Input device

• US 20060071918A1
• Filed: 09/16/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mori, Eijiro, Ikeda, Takuo
• Application Number:
  US11/228,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20060071918A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

The present invention has been made to allow a user to intuitively select desired data from a large amount of data. The present invention provides an input device including an attribute information storage section that stores attribute information of contents, a virtual map creation section that creates a virtual map by allocating, in units of attribute information, icons that represent the contents based on the attribute information, a movement amount detection section that detects a physical movement amount of the input device, a display controller that calculates the movement amount on the virtual map from the physical movement amount detected by the movement amount detection section and allows a display section to display a predetermined area of the virtual map whose center is the position of the input device on the virtual map after movement, and an input section that inputs identification information of the content corresponding to the icon displayed on the predetermined area as input data when receiving an instruction from a user.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

attribute information storage means for storing attribute information of contents;

virtual map creation means for creating a virtual map by allocating, in units of attribute information, icons that represent the contents based on the attribute information;

movement amount detection means for detecting a physical movement amount of the input device;

display control means for calculating the movement amount on the virtual map from the physical movement amount detected by the movement amount detection means and allowing display means to display a predetermined area of the virtual map whose center is the position of the input device on the virtual map after movement; and

input means for inputting identification information of the content corresponding to the icon displayed on the predetermined area as input data when receiving an instruction from a user.

2. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising transfer request means for outputting a transfer request of the content that the identification information input to the input means identifies, to an external device.

3. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising reproduction means for reproducing the content that the identification information input to the input means identifies.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein

the content is music content, and

the reproduction means is an amplifier and a speaker.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the virtual map is obtained by allocating icons on map information based on geographic information of the content described in the attribute information.

6. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the virtual map is obtained by allocating icons based on date information of the content described in the attribute information.

7. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the virtual map is obtained by allocating icons based on the category of the content described in the attribute information.

8. An input device comprising:

a cylindrical casing;

a bezel portion rotatably fitted to the upper edge of the casing;

movement amount detection means for detecting the amount of the planar movement of the casing;

attribute information storage means for storing attribute information of contents;

virtual map creation means for creating a virtual map by allocating, in units of attribute information, icons that represent the contents based on the attribute information;

display control means for calculating the movement amount on the virtual map from the physical movement amount and allowing display means to display a predetermined area of the virtual map whose center is the position of the input device on the virtual map after movement; and

input means for inputting identification information of the content corresponding to the icon displayed on the predetermined area as input data when receiving an instruction from a user.

9. The input device according to claim 8, further comprising transfer request means for outputting a transfer request of the content that the identification information input to the input means identifies, to an external device.

10. The input device according to claim 8, wherein the input means receives a user'"'"'s instruction through the rotation amount of the bezel portion.

11. The input device according to claim 8, wherein the input means receives a user'"'"'s instruction through the depression applied on the bezel portion.

12. The input device according to claim 8, further comprising reproduction means for reproducing the content that the identification information input to the input means identifies.

13. The input device according to claim 12, wherein

the content is music content, and

the reproduction means is an amplifier and a speaker.

14. An input device comprising:

an attribute information storage section that stores attribute information of contents;

a virtual map creation section that creates a virtual map by allocating, in units of attribute information, icons that represent the contents based on the attribute information;

a movement amount detection section that detects a physical movement amount of the input device;

a display controller that calculates the movement amount on the virtual map from the physical movement amount detected by the movement amount detection section and allows a display section to display a predetermined area of the virtual map whose center is the position of the input device on the virtual map after movement; and

an input section that inputs identification information of the content corresponding to the icon displayed on the predetermined area as input data when receiving an instruction from a user.

15. An input device comprising:

a cylindrical casing;

a bezel portion rotatably fitted to the upper edge of the casing;

a movement amount detection section that detects the amount of the planar movement of the casing;

an attribute information storage section that stores attribute information of contents;

a virtual map creation section that creates a virtual map by allocating, in units of attribute information, icons that represent the contents based on the attribute information;

a display controller that calculates the movement amount on the virtual map from the physical movement amount and allows a display section to display a predetermined area of the virtual map whose center is the position of the input device on the virtual map after movement; and

an input section that inputs identification information of the content corresponding to the icon displayed on the predetermined area as input data when receiving an instruction from a user.