DISPLAY CONTROL APPARATUS AND DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD

• US 20130268893A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Maeda, Masao
• Granted Patent: US 9,335,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

This invention relates to a display control apparatus and method capable of appropriately, easily selecting a display item the user wants on a display of a plurality of display items. In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of display items are arranged on a display screen to cause the display screen having a touch panel to display the plurality of display items as selectable candidates. A first display item is selected among the plurality of display items displayed on the display screen. In a case where the first display item is selected and a touch area in the touch panel is designated by a user, a second display item which is closer to the first display item than the touch area in the display screen is selected.

Claims

1. A display control apparatus comprising:

a display control unit configured to cause a display screen having a touch panel to display a plurality of display items as candidates which can be selected, by arranging the plurality of display items on the display screen;

a first selection unit configured to select a display item among the plurality of display items displayed by the display control unit; and

a second selection unit configured, in a case where a first display item is selected by the first selection unit and a touch area in the touch panel is designated by a user, to select a second display item which is closer to the first display item than the touch area in the display screen.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second selection unit is further configured to select the second display item arranged between the selected first display item and the touch area on the display screen.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a touch area corresponding to a third display item is designated, the second selection unit is further configured to select the second display item closer to the first display item than the third display item.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the first display item is selected in a first selection mode out of a plurality of selection modes and the touch area corresponding to the third display item is designated, the second selection unit is further configured to select the second display item.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in a case where the first display item is selected in a second selection mode out of the plurality of selection modes and the touch area corresponding to the third display item is designated, the second selection unit is further configured to select the third display item.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second selection unit is further configured to determine a selection mode from the plurality of selection modes in accordance with each size of the plurality of display items displayed on the display screen by the display control unit, and execute the selection of the second display item according to the determined selection mode.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a determination unit configured to determine, based on the touch area, whether or not the touch area has moved on the touch panel till an end of a touch to the touch panel after the touch panel is touched,

wherein the second selection unit is further configured to determine a selection mode from the plurality of selection modes in accordance with a result of whether or not it is determined by the determination unit that the touch area has moved, and executes the selection of the second display item according to the determined selection mode.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first selection unit is further configured to select, as the first display item, a display item corresponding to the touch area designated by the user.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display items include a plurality of image groups, and

the second selection unit is further configured to select an image group from the plurality of image groups in accordance with the touch area.

10. A display control method comprising:

arranging a plurality of display items on a display screen to cause the display screen having a touch panel to display the plurality of display items as candidates to be selected;

first selecting a display item among the plurality of display items displayed on the display screen; and

second selecting, in a case where a first display item is selected by the first selecting and a touch area in the touch panel is designated by a user, a second display item which is closer to the first display item than the touch area in the display screen.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the second selecting, the second display item arranged between the selected first display item and the touch area on the display screen is selected.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein in a case where a touch area corresponding to a third display item is designated, in the second selecting, the second display item closer to the first display item than the third display item is selected.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein in a case where the first display item is selected in a first selection mode out of a plurality of selection modes and the touch area corresponding to the third display item is designated, in the second selecting, the second display item is selected.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein in a case where the first display item is selected in a second selection mode out of the plurality of selection modes and the touch area corresponding to the third display item is designated, in the second selecting, the third display item is selected.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the second selecting, a selection mode is determined from the plurality of selection modes in accordance with each size of the plurality of display items displayed on the display screen by the display control unit, and the selection of the second display item is executed according to the determined selection mode.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising determining, based on the touch area, whether or not the touch area has moved on the touch panel till an end of a touch to the touch panel after the touch panel is touched,

wherein in the second selecting, a selection mode is determined from the plurality of selection modes in accordance with a result of whether or not it is determined that the touch area has moved, and

the selection of the second display item is executed according to the determined selection mode.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the first selecting, a display item corresponding to the touch area designated by the user is selected, as the first display item.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of display items include a plurality of image groups, and

in the second selecting, an image group is selected from the plurality of image groups in accordance with the touch area.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium which stores a computer program for executing:

arranging a plurality of display items on a display screen to cause the display screen having a touch panel to display the plurality of display items as candidates to be selected;

first selecting a display item among the plurality of display items displayed on the display screen; and

second selecting, in a case where a first display item is selected by the first selecting and a touch area in the touch panel is designated by a user, a second display item which is closer to the first display item than the touch area in the display screen.