Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program for changing layout of displayed objects

• US 9,383,898 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyashita, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): TAN, ALVIN H
• Application Number:
  US13/076,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20110252383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including a display section which displays, as a first layout state, an object group including a plurality of objects arranged in a first direction, a detection section which detects an operation input that is input to the display section, and a control section which, when the detection section detects an operation input in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, changes the first layout state into a second layout state in which the respective objects constituting the object group which has been selected are spread and pieces of information associated with the plurality of objects, respectively, are displayed.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a detection section which detects an operation input that is input in relation to a display, the display displaying, as a first layout state, an object group including a plurality of objects arranged in a first direction such that only thumbnail icons of the plurality of objects are visibly displayed on the display; and

a control section which, when the detection section detects a movement of the operation input in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and that starts from a location of display of the object group, changes the first layout state into a second layout state in which the plurality of objects of the object group are animated as being pulled into alignment along the second direction and spread for display in association with the movement of the operation input in the second direction, and respective pieces of information associated with respective ones of the plurality of objects are each displayed in correlation with their respective associated object and also displayed as emerging, when the plurality of objects of the object group are initially misaligned from the arrangement in the first direction and animated to be pulled into alignment along the second direction in association with the movement of the operation input, from being hidden behind one or more objects of the object group,

wherein the pieces of information that are displayed in the second layout state were not previously displayed in the first layout state, and the respective pieces of information include information regarding content represented by the thumbnail icons of respective ones of the plurality of objects, and

wherein the detection section and the control section are each implemented via the at least one processor.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control section determines a movement distance in the second direction of the plurality of objects constituting the object group based on information of variables which varies depending on the movement of the operation input.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, when the operation input is stopped, the control section returns a display of the plurality of objects of the object group which have been moved in the second direction to the first layout state when the information of variables at a point of stopping the operation input is less than a predetermined threshold, and the control section allows the display of the plurality of objects of the object group to become the second layout state when the information of variables at a point of stopping the operation input is equal to or more than the predetermined threshold.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the information of variables represents the movement distance or a movement speed of the operation input in the second direction.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control section moves the plurality of objects of the object group in the second direction in a manner that the arrangement of the selected object group is misaligned when a predetermined state change condition is satisfied, and the control section causes the object group displayed in the first layout state to be scrolled in the second direction when the state change condition is not satisfied.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the state change condition is that the plurality of objects constituting the object group are moved in the second direction in a manner that the arrangement of the selected object group is misaligned, by inputting at least once a movement of an operation input in the first direction.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the state change condition is that movement of an operation input is not detected for a predetermined time period or longer in the first layout state.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control section causes the second layout state to be displayed regarding, as a reference point, an object among the plurality of objects, which is displayed at an initial contact position which was touched first when there was the operation input in the first layout state.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when a movement of an operation input in the first direction is detected by the detection section after a display is changed to the second layout state, the control section returns a display from the second layout state to the first layout state.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the control section detects a movement of an operation input that is input in the first direction, the control section controls the plurality of objects to be scrolled in the first direction.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the control section detects the movement of the operation input that is input in the second direction, the control section controls the plurality of objects to first become vertically offset from each other, and then transitioned to be rearranged spatially aligned in the second direction.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein, when the control section controls the plurality of objects to first become vertically offset from each other and then transitioned to be rearranged to be spatially aligned in the second direction, the control section further controls the pieces of information to be displayed in association with the plurality of objects.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the detection section further detects a long pressing operation that enables, upon a subsequent detection of the operation input in the second direction, the control section to change the first layout state into the second layout state.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of objects of the selected object group form a sub-group of the object group, and in the first layout state, the sub-group to be arranged in the first direction is displayed with at least one other sub-group, and in the second layout state, the control section controls the plurality of objects forming the sub-group to be rearranged spatially aligned in the second direction.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein, when the control section controls the plurality of objects forming the sub-group to be rearranged spatially aligned in the second direction, the control section further controls the pieces of information to be displayed in association with the selected respective objects.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation input is a drag gesture that originates from at least one object of the object group.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the pieces of information comprise at least one of a document data and a drawing data, associated with respective ones of the plurality of objects.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the pieces of information comprise at least one of an album title and an artist name, associated with respective ones of the plurality of objects.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the change from the first layout state to the second layout state is initiated in accordance with the detected movement of the operation input in the second direction, the plurality of objects are animated to be misaligned from the arrangement in the first direction and fanned out to be spread and pulled into alignment along the second direction in association with the movement of the operation input in the second direction.

20. An information processing method, comprising the steps of:

detecting an operation input that is input to a touch display on which an object group including a plurality of objects arranged in a first direction is displayed as a first layout state such that only thumbnail icons of the plurality of objects are visibly displayed on the display; and

changing, when a movement of the operation input is detected as being provided in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and that starts from a location of display of the object group, the first layout state into a second layout state in which the plurality of objects of the object group are animated as being pulled into alignment along the second direction and spread for display in association with the movement of the operation input in the second direction, and respective pieces of information associated with respective ones of the plurality of objects are each displayed in correlation with their respective associated object and also displayed as emerging, when the plurality of objects of the object group are initially misaligned from the arrangement in the first direction and animated to be pulled into alignment along the second direction in association with the movement of the operation input, from being hidden behind one or more objects of the object group,

wherein the pieces of information that are displayed in the second layout state were not previously displayed in the first layout state, and the respective pieces of information include information regarding content represented by the thumbnail icons of respective ones of the plurality of objects.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform an information processing method, the method comprising:

detecting an operation input that is input to a touch display on which an object group including a plurality of objects arranged in a first direction is displayed as a first layout state such that only thumbnail icons of the plurality of objects are visibly displayed on the display, and

changing, when a movement of an operation input is detected as being provided in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and that starts from a location of display of the object group, the first layout state into a second layout state in which the plurality of objects of the object group are animated as being pulled into alignment along the second direction and spread for display in association with the movement of the operation input in the second direction, and respective pieces of information associated with respective ones of the plurality of objects are each displayed in correlation with their respective associated object and also displayed as emerging, when the plurality of objects of the object group are initially misaligned from the arrangement in the first direction and animated to be pulled into alignment along the second direction in association with the movement of the operation input, from being hidden behind one or more objects of the object group,

wherein the pieces of information that are displayed in the second layout state were not previously displayed in the first layout state, and the respective pieces of information include information regarding content represented by the thumbnail icons of respective ones of the plurality of objects.