USER INTERFACE FOR PROCESSING DATA BY UTILIZING ATTRIBUTE INFORMATION ON DATA

• US 20080229222A1
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kake, Tomokazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,234,581 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A data processing technology of high convenience is provided. A data processing apparatus includes: a data file storing section which stores data files; a user interface section which assigns first object to data unit, displays the first object, and accepts an operation on a data file or a group in the form of an operation on the first object, the data unit being the data file or the group of a plurality of data files stored in the data file storing section; a condition acquisition section which acquires a condition on attribute information attached to the data units, pertaining to contents of the data units; and a judgment section which displays a second object on-screen, moves the second object within the screen according to an instruction from a user, and judges if attribute information on a data unit corresponding to the first object displayed in the vicinity of the second object conforms to or is similar to the condition, a function of searching for a data unit conforming to the condition being assigned to the second object.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a data file storing section which stores data files;

a user interface section which assigns first objects to respective data units, displays the first objects on-screen, and accepts an operation on the data files or the group(s) in the form of an operation on the first objects, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in the data file storing section;

a condition acquisition section which acquires a condition on attribute information attached to the data units, pertaining to contents of the data units; and

a judgment section which displays on-screen a second object to which a function of searching for a data unit conforming to the condition is assigned, moves the second object within the screen according to an instruction from a user, and judges if attribute information on a data unit corresponding to the first object displayed in the vicinity of the second object conforms to or is similar to the condition.

2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the judgment section deforms the first object displayed in the vicinity of the second object or the second object as if the first object and the second object attract each other, when the attribute information on the data unit corresponding to the first object conforms to or is similar to the condition.

3. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the judgment section deforms the first object displayed in the vicinity of the second object or the second object as if the first object and the second object repel each other, when the attribute information on the data unit corresponding to the first object does not conform to nor is similar to the condition.

4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the judgment section determines an amount of deformation of the first object or the second object according to a distance between the first object and the second object.

5. The data processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the judgment section determines an amount of deformation of the first object or the second object according to a degree of conformity or similarity, to the condition, of the attribute information on the data unit corresponding to the first object.

6. The data processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the judgment section defines an attractive force or repulsive force with variables including the attribute information on the data unit corresponding to the first object, attribute information set as the condition, and a distance between the first object and the second object, and determines an amount of deformation of the first object or the second object according to the attractive force or repulsive force.

7. The data processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the judgment section moves the first object or the second object according to the attractive force or repulsive force.

8. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the first objects are icons for the data files or a folder or folders containing the data files; and

the second object is a pointer of a pointing device.

9. The data processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

when an icon is dragged by the pointing device, the condition acquisition section acquires attribute information on the data file or folder corresponding to the dragged icon as the condition; and

the judgment section judges the conformity or similarity to the condition based on a similarity between the attribute information acquired as the condition and the attribute information attached to the data file or folder corresponding to an icon displayed in the vicinity of the pointer.

10. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a collection section which collects a data unit conforming or similar to the condition.

11. The data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the collection section collects the data unit conforming or similar to the condition when a distance between the second object and the first object corresponding to the data unit falls below a predetermined threshold.

12. The data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the collection section defines an attractive force or repulsive force with variables including the attribute information on the data unit corresponding to the first object, attribute information set as the condition, and a distance between the first object and the second object, and collects the data unit when the attractive force exceeds a predetermined threshold.

13. The data processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the collection section changes the threshold according to moving speed of the second object.

14. The data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the collection section erases the first object corresponding to the data unit when collecting the data unit.

15. The data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the collection section displays how the first object corresponding to the data unit is taken into or merged into the second object when collecting the data unit.

16. The data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the collection section determines mode of display of the second object according to an amount of data units collected.

17. The data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the collection section collects data units automatically by moving the second object automatically according to a predetermined rule.

18. A data processing method comprising:

assigning first objects to respective data units and displaying the first objects on-screen, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in a data file storing section which stores data files;

accepting an operation on the data files or the groups in the form of an operation on the first objects;

acquiring a condition on attribute information attached to the data units, pertaining to contents of the data units;

displaying on-screen a second object to which a function of searching for a data unit conforming to the condition is assigned; and

moving the second object within the screen according to an instruction from a user, and judging if attribute information on a data unit corresponding to the first object displayed in the vicinity of the second object conforms to or is similar to the condition.

19. A data processing program product comprising:

a module which assigns first objects to respective data units and displays the first objects on-screen, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in a data file storing section for storing data files, and accepts an operation on the data files or the groups in the form of an operation on the first objects;

a module which acquires a condition on attribute information attached to the data units, pertaining to contents of the data units; and

a module which displays a second object on-screen, moves the second object within the screen according to an instruction from a user, and judges if attribute information on a data unit corresponding to the first object displayed in the vicinity of the second object conforms to or is similar to the condition, a function of searching for a data unit conforming to the condition being assigned to the second object.

20. A computer-readable recording medium containing a data processing program for making a computer execute the functions of:

assigning first objects to respective data units and displaying the first objects on-screen, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in a data file storing section which stores data files, and accepting an operation on the data files or the groups in the form of an operation on the first objects;

acquiring a condition on attribute information attached to the data units, pertaining to contents of the data units; and

displaying a second object on-screen, moving the second object within the screen according to an instruction from a user, and judging if attribute information on a data unit corresponding to the first object displayed in the vicinity of the second object conforms to or is similar to the condition, a function of searching for a data unit conforming to the condition being assigned to the second object.