Information processor, information processing method, and computer program

• US 9,671,897 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kasahara, Shunichi, Kano, Ritsuko, Narita, Tomoya, Yamamoto, Kazuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSARIO, NELSON M
• Application Number:
  US14/594,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20150123927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 345173, 345174, 345175, 345176, 345177, 345179, 345679, 345680, 345684, 715763, 715764, 715765, 715174, 715175, 715176, 715177, 715179, 715679, 715680, 715684
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information processing apparatus including a detector that detects movement of a manipulation body in a vertical direction in relation to a display, and a processor that determines a speed of movement of the manipulation body based on an output of the detector, and determines a process to be executed based on the determined speed of movement.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to identify a position of a manipulation body in relation to a detector and a distance between the detector based on an output of the detector;

identify a first object of a plurality of objects displayed on the display based on the detected position of the manipulation body;

determine a change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over a predetermined period of time based on the output of the detector after the first object has been identified on the display;

identify the first object of the plurality of objects displayed on the display to be in a selected state based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time; and

cause the display to indicate that the first object is placed in the selected state by modifying a visual appearance of the first object so that a visual depth of the first object appears to sink into the display, while a visual depth of other of the plurality of objects is unchanged, based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of objects are initially displayed on the display to visually appear on a same parallel surface.

3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to change a form or shape of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time is greater than a threshold value.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to execute a program corresponding to the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time is greater than a threshold value.

5. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to display information related to the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time is greater than a threshold value.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to indicate that the first object is placed in the selected state when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time is greater than a threshold value.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the circuitry is configured to cause the first object to not be placed in the selected state when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time is less than the threshold value.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector is configured to detect movement of a manipulation body in an oblique direction in relation to the first object, and the circuitry is configured to determine a process to be executed based on whether the detected movement of the manipulation body is in a vertical or oblique direction in relation to the first object.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

cause the display to change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time is greater than a threshold value; and

cause the display to not change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time is less than the threshold value.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to compare the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time to the threshold value.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

cause the display to change the information displayed by the display from displaying the plurality of objects to displaying a new object that is different from the plurality of objects after the first object is in the selected state and after the visual appearance of the first object has been modified.

12. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

identifying, by circuitry of the information processing apparatus, a position of a manipulation body in a horizontal and vertical direction in relation to a detector and a distance between the manipulation body and the detector based on an output of the detector;

identifying, by the circuitry, a first object of a plurality of objects displayed on the display based on the detected position of the manipulation body;

determining, by the circuitry, a change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over a predetermined period of time based on the output of the detector after the first object has been highlighted on the display;

identifying, by the circuitry, the first object of the plurality of objects displayed on the display to be in a selected state based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time; and

determining, by the circuitry, to indicate that the first object is placed in the selected state by modifying a visual appearance of the first object so that a visual depth of the first object appears to sink into the display, while a visual depth of other of the plurality of objects is unchanged, based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time.

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

identify a position of a manipulation body in a horizontal and vertical direction in relation to a detector and a distance between the detector based on an output of the detector;

identify a first object of a plurality of objects displayed on the display based on the detected position of the manipulation body;

determine a change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over a predetermined period of time based on the output of the detector after the first object has been identified on the display;

identify the first object of the plurality of objects displayed on the display to be in a selected state based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time; and

cause the display to indicate that the first object is placed in the selected state by modifying a visual appearance of the first object so that a visual depth of the first object appears to sink into the display, while a visual depth of other of the plurality of objects is unchanged based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the first object over the predetermined period of time.