Navigation device, information display device, object creation method, and recording medium

• US 6,687,614 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ihara, Koji, Ozu, Nobuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US10/132,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/211, 701/209, 701/201, 701/207, 701/213, 701/200, 701/25, 701/26, 701/23, 701/28, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/988, 340/995.14, 345/963, 345/819, 345/173, 345/629, 345/427, 345/810, 345/821, 345/100, 345/98, 348/118, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A navigation device, an information display device, an object creating method, and a storage medium, in which a display unit, which is integrally formed with a touch panel, displays a map together with control buttons, including a mark setting button and a mark erasing button, which have specific processing associated therewith. When coordinates for a desired point on the map and a mark button are specified on the touch panel, a mark creating unit creates a mark object and displays it at a position on a map corresponding to specified coordinates.

Claims

1. A navigation device that executes route guidance based on a position thereof that is measured based on signals transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites and based on a set route, the navigation device comprising:

a map data storage unit for storing map data;

a display unit for displaying a map based on the map data stored in the map data storage unit;

a touch panel mounted integrally with the display unit and receiving external inputs;

an object display control unit for displaying a button object having specific processing associated therewith; and

a mark creation processing unit for creating and displaying a mark on the map at a position corresponding to the specified coordinates, when the button object and desired coordinates on the map are specified by an external input on the touch panel,

wherein the external input specifies the button object and the desired coordinates on the map, and wherein a drag operation between the button object and the desired coordinates on the map creates or inserts a mark object at either the starting point or the ending point of the drag operation, and

wherein a user moves a finger or a stylus keeping contact with the touch panel between the button object and the desired coordinates on the map.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mark erasing unit for erasing the mark when the button object and the coordinates corresponding to the mark displayed on the map are specified by an external input on the touch panel.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mark-information output processing unit for outputting information related to the mark when the button object and the coordinates corresponding to the mark displayed on the map are specified by an external input on the touch panel.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the drag operation is performed while keeping the map fixed.

5. An information display device comprising:

display means for displaying an image;

input means, in the form of a touch panel integrally mounted with the display means, for receiving an input in response to an external contact by a finger of a user or a stylus;

position detection means for detecting a starting position and an ending position of a line segment input by the input means;

command button display means for displaying a command button on a portion of a display area of the display means; and

command execution means for, when one of the starting position and the ending position of the line segment detected by the position detection means coincides with the command button, performing editing of an object on the image, wherein the object corresponds to the other one of the starting position and the ending position,

wherein the object is edited by a drag operation between the command button and the object, wherein the user moves the finger or the stylus keeping contact with the touch panel between the object and the command button.

6. The information display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image displayed by the display means is a map, and the object is a mark on the map.

7. The information display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in the display area of the display means, coordinates inside a region where the command button is not displayed represent one of the starting position and the ending position of the line segment input by the input means.

8. An object creating method for creating an object on a map displayed on a display unit in a map display apparatus that displays the map based on map data, wherein an input unit is integrally formed with the display unit, the object creating method comprising:

a displaying step of displaying, on a screen mounted integrally with the touch panel in the display unit, the map based on the map data and a command button for creating an object at a predetermined area on the display unit;

a detecting step of detecting that a position corresponding to the command button and a point on the map displayed on the display unit have been specified; and

a creating step of creating an object corresponding to the point on the map,

wherein the step of creating includes a user performing a drag operation, whereby the user moves a finger or a stylus keeping contact with the touch panel between the command button and the point on the map.

9. A storage medium for storing a program to be executed by a computer in which a map is displayed on a display screen and a touch panel is integrally formed on the display screen, the program being stored so that the computer can read out the program, the program comprising:

display processing for displaying, the map and a predetermined area on the display screen, wherein the predetermined area includes a command button for editing an object;

receiving processing for receiving a line segment input when a drag operation is performed on the touch panel between the predetermined area and a desired point on the map on the touch panel by a user who moves a finger or a stylus keeping contact with the touch panel between the desired point on the map and the command button;

detection processing for detecting starting position coordinates and ending position coordinates of the received line segment; and

execution processing for, when one of the starting position coordinates and the ending position coordinates is located at the predetermined area, executing editing of an object on the map corresponding to the other one of the starting position coordinates and the ending position coordinates.