Information processing apparatus, method for controlling display, and computer-readable recording medium

• US 8,988,363 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Homma, Fuminori, Nashida, Tatsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Sanjiv D
• Application Number:
  US12/795,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20100321316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 2004, 715/816, 715/819, 715/246, 715/247
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• 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 includes: an operation display unit that displays a display screen and detects detection information that changes in accordance with a user operation performed on the display screen; an operation determination unit that determines, in accordance with the detection information, whether an operation has been performed on an operation target displayed on the display screen; a selection unit that selects an image to be displayed, in accordance with a determination result from the operation determination unit; an area-where-arrangement-is-not-to-be-performed setting unit that sets an area where arrangement is not to be performed, in accordance with the determination result from the operation determination unit and the detection information; and an arrangement processing unit that arranges the image to be displayed, in an area where arrangement can be performed, in accordance with the selected image to be displayed and the set area where arrangement is not to be performed.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an operation display unit that displays a display screen and detects detection information that changes in accordance with a user operation performed on the display screen;

an operation determination unit that determines, in accordance with the detection information, whether an operation has been performed on an operation target that can be operated by a user and that is displayed on the display screen;

an image-to-be-displayed selection unit that selects an image to be displayed as another operable target that is to be displayed on the display screen, in accordance with a determination result from the operation determination unit, wherein the image to be displayed is not displayed on the display screen prior to the operation being performed on the operation target;

an area-where-arrangement-is-not-to-be-performed setting unit that sets an area where arrangement is not to be performed, the image to be displayed being not to be arranged in the area where arrangement is not to be performed, on the display screen in accordance with the determination result from the operation determination unit and the detection information; and

an arrangement processing unit that arranges the image to be displayed, in an area where arrangement can be performed, the image to be displayed being allowed to be arranged in the area where arrangement can be performed, within the display screen in accordance with the selected image to be displayed and the set area where arrangement is not to be performed,

wherein the detection information comprises information on a touch-detected area of the display screen in which a contact made by an operating member is detected upon the display screen,

wherein the area-where-arrangement-is-not-to-be-performed setting unit sets the area where arrangement is not to be performed to include an area of the display screen corresponding to the touch-detected area,

wherein the operation determination unit further determines, in accordance with detection information, whether a further operation is performed upon the another operable target prior to an end of the operation performed on the operation target, and a processing associated with the another operable target is executed upon the determination that the further operation is performed upon the another operable target prior to the end of the operation performed on the operation target, and

wherein, when the operation determination unit determines that the operation performed on the operation target has ended with no further operation having been performed upon the another operable target and the ending of the operation is still associated with the operation target, a processing associated with the operation target is executed.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement processing unit sets the area where arrangement can be performed, in accordance with the set area where arrangement is not to be performed and a display area where the image to be displayed can be displayed within the display screen.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the area-where-arrangement-is-not-to-be-performed setting unit updates the set area where arrangement is not to be performed, every time an image to be displayed is arranged by the arrangement processing unit, and the arrangement processing unit sets the area where arrangement can be performed, in accordance with the updated area where arrangement is not to be performed.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the arrangement processing unit sets a direction of attraction based on the detection information, and a display start position where display of the image to be displayed starts, and arranges the image to be displayed selected by the image-to-be-displayed selection unit, from the display start position in the direction of attraction.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case in which the operation determination unit determines that an operation has been performed on a predetermined operation target, the image-to-be-displayed selection unit selects, as the image to be displayed, another operation target that can be operated by a user and that is related to the predetermined operation target.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a processing unit that performs, in accordance with the determination result from the operation determination unit, processing that corresponds to the operation target, the operation determination unit having determined that an operation has been performed on the operation target.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is selected based on a look-up table in which the operation target corresponds to a piece of information specifying the image to be displayed.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection information further comprises information on a proximity-detected area of the display screen in which the operating member is detected to be in proximity to the display screen, and

wherein the area-where-arrangement-is-not-to-be-performed setting unit sets the area where arrangement is not to be performed to further include an area of the display screen corresponding to the proximity-detected area.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the area-where-arrangement-is-not-to-be-performed setting unit sets the area where arrangement is not to be performed to further include an area of the display screen where the operation target is arranged.

20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the area-where-arrangement-is-not-to-be-performed setting unit sets the area where arrangement is not to be performed as an oriented bounding box corresponding to a combined area of the area of the display screen corresponding to the touch-detected area and the area of the display screen corresponding to the proximity-detected area.

21. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all operable targets that are displayed on the display screen after the operation has been performed on the operation target, except for the operation target but including the image to be displayed, are arranged to be displayed outside of the set area where arrangement is not to be performed.

22. The information processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein all operable targets that are displayed on the display screen after the operation has been performed on the operation target, except for the operation target but including the image to be displayed, are arranged to be displayed outside of the set area where arrangement is not to be performed.

7. A method for controlling display, comprising the steps of:

determining, in accordance with detection information detected by an operation determination unit that displays a display screen and detects detection information that changes in accordance with a user operation performed on the display screen, whether an operation has been performed on an operation target that can be operated by a user and that is displayed on the display screen;

selecting an image to be displayed as another operable target that is to be displayed on the display screen, in accordance with a determination result in the step of determining, wherein the image to be displayed is not displayed on the display screen prior to the operation being performed on the operation target;

setting an area where arrangement is not to be performed, the image to be displayed being not to be arranged in the area where arrangement is not to be performed, on the display screen in accordance with the determination result in the step of determining and the detection information;

arranging the image to be displayed, in an area where arrangement can be performed, the image to be displayed being allowed to be arranged in the area where arrangement can be performed, within the display screen in accordance with the image to be displayed selected in the step of selecting and the area where arrangement is not to be performed set in the step of setting;

determining, in accordance with detection information, whether a further operation is performed upon the another operable target prior to an end of the operation performed on the operation target, and a processing associated with the another operable target is executed upon the determination that the further operation is performed upon the another operable target prior to the end of the operation performed on the operation target, and

executing, when the operation performed on the operation target is determined to have ended with no further operation having been performed upon the another operable target and the ending of the operation is still associated with the operation target, a processing associated with the operation target,

wherein the detection information comprises information on a touch-detected area of the display screen in which a contact made by an operating member is detected upon the display screen, and

wherein the area where arrangement is not to be performed is set to include an area of the display screen corresponding to the touch-detected area.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of arranging the image to be displayed sets the area where arrangement can be performed, in accordance with the set area where arrangement is not to be performed and a display area where the image to be displayed can be displayed within the display screen.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of setting an area where arrangement is not to be performed updates the set area where arrangement is not to be performed, every time an image to be displayed is arranged by the arrangement processing unit, and the arrangement processing unit sets the area where arrangement can be performed, in accordance with the updated area where arrangement is not to be performed.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of arranging the image to be displayed sets a direction of attraction based on the detection information, and a display start position where display of the image to be displayed starts, and arranges the image to be displayed selected by the image-to-be-displayed selection unit, from the display start position in the direction of attraction.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein in a case in which the operation determination unit determines that an operation has been performed on a predetermined operation target, the step of arranging the image to be displayed selects, as the image to be displayed, another operation target that can be operated by a user and that is related to the predetermined operation target.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded therein, the program comprising the steps of:

determining, in accordance with detection information detected by an operation determination unit that displays a display screen and detects detection information that changes in accordance with a user operation performed on the display screen, whether an operation has been performed on an operation target that can be operated by a user and that is displayed on the display screen;

selecting an image to be displayed as another operable target that is to be displayed on the display screen, in accordance with a determination result in the step of determining, wherein the image to be displayed is not displayed on the display screen prior to the operation being performed on the operation target;

setting an area where arrangement is not to be performed, the image to be displayed being not to be arranged in the area where arrangement is not to be performed, on the display screen in accordance with the determination result in the step of determining and the detection information;

arranging the image to be displayed, in an area where arrangement can be performed, the image to be displayed being allowed to be arranged in the area where arrangement can be performed, within the display screen in accordance with the image to be displayed selected in the step of selecting and the area where arrangement is not to be performed set in the step of setting;

determining, in accordance with detection information, whether a further operation is performed upon the another operable target prior to an end of the operation performed on the operation target, and a processing associated with the another operable target is executed upon the determination that the further operation is performed upon the another operable target prior to the end of the operation performed on the operation target, and

executing, when the operation performed on the operation target is determined to have ended with no further operation having been performed upon the another operable target and the ending of the operation is still associated with the operation target, a processing associated with the operation target,

wherein the detection information comprises information on a touch-detected area of the display screen in which a contact made by an operating member is detected upon the display screen, and

wherein the area where arrangement is not to be performed is set to include an area of the display screen corresponding to the touch-detected area.

13. The medium according to claim 8, wherein the step of arranging the image to be displayed sets the area where arrangement can be performed, in accordance with the set area where arrangement is not to be performed and a display area where the image to be displayed can be displayed within the display screen.

14. The medium according to claim 13, wherein the step of setting an area where arrangement is not to be performed updates the set area where arrangement is not to be performed, every time an image to be displayed is arranged by the arrangement processing unit, and the arrangement processing unit sets the area where arrangement can be performed, in accordance with the updated area where arrangement is not to be performed.

15. The medium according to claim 14, wherein the step of arranging the image to be displayed sets a direction of attraction based on the detection information, and a display start position where display of the image to be displayed starts, and arranges the image to be displayed selected by the image-to-be-displayed selection unit, from the display start position in the direction of attraction.

16. The medium according to claim 13, wherein in a case in which the operation determination unit determines that an operation has been performed on a predetermined operation target, the step of arranging the image to be displayed selects, as the image to be displayed, another operation target that can be operated by a user and that is related to the predetermined operation target.