Electronic Apparatus and Display Control Method

• US 20120151409A1
• Filed: 08/10/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Kyohei, Suda, Yukihiro
• Application Number:
  US13/207,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20120151409A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/800
• 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

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus displays one or more windows of a plurality of windows corresponding to a plurality of application programs on a touch-screen display, and includes a storage device, a display control module and an execution control module. The storage device stores operation screen information items associated with the application programs. The display control module displays a operation screen based on a first item of the items when a predetermined area in a first window of the plurality of windows has been touched, the operation screen including buttons for operating a first application program of the application programs, the first item being associated with the first application program, the first application program corresponding to the first window. The execution control module instructs the first application program to execute a function corresponding to a button of the buttons in response to the button being touched.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus configured to display one or more windows of a plurality of windows on a touch-screen display, the plurality of windows corresponding to a plurality of application programs, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of operation screen information items associated with the plurality of application programs;

a display control module configured to display a operation screen on the touch-screen display based on a first operation screen information item of the plurality of operation screen information items when a predetermined area in a first window of the plurality of windows has been touched, the operation screen comprising a plurality of buttons for operating a first application program of the plurality of application programs, the first operation screen information item being associated with the first application program, the first application program corresponding to the first window; and

an execution control module configured to instruct the first application program to execute a function corresponding to a button of the plurality of buttons on the operation screen in response to the button being touched.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of buttons in the operation screen are respectively larger than buttons for operating the first application program in the first window.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of buttons in the operation screen comprises a first button which is larger than a second button for operating the first application program in the first window.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control module is configured to change a size of the first window in accordance with a size of the operation screen, and to display the operation screen on the first window, the size of which has been changed, in an overlapping manner.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the display control module is configured to transparently display the operation screen on the first window, the size of which has been changed.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the display control module is configured to display the operation screen with a transparency associated with the first application program.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control module is configured to change a number of buttons in the operation screen in accordance with a size of the first window, and to display the operation screen on the first window in an overlapping manner, the operation screen comprising the changed number of buttons.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control module is configured to change a size of the operation screen in accordance with a size of the first window, and to display the operation screen, the size of which has been changed, on the first window in an overlapping manner.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control module is configured to terminate the display of the operation screen in response to the predetermined area of the first window being touched while the operation screen is displayed.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control module is configured to terminate the display of the operation screen when an elapsed period has reached a threshold period, the elapsed period being a period during which none of the plurality of buttons in the operation screen is touched.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 10, wherein the display control module is configured to terminate the display of the operation screen when an elapsed period has reached a threshold period associated with the first application program, the elapsed period being a period during which none of the buttons in the operation screen is touched.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display control module is configured to display a predetermined operation screen in response to a touch on a predetermined area in a window corresponding to an application program other than the plurality of application programs.

13. A display control method of controlling an electronic apparatus configured to display one or more windows of a plurality of windows on a touch-screen display, the plurality of windows corresponding to a plurality of application programs, the electronic apparatus comprising a storage device configured to store a plurality of operation screen information items associated with the plurality of application programs, the method comprising:

displaying an operation screen on the touch-screen display based on a first operation screen information item of the plurality of operation screen information items when a predetermined area in a first window of the plurality of windows has been touched, the operation screen comprising a plurality of buttons for operating a first application program of the plurality of application programs, the first operation screen information item being associated with the first application program, the first application program corresponding to the first window; and

instructing the first application program to execute a function corresponding to a button of the plurality of buttons on the operation screen in response to the button being touched.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a program for controlling a computer configured to display one or more windows of a plurality of windows on a touch-screen display, the computer comprising a storage device configured to store a plurality of operation screen information items associated with a plurality of application programs, the plurality of windows corresponding to the plurality of application programs, the program being configured to cause the computer to:

display an operation screen on the touch-screen display based on a first operation screen information item of the plurality of operation screen information items when a predetermined area in a first window of the plurality of windows has been touched, the operation screen comprising a plurality of buttons for operating a first application program of the plurality of application programs, the first operation screen information item being associated with the first application program, the first application program corresponding to the first window; and

instruct the first application program to execute a function corresponding to a button of the plurality of buttons on the operation screen in response to the button being touched.