Patent US7594185 - Virtual desktop manager

A method for a user to preview multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface is described. The method comprises receiving an indication from a user to preview the multiple virtual desktops and displaying multiple panes on the display. Each pane contains a scaled virtual desktop having dimensions that are proportionally less than the dimensions of a corresponding full-size virtual desktop. Each scaled virtual desktop displays with one or more scaled application windows as shadows if the corresponding full-size virtual desktop has one or more corresponding application windows that are active.

Inventors: Bret Paul Anderson, Kelly Elizabeth Rollin, Daniel J Shapiro
Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
Primary Examiner: Tadeese Hailu
Attorney: Shook Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.
Current U.S. Classification: 715/778; 715/762; 715/779; 715/835

View patent at USPTO
Search USPTO Assignment Database

Citations

Cited Patent	Filing date	Issue date	Original Assignee	Title
US5564002	Aug 1, 1994	Oct 8, 1996	International Business Machines Corporation	Method and apparatus for implementing a virtual desktop through window positioning
US5625783	Dec 13, 1994	Apr 29, 1997	Microsoft Corporation	Automated system and method for dynamic menu construction in a graphical user interface
US5830090	Dec 17, 1996	Nov 3, 1998	Huffy Corporation	Basketball goal unit
US5841435	Jul 26, 1996	Nov 24, 1998	International Business Machines Corporation	Virtual windows desktop
US6008809	Sep 22, 1997	Dec 28, 1999	International Business Machines Corporation	Apparatus and method for viewing multiple windows within a dynamic window
US6091411	Dec 7, 1998	Jul 18, 2000	Microsoft Corporation	Dynamically updating themes for an operating system shell
US6710788	Dec 3, 1996	Mar 23, 2004	Texas Instruments Incorporated	Graphical user interface
US6816870	May 18, 2000	Nov 9, 2004	Sony Corporation	Information processing method and apparatus for displaying labels
US6850256	Feb 24, 2003	Feb 1, 2005	Apple Computer, Inc.	User interface for presenting media information
US6941382	Feb 7, 2000	Sep 6, 2005		Portable high speed internet or desktop device
US7027101	May 13, 2002	Apr 11, 2006	Microsoft Corporation	Selectively overlaying a user interface atop a video signal
US7197715	Mar 29, 2002	Mar 27, 2007	Digeo, Inc.	System and method to provide customized graphical user interfaces via an interactive video casting network
US7474759	Nov 13, 2001	Jan 6, 2009	Pixel Velocity, Inc.	Digital media recognition apparatus and methods
US20020175933	May 7, 2002			Method and arrangement for providing an expanded desktop
US20020191032	Jun 18, 2001		International Business Machines Corporation	Method and apparatus for viewing and managing information in a history
US20030179240	Mar 20, 2002			Systems and methods for managing virtual desktops in a windowing environment

Referenced by

Citing Patent	Filing date	Issue date	Original Assignee	Title
US8146098	Sep 7, 2007	Mar 27, 2012	ManageIQ, Inc.	Method and apparatus for interfacing with a computer user via virtual thumbnails
US8234640	Oct 17, 2006	Jul 31, 2012	ManageIQ, Inc.	Compliance-based adaptations in managed virtual systems
US8234641	Nov 27, 2007	Jul 31, 2012	ManagelQ, Inc.	Compliance-based adaptations in managed virtual systems
USD613753	Apr 17, 2009	Apr 13, 2010	Microsoft Corporation	Icon for a display screen

Claims

1. Method for providing different background images for multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, the method comprising:

presenting on the display of the computer system a full-size virtual desktop with a full-size background image and two or more thumbnails of virtual desktops including a thumbnail of the full-size virtual desktop;

receiving a first indication, selecting a virtual desktop from the two or more thumbnails as a selected virtual desktop;

receiving a second indication, selecting an image as a new background image for the selected virtual desktop;

changing a background image associated with the selected virtual desktop to the new background image;

changing a background image of a thumbnail of the selected virtual desktop to the new background image; and

changing the full-sized background image to the new background image when the selected virtual desktop corresponds to the full-sized virtual desktop.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of showing on the full-sized virtual desktop a first menu having a first set of menu items, each menu item in the first set of menu items corresponding to a selectable background image.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of configuring a set of shortcut keys, each shortcut key of the set of shortcut keys being selected from a group consisting of a shortcut key to invoke the display of a preview window and a shortcut key to invoke the display of a full-size virtual desktop from the multiple virtual desktops.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of displaying a preview button so that the user may select the preview button to allow the method to receive an indication from the user to preview the multiple virtual desktops.

5. Computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, enable a computing device to perform a method for providing different background images for multiple virtual desktops in a graphical user interface being presented on a display of a computer system, the method comprising: