User interface modification using preview panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11301124-B2
Application number	US-201715680908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2017
Priority date	Aug 18, 2017
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

A system for modifying a user interface described herein can include a processor to detect a plurality of display screens electronically coupled to the system. The processor can also detect a first gesture corresponding to an application window displayed in one of the display screens and generate a preview panel in response to detecting the first gesture, the preview panel to be displayed proximate the application window, wherein the preview panel is to display a real-time image comprising content displayed in each of the display screens. Furthermore, the processor can detect a second gesture to move the application window to a different display screen modify the user interface to display the application window in the different display screen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for modifying a user interface comprising:
a processor; and
a memory to store a plurality of instructions that, in response to an execution by the processor, cause the processor to:
electronically couple two or more computing devices to display a user interface;
detect a plurality of display screens electronically coupled to the two or more coupled computing devices, wherein the user interface is configured to display content from the two or more coupled computing devices as a single user interface across the plurality of display screens;
detect a first gesture comprising an initiation of a drag and drop operation on an application title bar of an actively executing application window displayed on one of the plurality of display screens;
in response to detecting the first gesture, generate a preview panel displayed proximate to the application window, wherein the preview panel is configured to display a real-time image comprising the content from the two or more coupled computing devices, and wherein the preview panel includes individual display screens representing a respective display screen of each of the plurality of display screens of the two or more coupled computing devices and includes a seam comprising a region indicating an edge between two of the plurality of display screens;
detect a second gesture within the preview panel comprising a release of the drag and drop operation of the application window, wherein the second gesture terminates on the seam within the preview panel; and
in response to detecting the second gesture, modify the user interface to display the application window across the two of the plurality of display screens adjacent to the seam.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of display screens comprise a first display screen from a first device and a second display screen from a second device.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first device is a tablet device and the second device is a projector device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the processor to detect a drop location of the application window based on a top location, a center location, or a bottom location of a different display screen of the preview panel and display the application window in the drop location.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the processor to detect the drop of the application window in a different display screen of the preview panel and display the application window in a maximized format or a minimized format in the different display screen.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the processor to detect a third gesture within the preview panel enabling user input to determine the plurality of display screens and locations within the plurality of display screens to display the application window.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the preview panel comprises actively executed applications being displayed in each of the plurality of display screens and wherein the processor is to move content from the application window to a second application window in response to detecting the drag and drop operation.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the preview panel comprises actively executed applications being displayed in each of the plurality of display screens and wherein the processor is to move the application window from a remote device to the system.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of display screens comprise at least one virtual desktop.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first gesture is further associated with initiating the drag and drop operation with a representation of the application window provided by an application switcher.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the initiating of the drag and drop operation comprises a selection of the application title bar with an input device and the release of the drag and drop operation comprises releasing the selection from the input device in response to detecting a movement of the input device.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the processor to hide the preview panel in response to detecting the first gesture moving more than a predetermined distance from the preview panel.

13. A method for modifying a user interface comprising:
electronically coupling two or more computing devices to display a user interface;
detecting a plurality of display screens electronically coupled to the two or more coupled computing devices, wherein the user interface is configured to display content from the two or more coupled computing devices as a single user interface across the plurality of display screens;
detecting a first gesture comprising an initiation of a drag and drop operation on an application title bar of an actively executing application window displayed on one of the plurality of display screens;
in response to detecting the first gesture, generating a preview panel displayed proximate to the application window, wherein the preview panel is configured to display a real-time image comprising the content from the two or more coupled computing devices, and wherein the preview panel includes individual display screens representing a respective display screen of each of the plurality of display screens of the two or more coupled computing devices and includes a seam comprising a region indicating an edge between two of the plurality of display screens;
detecting a second gesture within the preview panel comprising a release of the drag and drop operation of the application window, wherein the second gesture terminates on the seam within the preview panel; and
in response to detecting the second gesture, modifying the user interface to display the application window across the two of the plurality of display screens adjacent to the seam.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of display screens comprise a first display screen from a first device and a second display screen from a second device.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first device is a tablet device and the second device is a projector device.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising detecting a drop location of the application window based on a top location, center location, or bottom location of a different display screen of the preview panel and displaying the application window in the drop location.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first gesture is further associated with initiating the drag and drop operation with a representation of the application window provided by an application switcher.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the initiating of the drag and drop operation comprises a selection of the application title bar with an input device and the release of the drag and drop operation comprises releasing the selection from the input device in response to detecting a movement of the input device.

19. The method of claim 13 , comprising hiding the preview panel in response to detecting the first gesture moving more than a predetermined distance from the preview panel.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of display screens comprises at least three screens.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second gesture terminates at a top region of the seam between the two display screens within the preview panel.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Baer Matthias
• Mamaril Bryan K
• Ng Isaiah
• Thomas Garner B
• April Cassandra M
• Fang Richard
• Worley Matthew I

Classifications

• G06F3/04886 Primary

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  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

• G06F9/452

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

• G06F3/1454

  involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay · CPC title