Information processing apparatus and method

• US 20050212763A1
• Filed: 03/16/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okamura, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,453,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An information processing apparatus and method for ensuring security when a virtual keyboard is used while an image displayed on a display is disclosed to the outside are provided. According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is determined whether or not a virtual keyboard is displayed on a display (S100). If a virtual keyboard is displayed, it is determined whether or not a target character input window onto which characters are input by using the virtual keyboard is a password input window (S101). If this window is the password input window, VRAM distribution is temporarily stopped (S102). With this operation, the distribution of the image stored in the VRAM (i.e., the image displayed on the display) is stopped while a virtual input device is displayed on the display and the target character input window is the password input window.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

character input means for displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window; and

output means for outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein said output means stops outputting an image displayed on the display while the virtual input device is displayed on the display and the target character input window is a password input window.

2. An information processing apparatus comprising:

character input means for displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window; and

output means for outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein said output means outputs an image displayed on the display upon inserting a predetermined image in an image portion of the virtual input device while the virtual input device is displayed on the display and the target character input window is a password input window.

3. An information processing apparatus comprising:

character input means for displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window; and

output means for outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein said output means stops outputting an image displayed on the display while the virtual input device is displayed on the display, the target character input window is a password input window, and a character is input onto the password input window through the virtual input device.

4. An information processing apparatus comprising:

character input means for displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window;

display control means for performing highlighted display of an area of a character key of the plurality of character keys which is indicated by the operation; and

output means for outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein said display control means stops the highlighted display while the virtual input device is displayed on the display, the target character input window is a password input window, and a character is input onto the password input window through the virtual input device.

5. An information processing method comprising:

a character input step of displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window; and

an output step of outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein execution of the output step is stopped while the virtual input device is displayed on the display and the target character input window is a password input window.

9. A program for executing an information processing method defined in claim 5.

13. A program for executing an information processing method defined in claim 9.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program defined in claim 9.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program defined in claim 13.

6. An information processing method comprising:

a character input step of displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window; and

an output step of outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein the output step includes a step of outputting an image displayed on the display upon inserting a predetermined image in an image portion of the virtual input device while the virtual input device is displayed on the display and the target character input window is a password input window.

10. A program for executing an information processing method defined in claim 6.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program defined in claim 10.

7. An information processing method comprising:

a character input step of displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window; and

an output step of outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein execution of the output step is stopped while the virtual input device is displayed on the display, the target character input window is a password input window, and a character is input onto the password input window through the virtual input device.

11. A program for executing an information processing method defined in claim 7.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program defined in claim 11.

8. An information processing method comprising:

a character input step of displaying a virtual input device on a display and inputting a character corresponding to operation on the virtual input device onto a target character input window;

a display control step of performing highlighted display of an area of a character key of the plurality of character keys which is indicated by the operation; and

an output step of outputting an image displayed on the display to an external device,

wherein in the display control step, the highlighted display is stopped while the virtual input device is displayed on the display, the target character input window is a password input window, and a character is input onto the password input window through the virtual input device.

12. A program for executing an information processing method defined in claim 8.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program defined in claim 12.