INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND INTEGRATED CIRCUIT

• US 20110072373A1
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yuki, Yasuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,499,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration

Abstract

An information processing device (100) includes a command management unit (101) storing a command in association with a parameter, an instruction receiving unit (104) receiving a user operation performed on an icon displayed on a display screen, a display control unit (10) causing an object icon identifying an object to be displayed in a first display area of the display screen, and an instruction generation unit (115) generating an instruction which is a group of the command and the parameter. The display control unit (10) further causes a command icon identifying a command executable on an operation target object to be displayed in a second display area, and causes a parameter icon identifying a parameter associated with the selected command to be displayed in a third display area. When at least two command icons are selected, the instruction generation unit (115) generates an instruction such that at least two commands identified by these two command icons respectively are executed in order of selection.

Claims

1. An information processing device which generates an instruction specifying an operation of a device, in response to a user operation performed on an icon displayed on a display screen, said information processing device comprising:

a storage unit including a command management unit configured to store at least one command in association with at least one parameter, the command indicating a process to be executed on an object and the parameter specifying a detail of the process;

an instruction receiving unit configured to receive the user operation performed on the icon displayed on the display screen;

a display control unit configured to cause at least one object icon identifying the object to be displayed in a first display area of the display screen; and

an instruction generation unit configured to generate an instruction which is a group of the command and the parameter stored in said command management unit, according to the user operation received by said instruction receiving unit,

wherein, when said instruction receiving unit receives an operation in which at least one of the at least one object icon displayed in the first display area is selected, said display control unit is further configured to extract, from said command management unit, the command executable on an operation target object identified by the selected object icon and to cause at least one command icon identifying the extracted command to be displayed in a second display area different from the first display area, without changing a detail displayed in the first display area of the display screen,

when said instruction receiving unit receives an operation in which at least one of the at least one command icon displayed in the second display area is selected, said display control unit is further configured to extract, from said command management unit, the parameter associated with the command identified by the selected command icon and to cause at least one parameter icon identifying the extracted parameter to be displayed in a third display area different from the first and second display areas, without changing details displayed in the first and second display areas of the display screen, and

when at least two command icons are selected, said instruction generation unit is configured to generate an instruction such that at least two commands identified by the at least two command icons respectively are executed in an order in which the at least two command icons are selected.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising

an instruction execution unit configured to execute the instruction generated by said instruction generation unit on the operation target object.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein, when at least two operation target objects are selected, said display control unit is configured to extract the command that is executable on and common to the at least two operation target objects.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein said display control unit is configured to correct spaces between a plurality of icons displayed on the display screen, according to a size of an area that remains unused for displaying an icon on the display screen.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein said instruction generation unit is further configured to register the generated instruction as a processing pattern into a pattern management unit included in said storage unit, and

said display control unit is further configured to extract, from said pattern management unit, the processing pattern executable on the object identified by the selected object icon and to cause a processing pattern icon identifying the extracted processing pattern to be displayed in a pattern display area different from the first, second, and third display areas.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

the display screen; and

a detection unit configured to detect an orientation of the display screen,

wherein said display control unit is configured to change a position at which the icon is displayed on the display screen, according to the orientation of the display screen detected by said detection unit.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the object is an external device connected to said information processing device, and

said information processing device further comprising

a communication unit configured to send the instruction generated by said instruction generation unit to the external device that is the operation target object.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7,

wherein said communication unit is further configured to receive, from the operation target object, state information indicating a current operating state of the operation target object, and

said display control unit is configured to extract, from said command management unit, the command that is executable on the operation target object in the current operating state indicated by the state information.

9. The information processing device according to claim 7,

wherein, when the operation target object includes a display screen:

said communication unit is configured to receive, from the operation target object, display layout information indicating a detail displayed on the display screen of the operation target object; and

said display control unit is further configured to cause the detail indicated by the display layout information to be displayed in a virtual screen display area different from the first, second, and third display areas of the display screen.

10. An information processing method of an information processing device which generates an instruction specifying an operation of a device in response to a user operation performed on an icon displayed on a display screen and which includes a storage unit having a command management unit that stores at least one command in association with at least one parameter, the command indicating a process to be executed on an object and the parameter specifying a detail of the process, said information processing method comprising:

receiving the user operation performed on the icon displayed on the display screen;

performing control to cause at least one object icon identifying the object to be displayed in a first display area of the display screen; and

generating an instruction which is a group of the command and the parameter stored in the command management unit, according to the user operation received in said receiving,

wherein, in said performing control;

when an operation in which at least one of the at least one object icon displayed in the first display area is selected is received in said receiving, the command executable on an operation target object identified by the selected object icon is extracted from the command management unit and at least one command icon identifying the extracted command is caused to be displayed in a second display area different from the first display area, without changing a detail displayed in the first display area of the display screen; and

when an operation in which at least one of the at least one command icon displayed in the second display area is selected is received in said receiving, the parameter associated with the command identified by the selected command icon is extracted from the command management unit and at least one parameter icon identifying the extracted parameter is caused to be displayed in a third display area different from the first and second display areas, without changing details displayed in the first and second display areas of the display screen, and

in said generating, when at least two command icons are selected, an instruction is generated such that at least two commands identified by the at least two command icons respectively are executed in an order in which the at least two command icons are selected.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon for causing an information processing device to generate an instruction specifying an operation of a device in response to a user operation performed on an icon displayed on a display screen, the information processing device including a storage unit having a command management unit that stores at least one command in association with at least one parameter, the command indicating a process to be executed on an object, and the parameter specifying a detail of the process, said program causing the information processing device to execute:

receiving the user operation performed on the icon displayed on the display screen;

performing control to cause at least one object icon identifying the object to be displayed in a first display area of the display screen; and

generating an instruction which is a group of the command and the parameter stored in the command management unit, according to the user operation received in said receiving,

wherein, in said performing control;

when an operation in which at least one of the at least one object icon displayed in the first display area is selected is received in said receiving, the command executable on an operation target object identified by the selected object icon is extracted from the command management unit and at least one command icon identifying the extracted command is caused to be displayed in a second display area different from the first display area, without changing a detail displayed in the first display area of the display screen; and

when an operation in which at least one of the at least one command icon displayed in the second display area is selected is received in said receiving, the parameter associated with the command identified by the selected command icon is extracted from the command management unit and at least one parameter icon identifying the extracted parameter is caused to be displayed in a third display area different from the first and second display areas, without changing details displayed in the first and second display areas of the display screen, and

in said generating, when at least two command icons are selected, an instruction is generated such that at least two commands identified by the at least two command icons respectively are executed in an order in which the at least two command icons are selected.

12. An integrated circuit implemented on an information processing device which generates an instruction specifying an operation of a device in response to a user operation performed on an icon displayed on a display screen and which includes a storage unit having a command management unit that stores at least one command in association with at least one parameter, the command indicating a process to be executed on an object and the parameter specifying a detail of the process, said integrated circuit comprising:

an instruction receiving unit configured to receive the user operation performed on the icon displayed on the display screen;

a display control unit configured to cause at least one object icon identifying the object to be displayed in a first display area of the display screen; and

an instruction generation unit configured to generate an instruction which is a group of the command and the parameter stored in said command management unit, according to the user operation received by said instruction receiving unit,

wherein, when said instruction receiving unit receives an operation in which at least one of the at least one object icon displayed in the first display area is selected, said display control unit is further configured to extract, from said command management unit, the command executable on an operation target object identified by the selected object icon and to cause at least one command icon identifying the extracted command to be displayed in a second display area different from the first display area, without changing a detail displayed in the first display area of the display screen,

when said instruction receiving unit receives an operation in which at least one of the at least one command icon displayed in the second display area is selected, said display control unit is further configured to extract, from said command management unit, the parameter associated with the command identified by the selected command icon and to cause at least one parameter icon identifying the extracted parameter to be displayed in a third display area different from the first and second display areas, without changing details displayed in the first and second display areas of the display screen, and

when at least two command icons are selected, said instruction generation unit is configured to generate an instruction such that at least two commands identified by the at least two command icons respectively are executed in an order in which the at least two command icons are selected.