Information processing apparatus and information input program

• US 20060071914A1
• Filed: 09/14/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Sasaki, Tetsuya, Kuroume, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,552,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• 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 includes a display and a touch panel provided thereon. A CPU core causes the display to display an input screen (image) that has a keyboard image including a plurality of key patterns and an input area formed on each of the key patterns. By touching some of the key patterns, moving a stick or like to the input area while keeping it in a touch-on state and then performing a touch-off from the key pattern, a character graphic for the key pattern can be input (dragged) to a coordinate position in the input area just before the touch-off; however, by touching some of the key patterns and then performing a touch-off from the key pattern, a character graphic for the key pattern is input to a predetermined position in the input area.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display;

a touch panel provided in relation to said display;

a displaying means for displaying a plurality of key patterns and an input area in said display;

a touch detecting means that detects a touch-on to or a touch-off from said touch panel at predetermined time intervals;

a coordinate position detecting means that detects a coordinate position at a time when said touch detecting means detects said touch-on;

a key pattern designation determining means that, when said touch detecting means detects a change of state from touch-off to touch-on, determines whether or not the coordinate position detected by said coordinate position detecting means designates any of said plurality of key patterns;

a first coordinate position determining means that, after said key pattern designation determining means determines that some of the key patterns is designated, in response to the detection of a change to touch-off by said touch detecting means, determines whether the coordinate position detected by said coordinate position detecting means immediately before the change to touch-off is a position corresponding to said key pattern or an arbitrary position within said input area; and

a first graphic displaying means that, when said first coordinate position determining means determines that said coordinate position is a position corresponding to said key pattern, displays a graphic associated with the key pattern at a predetermined position in said input area, and that, when said first coordinate position determining means determines said coordinate position is an arbitrary position within said input area,

displays the graphic associated with the key pattern at said arbitrary position.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time measuring means that, when said key pattern designation determining means determines that some of the key patterns is designated, counts a time during which said touch-on state continues;

a duration time determining means that determines whether or not the duration time counted by said time measuring means is equal to or more than a predetermined time;

a second coordinate position determining means that, when said duration time determining means determines that said duration time is equal to or more than said predetermined time, determines whether or not the coordinate position detected by said coordinate position detecting means corresponds to said designated key pattern; and

a second graphic displaying means that, when said second coordinate position determining means determines that said coordinate position is a position corresponding to said key pattern, displays the graphic associated with the key pattern at a predetermined position in said input area.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a valid key setting means that, when said touch detecting means detects a change of touch-off to touch-on, sets the designated key pattern determined by said key pattern designation determining means as a valid key, wherein

when said first coordinate position determining means determines that said coordinate position is a position corresponding to the key pattern set as said valid key, the first graphic displaying means displays the graphic associated with the key pattern at a predetermined position in said input area, and when said first coordinate position determining means determines that said coordinate position is an arbitrary position within said input area, the first graphic displaying means displays the graphic associated with the key pattern in said arbitrary position, and further comprising

a canceling means that, when said touch detecting means detects a change of said touch-on to touch-off, cancels the setting of said valid key.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a predetermined position setting means that, when said first graphic displaying means or second graphic displaying means displays the graphic associated with said key pattern, sets a position related to the display position of the graphic as said predetermined position.

5. A storage medium storing a program for information input in an information processing apparatus comprising a display, a touch panel provided in relation to said display, and a processor, wherein

said program causes said processor to perform the following steps of:

a displaying step of causing said display to display a plurality of key patterns and an input area;

a touch detecting step of detecting a touch-on to or a touch-off from said touch panel at predetermined time intervals;

a coordinate position detecting step of detecting a coordinate position at a time when said touch-on is detected in said touch detecting step;

a key pattern designation determining step of, when a change of state from touch-off to touch-on is detected in said touch detecting step, determining whether or not the coordinate position detected in said coordinate position detecting step designates any of said plurality of key patterns;

a first coordinate position determining step of, after it is determined in said key pattern designation determining step that some of the key patterns is designated, in response to the detection of a change to touch-off in said touch detecting step, determining whether the coordinate position detected in said coordinate position detecting step immediately before the change to touch-off is a position corresponding to the key pattern or an arbitrary position within said input area; and

a first graphic displaying step of, when it is determined in said first coordinate position determining step that said coordinate position is a position corresponding to said key pattern, displaying a graphic associated with the key pattern at a predetermined position in said input area, and when it is determined in said first coordinate position determining step that said coordinate position is an arbitrary position within said input area, displaying the graphic associated with the key pattern at said arbitrary position.

6. A storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

said program further causes said processor to perform the following steps of:

a time measuring step of, when it is determined in said key pattern designation determining step that some of the key patterns is designated, counting a time during which said touch-on state continues;

a duration time determining step of determining whether or not the duration time counted in said time measuring step is equal to or more than a predetermined time;

a second coordinate position determining step of, when it is determined in said duration time determining step that that said duration time is equal to or more than said predetermined time, determining whether or not the coordinate position detected in said coordinate position detecting step is a position corresponding to said designated key pattern; and

a second graphic displaying step of, when it is determined in said second coordinate position determining step that said coordinate position is a position corresponding to said key pattern, displaying the graphic associated with the key pattern at a predetermined position in said input area.

7. A storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

said program further causes said processor to perform a valid key setting step of, when a change of touch-off to touch-on is detected in the touch detecting step, setting the designated key pattern determined in said key pattern designation determining step as a valid key, and

in said first graphic displaying step, when it is determined in said first coordinate position determining step that said coordinate position corresponds to the key pattern set as said valid key, the graphic associated with the key pattern is displayed at a predetermined position in said input area, and when it is determined in said first coordinate position determining step that said coordinate position is an arbitrary position within said input area, the graphic associated with the key pattern is displayed at said arbitrary position, and

said program causes said processor to further perform a canceling step of, when a change of said touch-on to touch-off is detected in said touch detecting step, canceling the setting of said valid key.

8. A storage medium according to claim 5, wherein

said program causes said processor to perform a predetermined position setting step of, when the character graphic associated with said key pattern is displayed in said first graphic displaying step or second graphic displaying step, setting the position related to the display position of the character graphic as said predetermined position.

9. An information input method for an information processing apparatus comprising a display, a touch panel provided in relation to said display, and a processor, including the following steps of:

a displaying step of causing said display to display a plurality of key patterns and an input area;

a touch detecting step of detecting a touch-on to or a touch-off from to said touch panel at predetermined time intervals;

a coordinate position detecting step of detecting a coordinate position at a time when said touch-on is detected in said touch detecting step;

a key pattern designation determining step of, when a change of state from touch-off to touch-on is detected in said touch detecting step, determining whether or not the coordinate position detected in said coordinate position detecting step designates any of said plurality of key patterns;

a coordinate position determining step of, after it is determined in said key pattern designation determining step that some of the key patterns is designated, in response to the detection of a change to touch-off in said touch detecting step, determining whether the coordinate position detected in said coordinate position detecting step immediately before the change to touch-off is a position corresponding to the key pattern or an arbitrary position within said input area; and

a graphic displaying step of, when it is determined in said coordinate position determining step that said coordinate position is a position corresponding to said key pattern, displaying a graphic associated with the key pattern at the predetermined position of said input area, and, when it is determined in said coordinate position determining step that said coordinate position is an arbitrary position in said input area, displaying the graphic associated with the key pattern at said arbitrary position.