Compact information terminal apparatus, method for controlling such apparatus and medium

• US 7,113,168 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurosawa, Takahiro, Oya, Takashi, Bannai, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao
• Application Number:
  US09/948,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20020059217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/161, 345/163, 345/168, 345/173, 345/738, 345/739, 345/788, 345/805, 345/808, 345/810, 345/815, 345/819, 345/820, 200/5.A, 200/6.A, 715808-810, 715/812, 715/828, 715/841
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

In a compact information terminal apparatus including display means having a displaying function equivalent to that of a personal computer, a browser for browsing a hyper text can easily be manipulated without altering the hyper text formed for the personal computer. When a position other than a hot spot of the hyper text on a browsing view is designated by using a position designating input device which can be manipulated by one hand, a group of operation buttons of the browser for the hyper text is displayed in the vicinity of a designated position.

Claims

1. An information terminal apparatus having a browser which browses structured data which includes reference information, comprising:

a position designator which moves a pointer on a display view of the structured data and designates a position of the pointer; and

a controller which refers to a linked destination of the reference information in the case that the position designated by said position designator is a display position of the reference information of the structured data, which displays instruction information for operating said browser and a display area of the instruction information in the case that the position designated by said position designator is a position other than the display position of the reference information of the structured data, and which undisplays the instruction information and the display area in the case that the pointer moves outside of the display area.

2. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position designator includes a plurality of switches to which a function for instructing shifting directions of the pointer on the display view and a function for determining a present position of the pointer as the designated positions are assigned, and said controller displays the instruction information for operating said browser in the vicinity of the present position of the pointer when a designated position is a position other than the display position of the reference information.

3. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction information includes a group of buttons embodied as figures for operating instructions, and an operating instruction corresponding to each button is executed in response to designating one of said buttons by said position designator.

4. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shape of the pointer moved by said position designator is changed between a display area of the instruction information and the other areas.

5. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pointer is shifted from button to button in the group of buttons area and is shifted from pixel to pixel in the areas other than the group of buttons area.

6. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the group of buttons includes at least one button for scrolling the display view in an up or down direction, a button for displaying a history list, a button for displaying a preceding file, a button for displaying a succeeding file in the history list, a button for reading-in a present URL again, a button for temporarily interrupting the reading-in, a button for displaying an initial home page, a button for displaying a list of bookmarks, and a button for inputting a URL.

7. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position designator includes one shuttle switch for instructing an up or down shifting direction of the pointer on die display view and one shuttle switch for instructing a left or right shifting direction of the pointer, and a function for determining a present position of the cursor as the designated position is assigned to at least one of said shuttle switches.

8. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position designator includes one shuttle switch to which a function for instructing shifting directions of the pointer on the display view and a function for determining a present position of the pointer as the designated position are assigned, and one tact switch which switches the shifting directions by the shuffle switch.

9. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position designator includes one encoder for inputting a shifting amount of the pointer in an up or down direction on the display view, and one encoder for inputting a shifting amount of the pointer in a left or right direction, and a function for determining a present position of the pointer as the designated position is assigned to at least one of said encoders.

10. An information terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position designator includes one encoder to which a function for instructing shifting directions of the pointer on the display view and a function for determining a present position of the pointer as the designated position are assigned, and one tact switch which switches the shifting directions by the encoder.

11. A method for controlling an information terminal apparatus having a browser which browses structured data which includes reference information, comprising:

a position discriminating step of discriminating a position of a pointer designated on a display view of the structured data; and

a controlling step of selectively referring to a linked destination of the reference information of the structured data corresponding to the position discriminated in said position discriminating step, displaying instruction information for operating said browser and a display area of the instruction information, or undisplaying the instruction information and the display area, in accordance with the discriminated position in said position discriminating step.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said controlling step displays the instruction information for operating said browser in the vicinity of the present position of the pointer.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the instruction information includes a group of buttons embodied as figures for operating instructions, and an operating instruction corresponding to each button is executed in response to designating one of said buttons.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein a shape of the pointer is changed between a display area of the instruction information and the other areas.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the pointer is shifted from button to button in the group of buttons area and is shifted from pixel to pixel in the areas other than the group of buttons area.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein the group of buttons includes at least one button for scrolling the display view in an up or down direction, a button for displaying a history list, a button for displaying a preceding file, a button for displaying a succeeding file in the history list, a button for reading-in a present URL again, a button for temporarily interrupting the reading-in, a button for displaying an initial home page, a button for displaying a list of bookmarks, and a button inputting a URL.

17. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable program instructions applicable to an information terminal apparatus which hosts a browser for browsing structured data which includes reference information, the program instructions comprising:

a position discriminating routine for discriminating a position of a pointer designated on a display view of the structured data; and

a controlling routine for selectively referring to a linked destination of the reference information of the structured data corresponding to the position discriminated in said position discriminating routine, displaying instruction information for operating said browser and a display area of the instruction information, or undisplaying the instruction and the display area, in accordance with the position discriminated in said position discriminating routine.

18. A medium according to claim 17, wherein said controlling routine displays the instruction information for operating said browser in the vicinity of the present position of the pointer.

19. A medium according to claim 17, wherein the instruction information includes a group of buttons embodied as figures for operating instructions, and a operating instruction corresponding to each button is executed in response to designating one of said buttons.

20. A medium according to claim 17, wherein a shape of the pointer is changed between a display area of the instruction information and the other areas.

21. A medium according to claim 20, wherein the pointer is shifted from button to button in the group of buttons area and is shifted from pixel to pixel in the areas other than the group of buttons.

22. A medium according to claim 19, wherein the group of buttons includes at least one button for scrolling the display view in an up or down direction, a button for displaying a history list a button for displaying a preceding file, a button for displaying a succeeding file in the history list, a button for reading-in a present URL again, a button for temporarily interrupting the reading-in, a button for displaying an initial home page, a button fin displaying a list of bookmarks, and a button for inputting a URL.