USER INTERFACE FOR PROCESSING DATA BY UTILIZING ATTRIBUTE INFORMATION ON DATA

• US 20080229223A1
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kake, Tomokazu
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• 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

A data processing technology of high convenience is provided. A data processing apparatus includes: a data file storing section which stores data files; a user interface section which assigns first objects to respective data units, displays the first objects on-screen, and accepts an operation on the data units in the form of an operation on the first objects, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in the data file storing section; and a grouping section which accepts an operation for instructing to group a plurality of the data units, groups those data units together, and determines attribute information pertaining to contents of the group and attaches it to the group based on pieces of attribute information attached to the respective data units, pertaining to contents of the data units.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a data file storing section which stores data files;

a user interface section which assigns first objects to respective data units, displays the first objects on-screen, and accepts an operation on the data units in the form of an operation on the first objects, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in the data file storing section; and

a grouping section which accepts an operation for instructing to group a plurality of the data units, groups those data units together, and determines attribute information pertaining to contents of the group and attaches it to the group based on pieces of attribute information attached to the respective data units, pertaining to contents of the data units.

2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a group database which stores information on the group, and wherein

the grouping section stores information for identifying the data units included in the group and the attribute information attached to the group into the group database in association with each other.

3. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

if the data units to be grouped include at least one group of a plurality of data files, the grouping section adds the rest of the data units to the group; and

if the data units to be grouped do not include any group of a plurality of data files, the grouping section creates a new group consisting of the data units.

4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a user makes an operation of moving a first object corresponding to a first data unit into contact with a first object corresponding to a second data unit, the groping section groups those data units together.

5. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grouping section determines a method of calculating the attribute information on the group in accordance with locations, directions, or speeds of the first objects when coming into contact with each other.

6. The data processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the grouping section determines which to give priority to, the attribute information on the first data unit or the attribute information on the second data unit, based on the direction of contact of the first object when calculating the attribute information on the group.

7. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a classification section which accepts an operation for instructing to classify a plurality of data units included in a data unit, the operating being made on a first object corresponding to the data unit that includes the plurality of data units, and deforms the first object in accordance with distribution of attribute information on the plurality of data units included in the data unit corresponding to the first object.

17. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an extraction section which accepts an operation for instructing to narrow down data units from a plurality of data units included in a data unit corresponding to a first object, based on a condition on the attribute information attached to the data unit, and releases a data unit or data units that is/are low in the degree of conformity to the condition, thereby extracting a data unit or data units that is/are high in the degree of conformity to the condition.

18. The data processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the operation for instructing to narrow down is an operation of dragging the first object to reciprocate or shake it.

19. The data processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the extraction section determines a threshold of the attribute information on the data unit(s) to be extracted, in accordance with the speed of the operation.

8. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a data file storing section which stores data files;

a user interface section which assigns first objects to respective data units, displays the first objects on-screen, and accepts an operation on the data units in the form of an operation on the first objects, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in the data file storing section; and

a classification section which accepts an operation for instructing to classify a plurality of data units included in a data unit, the operating being made on a first object corresponding to the data unit that includes the plurality of data units, and deforms the first object in accordance with distribution of pieces of attribute information attached to the respective plurality of data units included in the data unit corresponding to the first object, pertaining to contents of the plurality of data units.

9. The data processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the classification section determines the shape of the first object by mapping the data units with a plurality of types of attribute information on axes.

10. The data processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the operation for instructing to classify is an operation of clicking or pressing the first object.

11. The data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the classification section determines an amount of deformation of the first object in accordance with a strength or duration of the clicking or pressing operation.

12. The data processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the classification section gives a pointer of a pointing device a condition on attribute information, and deforms the first object in accordance with distribution of similarities between the attribute information on the plurality of data units included in the data unit corresponding to the first object and the attribute information given to the pointer.

13. The data processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the classification section determines an amount of deformation of the first object in accordance with a distance between the pointer and the first object.

14. The data processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the classification section accepts an operation for instructing to separate part of the data units classified, and separates, from the data units corresponding to the first object, a data unit or data units having attribute information corresponding to the separation-instructed part of the first object that is deformed in accordance with the attribute information.

15. The data processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the operation for instructing to separate is an operation of dragging the part of the first object.

16. The data processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the classification section determines a threshold of the attribute information on the data unit to be separated, in accordance with the speed of the operation.

20. The data processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a release section which accepts an operation for instructing to release the plurality of data units that are included in the data unit corresponding to the first object, and releases the grouping of the data unit corresponding to the first object.

21. The data processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the user interface section erases the first object from the screen, and displays first objects corresponding to the data units included in the data unit corresponding to the first object on-screen.

22. The data processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the release section displays how the first objects corresponding to the data units included in the first object pop out from the original first object.

23. The data processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the operation for instructing to release is an operation of clicking or pressing the first object with a strength higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold, an operation of clicking or pressing the first object for a period longer than or equal to a predetermined threshold, or an operating of dragging the first object to reciprocate or shake it at a speed higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

24. A data processing method comprising:

assigning first objects to respective data units and displaying the first objects on-screen, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in a data file storing section which stores data files;

accepting an operation on the data units in the form of an operation on the first objects; and

accepting an operation for instructing to group a plurality of the data units, grouping those data units together, and determining attribute information pertaining to contents of the group and attaching it to the group based on pieces of attribute information attached to the respective data units, pertaining to contents of the data units.

25. A data processing program product comprising:

a module which assigns first objects to respective data units and displays the first objects on-screen, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in a data file storing section which stores data files;

a module which accepts an operation on the data units in the form of an operation on the first objects; and

a module which accepts an operation for instructing to group a plurality of the data units, groups those data units together, and determines attribute information pertaining to contents of the group and attaches it to the group based on pieces of attribute information attached to the respective data units, pertaining to contents of the data units.

26. A computer-readable recording medium containing a data processing program for making a computer execute the functions of:

assigning first objects to respective data units and displaying the first objects on-screen, the data units each being a data file or a group of a plurality of data files stored in a data file storing section which stores data files;

accepting an operation on the data units in the form of an operation on the first objects; and

accepting an operation for instructing to group a plurality of the data units, grouping those data units together, and determining attribute information pertaining to contents of the group and attaching it to the group based on pieces of attribute information attached to the respective data units, pertaining to contents of the data units.