Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Samuel George Gates

Richard Fang

Bret P Anderson

Nils Anders Sundelin

Miron Vranjes

Christopher Doan

Andrew M Pickard

Ross Nathaniel Luengen

Jiwon Choi

Lee Dicks Clark

Adam Edward Barrus

Abhishek Malani

Embodiments disclosed herein are related to systems and methods for implementing a customizable compact overlay window in a display. In one embodiment, a computing system includes one or more processors and a storage device that stores computer executable instructions that can be executed by the processors to cause the computing system to perform the following. The system receives from an application running on the computing system customization parameters that define how the application is to be configured in a compact overlay window. The system generates the compact overlay window so that the compact overlay window is customizable according to the customization parameters. The system positions the compact overlay window in a portion of a display of the computing system.

Customizable compact overlay window

Techniques for surfacing task-related applications in a heterogeneous tab environment are described. In at least some implementations, a task group is created based on an implicit association between source content from a source application and target content from a target application based on a request to launch the target application from the source application. According to various implementations, the heterogeneous tab environment presents the task group and a trigger event is defined based on the task group. Detecting the trigger event causes surfacing of the task group in the tab environment.

Surfacing task-related applications in a heterogeneous tab environment

Display screen with animated graphical user interface

Techniques for exposing tabs in system task switchers are described herein. In one or more implementations, input is received to initiate a switch between different applications executed in a multi-application computing environment. In response, a system task switcher is launched to facilitate selection of and switching between the different applications. representations of the different applications are exposed via a user interface for the system task switcher. In the system task switcher configured to include functionality accessible via the system task switcher to exposed representations of individual tabs open in applications having tabbed user interfaces. Responsive to a selection of a particular application via the system task switcher, a switch occurs to the particular application in the multi-application computing environment. If a particular tab is selected, the switch occurs to expose the application UI with the selected tab being presented as the active/top tab with focus in the application UI.

Tabs in system task switchers

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Samuel George Gates