TERMINAL DEVICE

• US 20150378459A1
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.
• Inventors: Sawada, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 10,146,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The purpose is to provide a terminal device that can be operated by a virtual operation key which is easy to use. The terminal device according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a display unit for displaying a virtual operation key, a touch panel for detecting contact by an inputting object on the virtual operation key, and a control unit for assessing whether a drag operation by the inputting object has been carried out on the basis of contact with the virtual operation key by the inputting object detected via the touch panel and controlling the display position of the virtual operation key, wherein the control unit modifies the display position of the virtual operation key in accordance with the contact position of the inputting object if the contact position of the inputting object exceeds a display area of the virtual operation key due to the drag operation.

Claims

1. A terminal device comprising

a display unit for displaying a virtual operation key,

a touch panel for detecting contact by an inputting object on the virtual operation key, and

a control unit for assessing whether a drag operation by the inputting object has been carried out on the basis of contact with the virtual operation key by the inputting object detected via the touch panel and controlling the display position of the virtual operation key, wherein

the control unit modifies the display position of the virtual operation key in accordance with the contact position of the inputting object if the contact position of the inputting object exceeds a display area of the virtual operation key due to the drag operation.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel is provided with an operation detection area for detecting operation on the virtual operation key in correlation to the display area of the virtual operation key, and

the control unit modifies the display position of the virtual operation key in accordance with the contact position of the inputting object if the contact position of the inputting object exceeds the operation detection area due to the drag operation.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the operation detection area is the display area of the virtual operation key.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a predetermined movable object, and

the control unit determines the movement direction of the movable object on the basis of a predetermined reference position and the direction obtained from the contact position of the inputting object.

5. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a predetermined movable object, and

the control unit determines the movement distance of the movable object on the basis of the distance between a predetermined reference position and the contact position of the inputting object.

6. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the reference position is present in the operation detection area, and

if the contact position of the inputting object has exceeded the operation detection area due to the drag operation, the control unit determines the movement direction and the movement distance of the movable object on the basis of the distance between the reference position and the position at which a line connecting the reference position and the contact position intersects the outer periphery of the display area of the virtual operation key.

7. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, if the display position exceeds the movement-allowed area by modifying the display position of the virtual operation key, displays the virtual operation key on the boundary between a movement-allowed area set in advance and other areas in the display unit in the case that

8. The terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit displays the virtual operation key in a fixed position set in advance prior to detection of a drag operation on the virtual operation key.

9. The terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the movement-allowed area is an area in which the fixed position is present if the display unit has been divided into a left area and a right area along the center of the display unit.

10. The terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit displays the virtual operation key in the fixed position, and, once contact on the touch panel by the inputting object is detected, subsequently displays the virtual operation key in the contact position.

11. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the virtual operation key is formed as a circle, and

the reference position is the center of the circle formed by the virtual operation key.

12. The terminal device according to claim 11, wherein the control unit displays on the display unit an operative object showing the contact position of the inputting object, and modifies the display position of the operative object in accordance with the movement of the contact position.

13. The terminal device according to claim 12, wherein the operative object is formed as a circle, and

if the contact position of the inputting object has exceeded the display area of the virtual operation key due to the drag operation, the control unit controls the display position of the virtual operation key so that the center of the circle forming the operative object is positioned outside the circle forming the virtual operation key.

14. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the virtual operation key is semitransparently displayed.

15. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the virtual operation key is a virtual joystick, which virtually imitates a joystick.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium in which a program stored for causing a computer to function as a control unit for displaying a virtual operation key on a display unit, assessing whether a drag operation by an inputting object has been carried out on the basis of contact with the virtual operation key by the inputting object detected via a touch panel provided to a terminal device, and controlling the display position of the virtual operation key, wherein

the control unit modifies the display position of the virtual operation key in accordance with the contact position of the inputting object if the contact position of the inputting object exceeds a display area of the virtual operation key due to the drag operation.

17. A method for controlling display of a virtual operation key, comprising

a step for displaying a virtual operation key on a display unit,

a step for detecting contact by an inputting object on the display unit via a touch panel, and

a step for assessing whether a drag operation by the inputting object has been carried out on the basis of contact with the virtual operation key by the inputting object detected via the touch panel and controlling the display position of the virtual operation key, wherein the display position of the virtual operation key is modified in accordance with the contact position of the inputting object if the contact position of the inputting object exceeds a display area of the virtual operation key due to the drag operation.