Patent ID: 7356775

Claim:
In an environment including a set-top box associated with a television system, the set-top box being operative to receive instructions from a viewer via a remote control, the set-top box running a window-based display system, a method for managing the window-based display system, the method comprising: providing a plurality of windows, each of the windows being associated with an application, at least someone of the plurality of windows being able to accept focus; assigning, to each one of the plurality of windows being able to accept focus, a focus priority; automatically, without the need to receive any instruction from the viewer, assigning focus to exactly one window at any time by choosing, from among the at least one of the plurality of windows able to accept focus, a window having a highest focus priority of the windows able to accept focus, so that requesting focus for one of the windows does not necessarily allow focus to be given to the one window requesting focus; and designating the chosen window as an active window.