Information processing apparatus operating in touch panel mode and pointing device mode

• US 20040196267A1
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kawai, Jun, Motoyama, Hideyuki, Miyazaki, Toshiya, Kondou, Youichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,268,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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 comprises a display device and a touch panel disposed in front of the display device. The apparatus further comprises: a unit for switching between a touch panel mode of operation and a pointing device mode of operation in accordance with a predetermined condition; a unit for performing processing in response to a touch position pointed to by a user on the touch panel in the touch panel mode of operation; a unit for displaying a symbol indicative of a pointing position on the display device in the pointing device mode of operation, and for moving the symbol at a predetermined reduction scale factor on the display device in accordance with the distance, direction and velocity of the relative movement of the touch position pointed to by the user on the touch panel; and a unit for displaying an image in the neighborhood of the symbol in a magnified form in a predetermined region on the touch panel in the pointing device mode of operation.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising a display device and a touch panel disposed in front of said display device, said information processing apparatus further comprising:

a mode switching unit for switching between a touch panel mode of operation and a pointing device mode of operation in accordance with a predetermined condition;

a touch panel processing unit for performing processing in response to a touch position pointed to by a user on said touch panel in said touch panel mode of operation;

a pointing processing unit for displaying a symbol indicative of a pointing position on said display device in said pointing device mode of operation, and for moving said symbol at a predetermined reduction scale factor on said display device in accordance with the distance, direction and velocity of the relative movement of said touch position pointed to by said user on said touch panel; and

a display magnifying processing unit for displaying an image in the neighborhood of said symbol in a magnified form in a predetermined region on said touch panel in said pointing device mode of operation.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said predetermined reduction scale factor can be changed by said user.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein when said touch position moves to reach a boundary of said predetermined region, said display device magnifying processing unit moves the boundary of said predetermined region as said touch position moves, so as to maintain the current mode.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said mode switching processing unit establishes said pointing device mode of operation when said touch position lies inside said predetermined region, and said mode switching processing unit establishes said touch panel mode of operation when said touch position lies outside said predetermined region.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein, when said touch position in said predetermined region exhibits a locus substantially representative of a full circle in a predetermined direction, said display magnifying processing unit changes a scale factor of the magnification at which said image in the neighborhood of said symbol is magnified.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein, when clickable objects, the number of which is larger than a predetermined number, lie within a predetermined range in the neighborhood of the current touch position, said display magnifying processing unit operates in said touch panel mode of operation.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising a display device and a touch panel disposed in front of said display device, said information processing apparatus further comprising:

a mode switching unit for switching between a touch panel mode of operation and a pointing device mode of operation in accordance with a predetermined condition;

a touch panel processing unit for displaying a symbol indicative of a pointing position on said display device in said touch panel mode of operation, so that the position of said symbol is aligned with a touch position pointed to by a user on said touch panel;

a pointing processing unit for moving, in said pointing device mode of operation, the position of said symbol indicative of said pointing position on said display device in accordance with the distance, direction and velocity of the relative movement of said touch position pointed to by said user on said touch panel; and

a display magnifying processing unit for displaying an image in the neighborhood of said symbol in a magnified form in a predetermined region on said touch panel in said pointing device mode of operation.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said predetermined reduction scale factor can be changed by said user.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein when said touch position moves to reach a boundary of said predetermined region, said display device magnifying processing unit moves the boundary of said predetermined region as said touch position moves, so as to maintain the current mode.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said mode switching processing unit establishes said pointing device mode of operation when said touch position lies inside said predetermined region, and said mode switching processing unit establishes said touch panel mode of operation when said touch position lies outside said predetermined region.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein, when said touch position in said predetermined region exhibits a locus substantially representative of a full circle in a predetermined direction, said display magnifying processing unit changes a scale factor of the magnification at which said image in the neighborhood of said symbol is magnified.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein, when clickable objects, the number of which is larger than a predetermined number, lie within a predetermined range in the neighborhood of the current touch position, said display magnifying processing unit operates in said touch panel mode of operation.

13. A program product stored on a storage medium for an information processing apparatus comprising a display device and a touch panel disposed in front of said display device, said program product being operable to effect the steps of:

switching between a touch panel mode of operation and a pointing device mode of operation in accordance with a predetermined condition;

performing processing in response to a touch position pointed to by a user on said touch panel in said touch panel mode of operation;

displaying a symbol indicative of a pointing position on said display device in said pointing device mode of operation, and moving said symbol at a predetermined reduction scale factor on said display device in accordance with the distance, direction and velocity of the relative movement of said touch position pointed to by said user on said touch panel; and

displaying an image in the neighborhood of said symbol in a magnified form in a predetermined region on said touch panel in said pointing device mode of operation.

14. A program product stored on a storage medium for an information processing apparatus comprising a display device and a touch panel disposed in front of said display device, said program product being operable to effect the steps of:

a mode switching processing unit for switching between a touch panel mode of operation and a pointing device mode of operation in accordance with a predetermined condition;

displaying a symbol indicative of a pointing position on said display device in said touch panel mode of operation so that the position of said symbol is aligned with a touch position pointed to by a user on said touch panel;

moving, in said pointing device mode of operation, the position of said symbol indicating said pointing position on said display device in accordance with the distance, direction and velocity of the relative movement of said touch position pointed to by said user on said touch panel; and

displaying an image in the neighborhood of said symbol in a magnified form in a predetermined region on said touch panel in said pointing device mode of operation.