SCROLLING APPARATUS, SCROLLING METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20140208260A1
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TANAKA, Takayuki, KAWAHARA, Noriyuki, NAKAO, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,423,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A scrolling apparatus includes: a display unit which displays a content on a screen; a contact detection unit which detects contact of a finger to the screen; a proximity detection unit which detects proximity of a finger to the screen; a scrolling control unit which scrolls the content displayed on the screen in response to a contact manipulation of the finger on the screen; and a display control unit which displays, on the screen, the scrolled content. The scrolling control unit decelerates a scroll speed to a given speed if proximity of the finger to the screen is detected at or after a start of the scrolling.

Claims

1. A scrolling apparatus comprising:

a display unit which displays a content on a screen;

a contact detection unit which detects contact of a finger to the screen;

a proximity detection unit which detects proximity of a finger to the screen;

a scrolling control unit which scrolls the content displayed on the screen in response to a contact manipulation of the finger on the screen; and

a display control unit which displays, on the screen, the scrolled content,

wherein the scrolling control unit decelerates a scroll speed to a given speed if proximity of the finger to the screen is detected at or after a start of the scrolling.

2. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein after decelerating the scroll speed to the given speed, the scrolling control unit keeps the scroll speed at the given speed while the proximity of the finger to the screen continues to be detected.

3. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein after decelerating the scroll speed to the given speed, the scrolling control unit decelerates the scroll speed gradually if the proximity or contact of the finger to the screen is not detected.

4. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein if the proximity of the finger to the screen has continued to be detected for a given time from the detection of the proximity of the finger to the screen at or after the start of the scrolling, the scrolling control unit thereafter decelerates the scroll speed to the given speed irrespective of whether the proximity or contact of the finger to the screen is detected.

5. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein after decelerating the scroll speed to the given speed, the scrolling control unit keeps the scroll speed at the given speed.

6. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein after decelerating the scroll speed to the given speed, the scrolling control unit temporarily decelerates the scroll speed to zero or a constant speed lower than the given speed if proximity of a finger to the screen is detected.

7. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein after decelerating the scroll speed to zero or the constant speed, the scrolling control unit returns the scroll speed to the given speed if the proximity or contact of the finger to the screen is not detected.

8. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in response to the contact manipulation of the finger, the scrolling control unit thereafter decelerates the scroll speed to the given speed irrespective of whether proximity or contact of a finger to the screen is detected.

9. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the scrolling control unit switches a scroll speed control process according to an initial scroll speed of the scrolling.

10. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the scrolling control unit performs the scroll speed control process in which:

if the initial scroll speed is higher than or equal to a first threshold speed, the scroll speed is decreased to the given speed and thereafter kept at the given speed;

if the initial scroll speed is higher than or equal to a second threshold speed and lower than the first threshold speed and it is determined that the proximity of the finger to the screen has continued to be detected for a given time from the detection of the proximity of the finger the screen to the screen at or after the start of the scrolling, the scroll speed is decelerated to the second threshold speed and thereafter kept at the second threshold speed irrespective of whether the proximity or contact of the finger to the screen is detected; and

if the initial scroll speed is lower than the second threshold speed, the scroll speed gradually decelerated from the initial scroll speed.

11. The scrolling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the proximity of the finger to the screen has continued to be detected for a given time from the detection of the proximity of the finger to the screen at or after the start of the scrolling, the scrolling control unit keeps the scroll speed at a first speed which is a speed at a time of detection of the proximity of the finger,

wherein after the scroll speed at the first sped is kept, if the proximity of a finger to the screen is detected again, the scrolling control unit temporarily decelerates the scroll speed to zero or a constant speed lower than the first speed, and

wherein after the scroll speed is decelerated to zero or the constant speed, if the proximity or contact of the finger to the screen is not detected, the scrolling control unit returns the scroll speed to the first speed.

12. A scrolling method of a scrolling apparatus comprising a display unit which displays a content on a screen, said method comprising:

detecting contact of a finger to the screen;

detecting proximity of a finger to the screen;

scrolling the content displayed on the screen in response to a contact manipulation of the finger on the screen; and

displaying, on the screen, the scrolled content,

wherein the scroll speed is decelerated to a given speed if proximity of a finger to the screen is detected at or after a start of the scrolling.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause a scrolling apparatus comprising a display unit which displays a content on a screen to execute:

detecting contact of a finger to the screen;

detecting proximity of a finger to the screen;

scrolling the content displayed on the screen in response to a contact manipulation of the finger on the screen; and

displaying, on the screen, the scrolled content,

wherein the scroll speed is decelerated to a given speed if proximity of a finger to the screen is detected at or after a start of the scrolling.