Information device having enlargement display function and enlargement display control method

• US 6,288,702 B1
• Filed: 09/26/1997
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Harada, Hiroyasu, Tachibana, Yoshimi
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/938,746
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 345/130, 345/129, 345/132, 345/127, 345/342, 345/346, 345/339, 345/340, 345/113, 345/341
• US Class Current: 345/671
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• 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: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/053 Detail-in-context presentations fisheye or wide-angle transformations G06T3/047

Abstract

An enlargement display utility program determines the range of an enlargement display area including a caret displayed on the display screen. The program enlarges an image in the determined range of the enlargement display area at a predetermined magnifying power, and requests the operating system to display the enlarged image in the range of the enlargement display area in a predetermined enlargement display window. With this operation, desired contents can be enlarged/displayed while the enlargement display area is always and automatically set at the position desired by the user.

Claims

1. An information device having an enlargement display function, comprising:

means for determining, on the basis of information indicating a position of a pointer movable on a display screen, a range of an enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay in the enlargement display area;

means for enlarging an image in the determined range of the enlargement display area at a predetermined magnifying power;

wherein the enlarged image is displayed with an enlarged pointer in a predetermined enlargement display window and is separately displayed from the image in the enlargement display area of said display screen.

2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for requesting to display the enlarged image in the range of the enlargement display area in the predetermined enlargement display window.

3. A device according to claim 2, further comprising:

means for setting the magnifying power and a size of the enlargement display window.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said determining means determines the range of the enlargement display area in accordance with the set magnifying power and the size of the enlargement display window.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said determining means determines the range of the enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay at the center of the enlargement display area.

6. An information device having an enlargement display function, comprising:

means for acquiring information indicating a position of an active window on a display screen from an operating system;

means for acquiring information indicating a relative position of a pointer on the active window from the operating system;

means for converting the relative position of the pointer into an absolute position on the display screen on the basis of the acquired information indicating the position of the active window;

means for acquiring image information of the display screen from the operating system;

means for determining, on the basis of the acquired information indicating the absolute position of the pointer, the range of the enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay in the enlargement display area;

means for cutting out an image in the determined range of the enlargement display area from the acquired image information of the display screen;

means for enlarging the cut image in the range of the enlargement display area at a predetermined magnifying power; and

means for requesting to display the enlarged image in the range of the enlargement display area in a predetermined enlargement display window.

7. A device according to claim 6, further comprising:

means for setting the magnifying power and a size of the enlargement display window.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said determining means determines the range of the enlargement display area in accordance with the set magnifying power and the size of the enlargement display window.

9. A device according to claim 6, wherein said determining means determines the range of the enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay at the center of the enlargement display area.

10. An enlargement display control method for use in an information device having an enlargement display function, said method comprising the steps of:

determining, on the basis of information indicating a position of a pointer movable on a display screen, a range of an enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay in the enlargement display area; and

enlarging an image in the determined range of the enlargement display area at a predetermined magnifying power,

wherein the enlarged image is displayed with an enlarged pointer in a predetermined enlargement display window and is separately displayed from the image in the enlargement display area of said display screen.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

requesting to display the enlarged image in the range of the enlargement display area in the predetermined enlargement display window.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

setting the magnifying power and a size of the enlargement display window.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined in accordance with the set magnifying power and the size of the enlargement display window.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined so as to make the pointer always stay at the center of the enlargement display area.

15. An enlargement display control method for use in an information device having an enlargement display function, said method comprising the steps of:

acquiring information indicating a position of an active window on a display screen from an operating system;

acquiring information indicating a relative position of a pointer on the active( window from the operating system;

converting the relative position of the pointer into an absolute position on the display screen on the basis of the acquired information indicating the position of the active window;

acquiring image information of the display screen from the operating system;

determining, on the basis of the acquired information indicating the absolute position of the pointer, the range of the enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay in the enlargement display area;

cutting out an image in the determined range of the enlargement display area from the acquired image information of the display screen;

enlarging the cut image in the range of the enlargement display area at a predetermined magnifying power; and

requesting to display the enlarged image in the range of the enlargement display area in a predetermined enlargement display window.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

setting the magnifying power and a size of the enlargement display window.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined in accordance with the set magnifying power and the size of the enlargement display window.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined so as to make the pointer always stay at the center of the enlargement display area.

19. A storage medium having program code instructions stored thereon which perform enlargement display control when executed by a processor in an information device having an enlargement display function, said instructions comprising:

determining, on the basis of information indicating a position of a pointer movable on a display screen, a range of an enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay in the enlargement display area; and

enlarging an image in the determined range of the enlargement display area at a predetermined magnifying power;

wherein the enlarged image is displayed with an enlarged pointer in a predetermined enlargement display window and is separately displayed from the image in the enlargement display area of said display screen.

20. A medium according to claim 19, said instructions further comprise:

requesting to display the enlarged image in the range of the enlargement display area in the predetermined enlargement display window.

21. A medium according to claim 20, said instructions further comprise:

setting the magnifying power and a size of the enlargement display window.

22. A medium according to claim 21, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined in accordance with the set magnifying power and the size of the enlargement display window.

23. A medium according to claim 19, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined so as to make the pointer always stay at the center of the enlargement display area.

24. A storage medium having program code instructions stored thereon which perform enlargement display control when executed by a processor in an information device having an enlargement display function, said instructions comprising:

acquiring information indicating a position of an active window on a display screen from an operating system;

acquiring information indicating a relative position of a pointer on the active window from the operating system;

converting the relative position of the pointer into an absolute position on the display screen on the basis of the acquired information indicating the position of the active window;

acquiring image information of the display screen from the operating system;

determining, on the basis of the acquired information indicating the absolute position of the pointer, the range of the enlargement display area so as to make the pointer always stay in the enlargement display area;

cutting out an image in the determined range of the enlargement display area from the acquired image information of the display screen;

enlarging the cut image in the range of the enlargement display area at a predetermined magnifying power; and

requesting to display the enlarged image in the range of the enlargement display area in a predetermined enlargement display window.

25. A medium according to claim 24, said instructions further comprise:

setting the magnifying power and a size of the enlargement display window.

26. A medium according to claim 25, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined in accordance with the set magnifying power and the size of the enlargement display window.

27. A medium according to claim 24, wherein the range of the enlargement display area is determined so as to make the pointer always stay at the center of the enlargement display area.