INFORMATION VIEWING APPARATUS, CONTROL PROGRAM AND CONTROLLING METHOD

• US 20120319971A1
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: EGUCHI, Tatsuya, Shibata, Tetsuhiro, Suka, Tsutomu, Hyodo, Keiichiro, Inoue, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Disclosed is an information viewing apparatus, which makes it possible for the user to conduct operations for inputting information and establishing various kinds of functions only by conducting consecutive simplified operations from a multi-touchable touch panel. The apparatus includes a display section provided with a multi-touchable touch panel having first and second touch panels, and a control section that controls the display section. In a state that the display section is displaying a document, when detecting a predetermined dragging action, the control section makes the display section displays an inputting screen, which allows the user to conduct an inputting operation from the second touch panel, during a time when a touching status is maintained in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document. When the touching status is released, the control section controls the display section so as to make the inputting screen evacuate from the document.

Claims

1. An information viewing apparatus, comprising:

a display section that is provided with a multi-touchable touch panel, which includes a first touch panel and a second touch panel so as to make it possible to detect multi-touching operations to be conducted by a user, and which is mounted over a display surface thereof; and

a control section that controls the display section, based on signals outputted by the multi-touchable touch panel;

wherein, in such a state that the display section is made to display a document on the display surface, when detecting a predetermined dragging action performed on the first touch panel by the user, the control section makes the display section display such an inputting screen that makes it possible for the user to conduct an inputting operation from the second touch panel, during a time when a touching status, in which the user keeps touching a stop position of the first touch panel after stopping the predetermined dragging action at the stop position, is maintained in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document; and

wherein, when the touching status, maintained at the stop position after the predetermined dragging action, is released, the control section controls the display section so as to make the inputting screen evacuate from the document.

2. The information viewing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the control section makes the display section display a designating area in a periphery of a document display area within which the document is displayed, and, when detecting a dragging action performed from a point of dragging origin, located within the designating area, the control section makes the display section display the inputting screen in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document.

3. The information viewing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein, when determining that the predetermined dragging action, currently detected, is different from another dragging action for turning a page of the document, the control section makes the display section display the inputting screen in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document.

4. The information viewing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the control section controls the display section so as to display the inputting screen at such a position that is located on a side of a point of dragging origin, referring to the stop position at which the predetermined dragging action has been stopped.

5. The information viewing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage section to store user'"'"'s information in regard to the user, therein;

wherein, based on the user'"'"'s information stored in advance in the storage section, the control section specify a dominant hand of the user who currently performs the predetermined dragging action, and controls the display section so as to display the inputting screen at such a position that is located on a side of the dominant hand of the user, referring to the stop position at which the predetermined dragging action has been stopped.

6. The information viewing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage section to store user'"'"'s information in regard to the user, therein;

wherein, when making the inputting screen evacuate from the document, the control section makes the storage section store either information, inputted into the inputted screen, or other information, established by operating the inputted screen, therein.

7. The information viewing apparatus of claim 6,

wherein, after making the inputting screen evacuate from the document, the control section controls the display section so as to display an icon for displaying the information or the other information onto the display section.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer executable program for implementing display controlling operations in an information viewing apparatus that includes a display section provided with a multi-touchable touch panel, which includes a first touch panel and a second touch panel so as to make it possible to detect multi-touching operations to be conducted by a user, and which is mounted over a display surface thereof, the program being executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform a process comprising:

displaying a document onto the display surface of the display section;

detecting a predetermined dragging action performed on the first touch panel by the user;

making the display section display such an inputting screen that makes it possible for the user to conduct an inputting operation from the second touch panel, during a time when a touching status, in which the user keeps touching a stop position of the first touch panel after stopping the predetermined dragging action at the stop position, is maintained in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document; and

controlling the display section so as to make the inputting screen evacuate from the document when the touching status, maintained at the stop position after the predetermined dragging action, is released.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8,

wherein the display section is made to display a designating area in a periphery of a document display area within which the document is displayed, and, when a dragging action, performed from a point of dragging origin located within the designating area, is detected, the display section is made to display the inputting screen in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8

wherein, when the predetermined dragging action, currently detected, is different from another dragging action for turning a page of the document, the display section is made to display the inputting screen in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8,

wherein the display section is controlled so as to display the inputting screen at such a position that is located on a side of a point of dragging origin, referring to the stop position at which the predetermined dragging action has been stopped.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, the process further comprising:

storing user'"'"'s information in regard to the user into a storage section;

wherein, based on the user'"'"'s information stored in advance in the storage section, a dominant hand of the user, who currently performs the predetermined dragging action, is specified, and the display section is controlled so as to display the inputting screen at such a position that is located on a side of the dominant hand of the user, referring to the stop position at which the predetermined dragging action has been stopped.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, the process further comprising:

storing user'"'"'s information in regard to the user into a storage section;

wherein, when the inputting screen is made to evacuate from the document, either information inputted into the inputted screen, or other information established by operating the inputted screen, is stored into the storage section.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13,

wherein, after the inputting screen is made to evacuate from the document, the display section is controlled so as to display an icon for displaying the information or the other information onto the display section.

15. A controlling method to be employed in an information viewing apparatus, including a display section that is provided with a multi-touchable touch panel, which includes a first touch panel and a second touch panel so as to make it possible to detect multi-touching operations to be conducted by a user, and which is mounted over a display surface thereof;

the controlling method comprising;

displaying a document onto the display surface of the display section;

detecting a predetermined dragging action performed on the first touch panel by the user;

making the display section display such an inputting screen that makes it possible for the user to conduct an inputting operation from the second touch panel, during a time when a touching status, in which the user keeps touching a stop position of the first touch panel after stopping the predetermined dragging action at the stop position, is maintained in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document; and

controlling the display section so as to make the inputting screen evacuate from the document when the touching status, maintained at the stop position after the predetermined dragging action, is released.

16. The controlling method of claim 15,

wherein the display section is made to display a designating area in a periphery of a document display area within which the document is displayed, and, when a dragging action, performed from a point of dragging origin located within the designating area, is detected, the display section is made to display the inputting screen in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document.

17. The controlling method of claim 15,

wherein, when the predetermined dragging action, currently detected, is different from another dragging action for turning a page of the document, the display section is made to display the inputting screen in such a manner that the inputting screen overlaps the document.

18. The controlling method of claim 15,

wherein the display section is controlled so as to display the inputting screen at such a position that is located on a side of a point of dragging origin, referring to the stop position at which the predetermined dragging action has been stopped.

19. The controlling method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing user'"'"'s information in regard to the user into a storage section;

wherein, based on the user'"'"'s information stored in advance in the storage section, a dominant hand of the user, who currently performs the predetermined dragging action, is specified, and the display section is controlled so as to display the inputting screen at such a position that is located on a side of the dominant hand of the user, referring to the stop position at which the predetermined dragging action has been stopped.

20. The controlling method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing user'"'"'s information in regard to the user into a storage section;

wherein, when the inputting screen is made to evacuate from the document, either information inputted into the inputted screen, or other information established by operating the inputted screen, is stored into the storage section.

21. The controlling method of claim 20,

wherein, after the inputting screen is made to evacuate from the document, the display section is controlled so as to display an icon for displaying the information or the other information onto the display section.