Menu display apparatus, menu display method, and storage medium containing menu display program

• US 8,631,344 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hama, Tatsuya, Kohno, Tetsuya, Yonezawa, Satomi, Terado, Ikuo, Tsuda, Takamoto, Miura, Katsunori, Kondo, Kazuhiro, Morimoto, Yukako
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORR, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US13/023,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 715/786
• US Class Current: 715/786
• 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 of a first hierarchy classified into predetermined groups, and storing a plurality of menu items of a second hierarchy corresponding to menus of said first hierarchy, respectively;

menu display means for displaying menu items of the second hierarchy in a corresponding range of said plurality of menus of the first hierarchy stored in said storage means and a selection cursor for selecting a desired menu from said displayed menus of the first hierarchy in the range on a display unit;

scrolling display means for displaying a scrolling frame and a scrolling cursor on said display unit, said scrolling frame divided into areas corresponding to respective menus in the first hierarchy, wherein each of the areas has a physical size that is proportional to a number of menu items of the second hierarchy corresponding to the menu of the respective first hierarchy,

wherein the selection cursor is positioned to highlight an entire area of the scrolling frame corresponding to the desired menu and the scrolling cursor is positioned and movable within the highlighted area to select a desired menu item of the second hierarchy,

operation means for performing a scrolling operation of the menus of the first hierarchy displayed on said display unit;

display control means for controlling said menu display means to perform scrolling display of the menus of the first hierarchy displayed on said display unit in accordance with the scrolling operation of said menus of the first hierarchy by said operation means, and controlling said scrolling display means to display said selection cursor movably in correspondence with the scrolling-displayed menus and, in a case where the group into which the menus of the first hierarchy indicated by said selection cursor are classified is changed by said scrolling operation, to display said scrolling cursor movably in correspondence with the change.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scrolling cursor has an area corresponding to the number of menus classified into the group into which the menu indicated by said selection cursor is classified.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scrolling display means displays said scrolling frame in a shape of a bar on said display unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the area of the scrolling frame corresponding to each menu of the first hierarchy is divided into a number of areas corresponding to the number of menu items in the second hierarchy corresponding to the respective menu of the first hierarchy.

5. An information processing method for an information processing apparatus having storage means in which a plurality of menus of a first hierarchy are classified into predetermined groups, and a plurality of menu items of a second hierarchy corresponding to menus of the first hierarchy, respectively, to be stored, a display unit, and operation means for performing a scrolling operation of the menus of the first hierarchy displayed on said display unit, said method comprising:

a menu displaying step of displaying menu items of the second hierarchy in a corresponding range of said plurality of menus of the first hierarchy stored in said storage means and a selection cursor for selecting a desired menu item of the second hierarchy from said displayed menus of the first hierarchy in the range on a display unit;

a scrolling displaying step of displaying a scrolling frame and a scrolling cursor on said display unit, said scrolling frame divided into areas corresponding to respective menus in the first hierarchy, wherein each of said areas has a physical size that is proportional to a number of menu items of the second hierarchy corresponding to the menu of the respective first hierarchy,

wherein the selection cursor is positioned to highlight an entire area of the scrolling frame corresponding to the desired menu and the scrolling cursor is positioned and movable within the highlighted area to select a desired menu item of the second hierarchy,

a display controlling step of controlling to perform scrolling display of the menus of the first hierarchy displayed on said display unit in accordance with the scrolling operation of said menus of the first hierarchy by said operation means, and controlling the scrolling display means to display said selection cursor movably in correspondence with the scrolling-displayed menus and, in a case where the group into which the menus of the first hierarchy indicated by said selection cursor are classified is changed by said scrolling operation, to display said scrolling cursor movably in correspondence with the change.

6. An non-transitory computer-readable storage device having stored thereon an information processing program executable in an information processing apparatus having storage means in which a plurality of menus of a first hierarchy are classified into predetermined groups, and a plurality of menu items of a second hierarchy corresponding to menus of the first hierarchy, respectively, to be stored, a display unit, and operation means for performing a scrolling operation of the menus of the first hierarchy displayed on said display unit, said method comprising:

a menu displaying step of displaying menu items of the second hierarchy in a corresponding range of said plurality of menus of the first hierarchy stored in said storage means and a selection cursor for selecting a desired menu item of the second hierarchy from said displayed menus of the first hierarchy in the range on a display unit;

a scrolling displaying step of displaying a scrolling frame and a scrolling cursor on said display unit, said scrolling frame divided into areas corresponding to respective menus in the first hierarchy, wherein each of said areas has a physical size that is proportional to a number of menu items of the second hierarchy corresponding to the menu of the respective first hierarchy,

wherein the selection cursor is positioned to highlight an entire area of the scrolling frame corresponding to the desired menu and the scrolling cursor is positioned and movable within the highlighted area to select a desired menu item of the second hierarchy,

a display controlling step of controlling to perform scrolling display of the menus of the first hierarchy displayed on said display unit in accordance with the scrolling operation of said menus of the first hierarchy by said operation means, and controlling the scrolling display means to display said selection cursor movably in correspondence with the scrolling-displayed menus and, in a case where the group into which the menus of the first hierarchy indicated by said selection cursor are classified is changed by said scrolling operation, to display said scrolling cursor movably in correspondence with the change.