Appeal No. 2004-0870 Page 2
Application No. 09/477,419
have its contents displayed in a separate window. Functions performed by the program
(e.g., spell checking, print spooling) may also each employ one or more secondary
windows. Similarly, other application programs running on the computer present one or
more windows to the user. For example, if a browser is employed to access different
types of web sites, the contents of each site would be displayed in a different window.
(Spec. at 1-2.)
For an inexperienced user, having multiple windows open can be a source of
frustration or confusion. For instance, a window of interest may be blocked from view
by other, later-accessed windows. The user may not know how to navigate to the
desired window without closing all the overlying windows. Even for an experienced
user, a myriad of open windows may present a cluttered interface. (Id. at 2.)
Accordingly, the appellants provide a user-selectable mode of operation in which
a single window, or at most a few windows, associated with the active task is displayed.
All windows relating to non-active tasks are minimized by reducing them in size or
replacing them with an icon or a menu, thereby reducing clutter. When a user switches
to a new task (e.g., by selecting a minimized window), the window associated with the
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007