Vehicle-mounted apparatus, information providing method for use with vehicle-mounted apparatus, and recording medium recorded information providing method program for use with vehicle-mounted apparatus therein

• US 8,151,210 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nezu, Yoshiyuki, Sato, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pillai, Namitha
• Application Number:
  US11/133,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20050267676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,510 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715/708, 715/709, 715/712, 715/765, 715/804, 715/863, 715/864, 701/201, 382/104
• US Class Current: 715/804
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted apparatus is disclosed which includes a displaying unit for providing information to a user, an inputting unit for inputting operations carried out by the user, and a controlling unit for controlling a display of the displaying unit based on the operations input through the inputting unit. The inputting unit has at least a touch-sensitive panel attached to a display screen of the displaying unit. The controlling unit causes the displaying unit to display a menu screen based on the operations input through the inputting unit. The controlling unit also causes the displaying unit to switch the displays based on menus selected on the menu screen. Furthermore, the controlling unit causes the displaying unit to switch, as when a specific menu is selected on the menu screen, the displays in response to a fingertip gesture made by the user for detection on the touch-sensitive panel.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a displaying unit to provide information to a user;

a inputting unit receiving operations of said user; and

a controlling unit controlling a display of said displaying unit based on said operations input received, the inputting unit including at least a touch-sensitive panel attached to a display screen of said displaying unit,

wherein said controlling unit causes said displaying unit to display a menu screen based on said operations input through said inputting unit, said controlling unit further causing said displaying unit to switch, as when a specific menu is selected on said menu screen, said displays in response to a fingertip locus gesture received for detection on said touch-sensitive panel,

wherein, in response to the fingertip locus gesture on a display of a primary map, a smaller secondary map is displayed over a portion of the primary map,

wherein in response to the received fingertip locus gesture, if the primary map is two-dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in three dimensions, and if the primary map is three dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in two dimensions, and

wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the primary map and extending from the primary map to the secondary map across a border separating the primary map and secondary map, will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map and will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map,

and wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the secondary map and extending from the secondary map to the primary map across a border separating the secondary map and primary map, will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map and will switch the primary map display to a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fingertip locus gesture constitutes a display switchover envisaged by said user.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display switchover envisaged by said user is an outcome of said displays having been switched on said display screen.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display switchover envisaged by said user constitutes a display transition on said display screen.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display switchover on said display screen constitutes a map switchover.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display switchover on said display screen constitutes a content display switchover.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the display unit is displaying a map, the fingertip locus gesture changes a scale of the map displayed.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fingertip locus gesture is substantially in the shape of a rectangle drawn on the display screen by the user.

9. An information providing method for use with an apparatus which provides desired information to a user through displaying unit, said information providing method comprising:

displaying a menu screen on said displaying unit based on input through inputting unit of the apparatus;

switching displays on said displaying unit based on menus selected on said menu screen; and

switching, as when a specific menu is selected on said menu screen, said displays on said displaying unit in response to a fingertip locus gesture received for detection on a touch-sensitive panel attached to a display screen of said displaying unit,

wherein, in response to the fingertip locus gesture on a display of a primary map, a smaller secondary map is displayed over a portion of the primary map,

wherein in response to the received fingertip locus gesture, if the primary map is two-dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in three dimensions, and if the primary map is three dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in two dimensions,

wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the primary map and extending from the primary map to the secondary map across a border separating the primary map and secondary map, will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map and will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map,

and wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the secondary map and extending from the secondary map to the primary map across a border separating the secondary map and primary map, will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map and will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map.

10. The information providing method for use with a apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said fingertip locus gesture constitutes a display switchover envisaged by said user.

11. The information providing method for use with a apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said display switchover envisaged by said user is an outcome of said displays having been switched on said display screen.

12. The information providing method for use with a apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said display switchover envisaged by said user constitutes a display transition on said display screen.

13. The information providing method for use with a apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said display switchover on said display screen constitutes a map switchover.

14. The information providing method for use with a apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said display switchover on said display screen constitutes a content display switchover.

15. A computer readable medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform an information providing method for use with an apparatus therein which provides desired information to a user through a displaying unit, said information providing method comprising:

displaying a menu screen on said displaying unit based on input through inputting unit of the apparatus;

switching displays on said displaying unit based on menus selected on said menu screen; and

switching, as when a specific menu is selected on said menu screen, said displays on said displaying unit in response to a fingertip locus gesture received for detection on a touch-sensitive panel attached to a display screen of said displaying unit,

wherein, in response to the fingertip locus gesture on a display of a primary map, a smaller secondary map is displayed over a portion of the primary map,

wherein in response to the received fingertip locus gesture, if the primary map is two-dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in three dimensions, and if the primary map is three dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in two dimensions,

wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the primary map and extending from the primary map to the secondary map across a border separating the primary map and secondary map, will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map and will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map,

and wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the secondary map and extending from the secondary map to the primary map across a border separating the secondary map and primary map, will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map and will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map.

16. The information providing method according to claim 15, wherein said fingertip locus gesture constitutes a display switchover envisaged by said user.

17. The information providing method according to claim 16, wherein said display switchover envisaged by said user is an outcome of said displays having been switched on said display screen.

18. The information providing method according to claim 17, wherein said display switchover envisaged by said user constitutes a display transition on said display screen.

19. The information providing method according to claim 15, wherein said display switchover on said display screen constitutes a map switchover.

20. The information providing method according to claim 15, wherein said display switchover on said display screen constitutes a content display switchover.