Display device, display method, and program

• US 20040070620A1
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Hirotoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/764
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A display device that is capable of displaying predetermined display information in each of a plurality of display areas includes a setting unit for setting display control information that represents the position and size of the display area and the switching of the display information for which a predetermined event is detected, based on user inputs; and a display control unit for controlling one display including the multiple display areas such that the display information is displayed in each of the multiple display areas, based on the display control information set by the setting unit. Upon detection of the event, the display control unit switches the position or size of the display area where the display information for which the event is detected is displayed based on the display control information.

Claims

1. A display device that is capable of displaying predetermined display information in each of a plurality of display areas, the display device comprising:

a setting unit for setting display control information that represents the position and size of the display area and the switching of the display information for which a predetermined event is detected, based on user inputs; and

a display control unit for controlling one display including the plurality of display areas such that the display information is displayed in each of the plurality of display areas, based on the display control information set by the setting unit,

wherein, upon detection of the event, the display control unit switches the position or size of the display area where the display information for which the event is detected is displayed based on the display control information.

2. A display device according to claim 1,

wherein the setting unit sets information representing the priority of the display information as the display control information, and

wherein the display control unit controls the position and size of the display area in accordance with the information representing the priority.

3. A display device according to claim 1,

wherein the setting unit sets, as the display control information, the information representing a link item that another display device uses to display the display information displayed in the display area.

4. A display device according to claim 1,

wherein, upon detection of sound volume exceeding a predetermined threshold value as the event in a program that is displayed in the display areas as the display control information, the display control unit controls the position or size of the display area where the program is displayed.

5. A display device according to claim 1,

wherein, upon reception of email as the event, the display control unit controls the position or size of the display area where the display information concerning the email is displayed.

6. A display device according to claim 1,

wherein, at a predetermined time of day as the event, the display control unit controls the position or size of the display area.

7. A display device according to claim 1,

wherein, upon detection of a person as the event in a picture displayed in the display areas, the display control unit controls the position or size of the display area where the picture is displayed.

8. A display device according to claim 1, further comprising a generating unit for generating a plurality of symbols representing the display control information,

wherein the display control unit sequentially displays as the display control information each of the plurality of symbols that is generated by the generating unit.

9. A display device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a detecting unit for detecting the symbol each time the plurality of symbols, representing the display control information, is sequentially displayed in another display device as the display information; and

an acquiring unit for acquiring the display control information based on the plurality of symbols detected by the detecting unit.

10. A display method of a display device that is capable of displaying predetermined display information in each of a plurality of display areas, the display method comprising the steps of:

setting display control information that represents the position and size of the display area and the switching of the display information for which a predetermined event is detected, based on user inputs; and

controlling one display including the plurality of display areas such that the display information is displayed in each of the plurality of display areas, based on the display control information set in the setting step,

wherein, upon detection of the event, the position or size of the display area where the display information for which the event is detected is displayed is switched based on the display control information in the controlling step.

11. A program that causes a computer to execute a display process for displaying predetermined display information in each of a plurality of display areas, the program comprising the steps of:

setting display control information that represents the position and size of the display area and the switching of the display information for which a predetermined event is detected, based on user inputs; and

controlling one display including the plurality of display areas such that the display information is displayed in each of the plurality of display areas, based on the display control information set in the setting step,

wherein, upon detection of the event, the position or size of the display area where the display information for which the event is detected is displayed is switched based on the display control information in the controlling step.