Inputting apparatus

• US 8,271,900 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Wakizaka, Masaaki, Watanabe, Toshinari
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US12/646,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 715/821, 715/835, 715/701, 345/156
• US Class Current: 715/821
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

An inputting apparatus including: a display unit on which an image is displayed; a detecting portion configured to detect an approach value which represents an approaching or a touching degree of an input object with respect to each position in the display unit and which becomes larger where the approaching or touching degree is a certain degree than where the approaching or touching degree is a degree smaller than the certain degree; a button-display portion which displays at least one button; a receiving portion which receives an input of a predetermined command assigned to one of the at least one button where an approach value detected in the one button exceeds a first threshold value; and an enlarging and displaying portion which enlarges and displays only the one button on the display unit where the approach value exceeds a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value.

Claims

1. An inputting apparatus, comprising:

a display unit on which an image is displayed;

a detecting portion configured to detect an approach value which represents an approaching degree or a touching degree of an input object with respect to each of positions in the display unit and which becomes larger where the approaching degree or the touching degree is a certain degree than where the approaching degree or the touching degree is a degree smaller than the certain degree;

a button-display portion configured to display at least one button on the display unit, each of the at least one button comprising;

a display area comprising an entire area in which an image representing the each of the at least one button is displayed, and

a button name of the each of the at least one button displayed in the display area;

a receiving portion configured to receive an input of a predetermined command assigned to one of the at least one button when an approach value detected in the one button displayed by the button-display portion exceeds a first threshold value;

a positional-information detecting portion configured to detect positional information indicating a position of the input object on the display unit;

an entering-position specifying portion configured to specify an entering position at which the input object has entered the one button for the first time on the basis of the positional information detected by the positional-information detecting portion;

a reference-point determining portion configured to determine a reference point on the basis of the entering position specified by the entering-position specifying portion; and

an enlarging and displaying portion configured to enlarge and display only the one button on the display unit when the approach value detected in the one button exceeds a second threshold value which is smaller than the first threshold value,

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to enlarge the display area of the one button at a predetermined ratio from the reference point determined by the reference-point determining portion,

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to enlarge the button name of the one button at another predetermined ratio in the enlarged display area at a position distant from the reference point by a distance greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, and

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to separate the button name of the one button into a plurality of parts and to arrange the plurality of parts in the display area, such that an entirety of the button name is displayed in the display area at a position different from the entering position.

2. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the button-display portion is configured to simultaneously display a plurality of buttons on the display unit,

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion includes an extracting portion configured to extract all ones of the plurality of buttons displayed on the display unit, the ones having respective approach values having detected by the detecting portion, each of which exceeds the second threshold value, and

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to enlarge and display only one of the buttons extracted by the extracting portion, the one having the largest approach value.

3. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to display a button name representing a name of the one button at a position which is different from the position of the input object detected by the positional-information detecting portion and which overlaps with the one button enlarged and displayed by enlarging and displaying portion.

4. The inputting apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the button-display portion is configured to display the one button by using a frame representing an edge of the one button, and

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to display the button name within the frame.

5. The inputting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to display the button name, such that the size of the displayed button name is reduced, or such that the plurality of parts are displayed on a plurality of lines.

6. The inputting apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to display the button name at a position distant from the position of the input object by a predetermined distance.

7. The inputting apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to change a manner of the display of the button name such that the button name is displayed within the frame and at the position distant from the position of the input object by the predetermined distance.

8. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second threshold value is a value which is smaller than an approach value at a time when the input object touches the display unit.

9. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to enlarge and display, instead of the one button, another button different from the one button where the approach value does not exceed the first threshold value and where an approach value of said other button is larger than that of the one button.

10. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a direction in which the input object is to be moved is estimated on the basis of a change of a position of the input object, and

wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to display the button name on the display unit on the basis of the estimated direction in which the input object is to be moved, such that the button name is not hidden by the input object.

11. The inputting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to display the button name, such that an orientation of the button name is changed on the basis of the estimated direction.

12. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enlarging and displaying portion is configured to display the button name at a tip of the input object.

13. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a state in which the input object has approached the one button enlarged and displayed by the enlarging and displaying portion, a position at which the button name is displayed continues to be changed to a position distant from the input object, such that the button name is not hidden by the input object during the movement of the input object over the one button.

14. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entering-position specifying portion is configured to specify, as the entering position, a position at which the input object has entered the one button for the first time, by reference to a history of output voltage of the display unit.

15. The inputting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display unit is separated into a plurality of areas, and

wherein the entering-position specifying portion is configured to specify the entering position on the basis of one of the plurality of areas that the input object has approached for the first time.

16. The inputted apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input-rejecting portion configured to reject the input to the at least one button other than the enlarged button when the one button is enlarged and displayed.