INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND PROGRAM

• US 20080141176A1
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fukuoka, Fumihiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

The number of folders to be displayed required to restrict and display folders on a lower hierarchy of a folder expanded by the folder opening and closing module is determined based on the number of folders included in the lower hierarchy to be expanded, and the height of the window. The folders included in the lower hierarchy are displayed to have the determined number of folders to be displayed.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which performs display control of a plurality of folders using a hierarchical structure, comprising:

folder opening means for opening one of folder included in the hierarchical structure displayed on a display screen;

determining means for determining the number of folders to be displayed on a lower hierarchy of the folder opened by said folder opening means, based on the number of the currently displayed folders on the display screen, the number of folders included in the lower hierarchy of the folder opened by said folder opening means, and a height of a window on which the plurality of folders are displayed; and

hierarchical display means for displaying the folders on the lower hierarchy in accordance with the number of folders to be displayed determined by said determining means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising transition instruction means for transiting the folders on the lower hierarchy currently displayed by said hierarchical display means to a display state of currently non-displayed folders on the lower hierarchy before or after the displayed folders.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising the number of folders display means for displaying the number of currently non-displayed folders before or after the currently displayed folders.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determining means compares a total of the number of currently displayed folders and the number of folders included in the lower hierarchy of the folder opened by said folder opening means with the height of the window to check if a display of the currently displayed folders and the folders included in the lower hierarchy of the folder opened by said folder opening means falls within the window, and

when said determining means decides that the display does not fall within the window, said determining means determines to restrict the number of folders to be displayed on the lower hierarchy of the folder opened by said folder opening means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the number of folders calculated based on the number of currently displayed folders, the number of folders included in the lower hierarchy of the folder opened by said folder opening means, and the height of the window is not more than the predetermined minimum number of folders, said determining means determines the predetermined minimum number of folders as the number of folders to be displayed on the lower hierarchy of the folder opened by said folder opening means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display switching means for instructing to switch a hierarchy display state in which the number of folders to be displayed is restricted by said hierarchical display means, and a normal display state in which the number of folders to be displayed is not restricted by said hierarchical display means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a hierarchy different from the lower hierarchy, in which the number of folders to be displayed is restricted by said hierarchical display means is opened, said determining means changes the number of folders to be displayed on the restricted hierarchy to the predetermined minimum number of folders.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when an arbitrary folder in a folder on a hierarchy, which is displayed in the normal display state, is selected, said hierarchical display means displays folders on the hierarchy to have the number of folders to be displayed determined by said determining means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said number of folders display means updates the number of non-displayed folders based on an operation for a hierarchy of folders currently displayed by said hierarchical display means.

10. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus which performs display control of a plurality of folders using a hierarchical structure, said method comprising:

a folder opening step of opening one of folder included in the hierarchical structure displayed on a display screen;

a determining step of determining the number of folders to be displayed on a lower hierarchy of the folder opened in said folder opening step, based on the number of the currently displayed folders on the display screen, the number of folders included in the lower hierarchy of the folder opened in the folder opening step, and a height of a window on which the plurality of folders are displayed; and

a hierarchical display step of displaying the folders on the lower hierarchy in accordance with the number of folders to be displayed determined in the determining step.

11. A program stored in a computer-readable medium to make a computer execute control of an information processing apparatus which performs display control of a plurality of folders using a hierarchical structure, said program making the computer execute:

a folder opening step of opening one of folder included in the hierarchical structure displayed on a display screen;

a determining step of determining the number of folders to be displayed on a lower hierarchy of the folder opened in said folder opening step, based on the number of the currently displayed folders on the display screen, the number of folders included in the lower hierarchy of the folder opened in the folder opening step, and a height of a window on which the plurality of folders are displayed; and

a hierarchical display step of displaying the folders on the lower hierarchy in accordance with the number of folders to be displayed determined in the determining step.