PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT

• US 20130179780A1
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: OOKA, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,569,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3652 Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that determines a direction to browsed next as a guiding direction with a location of content displayed by a display of the information processing apparatus as a reference location; determines a perceptual strength of each of a plurality of active elements disposed in different locations on or within a casing of the information processing apparatus based on the guiding direction; and controls each of the plurality of active elements based on the perceptual strengths.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a casing;

a display supported by the casing that displays content;

a processor that determines a direction to browsed next as a guiding direction with a location of the content displayed by the display as a reference location;

a perceptual active element including a plurality of active elements disposed in different locations on or within the casing, wherein

the processor determines a perceptual strength of each of the plurality of active elements based on the guiding direction and controls each of the plurality of active elements based on the perceptual strengths.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the processor determines whether to perform a guiding operation based on a predetermined guiding condition.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory that stores predetermined guiding conditions corresponding to the content.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the processor determines whether to perform a guiding operation based on the predetermined guiding conditions stored in the memory.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the processor determines the direction to be browsed next by identifying a browsing start location within the content.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a user interface that receives a user input, wherein

the processor identifies the browsing start location based on a user input received at the user interface.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the processor identifies the browsing start location based on information accompanying the content.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the processor determines whether a guiding start location of the content is displayed on the display.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the processor determines to perform a guiding operation when it is determined that the guiding start location of the content is displayed on the display.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the processor identifies a guiding target location within the content.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the processor identifies the guiding target location based on information accompanying the content.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the guiding target location within the content identified by the processor is a location within the content that is not displayed by the display.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the processor determines the direction to be browsed next based on the identified target location within the content.

14. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the processor determines whether to perform a guiding operation based on an initial setting regarding whether to perform the guiding operation.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user setting as to whether to perform a guiding operation, wherein

the processor determines whether to perform the guiding operation based on the user input.

16. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the displayed content corresponds to at least one of newspaper content, map content, three-dimensional content and multi-layered content.

17. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the plurality of active elements are at least one of vibration elements, heating elements, contraction elements, and electrical stimulation elements.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the perceptual active element includes at least three active elements disposed in different locations on or within the casing.

19. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

determining a direction to browsed next as a guiding direction with a location of content displayed by a display of the information processing apparatus as a reference location;

determining a perceptual strength of each of a plurality of active elements disposed in different locations on or within a casing of the information processing apparatus based on the guiding direction; and

controlling each of the plurality of active elements based on the perceptual strengths.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by an information processing apparatus, cause the information processing apparatus to perform a method comprising:

determining a direction to browsed next as a guiding direction with a location of content displayed by a display of the information processing apparatus as a reference location;

determining a perceptual strength of each of a plurality of active elements disposed in different locations on or within a casing of the information processing apparatus based on the guiding direction; and

controlling each of the plurality of active elements based on the perceptual strengths.