Docked Media Player Sidebar for Multitasking Screen Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional media players on personal computers and placeshifting systems face challenges in managing screen real estate, making it difficult for users to multitask while watching video content, as they often require rearranging windows to keep the media player visible, which can be tedious and frustrating, especially when using additional applications.
Innovation Solution
A method and media player that allows the media player to enter a 'docked mode' where the display is partitioned into a media player sidebar for video streaming and a resized active area for other applications, ensuring the media player remains visible and interactive, with user-controlled resizing and repositioning of the sidebar to optimize screen space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the media player window is kept always on top to ensure visibility, then the media player remains visible in front of other windows, but the area of the secondary window that is obscured by the media player window becomes irrelevant to the user's task
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen is segmented into multiple distinct regions: a media player region that remains always visible and on top, and a workspace region for other applications. This spatial segmentation allows the media player to occupy a dedicated area without completely blocking access to other windows, as users can still interact with applications in the workspace region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-window overlay model to a multi-region display model. By creating separate display regions with different stacking behaviors (media player region always on top, workspace region for normal window management), it adds a dimensional aspect to window management that resolves the contradiction between visibility and accessible area.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional window management is used to allow multiple applications, then users can multitask with different software applications, but users must continuously rearrange application windows to avoid obscuring the media player
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes a media player region with always-on-top properties before other windows are arranged. This preliminary configuration of the display regions means that when users launch multiple applications, the window management system automatically respects the predefined regions, eliminating the need for users to manually rearrange windows to keep the media player visible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary window management system that mediates between the media player and other applications. This intermediary layer automatically handles window placement and arrangement based on the predefined display regions, freeing users from manual window rearranging while maintaining multitasking capabilities.
3Area of moving object
If the media player occupies a large window for optimal video viewing, then video quality is improved, but the media player obscures other application windows and complicates screen layout management
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the display screen are assigned different qualities and behaviors. The media player region is configured with always-on-top properties and is exempt from normal window management rules, while the workspace region follows standard window management. This local differentiation allows the media player to occupy sufficient area for good video quality without imposing the same restrictions on other windows.
Data Source
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AI summary
A screen management system for a media player allows a viewing area of the media player to be docked in an area of the screen and undocked from a docked position. When docked, the viewing area can be moved and/or resized so that the viewing area takes up a different portion of the screen. The remaining portion of the screen not used by the docked viewing area is automatically adjusted (e.g., resized or rescaled) to accommodate the change. The media player may include controls for controlling a media stream received from a remote source.