DISPLAY APPARATUS, DISPLAY METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20100097338A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: MIYASHITA, Ken, Matsuda, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,704,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A display apparatus is provided which includes a display control unit which displays predetermined information on a display screen, a position detecting unit which detects a touch position on the display screen touched by a touch substance, and a display splitting unit which, when the position detecting unit detects at least two touch positions, splits the display screen into at least two display areas according to movement of at least one of the at least two touch positions.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display control unit which displays predetermined information on a display screen;

a position detecting unit which detects a touch position on the display screen touched by a touch substance; and

a display splitting unit which, when the position detecting unit detects at least two touch positions, splits the display screen into at least two display areas according to movement of at least one of the at least two touch positions.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a split position determining unit which determines a position between the at least two touch positions as a position of a border line of the at least two display areas based on the at least two touch positions.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the split position determining unit determines the position of the border line so that the border line is drawn through a middle point between the at least two touch positions before the movement.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the split position determining unit determines the position of the border line so that the border line is drawn through a middle point between the at least two touch positions after the movement.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when one of the touch positions is moved, the split position determining unit determines the position of the border line so that the border line is drawn near the other unmoved touch position.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when after the display splitting unit splits the display screen into the at least two display areas, the position detecting unit detects at least one touch position on the border line of the at least two display areas, the split position determining unit moves the position of the border line so that the border line follows the movement of the at least one touch position.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a split direction determining unit which determines a direction of the border line of the at least two display areas within the display screen according to the at least two touch positions.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the split direction determining unit determines a direction vertical to a line for connecting the at least two touch positions as the direction of the border line.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the split direction determining unit determines a direction vertical to the moving direction of at least one of the at least two touch positions as the direction of the border line.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when after the display splitting unit splits the display screen into the at least two display areas, the position detecting unit detects at least two touch positions on the border line of the at least two display areas, the split direction determining unit rotates the direction of the border line according to the movement of at least one of the at least two touch positions.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a relative distance between the at least two touch positions becomes short, the display control unit displays an image obtained by enlarging at least a part of the predetermined information on the display screen before the display splitting unit splits the display screen.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a relative distance between the at least two touch positions becomes long, the display control unit displays an image obtained by contracting at least a part of the predetermined information on the display screen before the display splitting unit splits the display screen.

13. A display method comprising the steps of:

controlling display so that predetermined information is displayed on a display screen;

detecting a touch position on the display screen touched by a touch substance; and

when at least two touch positions are detected at the step of detecting the position, splitting the display screen into at least two display areas according to movement of at least one of the at least two touch positions.

14. A program which allows a computer to realize:

a display control function which displays predetermined information on a display screen;

a position detecting function which detects a touch position on the display screen touched by a touch substance; and

a display splitting function which, when the position detecting function detects at least two touch positions, splits the display screen into at least two display areas according to movement of at least one of the at least two touch positions.