Patent ID: 8516507

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for extending an operating system window manager Application Programming Interface (API), comprising: implementing, in an operating system window manager executing on a computing device having a processor, an Application Program Interface (API) that enables a rotation feature that is useable by the window manager to rotate a graphical object independent of an application that instantiated the graphical object; displaying, by the window manager, a primary surface of a graphical object and contents associated with and included within the primary surface of the graphical object, a secondary surface of the graphical object being entirely occluded by the primary surface, the graphical object comprising one or more of an icon, a menu, a tab, a splash screen, a desktop display, a window, a task bar, a side bar, and a component in a task bar or side bar; and rotating, by the window manager using the rotation API, the graphical object to expose the secondary surface of the graphical object.