INFORMATION TERMINAL, SCREEN COMPONENT DISPLAY METHOD, PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20110291985A1
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Morimoto, Hiroyuki, Wakako, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US13/050,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20110291985A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

Abstract

An information terminal that enables a desired screen component to be easily found and an original state prior to movement of a screen component to be easily discerned is provided. An information terminal includes: a display surface that displays a plurality of icons; a contactless input unit that detects information related to a distance of a finger that designates the icons, from the display surface and information related to a position of the finger in a plane parallel to the display surface; and an icon movement rendering unit that motion-displays in sequence the icons selected according to a selection rule, to such positions on the display surface obtained according to a display rule based on the information related to the distance and the information related to the position.

Claims

1. An information terminal comprising:

a display surface that displays a plurality of screen components;

a motion display detecting unit that detects information related to a distance from the display surface to a designating object that designates the screen components, and information related to a position of the designating object in a plane parallel to the display surface; and

a screen component movement rendering unit that motion-displays in sequence the screen components selected according to a selection rule, to such positions on the display surface obtained according to a display rule, based on the information related to the distance and the information related to the position.

2. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display rule refers to a position directly underneath the detected position or a vicinity of the position directly underneath the detected position.

3. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the selection rule refers to selecting the screen components based on a genre or a decision history.

4. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the sequence refers to an order determined based on a decision history.

5. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the motion display detecting unit detects that the designating object is separated from the display surface beyond a predetermined distance, the screen component movement rendering unit restores the motion-displayed screen components to respective original states before the motion display of the screen components.

6. The information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising

a decided position judging unit which, when the motion display detecting unit detects that the designating object enters within a definite distance that is shorter than a predetermined distance, of the display surface, and detects a position of the designating object in a plane parallel to the display surface, judges the screen component displayed at a position on the display surface directly underneath the detected position of the designating object and detects that the judged screen component is decided on by the designating object.

7. The information terminal according to claim 6, further comprising

a change screen component displaying unit which, when the motion display detecting unit detects that the designating object enters within the predetermined distance of the display surface and detects a position of the designating object in a plane parallel to the display surface, displays a change screen component for changing the motion-displayed screen components to other screen components, at a position directly underneath the detected position of the designating object or in a vicinity of the position directly underneath the detected position of the designating object, wherein

when the decided position judging unit detects that the change screen component is decided on by the designating object, in order to perform the changing, the screen component movement rendering unit restores the motion-displayed screen components to original states before the motion display of the screen components and motion-displays in sequence screen components selected based on a second selection rule that differs from the selection rule, to such positions on the display surface obtained according to a second display rule that differs from the display rule, based on the position of the designating object detected by the motion display detecting unit.

8. The information terminal according to claim 6, further comprising

an addition screen component displaying unit which, when the motion display detecting unit detects that the designating object enters within the predetermined distance of the display surface and detects a position of the designating object in a plane parallel to the display surface, displays an addition screen component for adding another screen component to the motion-displayed screen components, at a position directly underneath the detected position of the designating object or in a vicinity of the position directly underneath the detected position of the designating object, wherein

when the decided position judging unit detects that the addition screen component is decided on by the designating object, in order to perform the adding, the screen component movement rendering unit does not restore the motion-displayed screen components to original states before the motion display of the screen components and motion-displays in sequence screen components selected based on a second selection rule that differs from the selection rule, to such positions on the display surface obtained according to a second display rule that differs from the display rule, based on the position of the designating object detected by the motion display detecting unit.

9. The information terminal according to claim 5, wherein the screen component movement rendering unit restores the motion-displayed screen components in a determined sequence when restoring the motion-displayed screen components to original states before the motion display of the screen components.

10. The information terminal according to claim 7, wherein when the change screen component is decided on by the designating object, the change screen component displaying unit erases the change screen component.

11. The information terminal according to claim 8, wherein when the addition screen component is decided on by the designating object, the addition screen component displaying unit erases the addition screen component.

12. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein groups of the selected screen components to be motion-displayed at least partially differ from each other according to a position of the designating object detected by the motion display detecting unit.

13. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the motion display detecting unit includes a capacitance panel arranged adjacent to the display surface in order to detect, by a capacitance method, the information related to a distance from the display surface to the designating object that designates the screen components, and the information related to a position of the designating object in a plane parallel to the display surface.

14. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information related to a distance from the display surface to a designating object designating the screen components, refers that the designating object designating the screen components enters respectively within n-number (where n is a natural number equal to or greater than 1) types of predetermined distances of the display surface.

17. The information terminal according to claim 7, wherein the screen component movement rendering unit restores the motion-displayed screen components in a determined sequence when restoring the motion-displayed screen components to original states before the motion display of the screen components.

15. A screen component display method comprising:

a display step of displaying a plurality of screen components;

a motion display detecting step of detecting information related to a distance from the display surface to a designating object that designates the screen components, and information related to a position of the designating object in a plane parallel to the display surface; and

a screen component movement rendering step of motion-displaying in sequence the screen components selected according to a selection rule, to such positions on the display surface obtained according to a display rule, based on the information related to the distance and the information related to the position.

16. A program embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program causing a computer to execute the screen component display method according to claim 15.