Menu display apparatus, menu display method and program

• US 9,898,163 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshitomi, Kosuke, Nakata, Daisuke, Tsukamoto, Takeo, Hyodo, Katsuya, Sakata, Junichirou, Moriya, Shoichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Angkool, David Phantana
• Application Number:
  US14/525,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 715800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Provided is a menu display apparatus that displays a menu of a plurality of applications, including an acquisition unit that acquires display data of content information representing content to be displayed in the menu of the content managed by each application from each application and a display controller that controls a display of the content information in each area according to setting conditions for the area provided for each of the applications in the menu and the display information of the content information acquired from each application. Accordingly, the display of the content information to be displayed in the menu in each area is controlled according to setting conditions for the area provided for each application in the menu and display data of the content information acquired from each application.

Claims

1. A menu display apparatus that displays a menu of a plurality of applications, the apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires, from each of the applications, display data of content information representing content to be displayed in the menu of the content managed by each of the applications;

a display controller that controls a display of the content information in areas of the menu according to setting conditions for the areas provided for the applications in the menu and also according to the display data of the content information acquired from the applications, wherein in each respective area of the menu, respective content information is displayed in a respective layout that is determined in accordance with the setting conditions for the respective area and also in accordance with the display data of the content information acquired from a respective application; and

an operation detection unit configured to detect an action made upon a target area selected from among the areas provided for the applications,

wherein the display controller controls the target area to be zoomed in and the display data of the content information is enlarged for display in the target area, and

wherein each one of the acquisition unit, the display controller, and the operation detection unit is implemented via at least one processor.

2. The menu display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the operation detection unit is further configured to detect a signal for returning to the menu, and upon detecting the signal for returning to the menu, the display controller controls the target area to be zoomed out and the whole menu to be displayed.

3. The menu display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the operation detection unit is configured to detect a selection of the target area, and upon detecting the selection of the target area, the display controller controls a rotation display of a menu region so that a rotation angle of the target area becomes 0°

.

4. The menu display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the acquisition unit acquires the display data of the content information of the content set by each of the applications based on at least one of a usage date/time, an update date/time, a usage frequency of the content, or information specified by a user about the content managed by each of the applications.

5. The menu display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the acquisition unit acquires an image of the content information, an arrangement of the content information, a size of the content information, and a rotation angle of the content information in the area as the display data of the content information.

6. The menu display apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein when a state of the application is updated, the display controller controls an update display of the content information in the area of the application whose state has been updated.

14. The menu display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the layout of the areas of the menu are specified by information contained within the display data of the content information acquired from the applications.

15. The menu display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display data includes arrangement and size information of the content information.

7. A menu display method of displaying a menu of a plurality of applications, the method comprising:

acquiring, from each of the applications, display data of content information representing content to be displayed in the menu of the content managed by each of the applications;

controlling a display of the content information in areas of the menu according to setting conditions for the areas provided for the applications in the menu and also according to the display data of the content information acquired from the applications, wherein in each respective area of the menu, respective content information is displayed in a respective layout that is determined in accordance with the setting conditions for the respective area and also in accordance with the display data of the content information acquired from a respective application;

detecting an action made upon a target area selected from among the areas provided for the applications; and

controlling the target area to be zoomed in and enlarging the display data of the content information for display in the target area.

8. The menu display method according to claim 7, further comprising:

detecting a signal for returning to the menu, and upon detecting the signal for returning to the menu, controlling the target area to be zoomed out and displaying the whole menu.

9. The menu display method according to claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a selection of the target area, and upon detecting the selection of the target area, controlling a rotation display of a menu region so that a rotation angle of the target area becomes 0°

.

10. The menu display method according to claim 8, wherein

the display data of the content information of the content set by each of the applications is acquired based on at least one of a usage date/time, an update date/time, a usage frequency of the content, or information specified by a user about the content managed by each of the applications.

11. The menu display method according to claim 8, further comprising:

acquiring, as the display data of the content information, an image of the content information, an arrangement of the content information, a size of the content information, and a rotation angle of the content information in the area.

12. The menu display method according to claim 8, further comprising:

controlling, when a state of the application is updated, an update display of the content information in the area of the application whose state has been updated.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a menu display method of displaying a menu of a plurality of applications, the method comprising:

acquiring, from each of the applications, display data of content information representing content to be displayed in the menu of the content managed by each of the applications;

controlling a display of the content information in areas of the menu according to setting conditions for the areas provided for the applications in the menu and also according to the display data of the content information acquired from the applications, wherein in each respective area of the menu, respective content information is displayed in a respective layout that is determined in accordance with the setting conditions for the respective area and also in accordance with the display data of the content information acquired from a respective application;

detecting an action made upon a target area selected from among the areas provided for the applications; and

controlling the target area to be zoomed in and enlarging the display data of the content information for display in the target area.