Information processing apparatus and method, and program

• US 7,844,913 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Kayoko, Kashimoto, Kaori, Yoshimasu, Hajime, Ijichi, Susumu, Tabuchi, Makoto, Takenouchi, Ryuji, Sato, Koichi, Kobayashi, Koji, Masuda, Hiroyuki, Amano, Ryoko
• Primary Examiner(s): PESIN, BORIS M
• Application Number:
  US11/032,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20050183026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: 715/531
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is provided including a first display control unit for controlling display of an area to which to paste an image representing a content and selected to start reproduction of the content. A second display control unit displays a list of images when a display instruction to display the list of the images is given. Under control of the first display control unit, one screen including a different number of layers according to a category of data created in the area to which to paste the image is displayed in the area.

Claims

1. An information-processing apparatus, comprising:

a processing unit configured to retrieve all content data that can be pasted to a displayed database, each of the content data being in a respective one of a plurality of categories, each of the plurality of categories being defined by a different one of a plurality of applications that reproduces the content data in the category;

a display control unit configured to control a display unit to display a plurality of representations in a first area of the display unit when an interface receives a first instruction, each of the plurality of representations representing a different one of the content data, to control the display unit to display a pasted one of the plurality of representations in a second area of the display unit when the interface receives a second instruction defined by a dragging operation on one of the plurality of representations from the first area to the second area, and to update the plurality of representations in the first area by excluding all of the plurality of representations that represent content data in one of the plurality of categories, in response to a selection, via the interface, of the one of the plurality of categories, wherein

the processing unit is further configured to request the one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the content data represented by the pasted one of the plurality of representations to reproduce the content data represented by the pasted one of the plurality of representations upon an operation on the pasted one of the plurality of representations displayed in the second area.

2. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display the first area within the second area, when the interface receives the first instruction.

3. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit is further configured to control the display unit to change a number of the plurality of representations displayed in the first area, based on one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database.

4. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display control unit is configured to control the display unit to change the number of the plurality of representations displayed in the first area, based on the one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database and the one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the one of the content data represented by one of the plurality of representations.

5. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display control unit is configured to control the display unit to stop displaying, in the first area, the one of the plurality of representations, based on the one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database and the one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the one of the content data represented by the one of the plurality of representations.

6. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the displayed database is in a same one of the plurality of categories as is one of the content data, the one of the plurality of representations representing the one of the content data is not displayed in the first area.

7. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to control the display unit to display, in the second area, in respective layers, at least two of the plurality of representations, the respective layers corresponding to one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database.

8. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the display control unit is configured to control the display unit to display, in the second area, the respective layers in an order based on the one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database.

17. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display control unit is further configured to control the display unit to display, in the second area, the pasted one of the plurality of representations in a layer associated with one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database and the one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the content data represented by the pasted one of the plurality of representations.

18. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to request the one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the content data represented by the one of the plurality of representations in the first area to reproduce the content data represented by the one of the plurality of representations in the first area upon an operation on the one of the plurality of representations displayed in the first area.

19. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to generate the plurality of representations based on the retrieved content data in response to the first instruction.

9. An information-processing apparatus, comprising:

processing means for retrieving all content data that can be pasted to a displayed database, each of the content data being in a respective one of a plurality of categories, each of the plurality of categories being defined by a different one of a plurality of applications that reproduces the content data in the category;

control means for controlling a display unit to display a plurality of representations in a first area of the display unit when an interface receives a first instruction, each of the plurality of representations representing a different one of the content data, for controlling the display unit to display a pasted one of the plurality of representations in a second area of the display unit when the interface receives a second instruction defined by a dragging operation on one of the plurality of representations from the first area to the second area, and for updating the plurality of representations in the first area by excluding all of the plurality of representations that represent content data in one of the plurality of categories, in response to a selection, via the interface, of the one of the plurality of categories, wherein

the processing means requests the one of the plurality of the applications defining the category of the content data represented by the pasted one of the plurality of representations to reproduce the content data represented by the pasted one of the plurality of representations upon an operation on the pasted one of the plurality of representations displayed in the second area.

10. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control means controls the display unit to stop displaying, in the first area, the one of the plurality of representations, based on one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database and one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the one of the content data represented by the one of the plurality of representations.

11. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when the displayed database is in a same one of the plurality of categories as is one of the content data, the one of the plurality of representations representing the one of the content data is not displayed in the first area.

12. The information-processing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control means controls the display unit to display, in the second area, in respective layers, at least two of the plurality of representations, the respective layers being displayed in an order based on one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database.

13. A computer-readable medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

retrieving all content data that can be pasted to a displayed database, each of the content data being in a respective one of a plurality of categories, each of the plurality of categories being defined by a different one of a plurality of applications that reproduces the content data in the category;

controlling a display unit to display a plurality of representations in a first area of the display unit when a first instruction is received, each of the plurality of representations representing a different one of the content data;

controlling the display unit to display a pasted one of the plurality of representations in a second area of the display unit when a second instruction defined by a dragging operation on one of the plurality of representations from the first area to the second area is received;

updating the plurality of representations in the first area by excluding all of the plurality of representations that represent content data in one of the plurality of categories, in response to a selection of the one of the plurality of categories; and

requesting the one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the content data represented by the pasted one of the plurality of representations to reproduce the content data represented by the pasted one of the plurality of representations upon an operation on the pasted one of the plurality of representations displayed in the second area.

14. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13, the method further comprising:

controlling the display unit to stop displaying, in the first area, the one of the plurality of representations, based on one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database and the one of the plurality of applications defining the category of the one of the content data represented by the one of the plurality of representations.

15. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13, wherein, when the displayed database is in a same one of the plurality of categories as is one of the content data, the one of the plurality of representations representing the one of the content data is not displayed in the first area.

16. The computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13, the method further comprising:

controlling the display unit to display, in the second area, in respective layers, at least two of the plurality of representations, the respective layers being displayed in an order based on one of the plurality of applications reproducing the displayed database.