Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Ryan Pendlay

Christian Klein

Peter Hammerquist

Christoffer Peter Hart Hansen

Lauren Edelmeier

William Scott Stauber

Keri Kruse Moran

Issa Yousef Khoury

Petteri Mikkola

Elizabeth Fay Threlkeld

Darren Ray Davis

Kenton Allen Shipley

Diego D Baca Del Rosario

Ramrajprabu Balasubramanian

Patrick Joseph Derks

Albert Peter Yih

Giorgio Francesco Sega

Mohammed Kaleemur Rahman

David Carl Naber

Harold S Gomez

Scott David Schenone

March Rogers

Anthony Neil Dart

Holger Kuehnle

Eduardo Sonnino

Brian David Cross

Jason Hartman

David John Woods

Julia Christine Carlson

A computing device detects a press of a global shortcut key simultaneously with a first press and release of a modifier key. In response thereto, an operation is initiated in a non-default display region. The operation might be displaying a user interface element in the non-default display region. The computing device can also detect a second press and release of the modifier key simultaneously with the press of the global shortcut key. In response thereto, the operation can be initiated in a second display region, such as a default display region. The second press and release of the modifier key can be detected within a predetermined period of time following the detection of the first press and release of the modifier key. The operation might be simultaneously initiated in multiple display regions, such as sharing a region that encompasses the non-default display region and one or more other display regions.

Extensions to global keyboard shortcuts for computing devices having multiple display regions

Technologies are disclosed herein that enable a foldable computing device having multiple screen regions to perform an inter-region user interface (UI) operation in response to an intra-region UI gesture. For example, a UI gesture that begins and ends within a first region may be used to move a window from the first region to the second region. The disclosed technologies address the technical problems described above by providing succinct, accurate UI gestures that cause foldable computing devices to perform inter-region UI operations. The disclosed technologies further address the technical problems described above by combining different types of UI gestures to increase gesture accuracy and expressiveness of inter-region UI operations.

Predictive gesture optimizations for moving objects across display boundaries

A foldable computing device can be configured to provide a user interface (UI) optimization that enables an application window to be presented in a predictable location when an application is launched, a UI optimization that enables an application window to be moved to an active display area, a UI optimization that enables a modal UI element to be presented in such a way that it does not overlap a seam on the device, a UI optimization that enables an image presented by the device to be adjusted to maintain a view of the focal point of the image across device posture or orientation changes, a UI optimization that enables the device to transition between UI modes optimized for front-facing and world-facing image capture, and/or a UI optimization that enables the device to provide a UI for instructing a user to flip the device when a biometric sensor is in use.

User interface transitions and optimizations for foldable computing devices

Technologies are disclosed herein for positioning application windows based on existing application layout and anticipated user workflows. When an existing application window and a recently launched application window are determined to be related to a workflow, and the default position of the recently launched application window is determined to overlap with the existing application window, the recently launched application window may be displayed in a non-default display region to avoid occlusion. By avoiding occlusion, the foldable device may provide a user-friendly application layout, reducing the number of times a user will move, resize, or switch between application windows in the workflow. This in turn may improve device performance and efficiency while reducing errors attributable to user input. The user-friendly layout may also enable a user to view more content at the same time, increasing productivity, reducing eye strain, facilitating operations such as cut and paste, etc.

Positioning user interface components based on application layout and user workflows

A foldable computing device provides user interface ('UI') transitions and optimizations while operating in a productivity mode. When the foldable computing device is operating in productivity mode, it can present a UI below a hardware keyboard placed over a display region and occluding only a top portion of the display region or a software keyboard presented in the display region occluding only the top portion of the display region. If the hardware keyboard or the software keyboard occlude only the bottom of the display region, a UI can be shown above the hardware keyboard or the software keyboard. The foldable computing device can adjust the position of UI windows that are occluded when the hardware or software keyboard is placed on the display region. The foldable computing device can move the UI windows back to their original positions if the hardware or software keyboard no longer occlude the display region.

Transitions and optimizations for a foldable computing device operating in a productivity mode

A foldable computing device is disclosed that is configured to determine a user interface (UI) component rendering mode based on content occlusion and a prediction of user intent. The foldable computing device is configured to increase, maintain, or reduce prominence of a UI component based whether and where the UI component occludes an underlying application window or other existing UI. The foldable device may also determine an existing UI component's rendering mode based on an anticipated location of an application window associated with an application that was just launched. Furthermore, the foldable device may predict what a user is going to do with the application window, including causing any future occlusion, and adjust the UI component's rendering mode accordingly.

User interface adaptations based on inferred content occlusion and user intent

A bendable computing device can operate in a single display region mode when the device is in an unbent posture and can operate in a multiple display region mode when the device is in a bent posture. The multiple display region mode subdivides the bendable screen of the bendable computing device into a first display region and a second display region. When operating in the multiple display region mode, the bendable computing device can display an artificial hardware seam between the first display region and the second display region. User input gestures originating at the artificial hardware seam or terminating at the artificial hardware seam can be utilized to provide various types of functionality. Various types of functionality can also be provided when the bendable computing device detects that it has transitioned from an unbent posture to a bent posture or from a bent posture to an unbent posture.

Dynamic screen modes on a bendable computing device

In many computing scenarios, a user of a primary device may wish to incorporate an auxiliary device in the presentation of an application. Such incorporation may involve a terminal services session that projects the computing environment of the primary device onto the auxiliary device; mirroring the computing environment of the primary device through the auxiliary device; and/or utilizing applications that interoperate with client applications executing on the second device. However, such techniques may not fully reflect the properties of each device, and/or may only apply to particular applications and/or configurations. Instead, the primary device may adapt the primary computing environment to an auxiliary computing environment according to a device property of the auxiliary device; partition the application into a primary application portion presented within the primary computing environment and an auxiliary application portion presented within the auxiliary computing environment; and transmit the auxiliary computing environment to the auxiliary device.

Partitioned application presentation across devices

Techniques for ink anchoring are described. In one or more implementations, an interactive canvas is displayed on one or more display devices of a computing device. An ink object is generated by digitizing ink input received to the interactive canvas. In response to determining that the ink object overlaps an object in the interactive canvas, the ink object is anchored to the object such that a spatial relationship between the ink object and the object is maintained if the ink object or the object is manipulated.

Ink Anchoring

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for content projection. For example, a communication connection may be established between a primary device (e.g., a smart phone) of a user and a secondary device (e.g., a television). The primary device may identify an interest of the user to view content on the secondary device (e.g., photos for a recently attended concert). The primary device may retrieve the content (e.g., local photos on the smart phone and/or photos remotely retrieved from a social network). The primary device may project a rendering of the content onto a secondary display of the secondary device (e.g., the smart phone may send the rendering over the communication connection to the television for display).

Content projection

A user may interact with a collection of devices that each exhibit particular device properties. Where each device executes and presents an isolated computing environment, inconsistencies may arise in the user interaction by the user with different devices. Alternatively, a terminal server may present a computing environment to various auxiliary devices, but such presentation may fail to utilize some device properties of some devices, and/or may present a computing environment that is not suitable for some devices. Instead, a primary device of the device collection may adapt a primary computing environment to an auxiliary computing environment for each auxiliary device, based upon its device properties. Upon receiving a request to execute an application, the primary device may execute the application within the auxiliary computing environment, and may adapt the application based upon the device properties. The primary device may stream each auxiliary computing environment to the respective auxiliary device.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Ryan Pendlay