Computer system, display control apparatus, display apparatus, display control method, recording medium, and program transmission apparatus

• US 20020075289A1
• Filed: 06/01/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hatori, Masahiko, Nakao, Takenobu
• Granted Patent: US 7,307,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/698
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

To allow for switching between a normal display and a zoom display by a simple operation, thereby providing both of a large amount of information by high resolution and high visibility of the display. In a computer system having a display apparatus as output unit, an input section 50 for accepting a user operation to issue a request for changing a display zoom factor, a resolution changer 10 for changing the resolution of the display apparatus in response to the request for changing the display zoom factor issued by the input section 50, and a window resizer 20 for resizing a predetermined window displayed on the display screen 70 of the display apparatus so as to be displayed over almost the entire display screen 70 after the resolution is change by the resolution changer 10.

Claims

1. A computer system having an input unit for accepting a user operation to generate a predetermined event, a central processing unit, and a display apparatus, said computer system comprising:

a resolution changing unit for changing the resolution of said display apparatus in response to the input event generated by said input unit; and

,

a window resizing unit for, in response to said event generated by said input unit, resizing a predetermined window displayed on said display apparatus so as to be displayed over almost the entire display screen after the resolution is changed by said resolution changing unit.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein said window resizing unit resizes a window being active before the resolution is changed by said resolution changing unit.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a display status restoring unit for holding a display status before the resolution is changed by said resolution changing unit and, when the resolution of said display apparatus is restored to the resolution before being changed, restoring the resolution of said display apparatus to said held display status.

4. A computer system comprising:

an input unit for accepting a predetermined input; and

,

a display zoom factor changing unit for changing a display zoom factor by changing the resolution of a display apparatus in response to a request input through said input unit.

5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein said input unit is an electrical switch.

6. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein said input unit is a key switch provided in addition to key switches of the keyboard used for common inputs.

7. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein said input unit is a button displayed on the display screen of said display apparatus through a graphical user interface.

8. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein said input unit is a voice input apparatus.

9. A display control apparatus comprising:

an input unit for accepting a predetermined input; and

,

a display-zoom-in unit for zooming in on a display by lowering the resolution of said display apparatus in response to a request for zooming-in accepted by said input unit.

10. The display control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said input unit presents display zoom factors provided according to the resolution of said display apparatus controlled by said display-zoom-in unit to a user and accepts a request for zooming in by a selected display zoom factor.

11. The display control apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a display status restoring unit for holding a display status before the zooming-in by said display-zoom-in unit and, when the display-zooming-in is completed, restores said held display status.

12. The display control apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising window resizing unit for resizing a predetermined window displayed on the display screen of said display apparatus so as to match the display screen zoomed in by said display-zoom-in unit.

14. The display control apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said input unit is a hardware switch.

15. The display control apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a display status restoring unit for holding a display status before a zoom-in by said display control unit, and, when the display-zoom-in is completed, restores said held display status.

18. The display control method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

before said step of changing the display zoom factor, storing a display status before the display zoom factor is changed; and

,

restoring said stored display status when said display zoom factor is restored after the change of said display zoom factor.

19. The display control method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

after said step of changing the display zoom factor, resizing a predetermined window displayed on said display screen so as to match the display screen after the display zoom factor is changed.

13. A display control apparatus comprising:

an input unit for accepting a predetermined input; and

,

a display control unit for changing a display zoom factor by changing the resolution of a display apparatus in response to a display zoom factor change request accepted by said input unit, and causing a predetermined window displayed on the display screen of said display apparatus to be displayed over the entire display screen after the resolution is changed.

16. A display apparatus having an input section for inputting display image data and a predetermined command and a display screen for displaying a display image based on input data, wherein:

said input section is used for inputting a request for changing a display zoom factor on said display screen as a command input; and

,

said display screen displays said display image by using a zoom factor responsive to said request for changing the display zoom factor.

17. A display control method for controlling the display screen of a display apparatus, comprising the steps of:

accepting a request for changing a display zoom factor on said display screen; and

,

changing the resolution of said display apparatus to change the display zoom factor of said display screen to a display zoom factor responsive to said request for changing display zoom factor.

20. A storage medium storing a program to be executed by a computer in a form readable by the input unit of said computer, wherein said program causes said computer to perform the processes of:

accepting a request for changing a display zoom factor on said display screen; and

,

changing the resolution of said display apparatus to change the display zoom factor of said display screen to a display zoom factor responsive to said request for changing display zoom factor.

21. A program transmission apparatus comprising:

a storage unit for storing a program for causing a computer to perform the processes of accepting a request for changing a display zoom factor an said display screen and changing the resolution of said display apparatus to change the display zoom factor of said display screen to a display zoom factor a responsive to said request for changing display zoom factor; and

,

a transmission unit for reading said program from said storage unit to transmit said program.