Display apparatus and portable information processing apparatus

• US 6,661,438 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2000
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Tsuji, Keisuke, Shiraishi, Atsushi, Nakashima, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): THAI, CUONG T
• Application Number:
  US09/484,715
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 345/781, 345/837, 345/844, 345/839, 345/978, 345/835, 345/810, 345/727, 345/751, 345/752, 345/700, 345/702, 345/771, 345/772
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A display apparatus has a communication unit which performs at least receiving of a plurality of pieces of display data. The display apparatus also has first storage device for storing received plurality of pieces of display data. The display apparatus further has a second storage unit for storing at least one piece of first icon information corresponding to at least one of the pieces of display data and at least one piece of second icon information of a display form different from that of the first icon information. The display apparatus further has a display unit for displaying, on a menu screen, at least one of the first icon information and the second icon information. The display apparatus further has a control unit for selecting the first icon information or the second icon information based on the number of pieces of display data newly registered in the first storage unit and for controlling the displaying unit so that the selected icon information is displayed on the menu screen.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

communicating means which performs at least receiving of a plurality of pieces of display data;

first storage means for storing received plurality of pieces of display data;

second storage means for storing at least one piece of first icon information corresponding to at least one of said pieces of display data and at least one piece of second icon information of a display form different from that of said first icon information;

displaying means for displaying, on a menu screen, at least one of said first icon information and said second icon information;

controlling means for selecting said first icon information or said second icon information based on the number of pieces of display data newly registered in said first storage means and for controlling said displaying means so that the selected icon information is displayed on said menu screen;

wherein, when the number of pieces of said first icon information is such that the sum of display areas of said pieces of first icon information falls within a predetermined region of said menu screen, said pieces of first icon information are displayed in accordance with the number of the pieces of display data;

whereas, when the number of pieces of said first icon information is such that the sum of said display areas does not fall within said predetermined region of said menu screen, said second icon information is displayed commonly for said plurality of pieces of display data; and

wherein said controlling means performs selection between said first icon information and said second icon information based on the number of the pieces of said first icon information to be displayed.

2. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first icon information is formed in a configuration different from that of said second icon information.

3. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first icon information is formed in a color different from that of said second icon information.

4. A portable information processing apparatus, comprising a display apparatus as set forth in claim 1.

5. The display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the display of said first icon information is performed such that a piece of first icon information is displayed for one piece of registered display data,

wherein the display of said second icon information is performed such that pieces of first icon information of a number corresponding to the number of pieces of registered display data are displayed on said menu screen in a partly overlapping manner; and

wherein said controlling means performs, based on the number of pieces of the display data, a control such that a plurality of pieces of said second icon information are displayed on said menu screen in the partly overlapping manner.

6. The display apparatus of claim 5, further comprising time measuring means for measuring time to recognize the time of registration of said display data thereby producing time information;

wherein said controlling means performs display control such that the display of said plurality of pieces of second icon information in the partly overlapping manner is executed in a time sequence based on the time information produced by said time measuring means.

7. The display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said display data includes data size information concerning the size of said display data;

wherein said first icon information includes third icon information which is generated and displayed when said data size does not exceed a predetermined size and a fourth icon information which is generated and displayed in a form different from that of the display of said third icon information when said data size exceeds said predetermined size; and

wherein said controlling means performs selection between said third icon information and said fourth icon information based on said data size information.

8. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising operation means which permits an operation to input said display data to said first storage means;

wherein said display data includes designated time information which indicates time for inspection of input information designated by a user;

wherein said first icon information includes a plurality of pieces of fifth icon information prepared in different modes of display corresponding to time designated by said designated time information; and

wherein said controlling means selects one of the pieces of fifth icon information based on said designated time information, thereby changing and controlling the mode of display of said fifth icon information in accordance with the degree of urgency of said display data.

9. The display apparatus of claim 8,

wherein said second storage means includes inspection checking character data which is synthetically displayed on a window for displaying said display data when the user points a point in said window;

and

wherein said controlling means performs control based on an operational input through said operation means, so as to synthetically display the character data in the window.

10. The display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said display data includes designated importance information which indicates degree of importance designated by a user;

wherein said first icon information includes a plurality of pieces of sixth icon information formed in different modes of display corresponding to the degrees of importance designated by the designated importance information; and

wherein said controlling means selects one of the pieces of sixth icon information based on said designated importance information, thereby changing and controlling the mode of display of said sixth icon information in accordance with the degree of importance of said display data.

11. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first icon information is formed in a size different from that of said second icon information.

12. The display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said display data includes designated time information which indicates time for inspection of the display data designated by a user and representing the degree of urgency of said display data;

and

wherein said controlling means includes a brightness control unit for controlling the brightness of display of at least one of said first icon information and said second icon information based on said designated time information.

13. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein said display data includes designated time information which indicates time for inspection of the display data designated by a user and representing the degree of urgency of said display data;

and

wherein said controlling means includes a blinking frequency control unit for controlling the blinking frequency of display of at least one of said first icon information and said second icon information based on said designated time information.

14. The display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said display data is composed of a plurality of types of information;

and

wherein said controlling means includes a notification control unit which notifies the user of the presence of information by giving signs which act on the five senses of the user'"'"'s body, based on the contents of plurality of types of information and the state of the user.

15. The display apparatus of claim 14, further comprising time measuring means for measuring the input time of the display data thereby producing time information,

wherein said notification control unit has a vibration generating unit that generates vibration in a stepped manner so as to stimulate the user, based on the time information produced by said time measuring means.

16. The display apparatus of claim 14, further comprising time measuring means for measuring the input time of the display data thereby producing time information,

wherein said notification control unit has a voice generating unit that generates voice adjustable in a stepped manner, based on the time information produced by said time measuring means.

17. The display apparatus of claim 14, further comprising time measuring means for measuring the input time of the display data thereby producing time information,

wherein said notification control unit has a tone changing unit that changes adjustable alarming tone in a stepped manner, based on the time information produced by said time measuring means.

18. The display apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

time measuring means for measuring time; and

operation means for enabling the user to input designated time;

wherein said notification control unit operates based on the designated time so as to cause one of said first icon information, said second icon information and said display data to be displayed on said displaying means.

19. A display apparatus, comprising:

first storage means for storing at least one piece of display data;

second storage means for storing at least one piece of icon information corresponding to said at least one piece of display data;

displaying means having a menu screen on which said at least one piece of icon data is displayed;

controlling means which performs control such that said icon information stored in said second storage means is displayed on said menu screen, based on the number of pieces of display data newly registered in said first storage means;

communicating means that performs at least receiving of said display data;

wherein said controlling means performs control of display of said icon information based on the number of pieces of said display data newly registered in said first storage means via said communicating means;

wherein said display data includes electronic mail information supplied from a source of the information via said communicating means, and sender information concerning the sender of the electronic mail;

wherein a plurality of said second storage means are prepared corresponding to different senders, and a plurality of pieces of character data representing face appearances of said senders are contained in the plural second storage means; and

wherein said controlling means selects one from said plurality of pieces of character based on said sender information and causes the selected character data to be displayed simultaneously with the arrival of said electronic mail information.

20. A display apparatus according to claim 19,

wherein said controlling means performs control such that pieces of icon information displayed on the menu screen are erased from said menu display screen based on the number of pieces of the display data erased from said first storage means.

21. A display apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising communicating means which performs at least transmission of said display data,

wherein said controlling means performs control based on the number of pieces of display data erased from said first storage means and transmitted by said communicating means, such that pieces of icon information of the number corresponding to the number of the pieces of the erased display data are erased from said menu screen.

22. A display apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising operation means for erasing said display data from said first storage means,

wherein said controlling means performs control based on the number of pieces of display data erased from said first storage means by an operation input through said operation means, such that pieces of icon information of the number corresponding to the number of the pieces of the erased display data are erased from said menu screen.

23. A display apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising operation means which permits said display data to be newly registered in said first storage means;

wherein said controlling means performs control of display of said icon information based on the number of pieces of said display data newly registered in said first storage means by an operation of said operation means.

24. A display apparatus according to claim 23,

wherein said display data includes input information which is input by an operation conducted by the user, and input time information concerning the time at which said input information is input by the operation;

and

wherein said controlling means performs display control based on the input time information such that the so as to cause said icon information to be displayed on said menu screen.

25. A display apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said first storage means has a plurality of pieces of attribute information for identifying attributes of said plurality of pieces of display data,

wherein said controlling means selects, based on at least one piece of attribute information, at least one piece of icon information corresponding to the attribute of at least one piece of display data, and causes the selected icon information to be displayed on said menu display.

26. A display apparatus according to claim 25,

wherein said display data includes electronic mail information received through said communicating means and arriving time information concerning the time of arrival of said electronic mail information;

and

wherein said controlling means performs, based on the arrival time information, control of display of the pieces of icon information on a menu screen in a time sequence corresponding to the order of the arrival time.

27. A portable information processing apparatus, comprising a display apparatus as set forth in claim 19.

28. The display apparatus of claim 19, further comprising operation means which enables the user to appoint a position of a display cursor movable on the display screen of said display means and to select one piece of icon information through the appointment of the cursor position,

wherein said second storage means includes first character data indicating one mode of display of said cursor and a plurality of pieces of second character data indicating other modes of display of said cursor;

and

wherein said controlling means performs control such that, when no operation input has been made through said operation means, said first character data is displayed on said display means, whereas, when operation input has been made through said operation means, said plurality of pieces of second character data are displayed on said display means while being selectively switched from one to another.