Information processing apparatus and display control method

• US 20050120310A1
• Filed: 11/22/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Satoshi, Sahashi, Masaya
• Application Number:
  US10/994,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20050120310A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a CPU executes a zooming utility program in accordance with, e.g., the operation of an enlargement button or reduction button provided as user operation means. The zooming utility program executed by the CPU searches for running application programs, and enlarges/reduces display contents within the windows of the searched application programs.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a user interface which is operated to adjust a sizing of content displayed within a plurality of display areas each associated with a running program; and

a display control unit configured to adjust the sizing of the plurality of display areas in response to an operation of the user interface.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein sizing of contents within each of the plurality of display areas is adjusted with the sizing of the plurality of display areas.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit adjusts the sizing of the content within the plurality of display areas at a predetermined scaling factor.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of display areas is a window displayed on a display screen.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit comprises a processor executing a zoom utility program (ZUP) to access tables to call a process to either enlarge or reduce the sizing of the content with the plurality of display areas.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the user interface comprises (i) one of a button and a dial, and (ii) an embedded controller in communications with the processor and responsive to either depression of the button or rotation of the dial, the embedded controller to transfer a display control command in response to the operation of the button or the dial, the display control command identifying the process for the ZUP to call.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit to adjust the sizing of the content by modifying information contained with registries accessible by the processor.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a dedicated operation button to designate enlargement or reduction of the sizing of the content.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a dedicated operation dial to designate enlargement or reduction of the sizing of the content.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a keyboard having at least one key designated for enlargement or reduction of the sizing of the content.

11. A display control method for an information processing apparatus, comprising

accepting a predetermined operation;

detecting a plurality of programs running on the information processing apparatus and each associated with a window displayed on a display screen; and

enlarging or reducing display content of the detected plurality of programs within the window.

12. A display control method according to claim 11, wherein one of the plurality of programs is a particular program that, in operation, produces an icon being the display content for the particular program.

13. The display control method according to claim 12, wherein the enlarging or reducing of the display content is conducted by rewriting setting information for the icon within a registry.

14. The display control method according to claim 11, wherein the enlarging or reducing of the display content comprises (i) displaying at least one operation button on the display screen, and (ii) enlarging or reducing the display content upon selection of the at least one operation button displayed on the display screen.

15. A method comprising:

detecting an event to adjust a sizing of content displayed within a plurality of display areas each associated with a running program; and

adjusting the sizing of the content within each of the plurality of display areas in accordance with an operation of a user interface.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the adjusting of the sizing of the content within each of the plurality of display areas is performed according to a predetermined scaling factor.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the user interface comprises a dedicated operation button located on an information processing apparatus having a display screen to designate enlargement or reduction of the sizing of the content, each depression of the dedicated operation button adjusts the sizing of the content with each of the plurality of display areas by the predetermined scaling factor.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the user interface comprises a dedicated operation button located on an information processing apparatus having a display screen to designate enlargement or reduction of the sizing of the content.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of display areas is a window.