Information processing device, menu displaying method and program storing medium

• US 7,543,245 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Irimajiri, Mayu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muhebbullah; Sajeda
• Application Number:
  US10/182,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,741 Days
• Field of Search: 715/836, 715/850, 715/853, 715/765, 715/835
• US Class Current: 715/836
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

A display for displaying a high-hierarchical menu and a lower-hierarchical menu corresponding to the high hierarchical menu on a display section, the high-hierarchical menu is displayed on the front side of a virtual cubic menu on the display section, and when it is recognized that the cubic menu has been selected by an inputting operation, the cubic menu is turned and the turning process is displayed with preset interpolation images and then the lower-hierarchical menu is displayed on the top side after the cubic menu is turned. In this manner, the visible continuousness of the change from the high-hierarchical menu to the lower-hierarchical menu can be maintained, thus making it possible to allow the user to easily recognize the change from the high-hierarchical menu to the lower-hierarchical menu.

Claims

1. An information processing device for executing prescribed processing corresponding to a selected item, comprising:

display means for displaying one or more virtual polyhedrons on a display section; and

control means for controlling said display means for indicating a plurality of symbols each representing a high-hierarchical menu and each located on a first side of a respective polyhedron and, in response to a respective symbol being selected by an inputting operation by a user, for (i) turning said respective polyhedron in accordance with a selected displaying process selected by the user from among a plurality of available displaying processes to provide representations which indicate contents of a lower-hierarchical menu including a name corresponding to said respective symbol on a second side of said respective polyhedron to which said respective polyhedron has been turned such that a number of the symbols representing two or more high-hierarchical menus and the representations of the contents of the lower-hierarchical menu corresponding to said respective symbol are simultaneously displayed after the turning is completed, and (ii) gradually enlarging at least some of the representations on the second side of said respective polyhedron only after the turning of said respective polyhedron to the second side has been completed, said second side being different from said first side such that the name is not on the same side as the respective symbol, in which the plurality of available displaying processes includes a first available displaying process and a second available displaying process, said first available displaying process includes displaying preset successive interpolation images during the turning of said respective polyhedron and simultaneously displaying the number of the symbols representing the two or more high-hierarchical menus and the representations of the contents of the lower-hierarchical menu corresponding to said respective symbol during the turning, and said second available displaying process includes directly turning said respective polyhedron from the respective first side to the respective second side such that the preset successive interpolation images are not displayed during the turning of said respective polyhedron.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

said control means controls display intervals and a display time of successive ones of said interpolation images when displaying said interpolation images.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

said display means three-dimensionally displays a plurality of said polyhedrons, which are cubic in shape, in a circular pattern;

and

said control means rotates an order of the plurality of said polyhedrons in a circular manner in response to a rotation inputting operation by the user of a rotation operating means to select a polyhedron from among said plurality of polyhedrons, and displays one side of a selected polyhedron in a front of the circular pattern.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the device is included in a portable telephone or a personal digital assistant.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, in which during the turning and after the turning is completed of said first available displaying process the contents of the lower-hierarchical menu corresponding to only said respective symbol are simultaneously displayed with the number of the symbols.