Electronic apparatus

• US 20060274053A1
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kinouchi, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0234 using switches operable in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

An electronic apparatus capable of a suppress area for user interface parts and improving operability, including a touch sensor for detecting contact by an object on a predetermined detection area and operation buttons for detecting press imposed at predetermined positions on the detection area; wherein a screen of a display part continuously scrolls in accordance with movement of a contact position detected by the touch sensor and the screen is scrolled only by a predetermined width every time press on the operation buttons is detected, and it is sufficient to run a finger on the detection area of the touch sensor for scrolling continuously and no button operation is necessary, and when scrolling while selecting items in order by buttons, the operation buttons are provided in the detection area of the touch sensor, so that it is not required many finger movement.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a contact detection part detecting contact to a predetermined detection area,

a press detection part detecting press imposed on predetermined positions on the detection area; and

a processing part continuously performing predetermined processing based on information indicating movement of a contact position detected by the contact detection part and discontinuously performing the predetermined processing based on information indicating press detected by the press detection part.

2. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a display;

wherein the processing part continuously scrolls the data displayed on the display based on information indicating movement of a contact position detected by the contact detection part and scrolls only by a predetermined width the data displayed on the display every time press is detected by the press detection part.

3. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a movement direction determination part determining a movement direction of a contact position detected by the contact detection part;

wherein the press detection part detects press at a first position and a second position on the detection area; and

the processing part continuously scrolls the data displayed on the display in the first direction when the movement direction determination part determines that the contact position changes in the direction from the second position to the first position, continuously scrolls the data displayed on the display in the opposite second direction from the first direction when the movement direction determination part determines that the contact position movement from the first position to the second position, scrolls the data displayed on the display in the first direction only by a predetermined width when press on the first position is detected by the press detection part, and scrolls the data displayed on the display in the second direction only by the predetermined width when press on the second position is detected by the press detection part.

4. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 2, comprising a movement distance acquiring part acquiring a movement distance of the contact position detected by the contact detection part;

wherein the processing part continuously scrolls the data displayed on the display at a speed in accordance with a movement distance acquired by the movement distance acquiring part.

5. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the movement distance acquiring part acquires as the movement distance a distance between an initial contact position when shifting from a state where the contact detection part dose not detect any contact to another state where contact is detected and a contact position after shifting.

6. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the processing part

stops the scrolling when contact becomes undetectable by the contact detection part when scrolling the data displayed on the display,

stops the scrolling when contact is detected again after the contact becomes undetectable once by the contact detection unit when scrolling the data displayed on the display, or

stops the scrolling when movement of the contact position detected by the contact detection part stops.

7. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the processing unit continuously scrolls the data displayed on the display when the press detection unit detects predetermined number of press in predetermined time.

8. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

the press detection part detects press at a first position and a second position in the detection area and a third position and a fourth position inside or outside of the detection area;

the processing part displays a part of a list of a plurality of items divided into a plurality of item groups on the display, moves a display range for each item in order from a lower part to an upper part of the list when press is detected at the first position by the press detection part, moves a display range for each item in order from an upper part to a lower part of the list when press is detected at the second position by the press detection part, moves a display range to an item group at an upper part of the list than an item group currently displayed on the screen when press is detected at the third position by the press detection part, and moves a display range to an item group at a lower part of the list than an item group currently displayed on the screen when press is detected at the fourth position by the press detection part.

9. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a memory part for storing the plurality of the data,

wherein the processing part displays on the display as a list of the plurality of items made to be associated respectively with the plurality of the data stored in the memory part, continuously scrolls the list in accordance with movement of the contact position detected by the contact detection part, scrolls the list only by a predetermined number of items every time press is detected at the predetermined position by the press detection part, reads the data corresponding to any one of items currently displayed on the display from the memory part and reproduces the same.

10. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein when the press detection part detects press at the predetermined position and the contact position detected by the contact detection part is changed, the processing part judges that press at the predetermined position is not detected, and performs the processing.

11. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a contact detection part detecting contact on a predetermined detection area,

a movement distance acquiring part acquiring a movement distance of a contact position detected by the contact detection part, and

a processing part performing processing based on information indicating a movement distance acquired by the movement distance acquiring part.

12. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the movement distance acquiring part acquires as the movement distance a distance between an initial contact position when shifting from a state where the contact detection part does not detect any contact to a state where contact is detected and a contact position after shifting.

13. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein the processing part sets a predetermined value relating to an execution condition of predetermined processing to be a value in accordance with the movement distance acquired by the movement distance acquiring part and executes the predetermined processing based on the set value.

14. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a display,

wherein the processing part continuously scrolls the display data on the display at a speed in accordance with a movement distance acquired by the movement distance acquiring part.

15. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein the processing part stops the scrolling when contact becomes undetectable by the contact detection part when scrolling the data displayed on the display, or stops scrolling when contact is detected again after the contact becomes undetectable once by the contact detection part when scrolling the data displayed on the display.

16. An electronic apparatus as set forth in claim 14, further comprising a memory part storing a plurality of the data,

wherein the processing part displays on the display as a list a plurality of items made to be associated respectively with a plurality of data stored in the memory part, continuously scrolls the list at a speed in accordance with the movement distance acquired by the movement distance acquiring part, reads the data corresponding to any one of items currently displayed on the display and reproduces the same.

17. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a contact detection means for detecting contact to a predetermined detection area,

a press detection means for detecting press imposed on predetermined positions on the detection area; and

a processing means for continuously performing predetermined processing based on information indicating movement of a contact position detected by the contact detection means and discontinuously performing the predetermined processing based on information indicating press detected by the press detection means.