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:
Aug. 24, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 01, 1997
Frank E Ludolph, Menlo Park, CA (US);
Sara J Swanson, Los Gatos, CA (US);
Chris J Ryan, Mountain View, CA (US);
Sun Microsystems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A method for expanding and contracting a window panel to uncover the panel's content to the user without resize other panels and without reformatting their content, is described. A user chooses a window panel by moving a pointer to that panel. If there is content in that panel not shown to the user, the panel expands to show the entire content. If expansion is not necessary initially, the system waits to see if any actions by the user require expansion. Upon expansion at any stage, portions of neighboring window panels are covered instead of the neighboring panels contracting and reformatting their content. Once the pointer is moved out of a window panel, the panel contracts to its default or original size and the expansion process occurs for a newly entered panel. Also described is the process of determining the maximum expansion size of a window panel and the 'rolling out' and 'rolling in' characteristic of the expansion and contraction process.