APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC FOCUS SHIFT

• US 20100077346A1
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Takashi, Yamaguchi, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,893,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/802
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

The focus is automatically shifted among a plurality of application windows which are displayed concurrently. In order to achieve this, in the present invention, an interruption of communication processing started by an application corresponding to a first window displayed with the focus is detected. Then a second window to which the focus is to shift is determined based on the detection result and state data. As a result, the focus is automatically shifted, based on the determination result, from the first window displayed on a display section to the second window.

Claims

1. An automatic focus shift apparatus included in an information communication terminal apparatus which concurrently displays a plurality of application windows on a display section and which performs communication with another apparatus by using a communication section,

the display section displaying one window with the focus as an operation target of a user among the plurality of windows currently being displayed,

the automatic focus shift apparatus comprising:

a state data storage section for storing data indicating an execution state of each application as state data;

a communication monitoring section for detecting an interruption of communication processing started by an application corresponding to a first window displayed with the focus, and outputting interruption information;

a focus shift determination section for determining, based on the state data, when the interruption information from the communication monitoring section is inputted, a second window to which the focus is to shift;

an application execution control section for controlling application execution processing for, at least, applications respectively corresponding to the plurality of windows being currently displayed on the display section; and

a focus control section for instructing the application execution control section to shift the focus in accordance with the determination by the focus shift determination section,

wherein the application execution control section causes, in accordance with the instruction by the focus control section, the focus to shift from the first window displayed on the display section to the second window.

2. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication monitoring section further detects recovery of interrupted communication processing, and outputs recovery information;

the focus shift determination section further determines, based on the state data, when the recovery information from the communication monitoring section is inputted, whether or not to cause the focus to return from the second window to the first window;

the focus control section further instructs the application execution control section, when the focus shift determination section determines to cause the focus to return from the second window to the first window, to return the focus in accordance with the determination by the focus shift determination section; and

the application execution control section further causes the focus to return, in accordance with the instruction by the focus control section, from the second window displayed on the display section to the first window.

3. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application execution control section further updates, using a latest execution state of each application, the state data stored in the state data storage section.

4. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when detecting that the information communication terminal apparatus is not located inside the service area, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the interruption of the communication processing and outputs the interruption information.

5. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when detecting that the information communication terminal apparatus is not located inside the service area, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the interruption of the communication processing and outputs the interruption information, and when detecting that the information communication terminal apparatus is located inside the service area, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the recovery of the interrupted communication processing and outputs the recovery information.

6. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when detecting a communication error response transmitted from a partner apparatus of the communication processing, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the interruption of the communication processing and outputs the interruption information.

7. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when detecting a communication error response transmitted from a partner apparatus of the communication processing, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the interruption of the communication processing and outputs the interruption information, and when not detecting the communication error response to dummy communication which is periodically performed by the communication section with the partner apparatus of the communication, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the recovery of the interrupted communication processing and outputs the recovery information.

8. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when not detecting, within a predetermined period, a completion response transmitted from a partner apparatus of the communication processing, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the interruption of the communication processing and outputs the interruption information.

9. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when not detecting, within a predetermined period, a completion response transmitted from a partner apparatus of the communication processing, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the interruption of the communication processing and outputs the interruption information, and when detecting the completion response transmitted from the partner apparatus of the communication processing, the communication monitoring section determines to have detected the recovery of the interrupted communication processing and outputs the recovery information.

10. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the state data includes application communication state data indicating that each application is either in a state of currently performing communication processing or in a state of not performing communication processing, and focus releasable/unreleasable state data indicating whether or not each application is in a state of allowing the focus on a corresponding window to be released to shift to another application window; and

the focus shift determination section determines, when the interruption information from the communication monitoring section is inputted, on condition that the focus releasable/unreleasable state data of the application corresponding to the first window indicates the state of allowing the focus to shift to another application window, a window of an application having the application communication state data indicating the state of not performing the communication processing, to be the second window to which the focus is to shift.

11. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the state data includes application communication state data indicating that each application is in which one of the states of currently performing communication processing, of not performing communication processing, and of waiting for communication recovery;

and focus releasable/unreleasable state data indicating whether or not each application is in a state of allowing the focus on a corresponding window to be released to shift to another application window; and

the focus shift determination section

determines, when the interruption information from the communication monitoring section is inputted, on condition that the focus releasable/unreleasable state data of the application corresponding to the first window indicates the state of allowing the focus to shift to another application window, a window of an application having the application communication state data indicating the state of not performing the communication processing, to be the second window to which the focus is to shift, and

determines, when the recovery information from the communication monitoring section is inputted, on condition that the focus releasable/unreleasable state data of the application corresponding to the second window indicates the state of allowing the focus to shift to another application window, and on condition that the application communication state data of the application corresponding to the first window indicates the state of waiting for communication recovery, to cause the focus to return from the second window to the first window.

12. The automatic focus shift apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the state data includes priority data in which a priority order set for an application becomes higher in accordance with an increase in frequency of shifting the focus to an window corresponding to the application, and

the focus shift determination section determines, when the interruption information from the communication monitoring section is inputted, a window of an application for which the priority data indicates a higher priority, to be the second window to which the focus is to shift.

13. A method used by an automatic focus shift apparatus included in an information communication terminal apparatus which concurrently displays a plurality of application windows on a display section and which performs communication with another apparatus by using a communication section,

the display section displaying one window with the focus as an operation target of a user among the plurality of windows currently being displayed, and

the automatic focus shift apparatus storing data indicating an execution state of each application as state data;

the method used by the automatic focus shift apparatus comprising;

a communication monitoring step of detecting an interruption of communication processing started by an application corresponding to a first window displayed with the focus, and generating interruption information;

a focus shift determining step of, when the interruption information is generated in the communication monitoring step, determining a second window to which the focus is to shift, based on the state data; and

a focus shifting step of shifting the focus, in accordance with the determination in the focus shift determining step, from the first window displayed on the display section to the second window.