Information processing apparatus, image enlargement processing method, and computer program product with visible data area enlargement features

• US 8,817,052 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kudo, Shunsuke, Tanaka, Izuru, Yumoto, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zarka, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRINGLE-PARKER, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US12/878,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a display section, a generation section, a determination section, and a control section. The display section includes a screen. The generation section generates an image of content data including visible data. The determination section determines an area surrounding an area in which the visible data is arranged in the generated image and corresponding to a shape of the screen, as a visible data area. The control section generates, by the generation section, an enlarged image obtained by enlarging the image so that a size of the screen and a size of the visible data area become close to each other, determines, by the determination section, the visible data area in the enlarged image, and extracts the visible data area from the enlarged image to display the visible data area on the screen.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a display including a screen;

a generation mechanism that generates an image of content data including visible data;

a determination mechanism that determines as a visible data area an area surrounding

another area in which the visible data is arranged in the generated image, the visible data area corresponding to a shape of the screen, and the generated image including a first margin between the visible data area and a frame of the screen; and

a controller having a processor that controls the generation mechanism to generate an enlarged image obtained by enlarging the image so that a size of the screen and a size of the visible data area become closer to each other, controls the determination mechanism to determine the visible data area in the enlarged image, and extracts the visible data area from the enlarged image to display the visible data area on the screen, wherein

the controller is configured to display on a predetermined area of the screen an enlargement/reduction screen including user-selectable prompts to select more detailed enlargement/reduction instructions that include a plurality of user-selectable enlargement/reduction instruction areas that when actuated respectively issue commands to selectively enlarge or reduce an image of content data at a fixed ratio, and include another user-selectable area that when selected enlarges the image of the content data so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other,

wherein a second enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other is determined by adding a restriction of a type of a font size designated by the content data, by (i) calculating a first enlargement ratio that includes a second margin corresponding to a calculation error, (ii) calculating a first font size corresponding to the first enlargement ratio, (iii) calculating a second font size that is a largest font size of a set of predetermined font sizes designated by the type of the font size designated by the content data, the second font size being smaller than the first font size, and (iv) calculating the second enlargement ratio corresponding to the second font size.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores the enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image by the generation mechanism,

wherein when the image of the content data is divided into a plurality of pages to be displayed on the screen, the controller stores in the storage device the enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image of a previous page and generates, by the generation mechanism, the enlarged image of a next page by using the stored enlargement ratio.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a difference between the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area is larger than a threshold value, the controller generates, by the generation mechanism, the enlarged image obtained by enlarging the image so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other, determines, by the determination mechanism, the visible data area in the enlarged image, and extracts the visible data area from the enlarged image to display the visible data area on the screen, and when the difference between the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the controller extracts the visible data area from the image to display the visible data area on the screen.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller causes the generation mechanism to generate, the enlarged image that is enlarged with a center position of the image being fixed.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller causes the generation mechanism to generate by the generation means, the enlarged image that is enlarged so that an upper end of the visible data area comes close to an upper end of the screen with a center position of a lateral width of the image being fixed.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller causes the generation mechanism to generate the enlarged image that is enlarged so that any end of the visible data area comes close to an end of the screen with a center position of the visible data area being aligned with a center position of the image.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller causes the generation mechanism to generate the enlarged image that is enlarged so that an upper end of the visible data area comes close to an upper end of the screen with a center position of a lateral width of the visible data area being aligned with a center position of a lateral width of the image.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the content data is electronic book data.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a casing including a main surface that includes the screen of the display; and

a touch panel sensor provided to the screen of the display that is configured to detect a touch operation on the enlargement/reduction screen,

wherein the controller controls the generation mechanism to generate the enlarged image obtained by enlarging the image so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become close to each other when the touch operation on the another user-selectable area of the enlargement/reduction screen is detected by the touch panel sensor.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visible data area extracted from the enlarged image is displayed on the screen such that the margin is not displayed.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores the enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image by the generation mechanism,

wherein when the image of the content data is divided into a plurality of pages to be displayed on the screen, the controller stores in the storage device the enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image of a previous page and generates, by the generation mechanism, the enlarged image of a next page by using the stored enlargement ratio when a layout of the next page is the same as that of the previous page.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores the enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image by the generation mechanism, wherein the enlargement ratio is stored as a value slightly smaller than a calculated enlargement ratio.

10. An image enlargement processing method, comprising:

generating an image of content data;

determining as a visible data area an area surrounding another area in which visible data is arranged in an image generated in the generating step, the visible data area corresponding to a shape of a screen of a display, and the image including a first margin between the visible data area and a frame of the display; and

causing with a processor to generate in the generating step an enlarged image obtained by enlarging the image so that a size of the screen and a size of the visible data area become closer to each other, causing in the determining step to determine the visible data area in the enlarged image, and extracting the visible data area from the enlarged image to display the visible data area on the screen, wherein

the causing includes causing the processor to display on a predetermined area of the screen an enlargement/reduction screen including user-selectable prompts to select more detailed enlargement/reduction instructions that include a plurality of user-selectable enlargement/reduction instruction areas that when actuated respectively issue commands to selectively enlarge or reduce an image of content data at a fixed ratio, and includes another user-selectable area that when selected enlarges the image of the content data so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other, wherein an enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other is determined so font sizes by adding a restriction of a type of a font size designated by the content data, by (i) calculating a first enlargement ratio that includes a second margin corresponding to a calculation error, (ii) calculating a first font size corresponding to the first enlargement ratio, (iii) calculating a second font size that is a largest font size of a set of predetermined font sizes designated by the type of the font size designated by the content data, the second font size being smaller than the first font size, and (iv) calculating the second enlargement ratio corresponding to the second font size.

11. A non-transitory computer program product having computer readable instructions that when executed by a processor cause a computer to implement components comprising:

means for generating an image of content data including visible data;

means for determining as a visible data area an area surrounding another area in which the visible data is arranged in the generated image, the visible data area corresponding to a shape of a screen of a display, and the generated image including a first margin between the visible data area and a frame of the screen; and

a control means for generating, by the means for generating, an enlarged image obtained by enlarging the image so that a size of the screen and a size of the visible data area become closer to each other, determining, by the means for determining, the visible data area in the enlarged image, and extracting the visible data area from the enlarged image to display the visible data area on the screen, wherein the control means is further for displaying on a predetermined area of the screen an enlargement/reduction screen including user-selectable prompts to select more detailed enlargement/reduction instructions that include a plurality of user-selectable enlargement/reduction instruction areas that when actuated respectively issue commands to selectively enlarge or reduce an image of content data at a fixed ratio, and including another user-selectable area that when selected enlarges the image of the content data so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other,

wherein an enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other is determined by adding a restriction of a type of a font size designated by the content data, by (i) calculating a first enlargement ratio that includes a second margin corresponding to a calculation error, (ii) calculating a first font size corresponding to the first enlargement ratio, (iii) calculating a second font size that is a largest font size of a set of predetermined font sizes designated by the type of the font size designated by the content data, the second font size being smaller than the first font size, and (iv) calculating the second enlargement ratio corresponding to the second font size.

12. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a display section including a screen;

a generation section to generate an image of content data including visible data;

a determination section to determine as a visible data area an area surrounding another area in which the visible data is arranged in the generated image, the visible data area corresponding to a shape of the screen, and the generated image including a first margin between the visible data area and a frame of the screen; and

a control section to generate, by the generation section, an enlarged image obtained by enlarging the image so that a size of the screen and a size of the visible data area become closer to each other, determine, by the determination section, the visible data area in the enlarged image, and extract the visible data area from the enlarged image to display the visible data area on the screen, wherein the control section is further configured to display on a predetermined area of the screen an enlargement/reduction screen including user-selectable prompts to select more detailed enlargement/reduction instructions that include a plurality of user-selectable enlargement/reduction instruction areas that when actuated respectively issue commands to selectively enlarge or reduce an image of content data at a fixed ratio, and include another user-selectable area that when selected enlarges the image of the content data so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other,

wherein an enlargement ratio used for generating the enlarged image so that the size of the screen and the size of the visible data area become closer to each other is determined so adding a restriction of a type of a font size designated by the content data, by (i) calculating a first enlargement ratio that includes a second margin corresponding to a calculation error, (ii) calculating a first font size corresponding to the first enlargement ratio, (iii) calculating a second font size that is a largest font size of a set of predetermined font sizes designated by the type of the font size designated by the content data, the second font size being smaller than the first font size, and (iv) calculating the second enlargement ratio corresponding to the second font size.