Icon display system and method , electronic appliance, and computer program
First Claim
1. An icon display system which displays a plurality of icons movably on a visible circular orbit on a display screen, the system comprising:
- a display icon management means for managing the plurality of icons displayed on the orbit according to a numerical upper limit;
a non-display icon management means for managing, in the case where one or more icons in excess of the upper limit are set selectable on the display screen, the one or more icons in excess as an invisible icon or icon train contiguous to the icon train displayed on the orbit;
an icon train display updating means for updating an icon train displayed on the orbit according to an external command on the basis of information registered in the display and non-display icon management means, respectively; and
a visual-effect means for having an icon newly registered in the non-display icon management means by updating of the icon train displayed on the orbit disappear from the orbit with a visual effect, and having an icon newly registered in the display icon management means appear on the orbit with a visual effect.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An icon display system is provided in which a train of icons (icon train) selectable on an icon menu screen are managed by a display icon management table (28) and non-display icon management table (29) to visualize a part of the entire icon train by disposing it on an orbit (50) while holding the other part of the icon train as invisible icons on the screen and displaying the invisible icons by moving the icon train on the orbit. Also, some icons are made to visually disappear at a discontinuity (52) of the orbit (50) by moving the icon train on the orbit (50) and the new icons can be made to appear at the discontinuity (52) to the screen. By representing the disappearance of icons and appearance of the new icons with a visual effect such as a variation, with time elapse, of shape, color, size or the like of the icons, the user can intuitively recognize the disappearance and appearance of the icons. With this system, patterns of individual icons can be prevented from being indiscernible from each other no matter how many icons are set selectable on the display screen, and thus the user can easily select a desired icon.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. An icon display system which displays a plurality of icons movably on a visible circular orbit on a display screen, the system comprising:
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a display icon management means for managing the plurality of icons displayed on the orbit according to a numerical upper limit;
a non-display icon management means for managing, in the case where one or more icons in excess of the upper limit are set selectable on the display screen, the one or more icons in excess as an invisible icon or icon train contiguous to the icon train displayed on the orbit;
an icon train display updating means for updating an icon train displayed on the orbit according to an external command on the basis of information registered in the display and non-display icon management means, respectively; and
a visual-effect means for having an icon newly registered in the non-display icon management means by updating of the icon train displayed on the orbit disappear from the orbit with a visual effect, and having an icon newly registered in the display icon management means appear on the orbit with a visual effect. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An icon display method in which a plurality of icons are displayed movably on a visible circular orbit on a display screen, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a display icon management table for managing the plurality of icons displayed on the orbit according to a numerical upper limit and a non-display icon management table for managing, in the case where more than one icon in excess of the upper limit are set selectable on the display screen, the one or more icons in excess as an invisible icon or icon train contiguous to the icon train displayed on the orbit;
updating means for updating an icon train displayed on the orbit according to an external command on the basis of information registered in the display and non-display icon management tables, respectively; and
having an icon newly registered in the non-display icon management table, as a result of updating the icon train displayed on the orbit, disappear from the orbit with a visual effect, and having an icon newly registered in the display icon management table, as a result of the updating, appear on the orbit with a visual effect. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. An electronic appliance in which a plurality of icons associated with different functions, respectively, are displayed movably on a visible circular orbit on a display screen, and which implements a function associated with an icon selected on the display screen, the appliance comprising:
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a display icon management means for managing the plurality of icons displayed on the orbit according to a numerical upper limit;
a non-display icon management means for managing, in the case where one or more icons in excess of the upper limit are set selectable on the display screen, the one or more icons in excess as an invisible icon or icon train contiguous to the icon train displayed on the orbit;
an icon train display updating means for updating an icon train displayed on the orbit according to an external command on the basis of information registered in the display and non-display icon management means, respectively; and
a visual-effect means for having an icon newly registered in the non-display icon management means due to updating of the icon train displayed on the orbit disappear from the orbit with a visual effect, and having an icon newly registered in the display icon management means appear on the orbit with a visual effect. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer program allowing a computer to function as:
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an icon display means for displaying a plurality of icons movably on a visible circular orbit on a display screen;
a display icon management means for managing the plurality of icons displayed on the orbit according to a numerical upper limit;
a non-display icon management means for managing, in the case where one or more icons in excess of the upper limit are set selectable on the display screen, the one or more icons in excess as an invisible icon or icon train contiguous to the icon train displayed on the orbit;
an icon train display updating means for updating an icon train displayed on the orbit according to an external command on the basis of information registered in the display and non-display icon management means, respectively; and
a visual-effect means for having an icon newly registered in the non-display icon management means by updating of the icon train displayed on the orbit disappear from the orbit with a visual effect, and having an icon newly registered in the display icon management means appear on the orbit with a visual effect.
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Specification