INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20120069043A1
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Narita, Tomoya, Kano, Ritsuko, Kasahara, Shunichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,645,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/589
• 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 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An method is provided for controlling devices. The method comprises detecting location of an operating member in non-contacting proximity to a non-contacting interface. The method further comprises changing selection among a plurality of data objects belonging to a group, based on a change in detected location of the operating member while in proximity to the interface.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit for detecting location of an operating member in non contacting proximity to a non-contacting interface;

a changing unit for changing selection among a plurality of data objects belonging to a group, based on a change in detected location of the operating member while in proximity to the interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a display device for performing both display functions and functions of the non-contacting interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, comprising a calculating unit for calculating a distance between the detected operating member and the display device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the changing unit determines whether the calculated distance indicates that the operating member is within a proximity region, the proximity region being a region that is a predetermined distance from the display device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the changing unit changes selection among the plurality of data objects when the detected movement of the operating member is within the proximity region.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the changing unit determines whether the calculated distance indicates that the operating member is within a contact region, the contact region being a region between a display face of the display device and the proximity region.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the changing unit changes selection among a plurality of groups of data objects when the detected movement of the operating member is within the contact region.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the changing unit changes selection among a plurality of groups of data objects when the operating member is placed in contact with the display face of the display device; and

the detecting unit detects movement of the operating member according to a change in detected location of the operating member while the operating member maintains contact with the display face.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the detecting unit detects at least one of a direction of movement or a distance of movement of the operating member.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the changing unit prohibits changing of a selection when the detecting unit detects that the direction of movement of the operating member is at an oblique angle with respect to the display face of the display device.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the detecting unit:

detects a first coordinate for the operating member; and

detects a second coordinate for the operating member after a change in location of the operating member is detected.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the changing unit prohibits changing of a selection when a difference between the first coordinate and the second coordinate is not greater than a predetermined threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a processing unit for executing a predetermined process corresponding to the selected data object.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a display generator for displaying the plurality of data objects on the display device when the presence of the operating member is detected.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the display generator changes display of the plurality of data objects according to changed selection.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the display generator changes display of the selected data object to highlight the selected data object.

17. A method comprising:

detecting location of an operating member in non-contacting proximity to a non-contacting interface;

changing selection among a plurality of data objects belonging to a group, based on a change in detected location of the operating member while in proximity to the interface.

18. A tangibly embodied non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a computer to perform a method for displaying a plurality of objects, comprising:

detecting location of an operating member in non-contacting proximity to a non-contacting interface;

changing selection among a plurality of data objects belonging to a group, based on a change in detected location of the operating member while in proximity to the interface.