INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20120036479A1
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kasahara, Shunichi, Narita, Tomoya, Kano, Ritsuko
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/825
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electronic device, the device including, processor, a display, and an interface configured to, detect non-contact proximity of an operation member, determine whether the member is within a first selection region corresponding to a first selection object; and display a second selection object adjacent to the first selection object when it is determined that the member is within the first selection region.

Claims

1. An electronic device, the device comprising:

a processor;

a display; and

an interface configured to;

detect non-contact proximity of an operation member;

determine whether the member is within a first selection region corresponding to a first selection object; and

display a second selection object adjacent to the first selection object when it is determined that the member is within the first selection region.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to initiate execution of a process by the processor when it is determined that the member is within a second selection region corresponding to the second selection object.

3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first selection object is a function selection object.

4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the second selection object is one of a guidance selection object or an execution selection object.

5. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to consecutively display a plurality of second selection objects corresponding to a plurality of second selection regions.

6. The device as recited in claim 5, wherein the interface is further configured to erase the plurality of second selection objects, the speed of erasing the plurality of second selection objects being slower than a speed of displaying the plurality of second selection objects.

7. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to:

detect a motion for the member;

determine a direction of the detected motion; and

display the second selection object based on the determined direction.

8. The device as recited in claim 7, wherein the second selection object is displayed in a direction opposite to the direction of the motion.

9. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to:

display a plurality of first selection objects in an alignment; and

display the second selection object based on the alignment.

10. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the second selection object is displayed perpendicular to the alignment.

11. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to determine a change in proximity of the operation member with respect to the interface.

12. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the interface is configured to initiate a first process upon detection of an increase in proximity and a second process upon detection of a decrease in proximity.

13. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the interface is configured to initiate a process upon detection of a change in proximity, the process comprising a change in the size of one or more selection objects.

14. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the interface is configured to initiate a process upon detection of a decrease in proximity, the process comprising erasing, from the display, one or more selection objects.

15. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to:

detect contact with the operation member; and

initiate execution of a process by the processor based on the detected contact.

16. The device as recited in claim 15, wherein the interface is configured to initiate execution of a process by the processor based on the detected contact prior to initiating execution of a process by the processor based on a non-contact proximity.

17. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

detecting non-contact proximity of an operation member;

determining whether the member is within a first selection region corresponding to a displayed selection object; and

displaying a second selection object adjacent to the first selection object when it is determined that the member is within the first selection region.

18. A tangibly embodied computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method comprising:

detecting non-contact proximity of an operation member;

determining whether the member is within a first selection region corresponding to a displayed first selection object; and

displaying a second selection object adjacent to the first selection object when it is determined that the member is within the first selection region.