Portable communication terminal, browsing method, and browsing program

• US 9,015,637 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): BHARGAVA, ANIL K
• Application Number:
  US12/522,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20100146456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,660 Days
• Field of Search: 715/862, 715/864, 715/729, 715/781, 715/784
• US Class Current: 715/862
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• 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 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A browsing method capable of performing mutual switching between in-site browsing and in-screen browsing without making a user aware of the switching is provided. Control unit causes superimposed display of a web page and a pointer that moves according to operations on a pointing device 3 and a cross key 4 on display 2 in the in-screen browsing, and changes a region of the web page to be displayed on the display 2 when the pointer moves outside the region. The control unit changes the region of the web page to be displayed on the display 2 according to the operations performed on the pointing device 3 and the cross key 4 in the in-site browsing. Then, the control unit causes transition from the in-screen browsing to the in-site browsing, and causes transition from the in-site browsing from the in-screen browsing.

Claims

1. A portable communication terminal comprising:

a display unit displaying information targeted for browsing on a screen thereof,

an instruction unit instructing a region of the information to be displayed on the display unit according to an operation performed by a user; and

a control unit causing the region of the information corresponding to the operation performed on the instruction unit to be displayed on the display unit,

wherein

the control unit causes, in a first state, superimposed display of the information and a pointer that moves according to the operation performed on the instruction unit on the display unit and changes the region of the information to be displayed on the display unit towards a direction in which said pointer is moved from a center of the region when the pointer moves outside the region, and

changes, in a second state, the region of the information to be displayed on the display unit toward the instructed direction by the operation performed on the instruction unit; and

the control unit includes a state transition unit causing transition from the first state to the second state and causing transition from the second state to the first state,

and wherein said control unit changes display of a link in the vicinity of the pointer in the first state, and

said control unit changes display of the link in the vicinity of an omni-direction pointer which is superimposed on a center of the region of the displayed information in the second state, and

wherein the transition from the first state to the second state comprises changing display of the pointer to display of the omni-direction pointer, and the transition from the second state to the first state comprises changing display of the omni-direction pointer to display of the pointer.

2. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit changes the region of the information targeted for browsing to be displayed on the display unit when the pointer moves outside the region in the first state;

and

the state transition unit causes transition to the second state when the pointer moves outside the region in the first state.

3. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the state transition unit causes transition to the first state when the operation performed on the instruction unit is finished in the second state.

4. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the information targeted for browsing is a web page.

5. A browsing method of displaying information targeted for browsing on a display apparatus according to an operation performed on an instruction unit by a user, comprising:

a control step of displaying on the display apparatus a region of the information corresponding to the operation performed on the instruction unit, wherein,

in a first state, superimposed display of the information and a pointer that moves according to the operation performed on a screen of the display apparatus is made on the a screen of the display apparatus and the region of the information to be displayed on the screen of the display apparatus is changed towards a direction in which said pointer is moved from a center of the region when the pointer moves outside the region, and

in a second state, the region of the information to be displayed on the screen of the display apparatus is changed toward the instructed direction by the operation performed on the instruction unit; and

a transition step of changing the region of the information to be displayed on the screen of the display apparatus when the pointer moves outside the region in the first state, thereby causing transition to the second state, and causing transition to the first state when the operation performed on the instruction unit is finished in the second state,

and wherein said control step changes display of a link in the vicinity of the pointer in the first state, and

said control step changes display of the link in the vicinity of an omni-direction pointer which is superimposed on a center of the region of the displayed information in the second state, and

wherein the transition from the first state to the second state comprises changing display of the pointer to display of the omni-direction pointer, and the transition from the second state to the first state comprises changing display of the omni-direction pointer to display of the pointer.

6. A non-transitory recording medium storing a browsing program installed in a portable communication terminal including display unit displaying information targeted for browsing on a screen thereof, the browsing program causing a computer to execute a control process that causes a region of the information corresponding to an operation performed on instruction unit by a user to be displayed on the display unit,

in a first state of the control process, superimposed display of the information and a pointer that moves according to the operation performed on the instruction unit being made on the display unit, and the region of the information to be displayed on the display unit being changed towards a direction in which said pointer is moved from a center of the region when the pointer moves outside the region;

and

in a second state of the control process, the region of the information to be displayed on the display unit being changed toward the instructed direction by the operation performed on the instruction unit,

and wherein in the first state, display of a link is changed in the vicinity of the pointer, and

in the second state, display of the link is changed in the vicinity of an omni-direction pointer which is superimposed on a center of the region of the displayed information, and

wherein in a transition to the second state from the first state, display of the pointer is changed to display of the omni-direction pointer, and in a transition from the first state from the second state, display of the omni-direction pointer is changed to display of the pointer.

7. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 6, wherein the browsing program causes the computer to execute the control process so that when the pointer moves outside the region in the first state, the region of the information targeted for browsing to be displayed on the display unit is changed, thereby causing the transition to the second state, and when the operation performed on the instruction unit is finished in the second state, the transition to the first state is caused.

8. A portable terminal capable of performing switching when information targeted for browsing that cannot be held in a display region is displayed, the switching being performed between:

a first browsing mode in which, when a pointer operated by a user moves outside the display region, a location of the display region of the information targeted for browsing is moved towards a direction in which said pointer is moved from a center of the region; and

a second browsing mode in which the location of the display region of the information targeted for browsing is moved towards the instructed direction by an operation amount of the user,

and wherein in the first browsing mode, display of a link is changed in the vicinity of the pointer, and

in the second browsing mode, display of the link is changed in the vicinity of an omni-direction pointer which is superimposed on a center of the region of the displayed information, and

wherein in a transition to the second browsing mode from the first browsing mode, display of the pointer is changed to display of the omni-direction pointer, and in a transition from the first browsing mode from the second browsing mode. display of the omni-direction pointer is changed to display of the pointer.

9. The portable terminal according to claim 8, wherein

when the pointer moves outside the display region in the first browsing mode, the display region is moved and transition to the second browsing mode is made.

10. The portable terminal according to claim 8, wherein when a pointer operation is finished in the second browsing mode, transition to the first browsing mode is made.

11. A non-transitory recording medium storing a browsing program installed in a portable terminal and executed by a computer, the browsing program implementing a function of performing switching when information targeted for browsing and having a size that cannot be held in a display region of the portable terminal is displayed, the switching is performed between:

a first browsing mode in which, when a pointer operated by a user is moved outside the display region, a location of the display region of the information targeted for browsing is moved towards a direction in which said pointer is moved from a center of the region; and

a second browsing mode in which the display region is moved towards the instructed direction an operation amount of the user,

and wherein in the first browsing mode, display of a link is changed in the vicinity of the pointer, and

in the second browsing mode, display of the link is changed in the vicinity of an omni-direction pointer which is superimposed on a center of the region of the displayed information, and

wherein in a transition to the second browsing mode from the first browsing mode, display of the pointer is changed to display of the omni-direction pointer, and in a transition from the first browsing mode from e second browsing mode, display of the omni-direction pointer is changed to display of the pointer.