Information processing apparatus, display control method and display control program

• US 9,310,965 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Kimitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Posigian, David S
• Application Number:
  US14/100,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 715/788, 715/702, 715/810, 715/761, 715/763, 715/790, 715/791, 715/781, 715/792, 715/794, 715/796, 715/798, 715/801, 715/800, 715/797
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04801 Cursor retrieval aid, i.e. visual aspect modification, blinking, colour changes, enlargement or other visual cues, for helping user do find the cursor in graphical user interfaces
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: a display control section for displaying a window showing a first icon and a second icon of a predetermined display size on a display screen. The display control section reduces the display size of at least either the first icon or the second icon so as not to overlap with each other if it determines that the icons overlap with each other when it alters a display area of the window being displayed on the display screen.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

display, via a display control section, a window on a display screen showing a first icon and a second icon of each having a current display size,

define, via a priority defining section, a priority for the first icon and the second icon, the priority being determined in part based on which icon is operated the most between the first and the second icon,

reduce, via the display control section, the current display size of at least one of the first icon or the second icon based on an icon having a lowest priority to avoid overlap with each other in response to

a display area size of the window being reduced, and

the display control section determining that the icons would overlap with each other as a result of the reduction of the display area size if the current display size of the first and second icons is maintained, and

expand the current display size of the first or second icon in response to a selection of the first or second icon,

wherein when the display control section reduces the display size of the first icon or the second icon, a size of recognition regions for recognizing operations relative to the reduced first icon or the second icon on the screen is maintained, the recognition regions being regions that can recognize an input on the display screen.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to

input, via a command input section, a command to the window being displayed on the screen, wherein

the display control section alters the display area of the window in accordance with the command to the window input by way of the command input section.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when a command for reducing the display size of the window is input by way of the command input section, the display control section alters the display area of the window by reducing the display size of the window in accordance with the command.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

when a command for changing the display size of the window is input by way of the command input section, the display control section

shifts the display position of the window in accordance with the command,

alters the display area of the window in the case where the window partly moves out of the display screen as a result of the shift of the display position, and

in the case where the display control section determines that at least either the first icon or the second icon moves out of the display area of the window as a result of the alteration of the display area, the display control section moves the icon outside the display area back into the display area so as to be displayed.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when a command for changing the display size of the window is input by way of the command input section, the display control section shifts the display position of the window in accordance with the command and in the case where the window partly moves out of the screen as a result of the shift of the display position, the display control section adjusts the display position of the window to make the window entirely to be displayed on the display screen.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry further includes

assigning, via a command assigning section, a first command and a second command respectively to the first icon and the second icon, wherein

the command assigning section selects either the first command assigned to the first icon or the second command assigned to the second icon, making only the selected command effective, when the display size of either the first icon or the second icon is made smaller than a predetermined display size under the control of the display control section.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control section has a first mode of altering the display area of the window and a second mode of not altering the display area of the window and alters the display area of the window being on the screen only in the first mode.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the command input section is a touch panel.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control section only reduces the current display size of the icon having the lowest priority to avoid overlap with each other.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control section expands the current display size of only the first or only the second icon in response to a selection of the first or second icon.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the current display size of an unselected icon remains the same in response to the selection of another icon.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry further includes

assigning, via a command assigning section, a first command and a second command respectively to the first icon and the second icon, wherein

the command assigning section selects either the first command assigned to the first icon and or the second command assigned to the second icon to be effective based on the priority.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the priority is further determined based on which icon is operated the most between the first and the second icon when both the first icon and second icon are in a reduced icon state.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in response to the display area size of the window being reduced below a predetermined threshold and the display control section determining that the icons would overlap, the display control section displays only the icon having the highest priority.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current display size of at least one of the first icon or the second icon is reduced while maintaining both the first icon and second icon on the display screen.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recognition regions are regions that can recognize a touch input on the display screen.

9. A display control method comprising:

causing, via a processor, a display control section to display a window on a display screen showing a first icon and a second icon each having a current display size;

defining, via the processor, a priority for the first icon and the second icon, the priority being determined in part based on which icon is operated the most between the first and the second icon;

reducing, via the processor, the current display size of at least one of the first icon or the second icon based on an icon having a lowest priority to avoid overlap with each other in response to

a display area size of the window being reduced, and

the display control section determining that the icons would overlap with each other as a result of the reduction of the display area size if the current display size of the first and second icons is maintained; and

expanding the current display size of the first or second icon in response to a selection of the first or second icon,

wherein when the display size of the first icon or the second icon is reduced, a size of recognition regions for recognizing operations relative to the reduced first icon or the second icon on the screen is maintained, the recognition regions being regions that can recognize an input on the display screen.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

causing a display control section to display a window on a display screen showing a first icon and a second icon each having a current display size;

defining, via the a processor, a priority for the first icon and the second icon, the priority being determined in part based on which icon is operated the most between the first and the second icon;

reducing the current display size of at least one of the first icon or the second icon based on an icon having a lowest priority to avoid overlap with each other in response to

a display area size of the window being reduced, and

the display control section determining that the icons would overlap with each other as a result of the reduction of the display area size if the current display size of the first and second icons is maintained; and

expanding the current display size of the first or second icon in response to a selection of the first or second icon,

wherein when the display size of the first icon or the second icon is reduced, a size of recognition regions for recognizing operations relative to the reduced first icon or the second icon on the screen is maintained, the recognition regions being regions that can recognize an input on the display screen.