Information processing apparatus having a contact detection unit capable of detecting a plurality of contact points, storage medium having program recorded thereon, and object movement method

• US 9,933,932 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Isono, Kazuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunez, Jordany
• Application Number:
  US14/338,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information processing apparatus has a display unit operable to display an object, a contact detection unit operable to detect a plurality of contact points on the display unit, and a control unit operable to control the object displayed on the display unit so as to be movable with use of the contact detection unit. When the control unit detects contact with a display range of the object displayed on the display unit with use of the contact detection unit, detects contact with an active range of a display screen other than the display range of the object, and further detects a movement instruction to the object, then the control unit controls the object so as to be movable within the active range. Thus, use of a contact detection unit capable of a plurality of contact points permits a user'"'"'s intuitive operation.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display configured to display a part of first display information and second display information, the first display information including a plurality of indicators arranged in rows, wherein the second display information is displayed at a position related to a first one of indicators among the plurality of indicators;

a detector configured to detect a first contact position and a second contact position of first and second contacts, respectively; and

a controller configured to detect changes of the first and the second contact positions and contact start timings of the first and the second contacts,

wherein, when the detector concurrently detects the first and the second contacts, the controller performs magnification or performs reduction processing or scroll processing in a range of the first display information in response to the change of the first and the second contact positions, and

when the detector detects the first and the second contacts with a time interval left therebetween, the controller performs moving indication processing in which a display position of the second display information is changed from the first one of the indicators of the first display information to a second one of the indicators of the first display information, in response to a position change such that a position related to the first indicator is changed to a position related to the second indicator.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when, by the detector, the first contact and the second contact are concurrently detected and the first contact and the second contact are changed in contact positions in the same direction of movement, the controller is configured to perform a scroll operation such that moving processing is performed about the second display information which is put in a state wherein the second display information is displayed at a position related to the first indicator of the first display information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display information is a schedule chart while each indicator is a separation frame for separating a time zone and the second display information is object information related to a schedule.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to execute an application program related to the schedule.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first contact is contacted with a display area of the first display information except for the plurality of the indicators while the second contact is contacted with the second display information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second contact is moved in relation to the plurality of the indicators with the first contact fixed.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the scroll process to the part of the first display information can display another part of the first display information in the range of the first display information.