Display Control Device, Display Apparatus, Method of Controlling Display Device, Display Control Program, and Storage Medium Storing the Program

• US 20080036714A1
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Hiroshi, Imai, Akira, Yabuta, Koji, Takatani, Tomoo
• Application Number:
  US11/574,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20080036714A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/68 Circuit arrangements for preventing eavesdropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A control section of a portable phone controls a display on a main display section with a viewing angle that is variable. The control section includes: a viewing-angle obtaining section to obtain viewing-angle information about the viewing-angle of the main display section; and a viewing-angle display control section to control an image display section of the main display section to display the viewing-angle information obtained by the viewing-angle obtaining section. The viewing-angle information is obtainable from a viewing-angle control section. The viewing-angle control section controls a viewing-angle changing section. The viewing-angle changing section changes the viewing angle. It is possible to obtain the viewing-angle information as a result that an operation section conducts an operation to change the viewing angle, and/or as a result that an application executing section executes a predetermined application. The foregoing allows a user to find out a viewing-angle state of the display device by looking at a display screen of the display device from the front.

Claims

1. :

A display control device, controlling a display on a display device with a viewing angle that is variable,

the display control device comprising;

viewing-angle information obtaining means for obtaining viewing-angle information relating to the viewing angle of the display device; and

viewing-angle information display controlling means for controlling the display device to display the viewing-angle information obtained by the viewing-angle information obtaining means.

2. :

The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the viewing-angle information display controlling means controls the display device so that the viewing-angle information is displayed when the viewing-angle information is in predetermined condition, and the viewing-angle information is not displayed when the viewing-angle information is in condition other than the predetermined condition.

3. :

The display control device according to claim 2, wherein;

the display device is switchable between a wide viewing-angle mode and a narrow viewing-angle mode; and

the viewing-angle information display controlling means controls the display device so that the viewing-angle information is displayed in one of the wide viewing-angle mode and the narrow viewing-angle mode, and is not displayed in other one of the wide viewing-angle mode and the narrow viewing-angle mode.

4. :

The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising;

viewing-angle controlling means for controlling the viewing angle of the display device,

the viewing-angle information obtaining means obtaining the viewing-angle information from the viewing-angle controlling means.

5. The display control device according to claim 4, wherein:

the viewing-angle controlling means controls the viewing angle in such a way as to link with execution of an application program; and

the viewing-angle information obtaining means obtains the viewing-angle information from an application program that is in execution.

6. :

The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising;

operating means for accepting operation performed by a user,

the viewing-angle information obtaining means obtaining the viewing-angle information from a viewing-angle change instruction that the operating means accepts.

7. :

The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the viewing-angle information display controlling means controls the display device so that the viewing-angle information is displayed by use of a series of characters.

8. :

The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the viewing-angle information display controlling means controls the display device so that the viewing-angle information is displayed by use of an icon.

9. :

The display control device according to claim 8, wherein the viewing-angle information display controlling means expresses the viewing-angle information by controlling the display device to change a display style of the icon.

10. :

A display apparatus, comprising;

a display device with a viewing angle that is variable; and

a display control device defined in claim 1 to control a display on the display device.

11. :

The display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display apparatus is portable.

13. :

A display control program for causing a display control device defined in claim 1 to operate, the display control program causing a computer to function as viewing-angle information obtaining means and viewing-angle information display controlling means.

14. :

A computer-readable storage medium storing the display control program defined in claim 13.

12. :

A method for controlling a display on a display device with a viewing angle that is variable,

the method comprising the steps of;

obtaining viewing-angle information relating to the viewing angle of the display device; and

controlling the display device to display the viewing-angle information.