A New Apple Patent May Relate to Leopard’s ‘Spaces’ Feature

On September 27, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple’s patent application titled Methods of manipulating a screen space of a display device . Embodiments of the invention relate to graphical user interfaces (“GUIs”). More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to methods of manipulating a screen space in a display device. On one hand the description of screen space strongly suggests that this patent could be relating to Apple’s forthcoming OS feature known as Spaces and yet certain embodiments suggest otherwise.

Apple’s Patent Background

Data processing systems, e.g., desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and the like, use display devices (e.g., computer monitors) to show objects such as text characters, and still and moving images on a screen. Graphical user interfaces are created for a user to interact with a data processing system using various images, e.g., icons, windows, and other objects. Icons are small pictures shown on a screen of a display device that may represent programs, or files or other items. For example, by moving a pointer to an icon and pressing a mouse button, the user executes a command, opens a file represented by the icon into a window, or moves the icon around the display screen. Typically, a user operates an application executed by a processor through one or more windows displayed on the screen of the display device.

With the increased performance of data processing systems, more and more applications can be executed by a processor at the same time. Consequently, more and more application windows of various applications may be displayed on the screen of the display device at the same time. As such, various application windows have to share the same screen space of the display device. Typically, the user switches between application windows displayed on the screen of the display device to communicate with the applications. Sharing the screen space by many application windows causes clutter on the screen space. Therefore, the quest for larger display devices and/or better use of the screen real estate becomes important. This is especially important for data processing systems having relatively small screens, e.g., laptop computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Another example of a prior art user interface is the “Switcher” program developed by Andy Hertzfeld for the Macintosh operating system. The Switcher program allowed a user to switch from user application to user application; however, in this prior art system, only a window controlled by a single application can be displayed and receive input at any one time.

Apple’s Summary

Methods to manipulate a screen space of a display device in a data processing system are disclosed. A plurality of application windows of a plurality of applications are displayed on the screen space of the display device while in a multiple application mode. Additionally, a user interface of system level applications, e.g., a dock or menu bar, may be displayed on the screen space of the display device. At least a first application and a second application are executed by a processor of the data processing system to display the plurality of application windows. Next, a selection of a single application (“Single App”) mode is received (thereby causing a switch from multiple application mode to single application mode). The single application mode includes controlling a major portion of the screen space by one application which is usually a user level application program. That is, one or more windows of only one application executed by the processor are displayed at a time. Further, in response to the receiving of the selection of the single application mode, all of the windows are automatically removed or animated away from the screen space of the display device, except for one or more windows of the first application. The second application may continue to be executed by the processor after the removing of all of the windows from the screen space, except for one or more windows of the first application. A user interface, e.g., a dock and/or menu bar, may be displayed to show applications, whose windows have been removed from the screen space. The user interface of the system level applications (e.g. dock and/or menu bar) may continue to be displayed on the screen space. In one embodiment, other one or more applications are marked in such a way that they continue to be displayed in the single application mode. Next, a request to display one or more second application windows of a second application is received. The second application window is displayed while the first application windows are automatically removed from the screen space in response to the request. The first application may continue to be executed by the processor after the removing of the first application windows from the screen space of the display device.

In another embodiment, a plurality of application windows are displayed in a screen space. At least a first set of applications (e.g., user level applications) is marked to be displayed in a Single App mode. In this embodiment, Single App mode may be characterized as a “selected applications mode”. At least a second set of applications (e.g., user level applications) is marked to be displayed in a Single App mode. Next, a selection of a Single App mode is received. In response to the selection, all the windows are automatically removed from the screen space, except for one or more windows of the first set of applications. Next, a request to display the windows of the second set of applications is received while in the Single App mode. In response to the request, one or more windows of the second set of application are displayed while removing all the windows of the first set of applications.

In one embodiment, one or more first user level application windows and one or more second user level application windows, and a first user interface of a system level application, e.g., a dock and/or menu bar, are displayed on a screen space of a display device of a data processing system. The first user level application windows are controlled by a first user level application, and the second user level application windows are controlled by a second user level application. The first user level application and the second user level application are executed by at least one processor of a data processing system. One or more first user level application windows and one or more second user level application windows are displayed in a multi-application mode environment. The multi-application mode environment includes displaying application windows of the plurality of executing applications on the screen space of the display device concurrently. Next, a selection of the single application mode is received from a user. In response to this selection of the user, the multi-application mode environment is switched to a single application mode environment. The single application mode includes displaying one or more windows of only one application (usually a user level application) at a time. Next, in response to the switching from the multi-application mode environment to the single application mode environment, the second user level application windows are removed from the screen space while one or more first user level application windows are displayed. The second user level application, whose windows have been removed from the screen space, may continue to be executed by the processor. The user interface of the system level applications continues to be displayed on the screen space of the display device in the single application mode. Further, a request to display a window of the second user application is received. The window of the second user level application is automatically displayed in response to the request, while the windows of the first user level application are automatically removed from the screen space in response to the request to display the window of the second user application. In one embodiment, another user interface, e.g., a dock or menu bar, is displayed to show user level applications, which windows have been removed from the screen space, and that are executing.

Multi-Application Mode Screen Space Environment

Apple’s patent figure 5A shown below, illustrates one embodiment of a screen space 500 of a display device of a data processing system in a multi-application mode environment. As shown in FIG. 5A, screen space 500 is occupied by application window 501 controlled by application App.1, application window 502 controlled by application App.2, application window 503 controlled by application App.3, and application window 504 controlled by application App. 4. As shown in FIG. 5A, a major portion 510 of screen space 500 is controlled by multiple applications App.1-App.4. In one embodiment, major portion 510 is defined as a portion of screen space 500 that can display one or more application windows of separate applications App.1-App.4. In one embodiment, major portion 510 occupies from about 80% to about 99% of screen space 500. In one embodiment, App.1-App.4 are executed by processor 301 of data processing system 300, to display application windows 501-504 concurrently on screen space 500, as shown in FIG. 5A. In one embodiment, text and graphics to display application windows 501-504 on display device 305 are contained in a frame buffer (not shown) of memory 309. In one embodiment, applications App.1-App.4 are user level applications. In another embodiment, applications App.1-App.4 include user level applications and system level applications. In one embodiment, screen space 500 includes a user interface 505, e.g., an icon, a bar, a command tab interface, a dashboard, a taskbar, a menu bar, a display region that presents an information, e.g., a stock ticker, or any combination thereof, as shown in FIG. 5A below.

In one embodiment, user interface 505, e.g., a bar, is used to show system level applications. In one embodiment, user interface 505 may be animated, e.g., may be floating over screen space 500. System level applications may provide the information on the status of the computer system, e.g., usage of the battery, status of the computer hardware (e.g., an amount of used and available memory), needed updates for the operation system, time and date information, and the like. In one embodiment, screen space 500 includes a user interface 506 e.g., a docking bar (“dock”), as in Mac OS X produced by Apple Computer, Inc., located in Cupertino, Calif. to display frequently used user level applications, user level applications that are currently executed by the processor of the data processing system, or both. In one embodiment, user interface 505 that displays a system level application and user interface 506 that displays user level applications may be the same user interface, e.g., a docking bar. In another embodiment, user interface 505 and user interface 506 are different interfaces.

Apple lists John Louch (San Luis Obispo, CA) as the sole inventor of this patent. To learn about this patent, click here. The original filing date of this patent is noted as being March 22, 2006 which ensures us that this UI development is one that is forthcoming.

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Written and researched by Neo.