U.S. patent application number 13/245658 was filed with the patent office on 2012-10-18 for panels on touch.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Roma SHAH.
Application Number | 20120266101 13/245658 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45444973 |
Filed Date | 2012-10-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120266101 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SHAH; Roma |
October 18, 2012 |
PANELS ON TOUCH
Abstract
Methods and systems for displaying content on a webpage are
disclosed. The method may include receiving an application
indication to open a first application on a touch device. The
method may further include displaying the first application on the
touch device as a panel overlaid on a portion of a viewable area of
a webpage that is currently displayed on the touch device, and
displaying a first icon on the touch device relative to the panel
and the webpage, the icon representative of the first application.
The content of the webpage may be viewable and accessible on a
single display window for ease of convenience when navigating from
the first application to the second application.
Inventors: |
SHAH; Roma; (San Francisco,
CA) |
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
45444973 |
Appl. No.: |
13/245658 |
Filed: |
September 26, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13088790 |
Apr 18, 2011 |
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13245658 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/781 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/03545 20130101;
G06F 3/0481 20130101; G06F 3/03547 20130101; G06F 3/04883 20130101;
G06F 9/451 20180201 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/781 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/048 20060101
G06F003/048 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving a first
application indication to open a first application in a web browser
on a touch device; in response to receiving the first application
indication; displaying the first application on the touch device as
a panel overlaid on a portion of a viewable area of a webpage that
is currently displayed by the web browser on the touch device, and
displaying a first icon representative of the first application in
the web browser; wherein the webpage together with the first
application and its respective first icon are all displayed in a
same window of the web browser such that a user is provided access
to the first application without compromising access to the
webpage; receiving a second application indication to open a second
application in the web browser on the touch device; and in response
to receiving the second application indication; removing the first
application from display, wherein the first application is still
executing but hidden from display on the touch device, and wherein
the first icon is still displayed on the touch device, displaying
the second application on the touch device as a panel overlaid on a
portion of a viewable area of the webpage that is currently
displayed by the web browser on the touch device, and displaying a
second icon representative of the second application in the web
browser simultaneously with the display of the first icon
representative of the first application; wherein the webpage
together with the second application and its respective second icon
and the first icon are all displayed in the same window of the web
browser such that the user is provided access to the second
application without compromising access to the webpage.
2. (canceled)
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying an icon
corresponding to a function of the first application or the second
application.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first application
further comprises: displaying a full size version of the first
application on the touch device as the panel overlaid on the
portion of the viewable area of the webpage that is currently
displayed.
5.-6. (canceled)
7. A system, comprising: an on-screen input device configured to:
receive a first application indication to open a first application
in a web browser on a touch device, and receive a second
application indication to open a second application in the web
browser on the touch device; and an application manager,
implemented with a computing device, configured to: in response to
receiving the first application indication; display the first
application on the touch device as a panel overlaid on a portion of
a viewable area of a webpage that is currently displayed by the web
browser on the touch device, and display a first icon
representative of the first application in the web browser, wherein
the webpage together with the first application and its respective
first icon are all displayed in a same window of the web browser
such that a user is provided access to the first application
without compromising access to the webpage; and in response to
receiving the second application indication; remove the first
application from display, wherein the first application is still
executing but hidden from display on the touch device, and wherein
the first icon is still displayed on the touch device, display the
second application on the touch device as a panel overlaid on a
portion of a viewable area of the webpage that is currently
displayed by the web browser on the touch device, and display a
second icon representative of the second application in the web
browser simultaneously with the display of the first icon
representative of the first application; wherein the webpage
together with the second application and its respective second icon
and the first icon are all displayed in the same window of the web
browser such that the user is provided access to the second
application without compromising access to the webpage.
8. (canceled)
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the application manager is
further configured to: display an icon corresponding to a function
of the first application or the second application.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the application manager is
further configured to: display a full size version of the first
application on the touch device as the panel overlaid on the
portion of the viewable area of the webpage that is currently
displayed.
11.-12. (canceled)
13. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first application
further comprises: displaying the first application at a size set
by a user preference on the touch device as a panel overlaid on a
portion of a viewable area of a webpage that is currently displayed
on the touch device.
14. The method of claim 3, wherein the corresponding function
relates to a number of unread email messages or an upcoming
calendar appointment.
15. The system of claim 7, wherein the application manager is
further configured to: display the first application at a size set
by a user preference on the touch device as a panel overlaid on a
portion of a viewable area of a webpage that is currently displayed
on the touch device.
16. The system of claim 9, wherein the corresponding function
relates to a number of unread email messages or an upcoming
calendar appointment.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 13/088,790 filed Apr. 18, 2011, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The field relates to operating systems, software
applications and user interface devices, and, more particularly, to
a system, method, apparatus or non-transitory computer program
product for displaying a graphical user interface that allows a
plurality of windows and/or applications to be viewed and/or
manipulated concurrently.
[0004] 2. Background
[0005] Applications are commonly used with computational devices,
such as, laptops, smartphones, tablet computing devices, personal
digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Applications allow a user to access
information sources, webpages, games, and other virtual tools.
Applications are usually accessed and viewed one at a time;
however, recent trends in computing devices have prompted the user
to incorporate multiple applications into a common environment on
his or her respective computing device (multitasking).
[0006] In one example of operating a computing device, a user may
access a webpage from the Internet and download text and/or images
to their smartphone. When accessing the web page, the user may
select a particular desktop icon, such as a browser icon, and
launch a particular application, such as a browser application.
Once the user has navigated to his or her favorite source of
information or their desired webpage, the user may desire to access
other applications concurrently while reading or interfacing with
the accessed webpage.
[0007] However, the above-noted multitasking operation may become
complicated when selecting one application, de-selecting or
minimizing that same application, and proceeding to access a second
application concurrent with the operation of the first application.
Closing an application requires the application to be reopened
before it can be resumed. Minimizing, reopening and/or re-executing
an application slows the user's ability to re-access that same
application at a later time. Furthermore, the limited viewing space
on the newer pocket and travel-sized display devices requires
increasingly simple and prompt viewing options for the users'
satisfaction.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0008] In an embodiment, a method of displaying content on a
webpage is disclosed. The method may include receiving an
application indication to open a first application on a touch
device, displaying the first application on the touch device as a
panel overlaid on a portion of a viewable area of a webpage that is
currently displayed on the touch device, and displaying a first
icon on the touch device relative to the panel and the webpage. The
icon is representative of the first application.
[0009] In another embodiment, a system may include an on-screen
input device configured to receive an application indication to
open a first application on a touch device. The system may also
include an application manager, implemented with a computing
device, configured to display the first application on the touch
device as a panel overlaid on a portion of a viewable area of a
webpage that is currently displayed on the touch device, and
display a first icon on the touch device relative to the panel and
the webpage. The icon is representative of the first
application.
[0010] Further embodiments, features, and advantages, as well as
the structure and operation of the various embodiments are
described in detail below with reference to accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES
[0011] Embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying
drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers may indicate
identical or functionally similar elements. The drawing in which an
element first appears is generally indicated by the left-most digit
in the corresponding reference number.
[0012] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example web browser and
concurrent application, according to an example embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a content rotation system,
according to an example embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a flow diagram of an example
method of operation, according to an example embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Embodiments described herein refer to illustrations for
particular applications. It should be understood that the invention
is not limited to the embodiments. Those skilled in the art with
access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional
modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope
thereof and additional fields in which the embodiments would be of
significant utility.
[0016] In the detailed description of embodiments that follows,
references to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "an example
embodiment", etc., indicate that the embodiment described may
include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but
every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular
feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are
not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a
particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in
connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within
the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature,
structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments
whether or not explicitly described.
[0017] Touch screen devices generally provide a touch-sensitive
screen that overlays a display monitor or screen. Conventional
touch screens often include a layer of capacitive material and may
be based on a two-dimensional coordinate grid (X-axis, Y-axis). The
areas that are touched create a voltage, which is detected as being
at a particular location on the coordinate grid. More advanced
touch screen systems may be able to process multiple simultaneous
touch signals at different locations on the coordinate grid.
Specific examples of touch screen materials may include mutual
capacitance, which utilizes two distinct layers of material for
sensing touch and driving a voltage or current. Another example is
self-capacitance, which uses one layer of individual electrodes
connected to capacitance-sensing circuitry. The examples of
underlying touch screen technology are for example purposes only
and will be omitted from further discussion.
[0018] The processor and associated operating system will interpret
the received touch input and execute a corresponding application
and/or provide a particular result. For example, when a user
touches a touch screen surface, the capacitive material sends
touch-location data to the processor. The processor uses software
stored in the memory to interpret the data as commands and
gestures. Input received from the touch screen is sent to the
processor as electrical impulses. The processor uses software to
analyze the data and determine the characteristics of each touch,
such as, the size, shape and location of the touched area on the
display touch screen.
[0019] Interpretation software may be used to identify the type of
gesture. For example, a pinching gesture made with two or more
fingers may be used to enlarge or reduce the size of viewable
content of a display screen. Pinching may be used to adjust the
size (height or width) of content areas. A pinch may be a finger
movement that includes moving two fingers in a direction towards
one another. Alternatively, one finger may be used to simulate a
pinching motion, or more than two fingers may also be used. A
pinching motion or movement may be performed by placing, for
example, two fingers at two separate locations on the multi-touch
display device and dragging them towards each other without moving
them off the surface of the multi-touch display device.
[0020] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example web browser and
concurrent application, according to an embodiment. A web browser
application may be launched via a user selection operation
performed on a computing device. The web browser may launch a
window used to display a variety of information and content to the
user. FIG. 1 illustrates a webpage 100 displaying the present web
address. The user may select a web address to view desired content,
such as a new website, a consumer website, etc. Once the website
has been selected and downloaded to the user's computer, the web
browser window may become populated with the downloaded data. The
content of the website may include a plurality of formatted spaces
or "frames." The frames may appear as predefined areas of the
browser window that are populated with content, such as, text,
images, flash, video, plug-ins, etc.
[0021] Referring again to FIG. 1, once the user has accessed the
webpage 100 and the content has loaded, the user will naturally
begin browsing the content by reading, viewing, listening, and
clicking on items of interest via a touch pad or mouse periphery
device. The user may scroll down the webpage to navigate the loaded
frames that are below the present viewable space of the
corresponding display device. The user may then desire to initiate
a multitasking session by launching a different application, such
as a media player, mail application, chat application, information
source application, schedule application, game application, etc. By
launching the additional application the user may desire to
continue reading information, such as, news from a news webpage
that has loaded, while chatting via a chat application that has
been recently launched. Or, the user may desire to begin playing
music via a media player application during the course of browsing
the content of the webpage 100.
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a media player 102, illustrated as being
below a group of content frames which loaded during the loading of
the webpage. The media player 102 includes media access options,
such as, play, stop, volume control, etc. The user may begin
playing a song stored in the media player directory after the media
player 102 has loaded the content area of the webpage 100. The
media player 102 is displayed as being overlaid on the webpage 100.
The webpage may incorporate the media player 102 by creating a
frame customized to fit a portion of the webpage 100.
[0023] As a result of the media player application 102 being loaded
on the content area of the webpage 100, a corresponding icon may be
generated and displayed for user convenience. FIG. 1 illustrates a
group of icons which correspond to various applications, such as, a
counter "3" 106, a clock 108, a joystick 110, and a musical
note/compact disc 104. The counter "3" 106 may be an active counter
that displays a number of messages waiting for user acceptance
and/or which have yet to be read or acknowledged by the user. The
clock 108 may be indicative of an upcoming or soon to be announced
calendar entry. The game controller 110 may be a game the user is
currently playing, such as, online chess or checkers. The media
icon 104 is related to the media player 102 and may be displayed as
part of the user's display concurrent with the launching of the
media player 102.
[0024] The additional application (media player) may be
incorporated into the webpage as a customized frame. The frame may
be customized according to a default sizing option, or, may be
sized according to a user preference. The location of the media
player 102 with respect to the other frames of content data on the
webpage may default to a middle portion of the viewable content
area below a certain number of frames. The location placement of
the media player 102 may be linked to a frame indicator that is
transmitted from the operating system of the computing device to
the browser application. The content of the media player 102 may be
rotated to fit the viewable area of the webpage 100. Creating a
frame for the media player 102 and/or rotating other frames may be
necessary to maintain an aesthetically pleasing display window for
the user.
[0025] The frame indicator may be transmitted with the launching of
the media player application 102. The icon 104 may include an icon
indication or image that is used to notify the user that a
particular icon is associated with a particular application. The
icon indication may be a separate indicator (image) that is loaded
into the display area of the icon 104 when the icon 104 is loaded
for displaying purposes. By including the media player application
102 with its corresponding icon 104, the user is provided with the
capability to access the media player 102 without compromising
access to the webpage 100. Both the webpage 100 and media player
102 may be part of the same window interface, and, in turn, both
may be linked to the same window interface. The media application
102 may be displayed as a smaller version of its intended display
area, or as a full-sized version of its intended display area.
Display preferences may be selected by the user before or after the
application is loaded as part of the webpage 100.
[0026] In some cases, the media player 102 may be the main
application with the webpage 100 overlaid on top. The media player
102 may incorporate the webpage 100 by creating a frame customized
to fit a portion of the media player 102. In other cases, any
application can be the application on which other applications are
overlaid on top. A user can select the application on which to
overlay other application. For example, a user can identify a
messaging application to be the application on which to overlay
other applications, such as a webpage.
[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary content rotation
system 210 configured to perform a content rotation operation,
according to an embodiment. Content rotation system 210, or any
combination of its components, may be part of or may be implemented
with a computing device. Examples of computing devices include, but
are not limited to, a computer, workstation, distributed computing
system, computer cluster, embedded system, stand-alone electronic
device, networked device, mobile device (e.g. mobile phone, smart
phone, navigation device, tablet or mobile computing device), rack
server, set-top box, or other type of computer system having at
least one processor and memory. Such a computing device may include
software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. Software
may include one or more applications and an operating system.
Hardware can include, but is not limited to, a processor, memory
and user interface display.
[0028] System 210 may include an input receiver 212 and a panel
manager 214. The system 210 is in communication with a display
device 220, which may be used to display any of the example display
configurations discussed in detail above. The input receiver 212
may receive a command to launch a media player application 102. The
input may include application information, frame information (frame
indicator) and/or other predefined displaying information. The
panel manager 214 may use the command and application information
to rotate frames of the webpage 100 to accommodate the application
being incorporated into the webpage's display area. System 210 may
perform the operations in the embodiments described above using
FIG. 1. Examples of the embodiments for exemplary system 210 or
subsystem components, such as, input receiver 212 and panel manager
214, and methods or any parts or function(s) thereof may be
implemented using hardware, software modules, firmware, tangible
computer readable or computer usable storage media having
instructions stored thereon, or a combination thereof and may be
implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing
systems.
[0029] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a flow diagram of an example
method of operation, according to an example embodiment. Referring
to FIG. 3, the method may include receiving an application
indication to open a first application on a touch device, at step
301. The method may also include displaying the first application
on the touch device as a panel overlaid on a portion of a viewable
area of a webpage that is currently displayed on the touch device
at step 302. Displaying a first icon on the touch device relative
to the panel and the webpage, the icon representative of the first
application, is shown at step 303.
[0030] Embodiments may be directed to computer products comprising
software stored on any computer usable medium. Such software, when
executed in one or more data processing device, causes a data
processing device(s) to operate as described herein.
[0031] Embodiments may be implemented in hardware, software,
firmware, or a combination thereof. Embodiments may be implemented
via a set of programs running in parallel on multiple machines.
[0032] The summary and abstract sections may set forth one or more
but not all exemplary embodiments of the present invention as
contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to
limit the present invention and the appended claims in any way.
[0033] Embodiments of the present invention have been described
above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the
implementation of specified functions and relationships thereof.
The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been
arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description.
Alternate boundaries can be defined so long as the specified
functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed.
The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be
limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.
[0034] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will
so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others
can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily
modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific
embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from
the general concept of the present invention. Therefore, such
adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning
and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the
teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that
the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of
description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or
phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by
the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.
* * * * *