Information processing device and program

• US 8,060,837 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Onda, Yasushi, Kano, Izua, Yamada, Eiju, Yamada, Kazuhiro, Murakami, Keiichi, Kamiya, Dai
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US12/178,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 715/788, 715/790, 715/792, 715798-800
• US Class Current: 715/790
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

An information processing device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive an instruction input by a user; a display control unit configured to control a display unit to display a plurality of windows in a display area of the display unit; and a window control unit configured to control a size or position of a window displayed on the display unit in response to the instruction received, the window control unit being configured to control, if the receiving unit receives an instruction to expand a first window and the expanded first window overlaps a second window, a size or position of the second window in response to a positional relationship between the first window and the second window.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising:

a display control unit configured to control a display unit to display at least a first window and a second window in a display area of the display unit;

a receiving unit configured to receive an input by a user, the input comprising instructions to expand the first window in the display area;

a window control unit configured to control a size or position of the first window and the second window in response to the instructions, wherein the window control unit is configured to effectuate at least four sequential controls comprising;

a first of the at least four sequential controls comprising expanding the first window;

a second of the at least four sequential controls comprising continuing the expanding of the first window and moving the second window toward a direction in which the first window expands, the second of the at least four sequential controls being executable if overlapping of the first window and second window is avoided by the moving of the second window toward the direction in which the first window expands and the moved second window is displayed within the display area,

a third of the at least four sequential controls comprising continuing the expanding of the first window and shrinking the second window, the third of the at least four sequential controls being executable if the second window cannot be further moved toward the direction in which the first window expands, the moved second window is displayed within the display area, and the shrunk second window is larger than a predetermined size, and

a fourth of the at least four sequential controls comprising continuing the expanding of the first window and moving the second window in another direction to a position at which the first and second windows do not overlap, the fourth of the at least four sequential controls being executable if the moved second window is displayed within the display area, and the second window cannot be shrunk smaller than the predetermined size.

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

the second of the at least four sequential controls comprises moving the second window to a predetermined position within the display area.

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

the second of the at least four sequential controls comprises moving the second window toward an opposite direction to that in which the first window expands and shrinking the second window.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising

a storage unit configured to store a size of each of the at least the first window and the second window displayed on the display unit, wherein

the window control unit is configured to control the a storage unit to store a size of the second window,

if the overlapping is avoided by moving of the second window toward a direction in which the first window expands and shrinking the size of the second window, the moved second window is displayed within the display area, and the shrunk second window is smaller than a predetermined size, the window control unit is configured to move the second window to a position where the second window does not overlap the expanded first window and controls a size of the second window so as to be the same as the size stored in the a storage unit.

5. A method for controlling windows displayed on a device, the method comprising:

displaying at least a first window and a second window in a display area of the device;

receiving an input by a user, the input comprising instructions to expand the first window in the display area;

controlling a size or position of the first window and the second window in response to the instructions, wherein the controlling comprises effectuating at least four sequential controls comprising;

a first of the at least four sequential controls expanding the first window;

a second of the at least four sequential controls continuing the expanding of the first window and moving the second window toward a direction in which the first window expands, the second of the at least four sequential controls being executable if overlapping of the first window and second window is avoided by the moving of the second window toward the direction in which the first window expands and the moved second window is displayed within the display area,

a third of the at least four sequential controls continuing the expanding of the first window and shrinking the second window, the third of the at least four sequential controls being executable if the second window cannot be further moved toward the direction in which the first window expands, the moved second window is displayed within the display area, and the shrunk second window is larger than a predetermined size, and

a fourth of the at least four sequential controls continuing the expanding of the first window and moving the second window in another direction to a position at which the first and second windows do not overlap, the fourth of the at least four sequential controls being executable if the moved second window is displayed within the display area, and the second window cannot be shrunk smaller than the predetermined size.