Information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing program and storage medium containing information processing program with rotary operation

• US 7,418,671 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Tetsuya, Kondo, Kazuhiro, Tsuda, Takamoto, Morimoto, Yukako, Terado, Ikuo, Hama, Tatsuya, Yonezawa, Satomi, Miura, Katsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh; Rachna
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORR, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US10/926,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 715/784, 715/834, 715/785, 715/787, 715/833, 715/828, 715/830
• US Class Current: 715/830
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

There is provided a novel menu selection method in a mobile phone. Also provided is a cursor displaying method with which a user can intuitively recognize a moving direction and moving speed. In addition, a novel scrollbar with which the user can recognize, in a case of displaying menus beyond a display screen, a range currently displayed on a display screen among all the menus and a current cursor position within the menus displayed on the current display screen.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing a plurality of menus;

operation means for performing an operation of scrolling said plurality of menus;

display means for displaying, on a display unit, said plurality of menus stored in said storage means;

scroll state determination means for determining, depending on the scrolling operation performed using said operation means, a scroll speed of said plurality of menus and a display angle that allows a user to feel as if a centrifugal force acts on said plurality of menus when one or more of the plurality of menus are displayed; and

display control means for controlling said display means so as to perform a scrolling display of said plurality of menus when the scroll speed and the display angle are added to said plurality of menus displayed on said display unit, upon detecting the scrolling operation performed with said operation means, and to perform a stop of the scrolling display of said plurality of menus scrolled with said display angle added, and also a display of the menus on said display unit with the menus placed right in front, upon detecting an operation of stopping the scrolling operation,

wherein;

said storage means stores therein at least a part of said plurality of menus in a classified state having a first hierarchical level and a second hierarchical level,

said display means simultaneously displays a menu classified into said first hierarchical level and a menu classified into said second hierarchical level, and

said display control means controls said display means, upon detecting the scrolling operation of said display means, to follow a scrolling of the menu of the first hierarchical level that is a target of said scrolling operation so as to scroll the scrolling display of the menu of the second hierarchical level.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein:

said display control means controls said display means, upon detecting the stop of said scrolling operation by said operation means, to stop scrolling of the menu of the first hierarchical level that is a target of said scrolling operation and to follow the stop of the menu so as to stop scrolling of the menu of the second hierarchical level.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said operation means includes a rotating operator to be rotatably operated for performing a scrolling operation of said plurality of menus,

said display means displays menus corresponding, upon arranging said plurality of menus stored in said storage means in a substantial ring, at least a part of the substantial ring on said display unit, and

said display control means controls said display means, upon detecting a rotating operation of said rotating operator, to perform scrolling display of the plurality of menus displayed on said display unit along the arrangement of said substantial ring in a direction in association with the rotating operation of said rotating operator.

4. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus having storage means in which a plurality of menus are stored, operation means for performing a scrolling operation of said plurality of menus and a display unit which displays said plurality of menus, said method comprising:

a storing step of storing at least a part of said plurality of menus in a classified state having a first hierarchical level and a second hierarchical level;

a displaying step of displaying said plurality of menus on said display unit and simultaneously displaying a menu classified into said first hierarchical level and a menu classified into said second hierarchical level;

a scrolling detecting step of detecting the scrolling operation of said operation means;

a scroll state determining step of determining a scroll speed of said plurality of menus and a display angle that allows a user to feel as if a centrifugal force acts on said plurality of menus when said menus are displayed on said display unit in accordance with the scrolling operation of said operation means; and

a display controlling step of controlling to perform a scrolling display of the plurality of menus on said display unit when the scroll speed and the display angle are added to said plurality of menus displayed on said display unit, upon detecting the scrolling operation performed with said operation means, and to perform a stop of the scrolling display of said menus scrolled with said display angle added, and also a display of the menus on said display unit with the menus placed right in front, upon detecting an operation of stopping the scrolling operation,

wherein said display controlling step controls, upon detecting the scrolling operation, to follow a scrolling of the menu of the first hierarchical level that is a target of said scrolling operation so as to scroll the scrolling display of the menu of the second hierarchical level.

5. A storage medium having stored therein an information processing executable program executed in an information processing apparatus having storage means in which a plurality of menus are stored, operation means for performing a scrolling operation of said plurality of menus and a display unit which displays said plurality of menus, said program causing the information processing apparatus execute:

a storing step of storing at least a part of said plurality of menus in a classified state having a first hierarchical level and a second hierarchical level;

a displaying step of displaying said plurality of menus on said display unit and simultaneously displaying a menu classified into said first hierarchical level and a menu classified into said second hierarchical level;

a scrolling detecting step of detecting the scrolling operation of said operation means;

a scroll state determining step of determining a scroll speed of said plurality of menus and a display angle that allows a user to feel as if a centrifuge force acts on said plurality of menus when said plurality of menus are displayed on said display unit in accordance with the scrolling operation of said operation means; and

a display controlling step of controlling to perform a scrolling display of the plurality of menus on said display unit when the scroll speed and the display angle determined with said scroll state determination means are added to said plurality of menus displayed on said display unit, upon detecting the scrolling operation performed with said operation means, and to perform a stop of the scrolling display of said menus scrolled with said display angle added, and also a display of the menus on said display unit with the menus placed right in front, in a case of detecting an operation of stopping the scrolling operation,

wherein said display controlling step controls, upon detecting the scrolling operation, to follow a scrolling of the menu of the first hierarchical level that is a target of said scrolling operation so as to scroll the scrolling display of the menu of the second hierarchical level.