Graphs with bounded thinness were defined in 2007 as a generalization of interval graphs. In this paper we introduce the concept of proper thinness, such that graphs with bounded proper thinness generalize proper interval graphs. We study the complexity of problems related to the computation of these parameters, describe the behavior of the thinness and proper thinness under three graph operations, and relate thinness and proper thinness to other graph invariants in the literature. Finally, we describe a wide family of problems that can be solved in polynomial time for graphs with bounded thinness, generalizing for example list matrix partition problems with bounded size matrix, and enlarge this family of problems for graphs with bounded proper thinness, including domination problems.

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