Information processing method and apparatus

• US 5,896,123 A
• Filed: 06/12/1996
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LINE Corporation (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Minoshima, Toshikazu, Nagahara, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US08/661,951
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345/156, 345/158, 345/163, 345/145, 345/146, 345/348, 345/352, 345/168
• US Class Current: 715/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

An information processing method and apparatus employing a pointing device, such as a mouse, as an input device. A cursor and one or more objects are displayed on a display device of an information processing apparatus, and the position of the cursor is moved in the picture based on coordinate data entered to the information processing apparatus for displaying the cursor thus moved on the display device. If, when the cursor is positioned on one of the objects, data instructing execution of processing is entered to the apparatus, a pre-set processing defined for each object is executed. If, as a result of cursor movement, the cursor enters a pre-set area defined for the object, the cursor is moved to near the center of the object and displayed on the display device. The cursor may be moved easily by the pointing device and the information processing apparatus is improved in operability.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus wherein a cursor moves on a display including one or more objects each having a preset area around it, comprising:

data entry means for a user to enter data;

control means for causing a cursor position to be moved based on coordinate data entered by the data entry means, automatically moving the cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object and for executing pre-set processing defined for said object when said cursor is located in said object and data instructing the execution of the pre-set processing is entered from said data entry means; and

display means for displaying a picture inclusive of the cursor and the object based on processing by said control means.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein, if the cursor is located on a specified object, said control means modifies the shape of the cursor to a specified shape defined for the object for displaying the cursor thus modified in shape on said display means.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein, if the cursor is located on a specified area in a picture, said control means modifies the shape of the cursor to a specified shape defined for the area for displaying the cursor thus modified in shape on said display means.

4. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising connection means for connection to an on-line server so that the information processing apparatus may be used as an on-line terminal performing processing based on the information supplied via said connection means from the on-line server.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second data entry means for a user to enter data, said control means moving said cursor to near the center of an object on intrusion of said cursor by movement into a second pre-set area defined in said object and executing pre-set processing defined for said object when said cursor is located in said object and data instructing the execution of the pre-set processing is entered from said second data entry means.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, said control means further for always moving the cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object.

7. An information processing method, comprising:

displaying a picture including a cursor and one or more objects each having a preset area around it on a display of an information processing apparatus;

moving the position of said cursor in said picture based on coordinate data entered to said information processing apparatus for displaying the cursor thus moved on the display device;

automatically moving said cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object as a result of cursor movement; and

executing the pre-set processing defined for the object when said cursor is positioned on said object and when data instructing the execution of the processing is entered to said information processing apparatus.

8. The information processing method as claimed in claim 7 wherein, if the cursor is located on a specified object, the shape of the cursor is modified to a specified shape defined for the object for displaying the cursor thus modified in shape on said display device.

9. The information processing method as claimed in claim 7 wherein, if the cursor is located on a specified area in a picture, the shape of the cursor is modified to a specified shape defined for the area for displaying the cursor thus modified in shape on said display device.

10. The information processing method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of connecting the information processing apparatus via a connection means to an on-line server so that the information processing apparatus may be used as an on-line terminal performing processing based on information supplied via said connection means from the on-line server.

11. The information processing method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said moving step moves the cursor a different distance for each different type of a plurality of types of data entry means utilized, when the cursor is moved to near the center of the object on intrusion of said cursor into a pre-set area defined for each object as a result of cursor movement.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of automatically moving the cursor to near the center of an object is always performed when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around the object.

13. An information processing apparatus wherein a cursor moves on a display including one or more objects each having a preset area around it, comprising:

a plurality of data entry means for a user to enter data;

a plurality of pre-set areas defined around each object, each pre-set area corresponding to a different data entry means;

control means for causing a cursor position to be moved based upon coordinate data entered by said plurality of data entry means, moving said cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object corresponding to the data entry means being utilized to enter data, and for executing pre-set processing defined for said object when said cursor is located in said object and data instructing the execution of the pre-set processing is entered from the data entry means; and

display means for displaying a picture inclusive of the cursor and the object based upon processing by said control means.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, said control means further for always moving the cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object corresponding to the data entry means being utilized to enter data.

15. An information processing method, comprising:

displaying a picture including a cursor and one or more objects on a display of an information processing apparatus, each object having a plurality of preset areas around it, each preset area corresponding to a different one of a plurality of data entry means;

moving the position of said cursor in said picture based on coordinate data entered by said plurality of data entry means to said information processing apparatus for displaying the cursor thus moved on the display device;

automatically moving said cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area corresponding to the data entry means being utilized to enter data defined around said object as a result of cursor movement; and

executing the pre-set processing defined for the object when said cursor is positioned on said object and when data instructing the execution of the processing is entered to said information processing apparatus.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of moving said cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object corresponding to the data entry means being utilized to enter data is always performed when said cursor moves into said pre-set area.

17. A recording medium readable by an information processing apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the information processing apparatus to perform method steps for displaying and moving a cursor on a display device, said method steps comprising:

displaying a picture including a cursor and one or more objects each having a preset area around it on the display device;

moving the position of said cursor in said picture based on coordinate data entered to said information processing apparatus for displaying the cursor thus moved on the display device;

automatically moving said cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object as a result of cursor movement; and

executing pre-set processing defined for the object when said cursor is positioned on said object and when data instructing the execution of the processing is entered to said information processing apparatus.

18. The recording medium of claim 17, wherein said program of instructions includes instructions for modifying the shape of the cursor to a specified shape defined for a specified object for displaying the cursor thus modified in shape on said display device when the cursor is located on the specified object.

19. The recording medium of claim 17, wherein said program of instructions includes instructions for modifying the shape of the cursor to a specified shape defined for a specified area in a picture for displaying the cursor thus modified in shape on said display device when the cursor is located on the area.

20. The recording medium of claim 17, wherein said program of instructions includes instructions for connecting a connection means to an on-line server so that the information processing apparatus may be used as an on-line terminal performing processing based on the information supplied via said connection means from the on-line server, wherein said moving step moves the cursor a different distance for each different type of a plurality of types of data entry means utilized, when the cursor is moved to near the center of the object on intrusion of said cursor into a pre-set area defined for each object as a result of cursor movement.

21. The recording medium of claim 17, wherein the program of instructions includes instructions for always moving the cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around the object.

22. The recording medium of claim 17, wherein the program of instructions includes instructions for always moving the cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object.

23. The recording medium of claim 22, wherein the program of instructions includes instructions for always moving the cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object corresponding to the data entry means being utilized to enter data.

24. A recording medium readable by an information processing apparatus, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the information processing apparatus to perform method steps for displaying and moving a cursor on a display device, said method steps comprising:

displaying a picture including a cursor and one or more objects each having a plurality of preset areas around it on a display of an information processing apparatus, each pre-set area corresponding to a different data entry means;

moving the position of said cursor in said picture based on coordinate data entered by said plurality of data entry means to said information processing apparatus for displaying the cursor thus moved on the display device;

automatically moving said cursor to near the center of an object when the cursor moves into the pre-set area defined around said object corresponding to the data entry means being utilized to enter data; and

executing the pre-set processing defined for the object when said cursor is positioned on said object and when data instructing the execution of the processing is entered to said information processing apparatus.