Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program

• US 9,024,881 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nomura, Eisuke, Homma, Fuminori, Miyazawa, Yusuke, Yamano, Ikuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATHEWS, CRYSTAL
• Application Number:
  US13/267,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20120092261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-184, 715/773
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An information processing apparatus including a display controller that controls a display to display a keyboard, an interface that receives position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface, and a processor that determines that the received position information corresponds to a first determination region of a first key of the displayed keyboard and expands a second determination region of a second key based on the determining.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display controller configured to control a display to display a keyboard;

an interface configured to receive position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface; and

a processor configured to determine that the received position information corresponds to a first determination region of a first key of the displayed keyboard, and expand a second determination region of a second key in a first direction toward the first determination region while reducing a size of the second determination region in a second direction opposite to the first direction based on the determining without changing a display size of the first or second key and without increasing a size of the first determination region.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus includes the display, and the display is the user interface.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a proximity detection device configured to detect contact of an input member corresponding to the user input at the user interface.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a proximity detection device configured to detect a proximity of an input member corresponding to the user input to the user interface that does not make contact with the user interface.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure of an input member corresponding to the user input at the user interface.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second key is located in a periphery of the first key, and the processor is configured to expand the second determination region in a direction toward the first determination region based on the determining.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second key is located more than one key away from the first key, and the processor is configured to expand the second determination region in a direction toward the first determination region based on the determining.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to expand a plurality of determination regions corresponding to a plurality of keys, which include the second key and the second determination region, in a direction toward the first determination region based on the determining.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first determination region and the first key are configured in a first row including a first plurality of determination regions and a first plurality of keys, and the second determination region and the second key are configured in a second row including a second plurality of determination regions and a second plurality of keys.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second row is located in a periphery of the first row, and the processor is configured to expand the second plurality of determination regions in a direction toward the first row based on the determining.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second row is located more than one row away from the first row, and the processor is configured to expand the second plurality of determination regions in a direction toward the first row based on the determining.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to receive state information corresponding to the user input detected at the user interface, the state information indicating one of a non-contact state of an input member, a contact state of the input member, and a press-down state of the input member.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the state information is output by a proximity detection device, and the proximity detection device configured to:

detect the non-contact state when the input member is positioned outside a proximity detection region of the proximity detection device;

detect the contact state when the input member is positioned within the proximity detection region of the proximity detection device but contact is not detected on the user interface; and

detect the press-down state when the input member is positioned within the proximity detection region and contact is detected on the user interface.

14. The information processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the state information is output by a pressure sensor, and the pressure sensor is configured to:

detect the non-contact state when the input member is not in contact with the user interface;

detect the contact state when the input member is in contact with the user interface, and a detected force of the contact is less than a predetermined threshold; and

detect the press-down state when the input member is in contact with the user interface, and a detected force of the contact is greater than a predetermined threshold.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to control expanding the second determination region based on the received state information corresponding to the user input detected at the user interface.

16. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to receive direction information indicating a direction of an input member corresponding to the user input detected at the user interface.

17. The information processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to control expanding the second determination region based on the received direction information indicating a direction of an input member corresponding to the user input detected at the user interface.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to reduce the first determination region of the first key of the displayed keyboard upon expanding the second determination region of the second key.

19. A method performed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

controlling, by a display controller, a display to display a keyboard;

receiving, at an interface of the information processing apparatus, position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface;

determining, by a processor of the information processing apparatus, that the received position information corresponds to a first determination region of a first key of the displayed keyboard; and

expanding a second determination region of a second key in a first direction toward the first determination region while reducing a size of the second determination region in a second direction opposite to the first direction based on the determining without changing a display size of the first or second key and without increasing a size of the first determination region.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by an information processing apparatus, cause the information processing apparatus to perform a method, the method comprising:

controlling a display to display a keyboard;

receiving position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface;

determining that the received position information corresponds to a first determination region of a first key of the displayed keyboard; and

expand a second determination region of a second key in a first direction toward the first determination region while reducing a size of the second determination region in a second direction opposite to the first direction based on the determining without changing a display size of the first or second key and without increasing a size of the first determination region.