INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE IMPLEMENTING USER INTERFACE SUITABLE FOR USER OPERATION

• US 20100083116A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Saito, Tomohisa, AKIFUSA, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A volume setting icon is provided with a slider for indicating a volume increasing from left toward right. A region in a direction of lower volume relative to a position corresponding to a current value, at which the slider is displayed, is identified as a volume low region, and a region in a direction of higher volume is identified as a volume high region. When the slider is selected, the slider can continuously be operated to move in any direction toward the volume low region and the volume high region. When the volume low region other than the slider is touched, the slider is instantaneously operated to move to a position corresponding to a touch position. When the volume high region other than the slider is touched, the slider is not instantaneously operated to move to a position corresponding to a touch position.

Claims

1. An information processing method performed in a computer setting a value of at least one parameter based on an input from an input device, causing said computer to function as:

first change operation accepting means for accepting an operation of change from a position in accordance with a current value of said parameter, within a prescribed display area in a prescribed screen;

first update means for gradually updating said parameter from the current value based on the operation of change accepted by said first change operation accepting means;

second change operation accepting means for accepting an operation of change to a position in accordance with a desired value of said parameter, within said prescribed display area; and

second update means for updating said parameter from the current value to the desired value based on the operation of change accepted by said second change operation accepting means, wherein

said second update means updates said parameter from the current value to the desired value when said desired value is smaller than the current value of said parameter and said second update means does not update said parameter from the current value to the desired value when said desired value is greater than the current value of said parameter.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein

said input device is a pointing device.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein

said second update means gradually updates said parameter from the current value.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein

said computer sets values of a plurality of types of parameters based on the input from said input device, and

said values of said plurality of types of parameters are associated with arbitrary positions within said prescribed display area, respectively.

5. The information processing method according to claim 4, wherein

said prescribed display area is a multi-dimensional area in accordance with number of types of parameters set by said computer.

6. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein

said parameter corresponds to a volume level of sound output from an output device of said computer.

7. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein

said parameter corresponds to duration of a file reproduced in said computer.

8. An information processing method performed in a computer setting a value of at least one parameter based on an input from an input device, causing said computer to function as:

slider display means for displaying a slider indicating a current value of said parameter within a prescribed display area in a prescribed screen;

first movement operation accepting means for accepting a continuous operation of movement from a position of the slider in accordance with the current value of said parameter;

second movement operation accepting means for accepting an operation of movement to a position of said slider in accordance with a desired value of said parameter within said prescribed display area; and

update means for updating said parameter to a value in accordance with a position of said slider resulting from movement in accordance with accepted said operation of movement, wherein

said second movement operation accepting means accepts the operation of movement to a desired position of said slider when said slider moves in a direction of decrease from the current value of said parameter and said second movement operation accepting means does not accept the operation of movement to the desired position of said slider when said slider moves in a direction of increase from the current value of said parameter.

9. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein

said input device is a pointing device.

10. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein

said computer sets values of a plurality of types of parameters based on the input from said input device, and

said values of said plurality of types of parameters are associated with arbitrary positions within said prescribed display area, respectively.

11. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein

said prescribed display area is a multi-dimensional area in accordance with number of types of parameters set by said computer.

12. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein

said parameter corresponds to a volume level of sound output from an output device of said computer.

13. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein

said parameter corresponds to duration of a file reproduced in said computer.

14. An information processing device setting a value of at least one parameter based on an input from an input device, comprising:

first change operation accepting means for accepting an operation of change from a position in accordance with a current value of said parameter, within a prescribed display area in a prescribed screen;

first update means for gradually updating said parameter from the current value based on the operation of change accepted by said first change operation accepting means;

second change operation accepting means for accepting an operation of change to a position in accordance with a desired value of said parameter within said prescribed display area; and

second update means for updating said parameter from the current value to the desired value based on the operation of change accepted by said second chance operation accepting means, wherein

said second update means updates said parameter from the current value to the desired value when said desired value is smaller than the current value of said parameter and said second update means does not update said parameter from the current value to the desired value when said desired value is greater than the current value of said parameter.

15. An information processing device setting a value of at least one parameter based on an input from an input device, comprising:

slider display means for displaying a slider indicating a current value of said parameter within a prescribed display area in a prescribed screen;

first movement operation accepting means for accepting a continuous operation of movement from a position of the slider in accordance with the current value of said parameter;

second movement operation accepting means for accepting an operation of movement to a position of said slider in accordance with a desired value of said parameter within said prescribed display area; and

update means for updating said parameter to a value in accordance with a position of said slider resulting from movement in accordance with accepted said operation of movement, wherein

said second movement operation accepting means accepts the operation of movement to a desired position of said slider when said slider moves in a direction of decrease from the current value of said parameter and said second movement operation accepting means does not accept the operation of movement to the desired position of said slider when said slider moves in a direction of increase from the current value of said parameter.