Method And Apparatus For Area-Efficient Graphical User Interface

• US 20130031515A1
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Funabashi, Yoshimitsu, Johnson, Brian, Kunieda, Shunsuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,122,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A GUI screen image is a standard screen image, and displays a first combined GUI area, which is a combination of a GUI of the directional keys and a GUI of a joystick, and a second combined GUI area, which is a combination of a GUI of the four-type operation buttons and a GUI of a joystick, at the lower left and at the lower right on the screen image, respectively. Depending on an area in the first combined GUI area or in the second combined GUI area to which a user newly touches, which of the combined GUI to be used is determined and a screen image is switched, and if a finger or a thumb detaches, the screen image switches back.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a GUI image generating unit operative to generate a GUI (Graphical User Interface) image;

a display device operative to display the GUI image generated by the GUI image generating unit;

a touch panel operative to cover the display device and operative to detect a position where a user makes contact with the display device; and

an operation information converting unit operative to identify an operation performed by the user based on a correspondence relationship between a contact point detected by the touch panel and the GUI image being displayed, wherein

the GUI image generating unit provides a combined GUI area in the GUI image, the combined GUI area combining a plurality of GUIs by a combined graphics that are a combination of at least part of graphics of the plurality of GUIs, and

when a user newly makes contact with the combined GUI, the operation information converting unit specifies one GUI corresponding to a graphic that includes a point from which the contact is started, the one GUI included in the plurality of GUIs that are combined by the combined GUI, and the GUI image generating unit allows a plurality of GUIs to share a same detection area on the touch panel by switching the combined GUI to the one GUI identified by the operation information converting unit.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of GUIs that are combined by the combined GUI include a GUI that receives an analogue value in accordance with the contact point, and

a detection area in the combined GUI is provided for switching to the GUI that receives an analogue value and is smaller than a detection area of the GUI that receives an analogue value after the switching from the combined GUI.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of GUIs that are combined by the combined GUI further include a GUI that switches a function provided at the contact point to be on or off through contact/non-contact.

4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein, when a continuous contact to the one GUI to which the combined GUI has been switched is terminated, the GUI image generating unit switches the one GUI back to the combined GUI.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of GUIs that are combined by the combined GUI include:

an analogue input GUI that receives an analogue value in accordance with the contact point, and

an on/off input GUI that switches a function provided at the contact point to be on or off through contact/non-contact.

6. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the combined graphics comprises:

a directional keys graphic that corresponds to a GUI of directional keys, wherein a plurality of direction instruction keys are disposed on the circumference of a circle; and

a joystick graphic that corresponds to a GUI of a pseudo joystick receiving an input of an arbitrary direction and an arbitrary quantity,

wherein the joystick graphic is disposed at the center of the directional keys graphic.

7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the operation information converting unit sequentially acquires the direction and distance from the point where the contact is started to a current contact point, and sets the acquired value as input values of direction and quantity, during a time period when the one GUI to which the combined GUI has been switched is the GUI of the pseudo-joystick.

8. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays a GUI image generated by the GUI image generating unit as an on-screen display on an output image generated as a result of information processing performed in a information processing device with which the input device is connected.

9. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the GUI image generating unit provides a plurality of the combined GUIs on one screen image.

10. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the GUI image generating unit displays an indicator that represents a point currently in contact by a user, during a time period when the one GUI to which the combined GUI has been switched is the GUI of the pseudo-joystick.

11. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the GUI image generating unit:

maintains, when switching from the combined GUI to the on/off input GUI, display of a graphic for switching to the analogue input GUI, which has been displayed in the combined GUI; and

disables, when switching from the combined GUI to the analogue input GUI, the displaying of a graphic for switching to the on/off input GUI, which has been displayed in the combined GUI.

12. An information processing device comprising:

a GUI image generating unit operative to generate a GUI (Graphical User Interface) image;

an information processing unit operative to perform information processing in accordance with an operation made to the GUI by a user;

a display device operative to display a GUI image generated by the GUI image generating unit as an on-screen display on an output image generated as a result of information processing performed in the information processing device;

a touch panel operative to cover the display device and operative to detect a position where a user makes contact with the display device; and

an operation information converting unit operative to identify an operation performed by the user based on a correspondence relationship between a contact point detected by the touch panel and the GUI image being displayed, wherein

the GUI image generating unit provides a combined GUI area in the GUI image, the combined GUI area combining a plurality of GUIs by a combined graphics that are a combination of at least part of graphics of the plurality of GUIs, and

when a user newly makes contact with the combined GUI, the operation information converting unit identifies one GUI corresponding to a graphic that includes a point from which the contact is started, the one GUI included in the plurality of GUIs that are combined by the combined GUI, and the GUI image generating unit allows a plurality of GUIs to share a same detection area on the touch panel by switching the combined GUI to the one GUI identified by the operation information converting unit.

13. An input value acquiring method comprising:

generating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) image;

displaying the GUI image on a display device as an on-screen display on an output image generated as a result of information processing;

detecting, by the touch panel that cover the display device, a position where a user makes contact; and

identifying an operation performed by the user based on a correspondence relationship between a detected contact point and a GUI image being displayed, wherein

generating of a GUI image provides a combined GUI area in the GUI image, the combined GUI area combining a plurality of GUIs by a combined graphics that are a combination of at least part of graphics of the plurality of GUIs, and

when a user newly makes contact with the combined GUI, the identifying of an operation identifies the one GUI corresponding to a graphic that includes a point from which the contact is started, the one GUI included in the plurality of GUIs that are combined by the combined GUI, and the generating of the GUI image allows a plurality of GUIs to share a same detection area on the touch panel by switching the combined GUI to the one GUI identified.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium containing a computer program, the computer program comprising:

a module configured to generate a GUI (Graphical User Interface) image;

a module configured to display the GUI image on a display device as an on-screen display on an output image generated as a result of information processing;

a module configured to identify an operation performed by the user based on a correspondence relationship between a contact point detected by the touch panel that covers the display device and a GUI image being displayed, wherein

the module configured to generate a GUI image provides a combined GUI area in the GUI image, the combined GUI area combining a plurality of GUIs by a combined graphics that are a combination of at least part of graphics of the plurality of GUIs, and

when a user newly makes contact with the combined GUI, the module configured to identify an operation identifies the one GUI corresponding to a graphic that includes a point from which the contact is started, the one GUI included in the plurality of GUIs that are combined by the combined GUI, and the module configured to generate a GUI image allows a plurality of GUIs to share a same detection area on the touch panel by switching the combined GUI to the one GUI identified.