SCROLL CONTROL ACCORDING TO INPUT OF CURSOR MOVEMENT

• US 20060277489A1
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Square Enix
• Original Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: TSUSHIMA, Tadashi, YOSHIOKA, Mitsuo, MAEHIRO, Kazutoyo, AOYAMA, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,661,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

In a main area of a display device, buttons and a map display area where a map is scrolled are provided. A cursor can be moved to an arbitrary position of the main area according to directional input received from an input device. When a decision input is performed with the input device when the cursor points to each button, processing signed to the button to which the cursor points is performed. When a user inputs a direction and a special input button is not selected, the cursor is moved throughout the main area. When the user inputs a direction while the special input button is selected, the cursor is moved only within the map display area and the map is scrolled as required.

Claims

1. A scroll control method that controls scrolling of second information in a scroll area, which is preset within a display area of first information, according to an input from an input device, comprising:

moving a cursor throughout the display area or within the scroll area according to an input movement instruction and an input scroll instruction;

determining whether the scroll instruction for scrolling the second information in the scroll area is input when the cursor is positioned in the scroll area; and

scrolling the second information in the scroll area according to the input movement instruction, when it is determined the scroll instruction is input and the cursor is positioned in the scroll area, wherein

moving the cursor further comprises;

moving the cursor throughout the display area according to the input movement instruction, when it is determined that the scroll instruction is not input; and

moving the cursor only within the scroll area according to the input movement instruction, when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input and the cursor is positioned in the scroll area.

2. The scroll control method according to claim 1, wherein

the display are comprises at least one cursor movement area and the scroll area,

moving the cursor within the display area further comprises moving the cursor sequential to one of the at, least one cursor movement area and the scroll area according to the input movement instruction,

the method further comprises setting a scroll flag when the scroll instruction is input and the cursor is moved to the scroll area, and

determining whether the scroll instruction is input further comprises determining that the scroll instruction is input regardless of whether the scroll instruction is input, when the scroll flag is set.

3. The scroll control method according to claim 2, further comprising

determining whether a scroll cancel instruction for canceling the scroll instruction is input when the scroll flag is set;

and

resetting the scroll flag when it is determined that the scroll cancel instruction is input.

4. The scroll control method according to claim 2, further comprising

displaying scroll information, indicating that the second information can be scrolled in the scroll area, when the scroll flag is set.

5. The scroll control method according to claim 2, further comprising

determining whether an inner area instruction for moving the cursor in the scroll area is input when the scroll flag is set;

moving the cursor further comprises;

moving the cursor to one of a plurality of information items included in the second information displayed in the scroll area according to the input inner area instruction when it is determined the inner area instruction is input; and

moving the or among the information items according to the input movement instruction when the cursor is positioned at one of the information items, and

scrolling the second information further comprises scrolling the information items included in the second information when the cursor is moved to an information item, which is not presently displayed in the scroll area, in such a way that the information item to which the cursor is moved is displayed in the scroll area.

6. The scroll control method according to claim 5, further comprising

determining whether an inner area cancel instruction for canceling the inner area instruction is input from the input device when the cursor is positioned at one of the information items, and

moving the cursor further comprises moving the cursor to the scroll area when it is determined that the inner area cancel instruction is input.

7. The scroll control method according to claim 1, wherein

moving the cursor within the scroll area further comprises not moving the position of the cursor, when the input movement instruction instructs the cursor to be moved outside of the scroll area;

and

scrolling the second information further comprises scrolling the second information in the scroll area according to the input movement instruction, when the input movement instruction instructs the cursor to be moved outside of the scroll area.

8. The scroll control method according to claim 1, wherein

the scroll area further comprises a second scroll area where third information is scrolled according to the input movement instruction, and

the scroll control method uses the scroll area as the display area and the second scroll area as the scroll area, and moves the cursor while scrolling the third information in the second scroll area when a predetermined input occurs.

9. A scroll control apparatus that controls scrolling of second information in a scroll area, which is preset within a display area of first information, according to an input from an input device, comprising:

a scroll instruction determining section that determines whether a scroll instruction is input when a cursor is positioned within the scroll area;

a cursor mover that moves the cursor within the display area, including outside of the scroll area, according to an input movement instruction, when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input;

a scroll controller that scrolls the second information in the scroll area according to the input movement instruction when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input; and

a limited cursor mover that limits movement of the cursor to be within the scroll area according to the input movement in on when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input.

10. The scroll control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the display area comprises at least one cursor movement area and the scroll area,

said cursor mover moves the cursor sequentially to one of the at least one cursor movement area and the scroll area according to the input movement instruction,

the scroll control apparatus further comprises a scroll flag setter for setting a scroll flag when the scroll instruction is input and the cursor is moved to the scroll area, and

the scroll instruction determining section determines that the scroll instruction is input regardless of whether the scroll instruction is input, when the scroll flag is set.

11. The scroll control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the input device comprises a direction input device that inputs multiple directions, each capable of serving as the movement instruction;

the cursor mover and the limited cursor mover move the cursor according to the input direction, and

the scroll controller scrolls the second information according to the input direction.

12. The scroll control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said scroll controller does not move the position of the cursor and scrolls the second information in the scroll area according to the input movement instruction, when the input movement instruction instructs the cursor to be moved outside of the scroll area.

13. The scroll control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the input device comprises a pointing device that inputs a displacement of a coordinate position on the display area as the movement instruction, and

the cursor mover and the limited cursor morer move the cursor according to the input displacement of the coordinate position.

14. The scroll control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the input device comprises a scroll instruction input device that inputs the scroll instruction by a predetermined user'"'"'s operation,

the scroll instruction determining section determines whether the scroll instruction input device is actually operated and the cursor is positioned within the scroll area.

15. A scroll control apparatus, connected to a display device for displaying a display area where first information is displayed and a scroll area is preset, and an input device for inputting an instruction form a user, and which moves a cursor in the display area according to the input instruction and scroll second information in a scroll area, comprising:

a program memory that stores a program and a processor that executes the program,

the program comprising;

a determining code segment that determines whether a scroll instruction is input when a cursor is positioned within the scroll area;

a cursor moving code segment that moves the cursor within the display area, including outside of the scroll area, according to an input movement instruction, when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input;

a scrolling code segment that scrolls the second information in the scroll area according to the input movement instruction when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input; and

a limited cursor moving code segment that limits movement of the cursor to be within the scroll area according to the input movement instruction when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having a program recorded thereon, the program causing a computer, which is connected to a display device for displaying a display area where first information is displayed and a scroll area is preset and an input device for inputting an instruction from a user, to move a cursor in the display area according to the input instruction input and to scroll second information in the scroll area,

the program comprising:

a determining code segment that determines whether a scroll instruction is input when a cursor is positioned within the scroll area;

a cursor moving code segment that moves the cursor within the display area, including outside of the scroll area, according to an input movement instruction, when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input;

a scrolling code segment that scrolls the second information in the scroll area according to the input movement instruction when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input; and

a limited cursor moving code segment that limits movement of the cursor to be within the scroll area according to the input movement instruction when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input.

17. A carrier wave having a data signal of program superimposed thereon, the program causing a computer, which is connected to a display device for displaying a display area where first information is displayed and a scroll area is preset and an input device for inputting an instruction from a user, to move a cursor in the display area according to the input instruction input and to scroll second information in the scroll area,

the program comprising:

a determining code segment that determines whether a scroll instruction is input when a cursor is positioned within the scroll area;

a cursor moving code segment that moves the cursor within the display area, including outside of the scroll area, according to an input movement instruction, when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input;

a scrolling code segment that scrolls the second information in the scroll area according to the input movement instruction when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input; and

a limited cursor moving code segment that limits movement of the cursor to be within the scroll area according to the input movement instruction when it is determined that the scroll instruction is input.