DISPLAY CONTROL DEVICE AND DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD

• US 20130159921A1
• Filed: 07/18/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Icho, Keiji, Kobayakawa, Yuichi, Inoue, Ryuji, Kawanishi, Ryouichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• 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 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A display control device includes a first-contents-list displaying unit which displays a first contents list on a display screen, a base-point-content identifying unit which identifies a base-point content on the first contents list, a base-point-content-position obtaining unit which obtains a first base-point-content position on the first contents list, a focus position obtaining unit which obtains a focus position on the first contents list, a positional difference calculating unit which calculates a positional difference between the first base-point-content position and the focus position, and a first scrolling unit which scrolls the first contents list displayed on the display screen so that the positional difference decreases.

Claims

1. A display control device comprising:

a first-contents-list displaying unit configured to display on a display screen a first contents list which is a scrollable list of contents;

a base-point-content identifying unit configured to identify a base-point content on the first contents list;

a base-point-content-position obtaining unit configured to obtain a first base-point-content position which is a position of the base-point content on the first contents list;

a focus position obtaining unit configured to obtain a focus position which is a position on the first contents list and is related to a predetermined region on the first contents list displayed on the display screen;

a positional difference calculating unit configured to calculate a positional difference between the obtained first base-point-content position and the obtained focus position; and

a first scrolling unit configured to scroll the first contents list displayed on the display screen so that the positional difference decreases.

2. The display control device according to claim 1,

wherein the positional difference calculating unit includes a tension calculating unit configured to calculate, as the positional difference, a magnitude of physical tension virtually produced between the first base-point-content position and the focus position in association with a distance between the first base-point-content position and the focus position;

and

the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list so that the tension decreases in accordance with a virtual restoring force of the tension.

3. The display control device according to claim 2, further comprising a tension displaying unit configured to visualize and display the magnitude of the tension on the display screen.

4. The display control device according to claim 3,

wherein the tension displaying unit is configured to represent and display the tension as a virtual rubber cord or spring.

5. The display control device according to claim 3,

wherein the tension displaying unit is configured to display the tension, between the first base-point-content position and the focus position.

6. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a positional difference displaying unit configured to visualize and display a magnitude of the positional difference on the display screen.

7. The display control device according to claim 6,

wherein the positional difference displaying unit is configured to display the magnitude of the positional difference by making the magnitude of the positional difference correspond to at least one of a length of a line, a thickness of a line, a shade of a color, an arrow, and a number.

8. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a base-point-content displaying unit configured to display the base-point content in a region different from the first contents list on the display screen,

wherein the positional difference calculating unit includes a tension calculating unit configured to calculate, as the positional difference, a magnitude of physical tension virtually produced between a second base-point-content position and the first base-point-content position in association with a distance between the second base-point-content position and the first base-point-content position, the second-base-point position being a position of a base-point content displayed by the base-point-content displaying unit and having a positional difference from the first base-point-content which corresponds to a positional difference between the first base-point-content position and the focus position;

and

the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list so that the tension decreases in accordance with a virtual restoring force of the tension.

9. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a second-contents-list displaying unit configured to display in a region different from the first contents list on the display screen a second contents list which is a list of contents which are candidates for the base-point content,

wherein the positional difference calculating unit includes a tension calculating unit configured to calculate, as the positional difference, a magnitude of physical tension virtually produced between a third base-point-content position and the first base-point-content position in association with a distance between the third base-point-content position and the first base-point-content position, the third base-point-content position being a position of a base-point-content identified on the second contents list and having a positional difference from the first base-point-content position which corresponds to a positional difference between the first base-point-content position and the focus position, and

the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list so that the tension decreases in accordance with a virtual restoring force of the tension.

10. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first point obtaining unit configured to accept designation of a first point position which is a position of a first point on the display screen;

a second point obtaining unit configured to accept designation of a second point position which is a position of a second point on the display screen; and

a second scrolling unit configured to scroll the first contents list so that a positional difference between the first base-point-content position and the focus position corresponds to a positional difference between the first point position and the second point position,

wherein the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list when the first point obtaining unit no longer accepts designation of the first point position or when the second point obtaining unit no longer accepts designation of the second point position.

11. The display control device according to claim 1,

wherein the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list so that the positional difference decreases to a predetermined magnitude in a constant time regardless of a magnitude of the positional difference.

12. The display control deice according to claim 1,

wherein the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list so that the positional difference decreases to a predetermined magnitude in a time corresponding to a magnitude of the positional difference.

13. The display control device according to claim 1,

wherein the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list so that the positional difference decreases to a predetermined magnitude in a time corresponding to the number of contents existing between the first base-point-content position and the focus position.

14. The display control device according to claim 1,

wherein the first scrolling unit is configured to scroll the first contents list so that the positional difference decreases to a predetermined magnitude in a time corresponding to a relationship between a time instant associated with the base-point content and a time instant associated with a content existing at the focus position.

15. The display control device according to claim 1,

wherein the base-point-content identifying unit is configured to receive information which identifies the base-point content from another device to identify a base-point content identified by the information.

16. A display control method comprising:

a first-contents-list displaying step of displaying on a display screen a first contents list which is a scrollable list of contents;

a base-point-content identifying step of identifying a base-point content on the first contents list;

a base-point-content-position obtaining step of obtaining a first base-point-content position which is a position of the base-point content on the first contents list;

a focus position obtaining step of obtaining a focus position which is a position on the first contents list and is related to a predetermined region on the first contents list displayed on the display screen;

a positional difference calculating step of calculating a positional difference between the obtained first base-point-content position and the obtained focus position; and

a first scrolling step of scrolling the first contents list displayed on the display screen so that the positional difference decreases.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to execute steps included in the display control method according to claim 16.

18. An integrated circuit comprising:

a first-contents-list displaying unit configured to display on a display screen a first contents list which is a scrollable list of contents;

a base-point-content identifying unit configured to identify a base-point content on the first contents list;

a base-point-content-position obtaining unit configured to obtain a first base-point-content position which is a position of the base-point content on the first contents list;

a focus position obtaining unit configured to obtain a focus position which is a position on the first contents list and is related to a predetermined region on the first contents list displayed on the display screen;

a positional difference calculating unit configured to calculate a positional difference between the obtained first base-point-content position and the obtained focus position; and

a first scrolling unit configured to scroll the first contents list displayed on the display screen so that the positional difference decreases.