Data processing apparatus for scrolling a display image by designating a point within the visual display region

• US 5,867,158 A
• Filed: 08/30/1996
• Issued: 02/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kihara, Yoshiro, Murasaki, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matthew M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US08/708,053
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/342, 345/340, 345/339, 345/326, 345/121, 345/123, 345/124, 345/125, 345/145, 345/157, 345/973
• US Class Current: 715/785
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The present invention is directed to setting the direction and the quantity of movement by a point and to execute scrolling. A reference point is set in the display screen of the display apparatus of the electric device, in advance. When a user selects a display mode of a data processing function and designates a point within the display screen through a coordinate inputting apparatus, the device calculates a positional deviation of a designate point from the reference point as a deviation of a coordinate value, switches a display image so that an image component which is displayed at a position corresponding to the designate position is located at a position corresponding to the reference position, and scrolls the image. Further, when a point is designated successively a plurality of times as a designation point, an image which is sequentially switched is scrolled the plurality of times at predetermined time intervals. Still further, when designating is successively executed for a plurality of times, the predetermined time is shortened in accordance with the number of designating. When a display image includes a character, an approximate value of a deviation which denotes a positional deviation is found among integer-multiples of the width of a rectangular region which includes the character.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing data of an image as image data to be visually displayed;

displaying means which includes a visual display region for visually displaying the image data stored in the memory, the visual display region being smaller than a virtual display region of the image data and at least partially overlapping the virtual display region;

designating means for designating one point of the image data displayed within the visual display region of the displaying means as a designate position;

computing means for calculating a positional deviation of the designate position designated by the designating means from a reference position predetermined within the visual display region, in response to an output from the designating means; and

image moving means for scrolling the data of the image which is displayed in the visual display region, in response to an output from the computing means so that the positional deviation is substantially eliminated, and having the displaying means display the image in the visual display region.

2. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein setting of the reference position and designation of the designate position are conducted using two-dimensional coordinates which are defined by two orthogonal axes which are shown in the visual display region;

and

the computing means arithmetically determines the positional deviation of the designate position from the reference position by computing differences in value between the two-dimensional coordinates of the reference position and the designate position corresponding to the respective coordinate axes.

3. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image data to be visually displayed includes a character image,

setting of the reference position and designation of the designate position are conducted using two-dimensional coordinates which are defined by two orthogonal coordinate axes which are shown in the visual display region, and

the computing means includes:

deviation calculating means for calculating deviations of the designate position from the reference position in coordinate values corresponding to the respective coordinate axes; and

approximate value calculating means for arithmetically determining the positional deviation by calculating approximate values of the deviations as an integer-multiple of widths of a predetermined rectangular region in the coordinate axis directions, the predetermined rectangular region containing the character image.

4. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, the data processing apparatus further comprising:

data inputting means for storing data which are inputted on the basis of a designate position within the visual display region into the memory;

mode switching means for selectively switching and setting a display mode which allows scrolling of an image and an inputting mode which allows entry of data; and

control means for supplying the designate position from the designating means to the computing means and causing the computing means to determine the positional deviation when the display mode is set, the control means causing the data inputting means to input data based on the designate position within the visual display region when the inputting mode is set.

5. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the designating means can continuously designate designate positions,

the data processing apparatus further comprising:

judging means for judging at predetermined time intervals whether a position is designated by the designating means; and

control means for supplying an output from the designating means to the computing means when the judging means judges that a position is designated, in response to the output from the designating means.

6. The data processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the judging means judges that the designate position is designated over a successive plurality of the predetermined time intervals and then, shortens the predetermined time intervals every time a designate position is designated.

7. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising reference position setting means for changing and setting the reference position to one point which is designated within the visual display region of the displaying means.

8. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference position is the center of the visual display region.

9. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visual display region of the displaying means is almost flat, and

the designating means is translucent and includes flat two-dimensional position detecting means which is positioned on the visual display region for receiving an input correlating to the designate position.

10. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the designating means designates two points having different coordinates within a rectangular region of the virtual display region, the computing means determines an approximated positional deviation such that the two points maintain a positional relationship between the two points before and after the data of the image is scrolled.

11. A method for processing data, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing data of an image as image data to be visually displayed in a memory;

(b) visually displaying the image data stored in step (a) with a visual display region being smaller than a virtual display region of the image data and at least partially overlapping the virtual display region;

(c) designating one point of the image data displayed within the visual display region as a designate position;

(d) calculating a positional deviation of the designate position from a reference position predetermined within the visual display region, in response to an output from step (c);

(e) scrolling the data of the image which is displayed in the visual display region, in response to an output from step (d) so that the positional deviation is substantially eliminated; and

(f) displaying the image in the visual display region.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using two-dimensional coordinates which are defined by two orthogonal axes which are shown in the visual display region when setting the reference position and designating the designate position;

and

arithmetically determining the positional deviation of the designate position from the reference position by computing differences in value between the two-dimensional coordinates of the reference position and the designate position corresponding to the respective coordinate axes.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the image data to be visually displayed includes a character image,

setting of the reference position and designation of the designate position are conducted using two-dimensional coordinates which are defined by two orthogonal coordinate axes which are shown in the visual display region, and

step (d) includes:

calculating deviations of the designate position from the reference position in coordinate values corresponding to the respective coordinate axes; and

arithmetically determining the positional deviation by calculating approximate values of the deviations as an integer-multiple of widths of a predetermined rectangular region in the coordinate axis directions, the predetermined rectangular region containing the character image.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing data which are inputted on the basis of a designate position within the visual display region into the memory;

selectively switching and setting a display mode which allows scrolling of an image and an inputting mode which allows entry of data;

supplying a designate position;

determining the positional deviation when the display mode is set; and

inputting data based on the designate position within the visual display region when the inputting mode is set.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

(g) judging at predetermined time intervals whether a position is designated; and

supplying the designated position output from step (c) to step (d) when step (g) judges that a position has been designated.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein step (g) judges that the designate position is designated over a successive plurality of the predetermined time intervals, and then shortens the predetermined time intervals every time a designate position is designated.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising changing and setting the reference position to one point which is designated within the visual display region.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the reference position is the center of the visual display region.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the visual display region is almost flat, and further comprises positioning a translucent flat two-dimensional position detector on the visual display region for receiving an input correlating to the designate position.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising designating two points having different coordinates within a rectangular region of the virtual display region, and determining an approximated positional deviation wherein the two points maintain a positional relationship between the two points before and after the data of the image is scrolled.

21. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing data of an image as image data to be visually displayed;

a displaying unit that includes a visual display region for visually displaying the image data stored in the memory, the visual display region being smaller than a virtual display region of the image data and at least partially overlapping the virtual display region;

a designating unit that designates one point of the image data displayed within the visual display region of the displaying unit as a designate position;

a computing unit that calculates a positional deviation of the designate position designated by the designating unit from a reference position predetermined within the visual display region, in response to an output from the designating unit; and

an image moving unit that scrolls the data of the image which is displayed in the visual display region, in response to an output from the computing unit so that the positional deviation is substantially eliminated, and having the displaying unit display the image in the visual display region.

22. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing data of an image as image data to be visually displayed;

displaying means including a substantially flat visual display region for visually displaying the image data stored in the memory, the visual display region being smaller than a virtual display region of the image data and at least partially overlapping the virtual display region;

designating means for designating a point at the visual display region of the displaying means as a designate position having a corresponding image portion of the image data, wherein the designating means is translucent and includes two-dimensional position detecting means spread across the visual display region for detecting the point;

supplying means for supplying the designate position to the computing means;

computing means for calculating a positional deviation of the designate position from a reference position predetermined within the visual display region; and

image moving means for scrolling the image portion of the image data displayed in the visual display region to the reference position based on the designate position supplied to the computing means and in response to an output from the computing means, wherein the displaying means displays the scrolled image in the visual display region.

23. The data processing apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

judging means for judging at predetermined time intervals whether a position is designated by the designating means; and

control means for supplying an output from the designating means to the computing means when the judging means judges that a position is designated, in response to the output from the designating means.