Information processing apparatus, menu processing method and recording medium storing a menu processing program

• US 20020018080A1
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ohki, Hisashi, Kodama, Mitsuru, Masuzawa, Toshihisa, Kariya, Chikako, Aoyama, Yuji, Hirayama, Ryoji, Ageta, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Characteristic menu information corresponding to applications are stored in a menu storage unit. A menu development unit discriminates an application which is now started and develops a menu corresponding to the application on a screen using the stored menu information. In the menu operation, a menu is developed on the screen by operating a defined button, a menu item is selected by scrawling while the menu is being developed and the selected menu item is executed by operating the defined button.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a menu storage unit storing characteristic menu information corresponding to applications; and

a menu development unit discriminating an application which is now started and developing a menu corresponding to the application on a screen using said menu information.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a menu execution unit executing a processing corresponding to a menu item selected from said menu.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

if the application for which said menu information exists is started, the application is activated.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said menu development unit develops a predetermined menu on the screen if an application which does not store said menu information is started or no application is started.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said predetermined menu is a launcher menu for starting the applications.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

if a menu item is determined from said menu, the menu is deleted from the screen.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing apparatus comprises an indication unit indicating development of said menu, and said menu development unit discriminates the started application if indication of said indication unit is detected.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said indication unit is a device consisting of a scrawl-up button and a scrawl-down button for changing selection of the menu item from said menu and a defined button for determining the selected menu item.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said defined button is operated to thereby indicate the development of said menu.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said defined button is arranged between said scrawl-up button and said scrawl-down button.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said scrawl-up button and said scrawl-down button are a seesaw switch provided with a pair of switch contacts operating by depressing one of operation regions on both ends of a switch knob, and said defined button is a push button switch arranged in a hole formed at a center of said switch knob.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said indication unit is provided in front of a keyboard.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the information processing apparatus consists of:

a cover on which a display is arranged;

a main body on which said keyboard is arranged; and

a coupling section coupling the cover to the main body.

16. A menu processing method according to claim 14, wherein

if the application for which said menu information exists is started, the application is activated.

17. A menu processing method according to claim 14, wherein

a predetermined menu is developed on the screen if an application, for which said menu information exists, is started or no application is started.

18. A menu processing method according to claim 17, wherein

said predetermined menu is a launcher menu for starting the applications.

19. A menu processing method according to claim 14, wherein

if a menu item is determined from said menu, the menu is deleted from the screen.

20. A menu processing method according to claim 14, comprising the step of indicating development of said menu, and the started application is discriminated if an indication is detected.

14. A menu processing method for developing a menu on a screen, comprising the steps of:

discriminating an application which is now started; and

developing a menu corresponding to the application based on a discrimination result while using characteristic menu information corresponding to the application.

15. A menu processing method according to claim 14, comprising the step of executing a processing corresponding to a menu item selected from said menu.

21. A computer readable recording medium recording a menu processing program, the menu processing program allowing a computer to execute the steps of:

discriminating an application which is now started; and

developing a menu corresponding to the application based on a discrimination result while using characteristic menu information corresponding to the application.

22. A computer readable recording medium according to claim 21, wherein

said menu processing program conducts a processing corresponding to a menu item selected from said menu.

23. A computer readable recording medium according to claim 21, wherein

if the application for which said menu information exists is started, said menu processing program activates the application.

24. A computer readable recording medium according to claim 21, wherein

if an application, for which said menu information exists, is started or no application is started, said menu processing program develops a predetermined menu on the screen.

25. A computer readable recording medium according to claim 24, wherein

said predetermined menu is a launcher menu for starting the applications.

26. A computer readable recording medium according to claim 21, wherein

if a menu item is determined from said menu, said menu processing program deletes the menu from the screen.

27. A computer readable recording medium according to claim 21, wherein

an indication of development of said menu is detected, and the started application is discriminated if said indication is detected.