INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, PROCESSING METHOD THEREOF, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100125787A1
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Urashima, Hiroki, Chihara, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information processing apparatus inputs a coordinate value of a position designated on a screen which displays one or a plurality of objects, compares an input locus expressed by the input coordinate value string with a second locus, which is defined in advance as a locus used to give the instruction to execute a process for an object, and determines whether the input locus is a first locus or the second locus. When it is determined that the input locus is the first locus, the apparatus selects an object from the one or plurality of objects based on the display positions of the input locus and the object on the screen. When it is determined that the input locus is the second locus, the apparatus executes a process designated by the input locus with respect to the selected object.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an input unit configured to input a coordinate value of a position designated on a screen which displays one or a plurality of objects;

a determination unit configured to compare an input locus expressed by a coordinate value string input by the input unit, and a second locus which is defined in advance as a locus used to instruct to execute a process for the object, and to determine whether the input locus is a first locus or the second locus;

a selection unit configured to select, when the determination unit determines that the input locus is the first locus, object from the one or plurality of objects based on display positions of the input locus and the object on the screen; and

an execution unit configured to execute, when the determination unit determines that the input locus is the second locus, a process designated by the input locus with respect to the object selected by the selection unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects objects which intersect with the input locus on the screen, and

the execution unit executes the process in turn from an object which intersects with the input locus earlier when the input locus determined as the first locus is input.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit cannot determine whether or not the input locus is the second locus, the determination unit inquires a user about designation of the first locus or the second locus.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of input loci determined as the first loci are input before an input locus determined as the second locus is input, the selection unit selects objects for each of the plurality of input loci, and

the execution unit groups the objects selected by the plurality of input loci determined as the first loci for respective input loci having similar shapes, and selectively executes a process designated by the input locus determined as the second locus for respective grouped objects.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the execution unit assigns metadata to respective objects selected by the grouped input loci.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the input locus is not the second locus, the determination unit compares the input locus with a third locus which is defined in advance as a locus used to instruct to cancel selection of objects by the selection unit, and determines whether the input locus is the first locus or the third locus, and

when the determination unit determines that the input locus is the third locus, the selection unit cancels selection of objects based on the input locus.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a presentation processing unit configured to present a result of the process by the execution unit to a user.

8. A processing method for an information processing apparatus, comprising:

inputting a coordinate value of a position designated on a screen which displays one or a plurality of objects;

comparing an input locus expressed by a coordinate value string input in the inputting, and a second locus which is defined in advance as a locus used to instruct to execute a process for the object, and determining whether the input locus is a first locus or the second locus;

selecting, when it is determined in the determining that the input locus is the first locus, object from the one or plurality of objects based on display positions of the input locus and the object on the screen; and

executing, when it is determined in the determining that the input locus is the second locus, a process designated by the input locus with respect to the object selected in the selecting.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for making a computer function as:

an input unit configured to input a coordinate value of a position designated on a screen which displays one or a plurality of objects;

a determination unit configured to compare an input locus expressed by a coordinate value string input by the input unit, and a second locus which is defined in advance as a locus used to instruct to execute a process for the object, and to determine whether the input locus is a first locus or the second locus;

a selection unit configured to select, when the determination unit determines that the input locus is the first locus, object from the one or plurality of objects based on display positions of the input locus and the object on the screen; and

an execution unit configured to execute, when the determination unit determines that the input locus is the second locus, a process designated by the input locus with respect to the object selected by the selection unit.

10. An information processing apparatus having an input unit configured to input coordinates, comprising:

a first acceptance unit configured to accept, as a first locus, a locus of coordinates input via the input unit so as to designate an object as a processing target from objects displayed on a screen;

a second acceptance unit configured to accept, as a second locus, a locus of coordinates input via the input unit so as to designate process contents to be executed for the object as the processing target;

a processing target decision unit configured to decide objects as processing targets based on the first locus, and a positional relationship between the first locus and the second locus; and

an execution unit configured to execute a process based on the process contents accepted by the second acceptance unit with respect to the objects as the processing targets decided by the processing target decision unit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first locus has a closed curve shape, and

when the second locus is located inside the first locus, the processing target decision unit defines an area inside the first locus as a processing target area, and decides objects located within the processing target area as the processing targets.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first locus has a closed curve shape, and

when the second locus is located on the first locus, the processing target decision unit defines an area on the first locus as a processing target area, and decides objects located on the processing target area as the processing targets.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first locus has a closed curve shape, and

when the second locus is located outside the first locus, the processing target decision unit defines an area outside the first locus as a processing target area, and decides objects located within the processing target area as the processing targets.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the first locus and the second locus intersect with each other, the processing target decision unit defines an area on the first locus as a processing target area, and decides objects located on the processing target area as the processing targets, and when the first locus and the second locus do not intersect with each other, the processing target decision unit defines areas other than an area on the first locus as a processing target area, and decides objects located on the processing target area as the processing targets.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when one of an entire object, a part of an object, and a specific part in an object is located within the processing target area, the processing target decision unit decides the object as the processing target.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a process content decision unit configured to decide process contents to be executed for the object as the processing target based on the second locus and the positional relationship between the first locus and the second locus,

wherein the execution unit executes a process decided by the process content decision unit with respect to the objects as the processing targets decided by the processing target decision unit.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when the process content decision unit decides that alignment is executed for the objects as the processing targets, the process content decision unit further decides a direction to execute the alignment based on the positional relationship between the first locus and the second locus.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first locus has a closed curve shape, and

the first acceptance unit sets a plurality of coordinate points on the first locus, and when an angle a plurality of continuous coordinate points make is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the first acceptance unit excludes a coordinate point located at a center of the plurality of continuous coordinate points from the first locus.

19. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the first locus does not have a closed curve shape, the first acceptance unit accepts, as the first locus, a locus formed by connecting a start end and a terminal end of the first locus via a locus.

20. A processing method for an information processing apparatus having an input unit configured to input coordinates, comprising:

accepting, as a first locus, a locus of coordinates input via the input unit so as to designate an object as a processing target from objects displayed on a screen;

accepting, as a second locus, a locus of coordinates input via the input unit so as to designate process contents to be executed for the object as the processing target;

deciding objects as processing targets based on the first locus, and a positional relationship between the first locus and the second locus; and

executing a process based on the process contents accepted in the accepting the second locus with respect to the objects as the processing targets decided in the deciding the processing target.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for making a computer incorporated in an information processing apparatus, which has an input unit configured to input coordinates, function as:

a first acceptance unit configured to accept, as a first locus, a locus of coordinates input via the input unit so as to designate an object as a processing target from objects displayed on a screen;

a second acceptance unit configured to accept, as a second locus, a locus of coordinates input via the input unit so as to designate process contents to be executed for the object as the processing target;

a processing target decision unit configured to decide objects as processing targets based on the first locus, and a positional relationship between the first locus and the second locus; and

an execution unit configured to execute a process based on the process contents accepted by the second acceptance unit with respect to the objects as the processing targets decided by the processing target decision unit.