Information processing apparatus, information processing method and computer program

• US 8,860,680 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Reiko
• Primary Examiner(s): MERCEDES, DISMERY E
• Application Number:
  US13/906,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20130257737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a display unit for displaying thereon a plurality of input regions operated by an operating body, a detection unit for detecting an approach distance between the operating body and a surface of the display unit, and a region control unit for, when the operating body approaches one of the input regions within a predetermined distance, enlarging the input region which the operating body approaches, and moving at least one of the input regions such that the adjacent input regions do not overlap each other. The input region is enlarged and an overlap between the input regions is avoided so that a user can easily select a desired input region, thereby preventing erroneous selection of other input region.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display control unit configured to control a display to display a plurality of display objects that are each operable by an operating body; and

a detecting unit configured to detect, as an operation interaction upon a select display object selected from the plurality of display objects, at least one of a contact or approach by the operating body upon a surface of the display at a position corresponding to a display location of the select display object,

wherein the display control unit controls the select display object to be displayed as relatively enlarged on the display when the detecting unit detects the operation interaction upon the select display object, and positions each of the plurality of display objects so that adjacent display objects do not overlap one another,

wherein the plurality of display objects comprises a first display object type as a display object which is selected by the operation interaction and relatively enlarged for display on the display, a second display object type as a display object which is moved from an original position prior to the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type to a relocation position after the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type, and a third display object type as a display object which is not changed from before the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object to after the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type, and

wherein at least one of the display control unit and the detecting unit is implemented via a processor.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit relatively enlarges the select display object by enlarging the select display object relative to other display objects of the plurality of display objects.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit relatively enlarges the select display object by reducing a size of display objects surrounding the select display object.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the detecting unit detects as the operation interaction upon the select display object the contact by the operating body upon the surface of the display at the position corresponding to the display location of the select display object.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detected contact is a contact for a predetermined period of time by the operating body upon the surface of the display.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detected contact by the operating body upon the surface of the display is a long tap.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects as the operation interaction upon the select display object the contact by the operating body upon the surface of the display at the position corresponding to the display location of the select display object.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the detected contact is a contact for a predetermined period of time by the operating body upon the surface of the display.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the detected contact by the operating body upon the surface of the display is a long tap.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display objects are displayed by the display as a plurality of icons.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit comprises:

a size decision unit configured to decide a size of the plurality of display objects after relative enlargement has been carried out, based on an approach distance of the operating body to the surface of the display; and

an ideal position calculating unit configured to calculate ideal positions of the plurality of display objects where the adjacent display objects do not overlap each other after relative enlargement has been carried out.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the ideal position calculating unit comprises:

an overlap avoidance region deciding unit configured to decide an overlap avoidance region that enables any one of the display objects to avoid overlapping any other one of the display objects after relative enlargement has been carried out;

a pair decision unit configured to decide a pair of the adjacent display objects;

an ideal relative position decision unit configured to decide ideal relative positions for the pair of the adjacent display objects so that the corresponding overlap avoidance regions do not overlap; and

an ideal position decision unit configured to calculate the ideal relative positions so as to minimize a difference between present relative positions of the corresponding overlap avoidance regions and the ideal relative positions.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the ideal relative position decision unit, when a present position of the overlap avoidance region corresponding to the paired display object does not overlap, assumes the present position of the overlap avoidance region as the ideal relative position, and

when the present position of the overlap avoidance region corresponding to the paired display object overlaps, assumes the position to which one of the overlap avoidance regions is moved in a reference line direction connecting the centers of the overlap avoidance regions so as not to overlap the other overlap avoidance region as the ideal relative position.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the size decision unit is further configured to optimize an enlargement factor of the display objects such that all the display objects are within a predetermined range.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a prediction unit configured to predict input information to be input by a user,

wherein the display control unit changes a display of the display object based on predictive input information as the input information predicted by the prediction unit.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the prediction unit analyzes past input information that has already been inputted from the display objects and predicts the display object to be operated next for inputting the predictive input information as a next operation region, and

the display control unit changes a display of the predicted next operation region.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein display objects adjacent to the select display object are concurrently moved so as to avoid overlap therebetween.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of display objects are displayed by the display to be positioned upon at least one of a home screen, a music player, an image viewer and a web browser.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit comprises a touch panel configured to detect the at least one of the contact by the operating body and the approach by the operating body.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the touch panel comprises a capacitance touch sensor.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the touch panel comprises an optical touch sensor.

22. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

23. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each display object of the plurality of display objects corresponds to a respective input region.

24. An information processing method comprising:

controlling a display to display a plurality of display objects that are each operable by an operating body; and

detecting, as an operation interaction upon a select display object selected from the plurality of display objects, at least one of a contact or approach by the operating body upon a surface of the display at a position corresponding to a display location of the select display object,

wherein when the operation interaction is detected upon the select display object, relatively enlarging the select display object and displaying each of the plurality of display objects at respective display locations on the display such that adjacent display objects do not overlap one another, and

wherein the plurality of display objects comprises a first display object type as a display object which is selected by the operation interaction and relatively enlarged for display on the display, a second display object type as a display object which is moved from an original position prior to the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type to a relocation position after the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type, and a third display object type as a display object which is not changed from before the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object to after the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform an information processing method, the method comprising:

controlling a display to display a plurality of display objects that are each operable by an operating body; and

detecting, as an operation interaction upon a select display object selected from the plurality of display objects, at least one of a contact or approach by the operating body upon a surface of the display at a position corresponding to a display location of the select display object,

wherein when the operation interaction is detected upon the select display object, relatively enlarging the select display object and displaying each of the plurality of display objects at respective display locations on the display such that adjacent display objects do not overlap one another, and

wherein the plurality of display objects comprises a first display object type as a display object which is selected by the operation interaction and relatively enlarged for display on the display, a second display object type as a display object which is moved from an original position prior to the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type to a relocation position after the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type, and a third display object type as a display object which is not changed from before the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object to after the relative enlargement of the display object of the first display object type.