HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20080184171A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Noriko, Sato, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,365,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

The hierarchical structure display device includes a hierarchical structure storing unit, a display unit, and a display control unit. The hierarchical structure storing unit stores information about a hierarchical structure of menus where each item contained in a menu is linked to a directly beneath level menu. The display control unit controls the display unit to display at least one menu in the display screen and to preserve at least a first region in the display screen for displaying titles of items contained in a menu of interest. The titles of items contained in a menu are arranged one after another in the second direction with each title extending in the first direction, and the first region has a first length in the first direction long enough to entirely visibly indicate the titles of items. When the designating unit designates items in succession while advancing to a deeper level of the menus, the display control unit controls the display unit to preserve in the display screen not only the first region but also a second region that has a second length extending in the first direction and being shorter than the first length and to display at least a part of the menus in the second region.

Claims

1. A hierarchical structure display device comprising:

a hierarchical structure storing unit that stores information about a hierarchical structure of menus where each item contained in a menu is linked to a directly beneath level menu;

a display unit that has a display screen extending in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;

a designating unit that designates an item contained in each of the menus; and

a display control unit that controls the display unit to display at least one menu in the display screen based on the information stored in the hierarchical structure storing unit and to preserve at least a first region in the display screen for displaying titles of items contained in a menu of interest, wherein the titles of items contained in a menu are arranged one after another in the second direction with each title extending in the first direction, and the first region has a first length in the first direction long enough to entirely visibly indicate the titles of items, and wherein when the designating unit designates items in succession while advancing to a deeper level of the menus, the display control unit controls the display unit to preserve in the display screen not only the first region but also a second region that has a second length extending in the first direction and being shorter than the first length and to display at least a part of the menus in the second region.

2. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit controls the display unit to display the designated item to have a display style different from a display style of an item other than the designated item.

3. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display style is selected from the group consisting of a size of letters, a thickness of letters, a color of letters, a font of letters, and a decoration of letters.

4. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display control unit changes at least one of the size of letters and the thickness of letters depending on a number of items designated in succession.

5. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an icon storing unit that stores icons in association with the items, wherein the display control unit controls the display unit to display in the display screen an icon in association with an item designated by the designating unit.

6. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the designating unit designates items in succession while advancing to a deeper level of the menus, the display control unit controls the display unit to display in the display screen a part of the menus that have been accessed in designating the items and to hide a remaining part of the menus that have been accessed in designating the items.

7. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the display control unit controls the display unit to display in the display screen a remaining part of the menus that have been accessed in designating the items.

8. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit controls the display unit to dynamically change the second length of the second region.

9. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the designating unit designates items in succession while advancing to a deeper level of the menus, the items designated by the designating unit are displayed in sub areas of the second region on a menu-by-menu basis to be arranged along a line parallel to the first direction, the display control unit controls the display unit to display each title of items to extend beyond a sub area so that the each title of the designated items is entirely visually indicated in the display screen.

10. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the designating unit designates items in succession while advancing to a deeper level of the menus and when an item designated by the designating unit is displayed in a second region adjacent to a first region, the display control unit controls the display unit to display the title of designated item in the second region to extend beyond the first region so that the title of item is entirely visually indicated in the display screen.

11. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein when titles of items to be displayed in adjacent sub areas are longer than respective lengths of the sub areas in the first direction, the display control unit controls the display unit to display a title of one item so that the title of the one item is entirely visually indicated in the display screen.

12. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein when titles of items to be displayed in adjacent sub areas are longer than respective lengths of the sub areas in the first direction, the display control unit changes a position in the second direction of at least one of the titles of items to prevent interference to the title of item displayed in adjacent sub area.

13. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit controls the display unit to rotate a title of item designated by the designating unit to be oriented in a direction parallel to the second direction.

14. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit maintains a displaying state of the display unit until further item is designated.

15. The hierarchical structure display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the designating unit sets a parameter.

16. A hierarchical structure display method that controls a hierarchical structure display device storing information about a hierarchical structure of menus where each item contained in a menu is linked to a directly beneath level menu, and having a display unit that has a display screen extending in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the method comprising:

designating an item contained in each of the menus; and

controlling the display unit to display at least one menu in the display screen based on the information about the hierarchical structure of menus and to preserve at least a first region in the display screen for displaying titles of items contained in a menu of interest, wherein the titles of items contained in a menu are arranged one after another in the second direction with each title extending in the first direction, and the first region has a first length in the first direction long enough to entirely visibly indicate the titles of items, and wherein when the designating designates items in succession while advancing to a deeper level of the menus, the controlling controls the display unit to preserve in the display screen not only the first region but also a second region that has a second length extending in the first direction and being shorter than the first length and to display at least a part of the menus in the second region.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a hierarchical structure display device that stores information about a hierarchical structure of menus where each item contained in a menu is linked to a directly beneath level menu, and that has a display unit having a display screen extending in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the program instructions comprising:

designating an item contained in each of the menus; and

controlling the display unit to display at least one menu in the display screen based on the information about the hierarchical structure of menus and to preserve at least a first region in the display screen for displaying titles of items contained in a menu of interest, wherein the titles of items contained in a menu are arranged one after another in the second direction with each title extending in the first direction, and the first region has a first length in the first direction long enough to entirely visibly indicate the titles of items, and wherein when the designating designates items in succession while advancing to a deeper level of the menus, the controlling controls the display unit to preserve in the display screen not only the first region but also a second region that has a second length extending in the first direction and being shorter than the first length and to display at least a part of the menus in the second region.