Information processing apparatus, program, and operation control method

• US 10,353,580 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2018
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohki, Yoshihito, Miyazawa, Yusuke, Yamano, Ikuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Jr., Duane N
• Application Number:
  US16/160,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20190050144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including: a detection unit for detecting pressure applied by user input performed on a touch screen; a determination unit for determining which of two or more input states the user input belongs to, in accordance with the pressure detected by the detection unit; and an operation control unit for enabling or disabling a limitation imposed on operation with a user interface displayed on the touch screen, in accordance with the state of the user input determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch screen;

a pressure sensitive sensor configured to detect pressure applied by a first user input of a manipulation object performed on the touch screen; and

circuitry configured to

determine which of two or more input states the first user input belongs to by comparing the detected pressure with a threshold value;

determine that a second user input performed after the first user input belongs to a first input state when the detected pressure is determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value; and

determine that a third user input performed after the first user input belongs to a second input state when the detected pressure is determined to be more than the threshold value, wherein

a number of candidate selectable items that are user-selectable in the first input state is less than a number of candidate selectable items that are user-selectable while in the second input state.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the circuitry configured to enable a limitation in the first input state.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the information processing apparatus is one of a personal computer, a smart phone, a music player, a game terminal or a digital household appliance.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to control the display to display a screen corresponding to at least one of a web browser, a digital album, a document editor, an email client, a content player or a game application.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to determine a subsequent user input is performed in response to a pressure decrease after the third user input is determined to be in the second input state.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the subsequent user input includes a dragging operation.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry causes a different GUI to be displayed when in the second input state than when in the first input state.

15. The electronic device of claim 14:

wherein the GUI includes a slider and a knob of the slider is displayed larger in the first input state than in the second input state.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the number of candidate items in the first input state is at least two.

17. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to disable the limitation in the second input state.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one candidate selectable items is a parameter setting.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the circuitry is configured to control an operation of the information processing apparatus based on the parameter setting.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the operation is a zoom operation and the parameter setting is a zoom ratio.

5. A method performed by an electronic device including a touch screen and a pressure sensitive sensor configured to detect pressure applied by user input of a manipulation object performed on the touch screen, the method comprising:

determining which of two or more input states a first user input belongs to by comparing the detected pressure with a threshold value;

determining that a second user input performed after the first user input belongs to a first input state when the detected pressure is determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value; and

determining that a third user input performed after the first user input belongs to a second input state when the detected pressure is determined to be more than the threshold value, wherein

a number of candidate selectable items that are user-selectable in the first input state is less than a number of candidate selectable items that are user-selectable while in the second input state.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

enabling a limitation in the first input state.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein

the information processing apparatus is one of a personal computer, a smart phone, a music player, a game terminal or a digital household appliance.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-program instructions, which when executed by an electronic device including a touch screen and a pressure sensitive sensor configured to detect pressure applied by user input of a manipulation object performed on the touch screen, cause the electronic device to:

determine which of two or more input states a first user input belongs to by comparing the detected pressure with a threshold value;

determine that a second user input performed after the first user input belongs to a first input state when the detected pressure is determined to be equal to or less than the threshold value; and

determine that a third user input performed after the first user input belongs to a second input state when the detected pressure is determined to be more than the threshold value, wherein

a number of candidate selectable items that are user-selectable in the first input state is less than a number of candidate selectable items that are user-selectable while in the second input state.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer-program instruction, which when executed by the electronic device, causes the electronic device to:

enable a limitation in the first input state.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein

the information processing apparatus is one of a personal computer, a smart phone, a music player, a game terminal or a digital household appliance.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer-program instruction, which when executed by the electronic device, causes the electronic device to:

control the display to display a screen corresponding to at least one of a web browser, a digital album, a document editor, an email client, a content player or a game application.