Information processing apparatus

• US 7,631,274 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kumagai, Akira, Yoshihara, Hiroto
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zahr; Ashraf
• Application Number:
  US11/060,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 715/767, 715/815, 715821-823, 715/838
• US Class Current: 715/815
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Any icon on a launcher screen 22 is changed from a basic-size (first-size) icon Is to a second-size icon Im one size larger than the basic-size icon Is and further a third-size icon IL further one size larger than the second-size icon Im in accordance with operation using an operation unit. The icons Is, Im and IL having different sizes are displayed with a difference in luminance from one to another. The basic-size icon Is is displayed with the darkest luminance, and the third-size icon IL is displayed with the brightest luminance. The third-size icon IL indicates the icon is an active icon. For example, when the icon is selected by operation using an “Enter” key or the like on the keyboard unit 112, execution of a function allocated to the icon is started.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising a computer readable medium and a processor configured to execute computer instructions stored on the computer readable medium to perform the following steps:

displaying an operation screen on a display unit, the operation screen having a plurality of icons arrayed by category, each category being represented by a category image, wherein the plurality of icons are displayed in three icon sizes;

a normal size, a first enlarged size, and a second enlarged size;

receiving a selection of one of the icons displayed on the operation screen;

displaying the selected icon in the first enlarged size;

displaying any other icons in the category to which the selected icon belongs in the second enlarged size; and

displaying other icons not in the same category as that of the selected icon in the normal size.

2. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the steps further comprising:

changing size of the pre-selected icon into the first enlarged size when one of the icons displayed on a operation screen is pre-selected in response to an operation of the operation unit; and

changing size of any other icon in the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs into a second enlarged size that is smaller than the first enlarged size.

3. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, the steps further comprising:

changing the size of the icon of the first enlarged size into the second enlarged size while the size of the pre-selected icon is changed into the first enlarged size when one of the icons of the second enlarged size is pre-selected in response to the operation of the operation unit.

4. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the icons displayed on the operation screen are icons allocated to currently executable functions respectively.

5. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the steps further comprising:

displaying the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs with higher luminance than any other category by an icon management unit.

6. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, the steps further comprising:

displaying the icons with different luminance in accordance with the size of each of the icons by the icon management unit.

7. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the steps further comprising:

displaying a control panel for controlling functions allocated to the icons together with the operation screen by a control unit.

8. The information processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit selectively displays on the control panel operation portions that are currently configurable.

9. A method for controlling an operation screen in which a plurality of icons are arrayed, the method comprising:

arranging a plurality of icons in an array on an operation screen by category, each category being represented by a category image, wherein the icons are displayed in three icon sizes;

a normal size, a first enlarged size, and a second enlarged size;

enlarging, in response to an operation for pre-selecting one of the icons arrayed on the operation screen, the pre-selected icon to the first enlarged size, while displaying any other icon in the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs in the second enlarged size, and setting the icon enlarged to the first enlarged size to an active state; and

displaying other icons not in the same category as that of the selected icon in the normal size.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein when enlarging the pre-selected icon to the first enlarged size, any other icon in the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs is enlarged to a second enlarged size that is smaller than the first enlarged size.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising changing, in response to the operation for pre-selecting one of the icons of the second enlarged size, an icon of the first enlarged size into the second enlarged size, and changing the pre-selected icon into the first enlarged size.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the icons displayed on the operation screen are icons allocated to currently executable functions.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising displaying an icon array portion of the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs with higher luminance than any other category.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising displaying the icons with different luminance in accordance with the size of each of the icons.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising displaying a control panel for controlling functions allocated to the icons together with the operation screen.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the control panel is selectively displayed with operation portions that are currently configurable.

17. A software program product stored in a computer readable medium for causing a computer to execute procedures comprising:

displaying an operation screen having a plurality of icons arrayed by category, each category being represented by a category image, wherein the icons are displayed in three icon sizes;

a normal size, a first enlarged size, and a second enlarged size;

enlarging, in response to an operation for pre-selecting one of the icons arrayed on the operation screen, the pre-selected icon to the first enlarged size, while displaying any other icon in the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs in a state distinguishable from other icons that belong to a different category, and setting the icon enlarged to the first enlarged size to an active state; and

displaying other icons not in the same category as that of the selected icon in the normal size.

18. The software program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein when enlarging the pre-selected icon to the first enlarged size, any other icon in the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs is enlarged to the second enlarged size that is smaller than the first enlarged size.

19. The software program product as claimed in claim 18, further causing the computer to execute procedures comprising changing, in response to the operation for pre-selecting one of the icons of the second enlarged size, an icon of the first enlarged size into the second enlarged size, and changing the pre-selected icon into the first enlarged size.

20. The software program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein the icons displayed on the operation screen are icons allocated to currently executable functions.

21. The software program product as claimed in claim 17, further causing the computer to execute procedures comprising displaying an icon array portion of the category to which the pre-selected icon belongs with higher luminance than any other category.

22. The software program product as claimed in claim 17, further causing the computer to execute procedures comprising displaying the icons with different luminance in accordance with the size of each of the icons.

23. The software program product as claimed in claim 17, further causing the computer to execute procedures comprising displaying a control panel for controlling functions allocated to the icons together with the operation screen.

24. The software program product as claimed in claim 23, wherein the control panel is selectively displayed with operation portions that are currently configurable.