INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20170255771A1
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Published: 09/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: MIYAKAWA, Takumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,831,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The invention aims to enable, with respect to an application for which user authentication is necessary, to perform an operation for selecting the application and an operation for the user authentication as easily as possible. A swipe of an icon as an example of the operation for selecting the application to be activated and subsequent acceptance of a touching operation of a finger to a sensor detection area of a fingerprint authenticating device as an example of the operation for the user authentication are performed based on a series of operations.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an accepting unit configured to accept a first operation of indicating an instruction to select an application;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire authentication information to be used for user authentication, based on a second operation;

a tracking unit configured to track that the first operation is continuously performed so as to approach an area where the second operation is performed, and the second operation is performed as a part of the first operation; and

an activating unit configured to activate the application selected by the first operation, in a case where a predetermined user is identified based on the authentication information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the tracking by the tracking unit ends in a predetermined time, and a state that the application is being selected by the first operation is maintained for the predetermined time.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first operation is performed to a touch panel, and the second operation is performed in the area different from the touch panel, and

the tracking unit is configured to track that the first operation passes through a boundary of the touch panel and then reaches the area where the second operation is performed.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drawing unit configured to draw an image for guiding a direction in which the first operation is performed to head toward the area where the second operation is performed.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the instruction is to activate the application.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the acceptance by the accepting unit is performed on a locked screen.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first operation includes a slide operation.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first operation indicates the instruction to select the application from a plurality of applications.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first operation includes a predetermined pattern operation for each individual application.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the authentication information includes fingerprint information.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an accepting unit configured to accept a first operation of indicating an instruction to select an application;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire, based on a second operation, authentication information to be used for user authentication, at a position where the first operation is accepted; and

an activating unit configured to activate the application selected by the first operation, in a case where the user authentication is permitted based on the authentication information.

12. An information processing method comprising:

accepting a first operation of indicating an instruction to select an application;

acquiring authentication information to be used for user authentication, based on a second operation;

tracking that the first operation is continuously performed so as to approach an area where the second operation is performed, and the second operation is performed as a part of the first operation; and

activating the application selected by the first operation, in a case where a predetermined user is identified based on the authentication information.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of storing a program to cause a computer to perform an information processing method comprising:

accepting a first operation of indicating an instruction to select an application;

acquiring authentication information to be used for user authentication, based on a second operation;

tracking that the first operation is continuously performed so as to approach an area where the second operation is performed, and the second operation is performed as a part of the first operation; and

activating the application selected by the first operation, in a case where a predetermined user is identified based on the authentication information.

14. An information processing method comprising:

accepting a first operation of indicating an instruction to select an application;

acquiring, based on a second operation, authentication information to be used for user authentication, at a position where the first operation was accepted; and

activating the application selected by the first operation, in a case where the user authentication was permitted based on the authentication information.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of storing a program to cause a computer to perform an information processing method comprising:

accepting a first operation of indicating an instruction to select an application;

acquiring, based on a second operation, authentication information to be used for user authentication, at a position where the first operation was accepted; and

activating the application selected by the first operation, in a case where the user authentication was permitted based on the authentication information.