User interface with hierarchical window display

摘要

Methods and apparatus for displaying display windows in a graphical user interface are disclosed. An example method includes opening, on a computing device, a first root browser window and spawning, from a first link in the first root browser window in response to a user toss-gesture associated with the first link, a first subordinate browser window. The example method further includes displaying, in a hierarchical display feature of the computing device, a hierarchical relationship between the first root browser window and the first subordinate browser window so as to visually indicate hierarchical subordinacy of the first subordinate browser window to the first root browser window.

主权项

1. A computing device comprising:
a touch-screen display device; a processor; and a non-transitory, machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to render, on the touch-screen display device, a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI having a plurality of display modes including:
a hierarchical display mode configured to display hierarchical relationships between a plurality of individual display windows by displaying the plurality of individual display windows with differences in at least one of a relative size or placement, wherein the hierarchical relationships each indicate one of superordinacy or subordinacy between at least two display windows of the plurality of individual display windows; anda single window display mode configured to display only one of the plurality of individual display windows as a single window and to display the hierarchical relationships between at least some of the plurality of individual display windows by displaying tabs representing at least some of the plurality of individual display windows other than the single window, the plurality of individual display windows including:
a first root window displayed as the single window; anda first subordinate window represented by a first subordinate window tab, wherein:
the first subordinate window tab is spawned within the first root window in response to receiving a first user selection, associated with a link displayed in the first root window; andthe first subordinate window tab, in the single window display mode, is displayed and overlaid at an edge of the first root window, so as to visually indicate hierarchical subordinacy to the first root window,wherein receiving the first user selection comprises:receiving, by the computing device, an indication of the link being selected as a result of contact with the touch-screen display device at a location of the link;
andreceiving, by the computing device an indication that the contact with the touch-screen display device has ended;wherein in response to receiving a second user selection associated with the first subordinate window tab, the single window display mode is configured to:
display the first subordinate window as the single window, anddisplay a first root window tab representing the first root window within the first subordinate window, wherein the first root window tab is overlaid at a first edge of the first subordinate window, so as to visually indicate hierarchical superordinacy of the first root window with respect to the first subordinate window;wherein the plurality of individual display windows further includes a second subordinate window, the second subordinate window being represented by a second subordinate window tab displayed within the first subordinate window, andwherein the second subordinate window tab is overlaid at a second edge of the first subordinate window, opposite the first edge of the first subordinate window, so as to visually indicate hierarchical subordinacy of the second subordinate window with respect to the first root window, and to further visually indicate, with respect to the first root window, hierarchical equivalence between the first subordinate window and the second subordinate window; wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the computing device to:
switch from the hierarchical display mode to the single window display mode with a selected one of the plurality of individual display windows as the single window in response to receiving an indication of a first gesture at a location associated with the selected one of the plurality of individual display windows; andswitch from the single window display mode to the hierarchical display mode in response to receiving an indication of a second gesture at a location associated with the single window.