Displaying an electronic document

• US 10,114,526 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2012
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muto, Satoshi, Yokoyama, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abou El Seoud, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US13/673,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20130151958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,180 Days
• Field of Search: 715776, 715277, 715909
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

An electronic document includes a set of pages. A display is used that is configured to sense movement of a movable object in a vertical direction relative to a screen. In response to sensing movement using the display, a page corresponding to the electronic document is displayed on the screen in accordance with the sensed movement.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an electronic document, comprising:

obtaining the electronic document as a single unit of display data divided by a display size of a screen into a plurality of page data sets;

using a display configured to sense movement of a movable object in a vertical direction relative to the screen and with the display configured such that each of the plurality of page data sets of the electronic document is associated in a sequence with a respective different one of a plurality of detection levels within a movement detection range of the display, where the display is configured by;

dividing a distance from a farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display to a surface of the screen into a plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals equal in number to a number of the divided plurality of page data sets;

establishing each of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals as a respective different one of the plurality of detection levels within the movement detection range of the display with which a respective one of the plurality of page data sets of the electronic document is associated in the sequence; and

configuring the display such that sensing a movement from the farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display closer to a mid-point of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals causes acceleration of display of different respective assigned ones of the divided plurality of page data sets and sensing a movement from the mid-point of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals closer to the surface of the display causes deceleration of the display of different respective assigned ones of the divided plurality of page data sets;

the method further comprising;

displaying on the screen, in response to sensing movement via the display, a page data set corresponding to a detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement; and

automatically adjusting display speed changes while displaying different ones of the plurality of page data sets in accordance with a moving speed of the sensed movement.

2. The method of claim 1, where the sensing of movement in the vertical direction is performed by a sensor configured to detect movement in the vertical direction of an object in close proximity to the screen, where the display is equipped with the sensor, and where displaying the page data set on the screen comprises displaying the page data set corresponding to a moving distance of the object in the vertical direction when the object is within the movement detection range of the sensor.

3. The method of claim 2, where the plurality of page data sets comprise a plurality of paginated units that are each extracted from the electronic document to fit within a display area of the screen.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

dividing the single unit of display data by the display size of the screen into the plurality of page data sets in accordance with reception of an instruction to divide the single unit of display data; and

assigning page numbers to the plurality of divided page data sets.

5. The method of claim 2, where displaying on the screen, in response to sensing the movement via the display, the page data set corresponding to the detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement comprises fixing a display of the page data set being displayed on the screen in accordance with a sliding of the object in a predetermined direction within the movement detection range of the sensor.

6. The method of claim 5, where displaying on the screen, in response to sensing the movement via the display, the page data set corresponding to the detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement comprises one of:

(i) displaying, as a transparent display on top of the fixed page data set display, one of a selectable set of transparent page options comprising;

one or more page data sets prior to a page number of the fixed page data set display;

one or more page data sets subsequent to the page number of the fixed page data set display; and

a group of page data sets including a combination of the one or more page data sets;

or

(ii) displaying, as the transparent display, the fixed page data set display on top of one of the selectable set of transparent page options comprising;

the one or more page data sets prior to the page number of the fixed page data set display;

the one or more page data sets subsequent to the page number of the fixed page data set display; and

the group of page data sets including the combination of the one or more page data sets.

7. The method of claim 5, where displaying on the screen, in response to sensing the movement via the display, the page data set corresponding to the detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement further comprises, after fixing the display of the page data set, one of:

transparently displaying a bookmarked page data set on top of the fixed page data set;

or

transparently displaying the fixed page data set display on top of the bookmarked page data set.

8. The method of claim 5, where displaying on the screen, in response to sensing the movement via the display, the page data set corresponding to the detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement further comprises, after fixing the display of the page data set, releasing the fixed page data set display.

9. The method of claim 2, where the farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display comprises one of a farthest point in the movement detection range of the sensor in the vertical direction or a point at a predetermined distance from the surface of the screen within the movement detection range of the sensor in the vertical direction at which the object may be present, and the farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display is set as an initial page data set, and page data sets with a larger page number relative to the set initial page data set are displayed as the object approaches the screen.

10. The method of claim 9, where displaying on the screen, in response to sensing movement via the display, the page data set corresponding to the detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement further comprises displaying sequential page data sets that one of gradually accelerate at a constant acceleration rate or gradually decelerate at a constant deceleration rate while advancing through page numbers.

11. The method of claim 1, where the sensing of the movement in the vertical direction is performed by a sensor configured to detect movement in the vertical direction of an object in close proximity to the screen, where the display is equipped with the sensor, and where the electronic document comprises a plurality of sections, and further comprising detecting a presence of the object in the movement detection range of the sensor, and where displaying the page data set on the screen comprises displaying on the screen an initial page data set of a section corresponding to the electronic document in accordance with a moving distance of the object in the vertical direction when the object is within the movement detection range of the sensor.

12. The method of claim 11, where displaying on the screen the initial page data set of the section comprises displaying the initial page data set of the section displayed on the screen immediately before sliding of the object within the movement detection range of the sensor in a predetermined direction.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, after displaying the initial page data set of the section, displaying on the screen an additional page data set corresponding to the section in accordance with the moving distance in the vertical direction of the object.

14. The method of claim 1, where the sensing of the movement in the vertical direction is performed by a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure applied by an object in close proximity to the screen, where the display is equipped with the pressure sensor and the movement detection range comprises a range of applied pressures, and where displaying the page data set on the screen comprises displaying on the screen the corresponding page data set of the electronic document in accordance with the pressure of the object on the screen.

15. The method of claim 14, where the plurality of page data sets comprise a plurality of paginated units that are each extracted from the electronic document to fit within a display area of the screen.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising dividing the single unit of display data by the display size of the screen into the plurality of page data sets in accordance with reception of an instruction to divide the single unit of displayable data, and assigning page numbers to the plurality of divided page data sets.

17. A device for displaying an electronic document, comprising:

a memory configured to store the electronic document as a single unit of display data divided by a display size of a screen into a plurality of page data sets; and

a processor programmed to;

use a display configured to sense movement of a movable object in a vertical direction relative to the screen and with the display configured such that each of the plurality of page data sets of the electronic document is associated in a sequence with a respective different one of a plurality of detection levels within a movement detection range of the display, where the display is configured by the processor being programmed to;

divide a distance from a farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display to a surface of the screen into a plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals equal in number to a number of the divided plurality of page data sets;

establish each of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals as a respective different one of the plurality of detection levels within the movement detection range of the display with which a respective one of the plurality of page data sets of the electronic document is associated in the sequence; and

configure the display such that sensing a movement from the farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display closer to a mid-point of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals causes acceleration of display of different respective assigned ones of the divided plurality of page data sets and sensing a movement from the mid-point of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals closer to the surface of the display causes deceleration of the display of different respective assigned ones of the divided plurality of page data sets;

where the processor is further programmed to;

display on the screen, in response to sensing movement via the display, a page data set corresponding to a detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement; and

automatically adjust display speed changes while displaying different ones of the plurality of page data sets in accordance with a moving speed of the sensed movement.

18. A computer program product for displaying an electronic document, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to;

obtain the electronic document as a single unit of display data divided by a display size of a screen into a plurality of page data sets;

use a display configured to sense movement of a movable object in a vertical direction relative to the screen and with the display configured such that each of the plurality of page data sets of the electronic document is associated in a sequence with a respective different one of a plurality of detection levels within a movement detection range of the display, where the display is configured by the computer readable program code being configured to;

divide a distance from a farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display to a surface of the screen into a plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals equal in number to a number of the divided plurality of page data sets;

establish each of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals as a respective different one of the plurality of detection levels within the movement detection range of the display with which a respective one of the plurality of page data sets of the electronic document is associated in the sequence; and

configure the display such that sensing a movement from the farthest extent of the movement detection range of the display closer to a mid-point of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals causes acceleration of display of different respective assigned ones of the divided plurality of page data sets and sensing a movement from the mid-point of the plurality of sequential equal detection distance intervals closer to the surface of the display causes deceleration of the display of different respective assigned ones of the divided plurality of page data sets;

where the computer readable program code is further configured to;

display on the screen, in response to sensing movement via the display, a page data set corresponding to a detection level in the movement detection range in accordance with the sensed movement; and

automatically adjust display speed changes while displaying different ones of the plurality of page data sets in accordance with a moving speed of the sensed movement.