Apparatus and method for selecting data sets

• US 6,880,131 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2000
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Shinichi, Nakazono, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/515,905
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 715/813, 715/853, 715/819, 715/828, 707/205, 345/864, 345/866, 345/810, 345/817, 345/818, 345/819, 345/825, 345/840, 345/841, 345/184, 345/169, 345/168
• US Class Current: 715/840
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99956 File allocation

Abstract

A storage medium stores a large number of data sets or files as grouped in a smaller number of data groups or directories, each data group containing a plurality of data sets. On a control panel is provided a display screen, and are also provided a plurality of group call buttons to be individually allocated for the respective data groups and a plurality of data set designating buttons to be individually allocated for the respective data sets. When the user actuates an intended one of the group call buttons, identifying names or marks of the data sets of the called group are listed in a display screen for a further selection of the intended data set from among the listed group by user'"'"'s actuation of an intended one of the data set designating buttons. This enables an easy and speedy selection of a particular intended data set from among a large number of data sets.

Claims

1. A data set selecting apparatus connectable to an external storage device, wherein said storage device stores a plurality of data sets that are grouped into a plurality of data groups, comprising:

a display screen;

a plurality of data group selecting controls, each data group selecting control being allocated to each of said data groups;

a plurality of data set selecting controls that are three-dimensional controls located separately in the vicinity of said display screen;

an initial page setting device for designating, as an initial page data set, a desired data set from amongst the plurality of data sets that belong to a desired data group as selected by a user by means of a desired one of said plurality of data group selecting controls; and

a display controller which causes said display screen to list a plurality of identifiers, each representing each of at least a part of said plurality of data sets belonging to a desired data group which is selected by the user by means of the data group selecting control that is allocated to said desired data group such that an order of identifiers to be listed on said screen is determined by said initial pave data set and that each of said listed plurality of identifiers is exhibited on said display screen at a location corresponding to and in the vicinity of each of said plurality of data set selecting controls that are thus allocated to said listed identifiers, wherein operating each of said plurality of data set selecting controls causes selection of the data set indicated by the identifier allocated to the operated data set selecting control.

2. A data set selecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control panel, and wherein said display screen is provided on said control panel, and said data group selecting controls are arranged on said control panel.

5. A data set selecting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display controller causes said display screen to display the identifier with the identifiers representing said initial page data set being located at the top of the listed plurality of identifiers.

3. A method for selecting data sets from among data sets stored in an external storage device storing a plurality of data sets that are grouped into a plurality of data groups, said method comprising:

a step of individually allocating, to each of a plurality of data group selecting controls, one of said data groups;

a step of selecting a data group including the data sets belonging thereto by using a plurality of data group selecting controls;

a step of setting an initial nape data set by designating a desired data set from among the plurality of data sets that belong to the data group as selected by said step of selecting, a data group;

a step of displaying, on a display screen, a list of identifiers, each representing each of said data sets included in said selected data group; and

a step of selecting a data set from among the data sets correspondingly represented by said listed identifiers, by using a plurality of data set selecting controls, each of which is correspondingly allocated to one of said data set displayed wherein said plurality of data set selecting controls are three-dimensional controls located separately and outside of the display screen, each of which are correspondingly located near the allocated identifier listed, wherein an order of identifiers to be listed on said display screen is determined by said initial page data set and each of said listed plurality of identifiers is exhibited on said display screen at a location corresponding to and in the vicinity of each of said plurality of data set selecting controls which are thus allocated to said listed identifiers, and wherein the operating of the data set selecting controls cause a selection of the data set corresponding to the identifier that corresponds to the operated data set selecting control.

4. A storage medium for use in an apparatus for selecting data sets, said apparatus being of a data processing type comprising a processor, a display screen, a plurality of data group selecting controls, and a plurality of data set selecting controls, said apparatus being connectable to an external storage device storing a plurality of data sets that are grouped into a plurality of data groups, said plurality of data set selecting controls being three-dimensional controls located separately and outside of the display screen, each of which are correspondingly located near an allocated identifier displayed on said display screen, said medium containing a set of executable instructions for causing the processor to perform the steps of:

individually allocating, to each of a plurality of data group selecting controls, one of said data groups;

selecting a data group including data sets belonging thereto by using a plurality of data group selecting controls, each of which is correspondingly allocated to one of said plurality of data groups;

for a selected data group, setting an initial page data set by designating a desired data set from amongst the plurality of data sets that belong to the data group as selected by said step of selecting a data group;

displaying, on said display screen, a list of identifiers, each identifier representing a corresponding one of data sets of a data group selected by the user; and

selecting a data set from among the data sets correspondingly represented by said listed identifiers, wherein each of data set selecting;

controls is correspondingly allocated for each of said data set individually, wherein the range and the order of the listed identifiers are determined by said initial page data set, and each of said listed plurality of identifiers is exhibited on said display screen at a location corresponding to and in the vicinity of each of said plurality of data set selecting controls that are thus allocated to said listed identifiers, and wherein operating each of said plurality of data set selecting controls causes selection of the data set indicated by the identifier allocated to the operated data set selecting control.