Operation system having touch operation enabling use of large screen area, operation control method, and operation control program

• US 10,528,247 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Abe, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/996,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20160132209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An operation system includes a detector, an area designator, a selection item designator, and a display controller. The detector may be configured to detect an operation of touching a touch panel at a touch-position on the touch panel. The area designator may be configured to designate an area, which includes the touch-position at which the operation of touching the touch panel is detected, from a plurality of areas of the touch panel. The selection item designator may be configured to designate an associated set of selection items which is associated with the area designated by the area designator. The display controller may be configured to control the touch panel to display an operator which includes the associated set of selection items at or in the vicinity of the touch-position, at which the operation of touching the touch panel is detected by the detector.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a touch panel having a plurality of display areas for displaying a game, wherein the game comprises an action game, and game operation involves real-time operations; and

a storage storing computer code, and a central processing unit (CPU) which accesses the storage to execute the computer code to;

detect a touch operation of touching the touch panel at a touch-position in the plurality of display areas on the touch panel, while the touch panel is displaying the game on the plurality of display areas;

designate a designated display area that includes the touch-position from the plurality of display areas of the touch panel;

designate associated sets of selection items which are associated with the plurality of display areas, and the associated sets of selection items are different for different display areas of the plurality of display areas;

communicate with another system to transmit one or more icons to the another system; and

control the touch panel to display, in response to the touch operation being detected, a plurality of operators;

wherein the plurality of operators are superimposed on the game displayed and positioned around and in a vicinity of the touch-position without changing relative positions of the plurality of operators relative to the touch-position,

wherein the plurality of operators are for selecting an icon of the one or more icons to be transmitted,

wherein each of the plurality of operators includes an associated set of selection items, and

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to control the touch panel to remove a display of the plurality of operators from the game displayed at a time that the touch operation of touching the touch panel stops being detected at the touch-position.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to control the touch panel to remove the display of the plurality of operators in a case that the touch operation is no longer detected at the touch-position.

3. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to control the touch panel to display a plurality of guide images, each guide image indicating a respective range of each display area of the plurality of display areas of the touch panel.

4. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to control the touch panel to display the plurality of operators which includes the designated associated sets of selection items, the designated associated sets of selection items including colored item images which are different in color depending upon different display areas of the plurality of display areas of the touch panel, and

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to control the touch panel to display a plurality of guide images which are different in color depending upon different colors of the colored item images.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the CPU executes the computer code to change an associated set of selection items into another set of selection items included in the plurality of operators to be displayed on the touch panel, in a case that the touch operation is detected at the touch-position on the touch panel continuously over a period of time.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage that stores a plurality of sets of selection items and respective identifiers identifying the plurality of display areas of the touch panel, each set of selection items being associated with a respective identifier which identifies a respective display area of the plurality of display areas of the touch panel.

7. The system according to claim 6,

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to read, from the storage, the set of selection items, which is associated with an identifier identifying the designated display area, and

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to control the touch panel to display, at or in the vicinity of the touch-position, the plurality of operators including the set of selection items that have been read from the storage.

8. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to stop detecting the touch operation of touching the touch panel, if the touch-position at the first operation item displayed by the touch panel slides and then is no longer detected over one of the selection items, and input of an operation instruction indicating selection of that selection item is accepted.

9. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of display areas are respectively associated with plural sets of the selection items,

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to designate the associated set of selection items which is associated with the designated display area, where the designated display area includes the touch-position at which the touch operation was detected, and

wherein the CPU executes the computer code to control the touch panel to display, in response to that the touch operation being detected, the plurality of operators, which include the designated associated set of selection items, on the designated display area.