Focus control device that moves a focus in a GUI screen

• US 6,614,457 B1
• Filed: 10/26/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sanada, Norio, Yamanaka, Kiyokazu, Kawahara, Chihiro, Kino, Hisayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/427,286
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 345/767, 345/768, 345/802, 345/823, 345/860, 345/861, 345/709, 345/711, 345/715, 345/771, 345/840, 345/835, 348/14.05, 348/14.07, 348/25, 348/114, 348/239
• US Class Current: 715/840
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A focus control device that positions a focus on one of a plurality of graphical user interface (GUI) components displayed on a screen includes request receiving means for receiving a request to move the focus, focus permission information storing means for storing focus permission information indicating, for each GUI component, whether the focus can be positioned on the GUI component, and focus moving means for moving the focus in response to the received request to a GUI component where, according to the focus permission information, the focus can be positioned, the focus moving means skipping over GUI components where the focus cannot be positioned.

Claims

1. A focus control device that positions a focus on one of a plurality of graphical user interface (GUI) components displayed on a screen comprising:

request receiving means for receiving a request to move the focus;

focus permission information storing means for storing focus permission information indicating, for each GUI component, whether the GUI component is permitted or prohibited to be focused on, the permission or prohibition being given to each GUI component independently of a type of the GUI component, the type of GUI component being determined based on an attribute of the GUI component aside from whether the GUI component can be focused on; and

focus moving means for, in response to the received request, searching a plurality of GUI components displayed on the screen to extract all GUI components that can be focused on according to the focus permission information, specifying one of the extracted GUI components according to the received request, and moving the focus to the specified GUI component.

2. The focus control device of claim 1, further comprising component position information storing means for storing position information indicating a display position of each GUI component on the screen

wherein the request received by the receiving means contains information indicating a direction in which the focus should move and

wherein the focus moving means moves the focus by referring to the position information and the indicated direction to specify, out of GUI components on which the focus can be positioned, one GUI component to which the focus should move from a GUI component on which the focus is currently positioned, and by positioning the focus on the specified GUI component.

3. The focus control device of claim 2, further comprising component position information changing means for changing the position information,

wherein the focus moving means moves the focus referring to position information in the component position information storing means when the request receiving means received the request.

4. The focus control device of claim 3, further comprising focus permission information changing means for changing the focus permission information,

wherein the focus moving means moves the focus referring to focus permission information in the focus permission information storing means when the request receiving means received the request.

5. The focus control device of claim 4, further comprising focus destination display means for selectively displaying a mark indicating a GUI component to which the focus moving means would move the focus if the request receiving means received the request.

6. The focus control device of claim 1, further comprising focus permission information changing means for changing the focus permission information,

wherein the focus moving means moves the focus referring to focus permission information in the focus permission information storing means when the request receiving means received the request.

7. The focus control device of claim 1, further comprising focus destination display means for selectively displaying a mark indicating a GUI component to which the focus moving means would move the focus if the request receiving means received the request.

8. A computer-readable recording medium that stores a control program to have a computer containing a memory perform focus control processing to move a focus to one of a plurality of GUI components displayed on a screen,

wherein the memory stores focus permission information indicating, for each GUI component, whether the GUI component is permitted or prohibited to be focused on, the permission or prohibition being given to each GUI component independently of a type of the GUI component, the type of GUI component being determined based on an attribute of the GUI component aside from whether the GUI component can be focused on, and

wherein the focus control processing comprises

a request receiving step for receiving a request to move the focus and

a focus moving step for, in response to the received request, searching a plurality of GUI components displayed on the screen to extract all GUI components that can be focused on according to the focus permission information, and specifying one of the extracted GUI components according to the received request, and moving the focus to the specified GUI component.

9. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 8, wherein the memory stores position information indicating a display position of each GUI component on the screen,

wherein the request received in the receiving step contains information indicating a direction in which the focus should move and

wherein the focus moving step moves the focus by referring to the position information and the indicated direction to specify, out of GUI components on which the focus can be positioned, one GUI component to which the focus should move from a GUI component on which the focus is currently positioned, and by positioning the focus on the specified GUI component.

10. The computer-readable recording medium of claim 9, wherein the focus control processing further comprises a focus destination display step for selectively displaying a mark indicating a GUI component to which the focus would be moved in the focus moving step if the request were received in the request receiving step.

11. A focus control device that positions a focus on one of a plurality of GUI components displayed on a screen comprising:

request receiving means for receiving a request to move the focus;

focus permission information storing means for storing focus permission information indicating, for each component, whether the GUI component is permitted or prohibited to be focused on, the permission or prohibition being given to each GUI component independently of a type of the GUI component, the type of GUI component being determined based on an attribute of the GUI component aside from whether the GUI component can be focused on; and

focus moving means for (i) targeting one of the GUI components according to the received request to judge with references to the focus permission information whether the targeted GUI component can be focused on, wherein if it is judged that the targeted component cannot be focused on, the targeting is repeated until it is judged that the targeted GUI component can be focused on, and (ii) moving the focus to the targeted GUI components that can be focused on.

12. A recording medium storing a control program to have a computer containing a memory perform focus control processing to move a focus to one of a plurality of GUI components displayed on a screen,

wherein the memory stores focus permission information storing means for storing focus permission information indicating, for each GUI component, whether the GUI component is permitted or prohibited to be focused on, the permission or prohibition being given to each GUI component independently of a type of the GUI component, the type of GUI component being determined based on an attribute of the GUI component aside from whether the GUI component can be focused on,

the focus control processing comprises:

a request receiving step for receiving a request to move the focus; and

a focus moving step for (i) targeting one of the GUI components according to the received request to judge with reference to the focus permission information whether the targeted GUI component can be focused on, wherein if it is judged that the currently targeted component cannot be focused on, the targeting is repeated until it is judged that the targeted GUI component can be focused on, and (ii) moving the focus to the targeted GUI component that can be focused on.