Information processing apparatus

• US 20030202001A1
• Filed: 03/11/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Kazuyuki, Takeuchi, Shin, Sakamaki, Katsumi
• Application Number:
  US10/384,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20030202001A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• 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: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

In an information processing apparatus, when an operator operates an input device to move a movable member from bottom to up with the thumb, the initial non-connected state is transferred to such a state that connection to the network starts to be established. When the movable member is further moved to reach another position, connection to another apparatus through the network starts to be established. According to the transfer of the connection state, haptic stimulation corresponding to the respective connection states at the respective points of time is presented by the connection presenting means to the stimulation presenting device. The haptic stimulation presented to the stimulation presenting device is force sense or vibration applied to the forefinger of the operator touching the device.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for communicating with another apparatus through a network,

the information processing apparatus comprising:

an input device for receiving an input instruction;

a stimulation presenting device for presenting haptic stimulation; and

a connection state presenting means for presenting haptic stimulation, which corresponds to a connection state with a connected apparatus, to the stimulation presenting device, upon communicating through the network based on the input instruction received by the input device.

2. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the input device receives a movement of a movable member as the input instruction, and

the stimulation presenting device presents the movement of the movable member as the haptic stimulation.

3. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the apparatus further comprises an image displaying device for displaying an image, and

the connection state presenting means displays an image corresponding to the connection state on the image displaying device.

4. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the apparatus further comprises an audio output device for outputting audio, and

the connection state presenting means outputs audio corresponding to the connection state from the audio output device.

5. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the stimulation presenting device is capable of presenting multistage or multidimensional haptic stimulation, and

the connection state presenting means presents a certain stage of dimensional haptic stimulation corresponding to the connection state to the stimulation presenting device.

6. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input device is capable of receiving a multistage or multidimensional input instruction.

7. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the image displaying device displays an image presenting a state of the apparatus connected through the network, and

the connection state presenting means changes the image displayed on the image displaying device corresponding to the connection state.

8. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein

the image displaying device displays an image presenting a state of the apparatus connected through the network, and

the connection state presenting means changes the image displayed on the image displaying device corresponding to the input instruction received by the input device.

9. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the input device further comprises an image displaying device for displaying a cursor at a position on a screen based on the input instruction received by the input device, and

the connection state upon communicating the apparatus connected through the network is changed based on the position of the cursor on the screen.

10. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the image displaying device displays an image presenting the apparatus connected through the network, and

the connection state presenting means presents haptic stimulation corresponding to a relative positional relationship between the image presenting the apparatus and the position of the cursor on the screen to the stimulation presenting device.

11. An information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image displaying device restricts a movable region of the position of the cursor on the screen based on the haptic stimulation presented by the stimulation presenting device.

12. An information processing system comprising a plurality of information processing apparatuses as claimed in claim 1 connected to a network.