DISPLAY CONTROL DEVICE, DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD, IMAGE-FORMING DEVICE, COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM, AND COMPUTER DATA SIGNAL

• US 20100110480A1
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SATAKE, Masanori
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A display control device includes: a request receiving unit that receives a request to display a first image, in which a stack order of images in a visual direction of a user is specified; an obtaining unit that obtains a display priority of an image group to which the first image belongs; a display layer identifying unit that identifies a display layer from among plural display layers divided from a near side to a far side in the visual direction, a position of the display layer becoming nearer in the visual direction as the obtained display priority increases; and a display control unit that causes a display unit to display a screen in which the first image and a second image belonging to an image group identical to the image group to which the first image belongs are arranged in the identified display layer in the specified stack order.

Claims

1. A display control device comprising:

a request receiving unit that receives a request to display a first image, in which a stack order of images in a visual direction of a user is specified;

an obtaining unit that obtains data on a display priority of an image group to which the first image belongs;

a display layer identifying unit that identifies a display layer from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in the visual direction, a position of the display layer becoming nearer in the visual direction as the display priority indicated by the obtained data increases; and

a display control unit that causes a display unit to display a screen in which the first image and a second image belonging to an image group identical to the image group to which the first image belongs, the second image being a currently displayed image, are arranged in the identified display layer, the first image and the second image being arranged from the near side to the far side in the visual direction in the specified stack order.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein if a third image belonging to an image group different from the image group to which the first image belongs has been arranged in the identified display layer, the first image is arranged in priority to the third image.

3. The display control device according to claim 2, wherein in the screen the first image is arranged before the third image.

4. The display control device according to claim 2, wherein in the screen the third image is hidden.

5. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit that, if the data on a display priority assigned to the image group to which the first image belongs is not obtained by the obtaining unit, sets a display priority to the image group, wherein the display layer identifying unit identifies the display layer on the basis of the set display priority instead of the display priority indicated by the obtained data.

6. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein if there is a third image belonging to an image group identical to the image group to which the first image belongs, and the request receiving means further receives a request to hide the third image, the third image is arranged in the identified display layer in the specified stack order.

7. A display control device comprising:

a request receiving unit that receives a request to display an image from a plurality of sources of request;

an assigning unit that assigns a display layer to each of the sources of request, the display layer being selected from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in a visual direction of a user; and

a display control unit that identifies a source of request to which a display layer positioned at a nearest side in the visual direction has been assigned from among the sources of request, and carries out an operation to make an image, display of which has been requested by a source of request other than the identified source of request, invisible.

8. The display control device according to claim 7, wherein the display control unit further carries out an operation to make an image, displaying of which has been requested by the identified source of request, visible or invisible in accordance with an instruction from the identified source of request.

9. The display control device according to claim 7, further comprising a storage unit that stores a display priority in association with each of the sources of request, wherein the assigning unit assigns a display layer to each of the sources of request on the basis of a display priority stored in the storage unit in association with the source of request.

10. An image-forming device comprising:

a request receiving unit that receives a request to display a first image, in which a stack order of images in a visual direction of a user is specified;

an obtaining unit that obtains data on a display priority of an image group to which the first image belongs;

a display layer identifying unit that identifies a display layer from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in the visual direction, a position of the display layer becoming nearer in the visual direction as the display priority indicated by the obtained data increases;

a display control unit that causes a display unit to display a screen for receiving an instruction to form an image, in which the first image and a second image belonging to an image group identical to the image group to which the first image belongs, the second image being a currently displayed image, are arranged in the identified display layer, the first image and the second image being arranged from the near side to the far side in the visual direction in the specified stack order; and

an image-forming unit that forms an image in accordance with an instruction received by the screen displayed on the display unit.

11. An image-forming device comprising:

a request receiving unit that receives a request to display an image from a plurality of sources of request, the image being an image for receiving an instruction to form an image;

an assigning unit that assigns a display layer to each of the sources of request, the display layer being selected from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in a visual direction of a user; and

a display control unit that;

identifies a source of request to which a display layer positioned at a nearest side in the visual direction has been assigned from among the sources of request, and carries out an operation to make an image, display of which has been requested by a source of request other than the identified source of request, invisible; and

carries out an operation to make an image, displaying of which has been requested by the identified source of request, visible or invisible in accordance with an instruction from the identified source of request; and

an image-forming unit that, when the image, displaying of which has been requested by the identified source of request, is made visible by the display control unit, forms an image in accordance with an instruction received by the visualized image.

12. A display control method comprising:

receiving a request to display a first image, in which a stack order of images in a visual direction of a user is specified;

obtaining data on a display priority of an image group to which the first image belongs;

identifying a display layer from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in the visual direction, a position of the display layer becoming nearer in the visual direction as the display priority indicated by the obtained data increases; and

causing a display unit to display a screen in which the first image and a second image belonging to an image group identical to the image group to which the first image belongs, the second image being a currently displayed image, are arranged in the identified display layer, the first image and the second image being arranged from the near side to the far side in the visual direction in the specified stack order.

13. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for display control, the process comprising:

receiving a request to display a first image, in which a stack order of images in a visual direction of a user is specified;

obtaining data on a display priority of an image group to which the first image belongs;

identifying a display layer from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in the visual direction, a position of the display layer becoming nearer in the visual direction as the display priority indicated by the obtained data increases; and

causing a display unit to display a screen in which the first image and a second image belonging to an image group identical to the image group to which the first image belongs, the second image being a currently displayed image, are arranged in the identified display layer, the first image and the second image being arranged from the near side to the far side in the visual direction in the specified stack order.

14. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for display control, the process comprising:

receiving a request to display an image from a plurality of sources of request;

assigning a display layer to each of the sources of request, the display layer being selected from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in a visual direction of a user; and

identifying a source of request to which a display layer positioned at a nearest side in the visual direction has been assigned from among the sources of request, and carries out an operation to make an image, display of which has been requested by a source of request other than the identified source of request, invisible.

15. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for enabling a computer to perform a process for display control, the process comprising:

receiving a request to display a first image, in which a stack order of images in a visual direction of a user is specified;

obtaining data on a display priority of an image group to which the first image belongs;

identifying a display layer from among a plurality of display layers divided from a near side to a far side in the visual direction, a position of the display layer becoming nearer in the visual direction as the display priority indicated by the obtained data increases; and

causing a display unit to display a screen in which the first image and a second image belonging to an image group identical to the image group to which the first image belongs, the second image being a currently displayed image, are arranged in the identified display layer, the first image and the second image being arranged from the near side to the far side in the visual direction in the specified stack order.