Computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon display control program, display control system, display control apparatus, and display control method

• US 9,021,385 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Mizutani, Shohei, Fujii, Tomohiro, Shirakawa, Eiichi, Todo, Yumi
• Primary Examiner(s): BHARGAVA, ANIL K
• Application Number:
  US13/106,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/784, 715/785, 715/786, 715/787, 715/830
• US Class Current: 715/785
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

Based on an output signal outputted from an input device, a plurality of selection objects having at least a part thereof displayed on a display area of a display device are moved relative to the display area. Among the moved plurality of selection objects, when an end-located selection object reaches a predetermined position of the display area, at least one of the plurality of selection objects displayed on the display area are transformed and displayed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a display control program which, when executed by a computer of a display control apparatus which displays, on a display device, a selection object selectable in accordance with an operation by a user, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a plurality of selection objects, two or more of which are displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by an input device;

transforming at least one but not all selection objects displayed on the display area, when, among the plurality of moved selection objects, an end-located selection object reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the transforming is at least partly based on an initial position designated by the input device, wherein the transforming includes determining a displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object includes the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately preceding the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein, if the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position is displayed, the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position; and

displaying, on the display area, one or more selection objects so as to include, in the display area, the at least one transformed selection object.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 1, wherein the display control program, when executed, causes the computer to perform operations further comprising transforming the at least one selection object further based on a movement designated by the input device.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 1, wherein, when the input device stops outputting an output signal, the display control program causes the computer to perform operations further comprising restoring, to a state before the transforming, the at least one transformed selection object.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 1, wherein the display control program causes the computer to perform operations further comprising transforming the at least one moved selection object, after the moving of the selection objects stop.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 1, wherein the transforming the at least one selection object includes elongating the at least one selection object in a change direction determined based on an output signal outputted by the input device.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 5, wherein, when the input device stops outputting an output signal, the display control program causes the computer to perform operations further comprising restoring, to a state before the transforming, the at least one selection object by shrinking the at least one selection object in a direction opposite to the direction in which the at least one selection object is elongated by the transforming.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 5, wherein the display control program causes the computer to perform operations further comprising moving, among the plurality of selection objects, selection objects other than the transformed selection objects, such that the selection objects other than the transformed selection objects do not overlap the transformed selection objects.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 1, wherein when the end-located selection object reaches a predetermined position, the display control program causes the computer to perform operations further comprising transforming a selection object displayed on a position that is on a screen of the display device and that is determined based on an output signal outputted from the input device.

9. A display control system configured to display, on a display device, a selection object selected in accordance with an operation by a user, the display control system comprising:

an input device; and

one or more computers communicatively coupled to the display device and the input device, and configured to perform operations comprising;

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a plurality of selection objects, two or more of which are displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by the input device;

transforming at least one but not all selection objects displayed on the display area, when, among the plurality of moved selection objects, an end-located selection object reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the transforming is at least partly based on an initial position designated by the input device, wherein the transforming includes determining a displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object includes the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately preceding the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein, if the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position is displayed, the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position; and

displaying, on the display area, one or more selection objects so as to include, in the display area, the at least one transformed selection object.

10. A display control apparatus which displays, on a display device, a selection object selected in accordance with an operation by a user, the display control apparatus comprising at least one computer performing operations comprising:

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a plurality of selection objects, two or more of which are displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by an input device;

transforming at least one but not all selection objects displayed on the display area, when, among the plurality of moved selection objects, an end-located selection object reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the transforming is at least partly based on an initial position designated by the input device, wherein the transforming includes determining a displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object includes the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately preceding the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein, if the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position is displayed, the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position; and

displaying, on the display area, one or more selection objects so as to include, in the display area, the at least one transformed selection object.

11. A display control method for displaying, on a display device, a selection object selected in accordance with an operation by a user, the display control method comprising:

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a plurality of selection objects, two or more of which are displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by an input device;

transforming at least one but not all selection objects displayed on the display area, when, among the plurality of moved selection objects, an end-located selection object reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the transforming is at least partly based on an initial position designated by the input device, wherein the transforming includes determining a displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein the transformed at least one selection object includes the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately preceding the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein, if the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position is displayed, the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position; and

displaying, on the display area, one or more selection objects so as to include, in the display area, the at least one transformed selection object.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a display control program which, when executed by a computer of a display control apparatus which displays, on a display device, a content to be browsed by a user, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a content having a plurality of parts thereof displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by an input device;

transforming one part but not all parts of the content displayed on the display area when an end of the moved content reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the transforming is at least partly based on an initial position designated by the input device, wherein the transforming includes determining a displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein the transformed at least one selection object includes the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately preceding the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein, if the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position is displayed, the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position; and

displaying, on the display area, the content so as to include, in the display area, the one transformed part of the content.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the display control program according to claim 12, wherein

the content includes a plurality of content elements arranged at a predetermined interval;

the moving includes moving, relative to the display area, the content by integrally moving the plurality of content elements based on an output signal outputted from the input device; and

the transforming includes transforming the content by changing an arrangement interval of at least two content elements among the plurality of content elements.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a display control program which, when executed by a computer of a display control apparatus which displays, on a display device, a content to be browsed by a user, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a plurality of contents, two or more of which are displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by an input device;

transforming at least one but not all of the contents displayed on the display area, when, among the plurality of moved contents, an end-located content reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the transforming is based at least partly based on an initial position designated by the input device, wherein the transforming includes determining a displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein the transformed at least one selection object includes the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, wherein the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately preceding the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position, and wherein, if the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position is displayed, the transformed at least one selection object does not include the selection object immediately following the displayed selection object nearest the designated initial position; and

displaying, on the display area, contents so as to include, in the display area, the at least one transformed contents.

15. A display control apparatus which displays, on a display device, a selection object selected in accordance with an operation by a user, the display control apparatus comprising at least one computer performing operations comprising:

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a plurality of selection objects, two or more of which are displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by an input device;

changing a distance between at least one pair but not all pairs of selection objects displayed on the display area, when, among the plurality of moved selection objects, an end-located selection object reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the changing includes (a) changing the distance between the at least one pair of selection objects nearest an initial position designated by the input device, (b) a distance between a first selection object of the at least one pair of selection objects and another selection object immediately adjacent to and preceding the first selection object remains unchanged, and (c) if at least one selection object is displayed following the at least one pair of selection objects, a distance between a second selection object of the at least one pair of selection objects and another selection object immediately adjacent to and following the second selection object remains unchanged; and

displaying, on the display area, one or more selection objects so as to include, in the display area, the at least one pair of selection objects.

16. The display control apparatus of claim 15, wherein the changing the distance includes increasing the distance in a direction of a movement designated by the input device.

17. A display control apparatus which displays, on a display device, a content to be browsed by a user, the display control apparatus comprising at least one computer performing operations comprising:

moving, relative to a display area of the display device, a content having at least a part thereof displayed on the display area, based on positions designated by an input device;

changing a distance between first and second successive, but not all, displayed elements of the content displayed on the display area, when an end of the moved content reaches a predetermined position of the display area, wherein the changing includes (a) changing the distance between the first and second successive displayed elements nearest an initial position designated by the input device, (b) a distance between the first successive displayed element and another element immediately adjacent to and preceding the first successive displayed element remains unchanged, and (c) if at least one element is displayed following the first and second successive displayed elements, a distance between second successive displayed element and another element immediately adjacent to and following the second successive displayed element remains unchanged; and

displaying, on the display area, the content so as to include, in the display area, at least the first and second successive displayed elements of the content.

18. The display control apparatus of claim 17, wherein the changing the distance includes increasing the distance in a direction of a movement designated by the input device.