PORTABLE TERMINAL DEVICE, DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD, AND DISPLAY CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20110007009A1
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Yuji, Gomyo, Kazumasa, Ishihara, Tomohiro, Iino, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,456,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 including more than one keyboard unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

There is provided a portable terminal device that enables a user to operate all buttons to be operated by moving only one finger of one hand carrying the terminal when operating the terminal equipped with both a touch panel and a stationary operation section and that exhibits superior operability. The portable terminal device has enclosures 11, 12 with a movable portion, a display section 17 capable of displaying visible information showing an operation target area, and a touch sensor 13 that detects a position on a display screen of the display section touched by a user'"'"'s finger, or the like. The device is further provided with a shape detection section for detecting a change in the shape of the enclosure; an input operation management section for managing a position detected by the touch sensor and an operation target area of each of pieces of visible information displayed on the display section in an associated manner; and a display control section that automatically makes a change to at least display positions of the respective pieces of visible information about the operation target displayed on the display section in accordance with a change in shape of the enclosure detected by the shape detection section.

Claims

1. A portable terminal device, comprising:

an enclosure including a movable portion for changing a shape into at least two states;

a display section configured to display arbitrary visible information showing an operation target area;

a touch sensor that detects a position on a display screen of the display section touched by a user'"'"'s finger, or the like;

a shape detection section that detects a change in the shape of the enclosure;

an input operation management section that manages a position detected by the touch sensor and an operation target area of respective pieces of visible information displayed on the display section in an associated manner; and

a display control section that automatically changes at least display position of the respective pieces of visible information about the operation target displayed on the display section in accordance with the change in shape of the enclosure detected by the shape detection section,

wherein the enclosure includes an upper enclosure and a lower enclosure which are configured to relatively move with each other by sliding or rotation;

wherein the upper enclosure is equipped with the display section and the touch sensor;

wherein the lower enclosure is equipped with a stationary operation section including a plurality of buttons fixed at physical positions where a user can operate the buttons; and

wherein the display control section preferentially arranges the display position of the respective pieces of visible information to be operated, which is displayed on the display section, to a position close to the stationary operation section within an entire display area of the display section when the shape detection section detects that a front face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure.

3. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control section re-displays at a changed position the respective pieces of visible information to be operated, which is displayed on the display section, in a smaller size than the visible information in a predetermined standard state, when the shape detection section detects that a front face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure.

4. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control section re-displays at a changed position some of pieces of displayable visible information among the respective pieces of visible information to be operated, which is displayed on the display section, and switches visible information to be displayed at the changed position in accordance with input operation for scrolling a display, when the shape detection section detects that a front face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure.

5. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control section displays on the display section a pointer showing an operation target position corresponding to an object on a content displayed on the display section when the shape detection section detects that a front face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure, and further displays at a position close to the stationary operation section visible information to be operated which is assigned a function of commanding an arrangement of a display position of the pointer.

6. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control section has a function of displaying on the display section, as an aggregate of the pieces of visible information, a virtual keyboard including a plurality of display buttons associated with a plurality of respective characters and a candidate display section for displaying candidates for conversion corresponding to the input character;

and

wherein when the shape detection section detects that a front face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure, the display control section deletes a display of the virtual keyboard and re-displays only the candidate display section at a changed position close to the stationary operation section in the entire display area of the display section.

7. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display control section has a function of displaying, as an aggregate of the pieces of visible information, the virtual keyboard including a plurality of display buttons associated with a plurality of respective characters on the display section;

and

wherein when the shape detection section detects that a front face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure, the display control section automatically switches characters assigned to respective display buttons included in the virtual keyboard to other contents which are different from characters of a predetermined standard state.

8. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operating status detection section that detects a type of an application program in operation,

wherein the display control section automatically switches a configuration of a variable operation section displayed on the display section as the aggregate of the pieces of visible information, in accordance with a result of detection of the operating status detection section.

2. (canceled)

9. A display control method for controlling a display of a portable terminal device including an enclosure having a movable portion for changing a shape into at least two states, a display section configured to display arbitrary visible information showing an operation target area, and a touch sensor that detects a position on a display screen of the display section touched by a user'"'"'s finger, or the like, wherein the enclosure includes an upper enclosure and a lower enclosure which are configured to relatively move with each other by sliding or rotation, wherein the upper enclosure is equipped with the display section and the touch sensor, and wherein the lower enclosure is equipped with a stationary operation section including a plurality of buttons fixed at physical positions where a user can operate the buttons, the method comprising:

managing a position detected by the touch sensor and the operation target area of respective pieces of visible information displayed on the display section in an associated manner;

automatically changing at least display positions of the respective pieces of visible information about the operation target displayed on the display section in accordance with the change in shape of the enclosure; and

preferentially arranging the display position of the respective pieces of visible information to be operated, which is displayed on the display section, to a position close to the stationary operation section within an entire display area of the display section when it is detected that a font face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure.

10. A computer-executable display control program for controlling a display of a portable terminal device including an enclosure having a movable portion for changing a shape into at least two states, a display section configured to display arbitrary visible information showing an operation target area, and a touch sensor that detects a position on a display screen of the display section touched by a user'"'"'s finger, or the like, wherein the enclosure includes an upper enclosure and a lower enclosure which are configured to relatively move with each other by sliding or rotation, wherein the upper enclosure is equipped with the display section and the touch sensor, and wherein the lower enclosure is equipped with a stationary operation section including a plurality of buttons fixed at physical positions where a user can operate the buttons, the program comprising:

a step of managing a position detected by the touch sensor and an operation target area of respective pieces of visible information displayed on the display section in an associated manner;

a step of automatically changing at least display positions of the respective pieces of visible information about the operation target displayed on the display section in accordance with the change in shape of the enclosure; and

a step of preferentially arranging the display position of the respective pieces of visible information to be operated, which is displayed on the display section, to a position close to the stationary operation section within an entire display area of the display section when it is detected that a front face of the stationary operation section is exposed in accordance with the change in the shape of the enclosure.