Electronic appliance having magnifying-glass display function, display controlling method, and display control program

• US 7,508,374 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsunoda, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US10/863,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20050001815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/173, 345/670, 345/671, 345/698, 345/169, 345/472.2
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

In a portable telephone, a sensor constructed of, for example, a 3-axial acceleration sensor is built in the vicinity of a display unit which is provided on a main body of the portable telephone. When a user moves the display unit along a vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to a display screen thereof while the user holds the appliance main body, the sensor senses both a move direction and a move amount of the display unit, and thus, information displayed on the display screen of the display unit is enlarged, or compressed in display magnification defined in response to the sensed move amount. As a result, a display size of the information displayed on the display screen can be changed in such a manner that the user may have such a natural feeling achieved by moving a magnifying glass.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen; and

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit;

wherein when the move amount detecting unit detects movement of the display unit in a direction directed from a rear surface of the display screen to a front surface of the display screen, the display control unit enlarges the information at a ratio in accordance with the detected move amount and displays the enlarged information, and

wherein when the move amount detecting unit detects movement of the display unit in a direction directed from the front surface of the display screen to the rear surface of the display screen, the display control unit compresses the information at a ratio in accordance with the detected move amount and displays the compressed information.

2. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen; and

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit;

wherein when the move amount detecting unit detects movement of the display unit in a direction directed from a rear surface of the display screen to a front surface of the display screen, the display control unit compresses the information at a ratio in accordance with the detected move amount and displays the compressed information, and

wherein when the move amount detecting unit detects movement of the display unit in a direction directed from the front surface of the display screen to the rear surface of the display screen, the display control unit enlarges the information at a ratio in accordance with the detected move amount and displays the enlarged information.

3. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen;

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit; and

an instruction unit for instructing an initializing display mode;

wherein when the initializing display mode is instructed by the instruction unit, the display control unit returns the display size of the information displayed on the display screen of the display unit back to a predetermined size.

4. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen;

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit; and

a magnification setting unit for setting a magnification value per a unit move amount;

wherein the display control unit determines a display magnification with respect to the detected move amount of the display screen of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction based upon the magnification value set by the magnification setting unit.

5. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen;

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit; and

a magnifying-glass mode operation button for controlling a changing process operation of the display size by the display control unit;

wherein the display control unit executes a display control operation for dynamically changing the display size of the information in response to the detected move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction, only when the magnifying glass mode operation button is depressed.

6. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen; and

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit;

wherein the display control unit controls the display size of the information not to be changed when the detected move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction is smaller than or equal to a predetermined value.

7. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen; and

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit;

wherein the display control unit controls the display size of the information not to be changed when a move direction of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction is different from a prior move direction of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction.

8. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on the display screen of the display unit;

a move amount detecting unit for detecting a move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen; and

a display control unit for causing the information stored in the storage unit to be displayed on the display screen in a manner such that a display size of the information is dynamically changed in response to the move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the move amount detecting unit;

wherein when the move amount detecting unit detects that the display unit has been moved in the substantially vertical direction over a distance longer than or equal to a predetermined distance, the display control unit changes the display size of information according to a predetermined ratio.

9. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

a magnifying-glass enlarging mode button for instructing an enlarging process operation of the display size; and

a magnifying-glass compressing mode button for instructing a compressing process operation of the display size;

wherein when the move amount detecting unit detects that the display unit has been moved over the distance longer than or equal to the predetermined distance in the substantially vertical direction, and when the magnifying-glass enlarging mode button is depressed, the display control unit enlarges the display size of the information in the predetermined ratio, and

wherein when the move amount detecting unit detects that the display unit has been moved over the distance longer than or equal to the predetermined distance in the substantially vertical direction, and when the magnifying-glass compressing mode button is depressed, the display control unit compresses the display size of the information in the predetermined ratio.

10. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

when the move amount detecting unit detects that the display unit has been moved in the substantially vertical direction over the distance longer than or equal to the predetermined distance, the display control unit selectively controls the display size of the information to be changed in accordance with a detected move direction of the display unit.

11. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen;

a storage unit for storing information which is displayed on a display screen of the display unit;

a first move amount detecting unit for detecting a first move amount of the display unit in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the display screen;

a second move amount detecting unit for detecting a second move amount of the display unit in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the display screen; and

a display control unit for reading a portion displayable on the display screen of the display unit from the information stored in the storage unit to display the read portion, and for dynamically changing a display size of the read portion of the information in response to the first move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction detected by the first move amount detecting unit, and for dynamically changing a display range of the read portion of the information in response to the second move amount of the display unit in the substantially horizontal direction detected by the second move amount detecting unit.

12. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

an instruction unit for instructing an initializing display mode;

wherein when the initializing display mode is instructed by the instruction unit, the display control unit returns the display size of the information displayed on the display screen of the display unit back to a predetermined size, and returns a display range of the information back to a predetermined range.

13. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the display control unit sets a changing speed of the display range in accordance with movement of the display screen of the display unit in the substantially horizontal direction in response to a move distance of the display screen of the display unit in the substantial vertical direction.

14. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a magnifying-glass mode operation button for controlling a changing process operation of the display size by the display control unit;

wherein the display control unit executes a display control operation for dynamically changing the display size of the information in response to the detected first move amount of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction, only when the magnifying glass mode operation button is depressed; and

wherein the display control unit executes a display control operation for dynamically changing the display size of the information in response to the detected second move amount of the display unit in the substantially horizontal direction only when the magnifying glass mode operation button is depressed.

15. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the display control unit controls the display size of the read portion of the information displayed on the display screen of the display unit to be continuously changed when the first move amount detecting unit detects a continuous movement of the display unit in the substantially vertical direction.