Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program

• US 20100241976A1
• Filed: 03/10/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nozaki, Megumi, Okumura, Mitsuo, Miyoshi, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 8,434,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: a display element; an indicated position detection means whose manipulating face is placed on a display screen of the display element and which accepts an indicating manipulation performed by a user, and detects and outputs information on coordinates representing a position indicated with the indicating manipulation; a detection means for detecting the indicated position on the display screen and the style of the indicating manipulation on the basis of the information on coordinates fed from the indicated position detection means; and a display control means for dividing the display screen into a first area, in which at least item shifting operating pieces are disposed, and a second area in which display items that are objects of item shifting are displayed, and implementing control so that pieces of display information will be displayed in the first area and second area respectively.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display element;

an indicated position detection means whose manipulating face is placed on a display screen of the display element and which accepts an indicating manipulation performed by a user, and detects and outputs information on coordinates representing a position indicated with the indicating manipulation;

a detection means for detecting the indicated position on the display screen of the display element and the style of the indicating manipulation on the basis of the information on coordinates fed from the indicated position detection means; and

a display control means for dividing the display screen of the display element into a first area, in which at least item shifting operating pieces are disposed, and a second area in which display items that are objects of item shifting are displayed, and implementing control so that pieces of display information will be displayed in the first area and second area respectively,

wherein when the result of detection fed from the detection means signifies that a manipulation has been performed on the operating piece disposed in the first area, the display control means changes one or both of the first area and second area on the display screen according to a facility allocated to the operating piece.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display control means can switch a first display, which includes a pair of item shifting operating pieces and other facility selecting operating pieces including a display switching operating piece, and a second display, which includes two pairs of item shifting operating pieces and the display switching operating piece, for the first area;

and

when the first display is set in the first area, if the result of detection fed from the detection means signifies that a manipulation has been performed on the item shifting operating piece, the display control means implements control so that the display in the first area will be switched from the first display into the second display and the display in the second area will be shifted.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

when the first display is set in the first area, if the result of detection fed from the detection means signifies that a manipulation has been performed on the display switching operating piece in the first display, the display control means switches the display in the first area from the first display to the second display;

and

when the second display is set in the first area, if the result of detection fed from the detection means signifies that a manipulation has been performed on the display switching operating piece in the second display, the display control means switches the display in the first area from the second display to the first display.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising:

a measurement means for measuring a time elapsing after the display in the first area is switched from the first display to the second display, wherein

after the display in the first area is switched from the first display to the second display, if an indicating manipulation performed on the first area by a user is not detected by the detection means during a certain time, the display control means switches the display in the first area from the second display to the first display.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, 3, or 4, wherein

the pair of item shifting operating pieces in the first display is a pair of first operating pieces for use in instructing item shifting in which a magnitude of shifting is small;

the two pairs of item shifting operating pieces in the second display include a pair of first operating pieces for use in instructing item shifting in which a magnitude of shifting is small, and a pair of second operating pieces for use in greatly changing display items that are objects of display.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first operating pieces are used to perform item shifting in units of a display item or a display line, and the second operating pieces are used to change a category of display items.

7. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

allowing a display control means to divide a display screen of a display element into a first area, in which at least item shifting operating pieces are disposed, and a second area in which display items that are objects of item shifting are displayed, and to implement control so that pieces of display information will be displayed in the first area and second area respectively;

accepting an indicating manipulation which is performed by a user, by way of an indicated position detection means whose manipulating face is placed on the display screen of the display element and which accepts an indicating manipulation performed by a user, and detects and outputs information on coordinates representing a position indicated with the indicating manipulation;

when an indicating manipulation performed by a user is accepted at the indicating manipulation accepting step, allowing a detection means to detect the indicated position on the display screen of the display element and the style of the indicating manipulation on the basis of the information on coordinates fed from the indicated position detection means; and

when the result of detection fed from the detection means at the detecting step signifies that a manipulation has been performed on an operating piece disposed in the first area, allowing the display control means to implement control so that one or both of the first area and second area on the display screen will be changed according to a facility allocated to the operating piece.

8. A computer-readable information processing program causing a computer installed in an information processing apparatus to execute the processing comprising the steps of:

allowing a display control means to divide a display screen of a display element into a first area, in which at least item shifting operating pieces are disposed, and a second area in which display items that are objects of item shifting are displayed, and to implement control so that pieces of display information will be displayed in the first area and second area respectively;

accepting an indicating manipulation which is performed by a user, by way of an indicated position detection means whose manipulating face is placed on the display screen of the display element and which accepts an indicating manipulation performed by a user, and detects and outputs information on coordinates representing a position indicated with the indicating manipulation;

when an indicating manipulation performed by a user is accepted at the indicating manipulation accepting step, allowing a detection means to detect the indicated position on the display screen of the display element and the style of the indicating manipulation on the basis of the information on coordinates fed from the indicated position detection means; and

when the result of detection fed from the detection means at the detecting step signifies that a manipulation has been performed on the operating piece disposed in the first area, allowing the display control means to implement control so that one or both of the first area and second area on the display screen will be changed according to a facility allocated to the operating piece.

9. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display element;

an indicated position detection unit whose manipulating face is placed on a display screen of the display element and which is configured to accept an indicating manipulation performed by a user, and detect and output information on coordinates representing a position indicated with the indicating manipulation;

a detection unit configured to detect the indicated position on the display screen of the display element and the style of the indicating manipulation on the basis of the information on coordinates fed from the indicated position detection unit; and

a display control unit configured to divide the display screen of the display element into a first area, in which at least item shifting operating pieces are disposed, and a second area in which display items that are objects of item shifting are displayed, and to implement control so that pieces of display information will be displayed in the first area and second area respectively,

wherein when the result of detection fed from the detection unit signifies that a manipulation has been performed on the operating piece disposed in the first area, the display control unit changes one or both of the first area and second area on the display screen according to a facility allocated to the operating piece.