Video signal output device and operation input processing method

• US 7,982,721 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hio, Akimitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang; Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): MA, CALVIN
• Application Number:
  US11/998,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20080136790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 345/90, 345/173, 345/156, 345/169, 361/681
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A video signal output device is disclosed. The device includes: a video signal generation section that generates an output video signal for screen display; an operation input section that detects a physical touch position and a pressure with respect to an input surface, and in accordance with a detection result, generates information about the touch position and information about the pressure for use each as an operation signal; and a control section that controls, in accordance with the operation signals coming from the operation input section, the video signal generation section to change display contents of the output video signal. In the device, while the output video signal for list display of a plurality of images is being generated, the information about the touch position and the information about the pressure are processed as the operation signal for image selection and the operation signal related to the images, respectively.

Claims

1. A video signal output device, comprising:

a video signal generation section that generates an output video signal for screen display;

an operation input section that detects a physical touch position and a pressure with respect to a user'"'"'s finger on an input surface, and in accordance with a detection result, generates information about the touch position and information about the pressure for use each as an operation signal; and

a control section that controls, in accordance with the operation signals coming from the operation input section, the video signal generation section to change display contents of the output video signal,

wherein

while the video signal generation section is generating the output video signal for list display of a plurality of images, the control section processes the information about the touch position as the operation signal for image selection, and processes the information about the pressure as the operation signal related to any of the images being a result of selection, and

the control section determines one or both of (i) whether the input surface is being depressed by a tip of the user'"'"'s finger and (ii) whether the input surface is being depressed by a belly of the user'"'"'s finger, and

when a determination result indicates that the input surface is being depressed by the tip of the user'"'"'s finger, the control section determines whether a selected image from the list display can be divided into a plurality of divided images, and when it is determined that the selected image can be divided the control section causes the selected image to be divided into the plurality of divided images, and

when a determination result indicates that the input surface is being depressed by the belly of the user'"'"'s finger, the control section determines whether the selected image is an original image of the list display, and when it is determined that the selected image is not the original image of the list display the control section causes the selected image to be changed to either a preceding image or the original image.

2. The video signal output device according to claim 1, wherein while the video signal generation section is generating the output video signal for list display of a plurality of images, the control section processes the information about the pressure as the operation signal for a command of increasing a size of the image being the result of selection.

3. An operation input processing method, comprising the steps of:

detecting a physical touch position and a pressure with respect to a user'"'"'s finger on an input surface of an operation input section;

processing information about the touch position for use as an operation signal for image selection on a screen on which a plurality of images are displayed in the form of a list;

processing information about the pressure for use as another operation signal related to any of the images being a result of selection; and

determining one or both of (i) whether the input surface is being depressed by a tip of the user'"'"'s finger and (ii) whether the input surface is being depressed by a belly of the user'"'"'s finger, and

when a determination result indicates that the input surface is being depressed by the tip of the user'"'"'s finger, determining whether a selected image from the list display can be divided into a plurality of divided images, and when it is determined that the selected image can be divided causing the selected image to be divided into the plurality of divided images, and

when a determination result indicates that the input surface is being depressed by the belly of the user'"'"'s finger, determining whether the selected image is an original image of the list display, and when it is determined that the selected image is not the original image of the list display causing the selected image to be changed to either a preceding image or the original image.