Display control with movable or updatable auxiliary information

• US 6,529,218 B2
• Filed: 07/09/1999
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Hideaki, Tanigawa, Hidekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/350,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20020180802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 345/799, 345/784, 345/804, 345/864, 345/788, 345/789, 345/786, 345/808, 345/809, 345/781, 345/160, 345/169, 701/211, 701/208, 701/212, 701/213, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 715/799
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A display controller includes: an output device with a display and an audio output port; external storage; an external input device; and a key input device. On the external storage, menu for map information, positional coordinates of the menu when displayed on the screen, and positional coordinates of the map information when displayed on the screen are stored. The external input device includes a navigation controller and a GPS receiver. When an image scrolling instruction is input through the key input device, the menu moves in the direction in which the display image is moving.

Claims

1. A display controller comprising:

a display screen for presenting thereon a part of display information as a display image, part of the display screen being allocated for an auxiliary information display area; and

means for, deciding if the auxiliary information display area on the display screen is to be moved or not, based on a present location of the auxiliary information display area and a scrolling direction, and if the auxiliary information display area is to be moved, moving the auxiliary information display area in a direction in which the display image is scrolled.

2. The display controller of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary information display araea moves within a range such that it does not disappear from the display screen.

3. The display controller of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary information display area moves to a predetermined location regardless of a scrolling amount of the display image.

4. A display controller comprising:

a display screen for presenting thereon a part of display information as a display image;

an external input device for receiving and outputting a scroll instruction signal, which is externally supplied to scroll the display image;

information storage for storing thereon auxiliary information to be presented on the display screen and information about a location at which auxiliary information is to be displayed; and

means for deciding if the auxiliary information display area on the display screen is to be updated or not, based on the scroll instruction signal supplied from the external input device and the present display location information, and if the display location information is to be updated, updating the display location information such that the location of the auxiliary information displayed moves on the display screen in a direction in which the display image moves,

wherein the display screen presents the auxiliary information as part of the display image based on the updated display location information.

5. The display controller of claim 4,

wherein the display information is map information, and

wherein the external input device is a key input device, a navigation controller or a GPS receiver.

6. A display controlling method comprising the steps of:

a) presenting a part of display information as a display image on a display screen;

b) defining an auxiliary information display area on part of the display screen;

c) scrolling the display image in response to a scroll instruction signal externally supplied; and

d) deciding if the auxiliary information display area on the display screen is to be moved or not, based on a present location of the auxiliary information display area and a scrolling direction, and if the auxiliary information display area is to be moved, moving the auxiliary information display area on the display screen in a direction in which the display image is scrolled.

7. The display controlling method of claim 6, wherein the display information is map information, and

wherein the scroll instruction signal is generated using a key input device, a navigation controller or a GPS receiver.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a display control program for presenting a part of display information on a display screen, the display control program being executable in a computer for performing the steps of:

a) presenting a part of the display information as a display image on the display screen;

b) defining an auxiliary information display area on part of the display screen;

c) scrolling the display image in response to a scroll instruction signal externally supplied; and

d) deciding if the auxiliary information display area on the display screen is to be moved or not, based on a present location of the auxiliary information display area and a scrolling direction, and if the auxiliary information display area is to be moved, moving the auxiliary information display area on the display screen in a direction in which the display image is scrolled.