DISPLAY CONTROL DEVICE, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20120162242A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: AMANO, Ryoko, Nunomaki, Takashi, Nishikawa, Kenzo
• Granted Patent: US 9,329,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/592
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters

Abstract

A graphical user interface apparatus, method and computer program product cooperate to control a display. An item is displayed at a periphery of a display and a detector detects when an object is proximate to the item. When detected the display displays a relation item. Then, when the object is detected as moving to be proximate to the relation item, a controller changes a displayed form of the relation item in response to detecting when the object is moved.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a controller that causes a display to display a relation item in response to receiving an indication of a detection of an object'"'"'s proximity to a displayed item, the displayed item being displayed on a periphery of the display, and changes a displayed form of a portion of the relation item that is proximate to or in contact with the object as the object moves along the relation item.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to change the displayed form of the relation item when a touch position of the object coincides with the relation item.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller recognizes a proximity response area that is larger than a size of the item, the proximity response area being an area that is a criterion used when detecting if the object is proximate to the item.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the proximity response area is a rectangular area that surrounds the item.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller causes the display to highlight at least the item when the object is detected to be proximate to the item.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller causes an options menu to be displayed when the object is detected as being proximate to the item.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the options menu being translucently superimposed on an image displayed on the display, and the relation item includes the options menu.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the proximity response area at least includes an area occupied by the options menu and the item.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the options menu includes a plurality of icons having respective contact response areas, and the proximity response area at least including an area occupied by the respective contact response areas.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller causes a selected icon of the plurality of icons to be highlighted on the display when the object is positioned proximate to the selected icon.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller also causes a function guide to be displayed, the functions guide explains functions assigned to respective menu options on the options menu.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the options menu is translucently displayed so that a background image remains at least partially visible on the display.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the display, the display including an electrostatic touch panel.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller highlights the item by at least one of changing a color, size, shape, design and brightness of the item.

15. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the options menu includes option icons that are lower in rank than the item.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the options menu includes user-settable option icons.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the object is not within a predetermined detection range of the display, a selection state of the item is not changed.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller changes at least one of the plurality of icons to another icon when the object touches the display.

19. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of icons remain present when the object touches the display and the object is then removed from the display by a distance further than a proximity detection range.

20. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the options menu includes a plurality of icons having respective contact response areas, at least one of the contact response areas being smaller in area than an area occupied by a corresponding icon.

21. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller recognizes a selection state of a function associated with the item when the object is detected proximate to the item, and the controller maintains the selection state even when the object is not moved to be proximate the options menu.

22. A method of controlling a graphical user interface comprising:

receiving an indication of a detection of an object'"'"'s proximity to a displayed item;

causing a display to display a relation item in response to the receiving, the displayed item being displayed on a periphery of the display, and

changing a displayed form of a portion of the relation item that is proximate to or in contact with the object as the object moves along the relation item.

23. A non-transitory computer storage device having instructions stored therein that when executed by a processing circuit implement a process comprising:

receiving an indication of a detection of an object'"'"'s proximity to a displayed item;

causing a display to display a relation item in response to the receiving, the displayed item being displayed on a periphery of the display, and

changing a displayed form of a portion of the relation item that is proximate to or in contact with the object as the object moves along the relation item.