Information processing apparatus, program, and control method

• US 10,088,916 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyazawa, Yusuke, Suzuki, Seiji, Okumura, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, Ryan M
• Application Number:
  US15/429,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20170153716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a display, a sensor, and a controller. The display has a screen. The sensor is configured to detect an inclination. The controller is configured to display a first object on the screen and display a second object associated with the first object on the screen in accordance with the inclination detected by the sensor.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a display having a screen;

a motion sensor configured to detect inclination of the display; and

circuitry configured to

initiate displaying of a first object on the screen and displaying of a second object associated with the first object on the screen in accordance with the detected inclination of the display,

wherein the second object is an object operable in accordance with an input received from a touch panel, and the circuitry switches availability of an operation of the second object in accordance with the output data,

wherein the first object and the second object are displayed on the screen within a virtual three-dimensional space which is changed such that the second object is displayed to emerge from a hidden state in correspondence with an increased degree of the output data,

wherein a function associated with a selection of the second object remains disabled until the output data becomes greater than a predetermined threshold and the second object has emerged a predetermined amount past a point at which the second object emerges to be displayed, and

wherein the first object is continued to be displayed on the screen of the display at a time the function associated with the selection of the second object is enabled.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first object is another object operable in accordance with an input received from the touch panel.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the circuitry switches a first state where the first object is operable and a second state where the second object is operable in accordance with the output data.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the virtual three-dimensional space of the first object and the second object displayed on the display of the screen is changed such that the second object is displayed to gradually hide from an emerged state in correspondence with an increasing degree of the output data.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the virtual three-dimensional space of the first object and the second object displayed on the display of the screen is changed such that the second object is displayed to gradually emerge from a hidden state in correspondence with an increasing degree of the output data.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a function associated with a selection of the first object by operation of the first object is disabled when the function associated with the selection of the second object by operation of the second object is enabled.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a function associated with a selection of the first object by operation of the first object remains enabled when the function associated with the selection of the second object by operation of the second object is enabled.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry controls display of the first object and the second object in response to the degree of the output data.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first object is an image displayed when content is reproduced,

the second object is an object for operating a reproduction position of the content, and

the circuitry changes, in a case where the second object is operated, the reproduction position in accordance with a change amount of a contact position of the touch panel.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the circuitry changes a ratio of a change amount of the reproduction position of the content to the change amount of the contact position of the touch panel, in accordance with the output data.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry can simultaneously execute a plurality of application programs,

the first object is an image displayed by one of the plurality of application programs, and

the second object is an image for selecting one of the plurality of application programs.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first object is an image indicating content, and

the second object is an icon for deleting content.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry can update a reference point serving as a reference of the output data.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the circuitry determines whether a magnitude of the output data is a predetermined threshold value or more, and updates the reference point when the magnitude of the output data is the predetermined threshold value or more.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the circuitry determines whether the contact with the touch panel is not detected for a predetermined period of time or more and updates, in the case where the contact is not detected for the predetermined period of time or more, a position of the information processing apparatus at that time as the reference point.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the circuitry determines whether a change amount of the output data is less than a predetermined threshold value within a predetermined period of time and updates, in the case where a magnitude of the output data is less than the predetermined threshold value, a position of the information processing apparatus at that time as the reference point.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operation of the second object is switched from an unavailable state to an available state at a time after the second object initially becomes visibly displayed on the screen.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the virtual three-dimensional space of the first object and the second object displayed on the display of the screen is changed such that the second object is displayed to gradually emerge from a hidden state in correspondence with an increasing degree of the output data.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a function associated with a selection of the first object by operation of the first object is disabled when the function associated with the selection of the second object is enabled.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a function associated with a selection of the first object by operation of the first object remains enabled when the function associated with the selection of the second object by operation of the second object is enabled.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the function associated with the selection of the second object by operation of the second object is enabled after the output data becomes greater than the predetermined threshold and remains enabled throughout a range of different virtual three-dimensional spaces associated with the second object corresponding to a range of changing the degree of the output data between the predetermined threshold and an output data value greater than the predetermined threshold.

22. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotational perspective of the first object and the second object are changed when the virtual three-dimensional space is changed.

23. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display is formed to be a part of the information processing apparatus.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a method, the method comprising:

detecting inclination of a display having a screen;

displaying a first object on the screen of the display; and

displaying a second object associated with the first object on the screen in accordance with the detected inclination of the display,

wherein the second object is an object operable in accordance with an input received from a touch panel, and availability of an operation of the second object is switched in accordance with the output data,

wherein the first object and the second object are displayed on the screen within a virtual three-dimensional space which is changed such that the second object is displayed to emerge from a hidden state in correspondence with an increased degree of the output data,

wherein a function associated with a selection of the second object remains disabled until the output data becomes greater than a predetermined threshold and the second object has emerged a predetermined amount past a point at which the second object emerges to be displayed, and

wherein the first object having the changed virtual three-dimensional space is continued to be displayed on the screen of the display at a time the function associated with the selection of the second object is enabled.

25. A control method, comprising:

detecting inclination of a display having a screen;

displaying a first object on the screen of the display; and

displaying a second object associated with the first object on the screen in accordance with the detected inclination of the display,

wherein the second object is an object operable in accordance with an input received from a touch panel, and availability of an operation of the second object is switched in accordance with the output data,

wherein the first object and the second object are displayed on the screen within a virtual three-dimensional space which is changed such that the second object is displayed to emerge from a hidden state in correspondence with an increased degree of the output data,

wherein a function associated with a selection of the second object remains disabled until the output data becomes greater than a predetermined threshold and the second object has emerged a predetermined amount past a point at which the second object emerges to be displayed, and

wherein the first object having the changed virtual three-dimensional space is continued to be displayed on the screen of the display at a time the function associated with the selection of the second object is enabled.