Displaying apparatus, displaying method, displaying program, and recording medium holding displaying program

• US 20060174213A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kato, Ryoichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,166 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/800
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens

Abstract

A displaying apparatus is disclosed which displays part of a target object in magnified fashion and scrolls what is being displayed of the target object in accordance with instructions from a user. The displaying apparatus includes an inputting device operable to input the instructions from the user, and a controller operable to control a display device so as to switch the display of the target object in accordance with the input through the inputting device. The controller causes the display device to start scrolling the display so as to zoom out on the target object in response to the scroll instruction from the inputting device, and to either zoom in on the target object until an initial scale of the target object is restored before ending the scroll, or to terminate the scroll so as to zoom in on the target object until the initial scale thereof is restored.

Claims

1. A displaying apparatus for displaying part of a target object in magnified fashion and for scrolling what is being displayed of the target object in accordance with instructions from a user, said displaying apparatus comprising:

inputting means for inputting the instructions from the user; and

controlling means for controlling a display device so as to switch the display of the target object in accordance with the input through the inputting means;

wherein the controlling means causes the display device to start scrolling the display so as to zoom out on the target object in response to a scroll instruction from the inputting means, and to either zoom in on the target object until an initial scale of the target object is restored before ending the scroll, or to terminate the scroll so as to zoom in on the target object until the initial scale thereof is restored.

2. The displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlling means causes the display device to start scrolling the display by zooming out on the target object in response to the scroll instruction from the inputting means, and to stop the zoom-out when the scale of the target object reaches a limiting value in order to scroll the display of the target object thereafter.

3. The displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlling means varies the scale of the display during the scrolling in accordance with a scroll speed designated by the user through the inputting means.

4. The displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlling means establishes different degrees of interest at different locations of interest on the target object so as to alert the user, the controlling means further causing the display device temporarily to zoom in and then to zoom out on the target object during the scrolling so that the scale of the target object will correspond to the degree of interest at each of the locations of interest.

5. The displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target object is a map.

6. The displaying apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising current location detecting means for detecting a current location;

wherein the controlling means performs a search for a route from the current location detected by the current location detecting means to a destination established through the inputting means, the controlling means further scrolling the display of the map along the route detected by the search.

7. A method for displaying part of a target object in magnified fashion and for scrolling what is being displayed of the target object in accordance with instructions from a user, said displaying method comprising:

scrolling the display so as to zoom out on the target object in response to a scroll instruction; and

either zooming in on the target object until an initial scale of the target object is restored before ending the scroll, or terminating the scroll so as to zoom in on the target object until the initial scale thereof is restored.

8. A recording medium recorded with a program for performing a method for displaying part of a target object in magnified fashion and for scrolling what is being displayed of the target object, said method comprising:

scrolling the display so as to zoom out on the target object in response to a scroll instruction; and

either zooming in on the target object until an initial scale of the target object is restored before ending the scroll, or terminating the scroll so as to zoom in on the target object until the initial scale thereof is restored.

9. A displaying apparatus for displaying part of a target object in magnified fashion and for scrolling what is being displayed of the target object in accordance with instructions from a user, said displaying apparatus comprising:

an inputting device operable to input the instructions from the user; and

a controller operable to control a display device so as to switch the display of the target object in accordance with the input from the inputting device;

wherein the controller causes the display device to start scrolling the display so as to zoom out on the target object in response to the scroll instruction from the inputting device, and to either zoom in on the target object until an initial scale of the target object is restored before ending the scroll, or to terminate the scroll so as to zoom in on the target object until the initial scale thereof is restored.