Display controller, display control method, mobile terminal device, and display control program

• US 20060250419A1
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Veige, Bodil, Shiba, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

Disclosed is a display controller having: time line display means that includes at least two or more units of time on, of a first display area and a second display area that are formed on display means, the first display area, and that displays a time line manipulable to specify a desired unit of time from the two or more units of time; and related information display means that reads out, from a plurality of pieces of information stored respectively including time information added, information to which are added time information related to a unit of time specified by manipulation of the time line displayed on the first display area through operating means, and that displays the read out information on the second display area of the display means.

Claims

1. A display controller comprising:

time line display means that includes at least two or more units of time on, of a first display area and a second display area that are formed on display means, the first display area, and that displays a time line manipulable to specify a desired unit of time from the two or more units of time; and

related information display means that reads out, from a plurality of pieces of information stored respectively including time information added, information to which are added time information related to a unit of time specified by manipulation of the time line displayed on the first display area through operating means, and that displays the read out information on the second display area of the display means.

2. A display controller as defined in claim 1, wherein, in response to an operation of the time line, the time line display means reads out from the storing means the information to which are added the time information related to the unit of time specified by the manipulation of the time line, and displays the read out information in a form arranged along a time axis on the time line.

3. The display controller as defined in claim 1, wherein the time line display means operates such that, of up, down, left, and right keys included in the operating means, when the up key is operated, the units of time of the time line shift from a detail unit of time to a generous unit of time;

and when the down key is operated, the units of time of the time line shift from the generous unit of time to the detail unit of time.

4. The display controller as defined in claim 1, wherein at least the time line display means operates such that a display indicative of absence of information is displayed on a display position where, of the respective pieces of information are displayed on the time line, information corresponding to the specified unit of time is absent.

5. The display controller as defined in claim 1, wherein the time line display means is operable through the operating means and operates such that a selector for selecting desired information from the respective pieces of information displayed on the time line are displayed on the time line, and when the selector is shifted to the display position where the display indicative of the absence of the information of the respective pieces of information displayed on the time line is performed, the selector is automatically shifted from the display position to a position where information is subsequently displayed.

6. The display controller as defined in claim 1, wherein the time line display means operates such that when, of the respective up, down, left, and right keys provided in the operating means, the right key is operated, the selector or the information displayed on the time line are shifted and displayed in a time-advancing direction in units of a time set to the time line, and when the left key is operated, the selector or the information displayed on the time line are shifted and displayed in a time-returning direction in units of a time set to the time line.

7. The display controller as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the information stored in the storing means is still image information or motion image information;

the time line display means forms thumbnail images of the still image information or motion image information, and displays the thumbnail images on the time line along the time axis; and

the related information display means detects from the storing means still image information or motion image information corresponding to the still image information or motion image information selected by the selector from the time line, forms thumbnail images of the detected still image information or motion image information, and displays the thumbnail images on the second display area of the display means.

8. A display control method comprising:

displaying a time line manipulable to specify a desired unit of time from at least two or more units of time on, of a first display area and a second display area that are formed on display means, the first display area; and

reading out information, to which are added time information related to a unit of time specified by manipulation of the time line displayed on the first display area through operating means, from a plurality of pieces of information stored in the display means to respectively include time information added, and displaying the read out information on the second display area of the display means.

9. A mobile terminal device comprising:

storing means for storing a plurality of pieces of information respectively including time information added;

display means for displaying the information;

time line display means that includes at least two or more units of time on, of a first display area and a second display area that are formed on display means, the first display area, and that displays a time line manipulable to specify a desired unit of time from the two or more units of time;

operating means for specifying a unit of time of the time line; and

related information display means that reads out from the storing means information to which are added time information related to the unit of time specified by manipulation of the time line displayed on the first display area through operating means, and that displays the read out information on the second display area of the display means.

10. A display control program executable on a computer, the program comprising the steps of:

displaying a time line manipulable to specify a desired unit of time from at least two or more units of time on, of a first display area and a second display area that are formed on display means, the first display area; and

reading out information, to which time information related to a unit of time specified by manipulation of the time line displayed on the first display area through operating means is added, from a plurality of pieces of information stored in the display means to respectively include time information added, and displaying the read out information on the second display area of the display means.