Information processing apparatus and display control method

• US 8,711,182 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Tetsuo, Aoyama, Ryu, Tsurumi, Takehiko, Moriya, Shoichiro, Homma, Fuminori
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, David H
• Application Number:
  US12/693,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/661
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is provided which includes a display unit on which an object is displayed, a position detector for detecting a position of an operating tool that is made to contact a surface of the display unit, a reference position determination unit for determining as a reference position a position of an operating tool that is detected first by the position detector when a plurality of operating tools are made to contact the display unit, a display change operation specifying unit for specifying, according to a moving direction of a position of an operating tool that is detected N-th (N≧2) by the position detector, a specific display change operation associated with the direction, and a display controller for performing on the object the display change operation specified by the display change operation specifying unit with the reference position determined by the reference position determination unit as a reference.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a position detection unit configured to detect a position of a plurality of operating tools that are made to contact a surface of a display unit or brought into proximity thereof;

a reference position determination unit configured to determine as a reference position a position of a first operating tool of the plurality of operating tools that is detected to be contacting the display unit or to be within proximity thereof;

a display change operation specifying unit configured to specify, according to a moving direction of a position of a second operating tool of the plurality of operating tools that is detected to be contacting the surface of the display unit or to be within proximity thereof simultaneous with the detection of the first operating tool, a specific display change operation associated with the moving direction;

an operation amount determination unit configured to determine, according to a movement amount of the detected second operating tool, a specified operation amount associated with the display change operation; and

a display control unit configured to perform on an object which is displayed on the display unit the display change operation specified by the display change operation specifying unit with the reference position determined by the reference position determination unit as a reference,

wherein the display control unit includes

a reference indicator display unit for making the display unit display, when the reference position is determined by the reference position determination unit, a reference indicator indicating the reference position; and

a change indicator display unit for making the display unit display, when the specific display change operation is specified by the display change operation specifying unit, at least one change indicator indicating a type of the specific display change operation or a change amount by the specific display change operation.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a type detection unit for detecting a type of the operating tool whose position was detected by the position detection unit, wherein,

when operating tools of mutually different types are detected by the type detection unit,

the reference position determination unit determines as a reference a position of the first operating tool of a first type detected by the position detection unit, and

the display change operation specifying unit specifies, according to a moving direction of a position of the second operating tool of a second type detected by the position detection unit that is different from the first type, a specific display change operation associated with the direction.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

when the second operating tool is moved in a direction associated with an enlargement operation or a reduction operation, the display control unit enlarges or reduces the object with the reference position determined by the reference position determination unit as a center.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

when the second operating tool is moved in a direction associated with a rotation operation, the display control unit rotates the object with the reference position determined by the reference position determination unit as a center.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display unit includes a display area where the object is displayed and a non-display area provided outside the display screen where the object is not displayed,

when a position of one of the plurality of operating tools is included in the display area, the reference position determination unit determines the one of the plurality of operating tools to be the first operating tool and further determines the position of the first operating tool to be the reference position, and

when the position of another one of the plurality of operating tools is included in the non-display area, the display change operation specifying unit specifies the another one of the plurality of operating tools to be the second operating tool and further specifies the specific display change operation, according to the moving direction of the second operating tool.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type detection unit is further configured to determine the type of each individual one of the plurality of operating tools based on tool distinguishing information comprising information regarding physical traits of the plurality of operating tools.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a correlation range between the movement amount and the operation amount is determined and set by a user.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference position remains placed at the position of the first operating tool as the display control unit performs the display change operation on the object.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first operating tool remains in contact with or in proximity to the surface of the display unit as the second operating tool is detected to move by the moving amount in the moving direction.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display change operation specifying unit specifies an enlargement operation according to the detected moving direction of the position of the second operating tool and the display control unit performs the enlargement operation on the object by enlarging the displayed object with the reference position as a center of enlargement.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the position of the second operating tool is moved by a dragging operating in a vertical direction, and the detected moving direction is the vertical direction.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display change operation specifying unit specifies a rotation operation according to the detected moving direction of the position of the second operating tool and the display control unit performs the rotation operation on the object by rotating the displayed object with the reference position as a center of rotation.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when an enlargement operation is specified by the display change operation specifying unit, the change indicator display unit makes the display unit display the change indicator indicating an amount of enlargement of the object.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a rotation operation is specified by the display change operation specifying unit, the change indicator display unit makes the display unit display the change indicator indicating an amount of rotation of the object.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first operating tool of the first type and the second operating tool of the second type are distinguishable based upon at least one of detected electromagnetic characteristics and pressing power upon the surface of the display unit.

6. A display control method comprising the steps of:

detecting a position of a plurality of operating tools that are made to contact a surface of a display unit on which an object is displayed or brought into proximity thereof;

determining as a reference position a position of a first operating tool of the plurality of operating tools that is detected to be contacting the display unit or to be within proximity thereof;

specifying, according to a moving direction of a position of a second operating tool of the plurality of operating tools that is detected to be contacting the surface of the display unit or to be within proximity thereof simultaneous with the detection of the first operating tool, a specific display change operation associated with the moving direction;

determining, according to a movement amount of the detected second operating tool, a specified operation amount associated with the display change operation; and

performing on the object the display change operation specified in the step of specifying with the reference position determined in the step of determining as a reference,

wherein when the reference position is determined, a reference indicator is displayed to indicate the reference position; and

wherein when the specific display change operation is specified, at least one change indicator is displayed to indicate a type of the specific display change operation or a change amount by the specific display change operation.

17. The display control method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:

detecting a type of the operating tool whose position was detected by the position detection unit, the detecting comprising determining the type of the operating tool based on tool distinguishing information comprising information regarding physical traits of the operating tool.

18. The display control method according to claim 6, wherein the type of each individual one of the plurality of operating tools is determined based on tool distinguishing information comprising information regarding physical traits of the plurality of operating tools.

19. The display control method according to claim 6, wherein the reference position remains placed at the position of the first operating tool as the display change operation is performed on the object.

20. The display control method according to claim 6, wherein the first operating tool remains in contact with or in proximity to the surface of the display unit as the second operating tool is detected to move by the moving amount in the moving direction.