16. A computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions which, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform acts comprising:
providing a windowing environment for presentation of application content provided by a plurality of applications;
receiving selected application content from a selected application designed for a processing environment other than the windowing environment;
identifying one or more presentation preferences associated with the selected application, the one or more presentation preferences specifying that the selected application content is presented in a landscape orientation; and
according to the one or more presentation preferences associated with the selected application, presenting the selected application content in the windowing environment in a selected window in the landscape orientation and preventing manipulation of the selected window to a portrait orientation.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , the acts further comprising:
controlling a size of the selected window according to the one or more presentation preferences.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , the acts further comprising:
controlling user resizing of the selected window according to the one or more presentation preferences.

19. The one or more computing devices of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is configured to:
prevent manipulation of the composite window to a prohibited orientation based at least on the one or more presentation preferences received by the operating system from the selected immersive application.

20. The one or more computing devices of claim 19 , wherein the prohibited orientation is a land

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Wei Yaou
• Swan Christopher E
• Snitkovskiy Alex
• Wong Tsz Yan
• Yamamoto Hirofumi
• Tricanowicz Steven J
• Beck Brian D
• Vranjes Miron

Classifications

• G06F2203/04803

  Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  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 · CPC title

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F9/451

  Execution arrangements for user interfaces · CPC title

• G06F9/452

  Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation (protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131) · CPC title