The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 06, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 04, 1997
Daniel P Oran, Cambridge, MA (US);
Ian M Ellison-Taylor, Seattle, WA (US);
Chee H Chew, Redmond, WA (US);
Joseph D Belfiore, Redmond, WA (US);
Mark A Malamud, Seattle, WA (US);
Jeffrey L Bogdan, Redmond, WA (US);
Kent D Sullivan, Bellevue, WA (US);
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
A taskbar is provided that supplies visual cues, such as buttons, for each application having an active window. These visual cues inform a user of the currently active windows and may be used to display the active windows. The taskbar may also include a start menu button that enables a user to gain access to a menu for launching programs, opening documents and controlling system settings. The taskbar is resizable and may be anchored to different locations on a video display. The taskbar may operate in a mode where it is not obscurable by other windows. The taskbar may also be displayed in a mode where it is not displayed when another window is in a non-minimized state.