Portable radio information terminal apparatus, screen operating method, storage medium, and information processing apparatus

• US 6,249,689 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Aizawa, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGREE, TRACY MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US09/219,841
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/550, 455/575, 455/90, 455/556, 345/341, 345/973, 345/123, 345/125, 345/121, 345/204, 340/825.44, 340/10.6, 340/311.1
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/34 for rolling or scrolling

Abstract

A screen operating method for use with a portable radio information terminal apparatus having an input device for allowing commands to be inputted and an image display device for displaying screens. The apparatus is capable of displaying on a screen a message received on radio waves. The screen operating method includes the steps of: establishing a scroll unit as a unit amount by which to effect a single scroll operation in accordance with an information class attached to the received message; establishing a scrolling direction based on an input command; and performing scrolling in the established scroll unit and in the established scrolling direction.

Claims

1. A screen operating method for use with a portable radio information terminal apparatus which displays on a screen a message received on radio waves and which has inputting means and image displaying means, said method comprising the steps of:

establishing a scroll unit as a unit amount by which to effect a single scroll operation in accordance with an information class attached to the received message;

establishing a scrolling direction according to an input command; and

performing scrolling in the scroll unit and in the scrolling direction.

2. The screen operating method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of generating, from a rotary input device of said inputting means, two kinds of input signals when a rotating part of said rotary input device is rotated clockwise and counterclockwise.

3. A portable radio information terminal apparatus, capable of displaying on a screen a message received on radio waves, comprising:

inputting means;

image displaying means;

information class extraction means for extracting an information class attached to the received message;

scrolling direction detecting means for detecting a scrolling direction on a screen of said image displaying means according to an input signal from said inputting means; and

scroll controlling means for controlling scrolling in the scrolling direction detected by the scrolling direction detecting means and in a scroll unit established as a unit amount by which to effect a single scroll operation corresponding to the information class extracted by the information class extraction means.

4. The portable radio information terminal apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said inputting means includes a rotary input device capable of generating two kinds of input signals when a rotating part of said rotary input device is rotated clockwise and counterclockwise.

5. A storage medium for use with a portable radio information terminal apparatus which has an inputting device and an image displaying device and which is capable of displaying on a screen a message received on radio waves, wherein said storage medium stores programs to be read and executed by a computer, said storage medium including:

information class extracting means for extracting an information class attached to the received message;

scrolling direction detecting means for detecting a scrolling direction according to an input signal from said inputting device; and

scroll controlling means for controlling scrolling in the scrolling direction detected by the scrolling direction detecting means and in a scroll unit established as a unit amount by which to effect a single scroll operation corresponding to the information class extracted by the information class extracting means.

6. An information processing apparatus for use with a portable radio information terminal apparatus having inputting means and image displaying means and being capable of displaying on a screen a message received over radio waves, said information processing apparatus comprising:

a central processing unit;

a storage part for storing programs which may be read and executed by said central processing unit; and

a data transfer part connected to said central processing unit and to said storage part and which may be connected from an external device,

whereby signals representing results of processing by said central processing unit are transferred to said external device using one of a wired fashion and by radio waves; and

wherein said storage part stores the programs which may be read and executed by said central processing unit during an operation of said portable radio information terminal apparatus, said programs including

information class extracting means for extracting an information class attached to the received message,

scrolling direction detecting means for detecting a scrolling direction based on an input signal from said inputting means, and

scroll controlling means for controlling scrolling in the scrolling direction detected by said scrolling direction detecting means and in a scroll unit established as a unit amount by which to effect a single scroll operation corresponding to the information class extracted by the information class extracting means.