Apparatus for displaying a multi-window system having an active application and an inactive application

1. An information processing apparatus for a multi-window system in which at least a first application program and a second application program run simultaneously, the first application program and the second application program having an active state and an inactive state, comprising:

an event notifying unit configured to notify each of the first and second application programs of an input event related to input;

an activate unit configured to activate one of the first and second application programs and deactivate the other application program;

a determining unit configured to determine, when the first application program is in inactive state and the second application program is in active state, that the input event notified to the first application program by the event notifying unit is not an activate event caused by an active switching key but an event caused by a key other than the active switching key, and to determine whether or not an input is made to the second application program that is in active state;

a timing unit configured to time a predetermined time period, if it is determined by the determining unit that an input is made to the second application program that is in active state; and

a control unit configured to change a processing of the first application program to a light processing in which part of processing related to the first application program that is in inactive state is omitted, until the predetermined time period is timed out by the timing unit.

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

the first application program is an application program related to reproduction of a moving image;

the information processing apparatus further comprises;

a separating unit configured to separate multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing audio data and moving image data, into the audio data and the moving image data, upon execution of the first application program, and

an image data decoding unit configured to decode the moving image data separated by the separating unit in a predetermined decoding scheme, upon execution of the first application program; and

the control unit is configured to control the image data decoding unit to omit a process related to the first application program by omitting a decoding process of a predetermined frame included in the moving image data, among decoding processes of the moving image data performed by the image data decoding unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined frame of which the decoding process is omitted by the control unit comprises a P-frame.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the image data decoding unit to omit the decoding process of the predetermined frame, without omitting a decoding process of a first frame included in the moving image data, among the decoding processes of the moving image data performed by the image data decoding unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first frame comprises an I-frame.

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

an audio data decoding unit configured to decode the audio data in a predetermined decoding method, upon execution of the first application program; and

an output unit configured to output sound based on an audio signal decoded by the audio data decoding unit,

wherein, even if the control unit controls the image data decoding unit to omit the decoding process of the predetermined frame, the output unit outputs sound based on the audio signal.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls so as not to omit part of processing by the application program that is in inactive state, if the predetermined time period is timed out by the timing unit.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein if it is further determined before the predetermined time period is timed out that an input made to the application program that is in active state, the timing unit resets the predetermined time period to be timed, and starts timing of the reset predetermined time period.

9. An information processing apparatus for a multi-window system in which at least a first application program and a second application program run simultaneously, the first application program and the second application program having an active state and an inactive state, comprising:

an event notifying unit configured to notify each of the first and second application programs of an input event related to input;

an activate unit configured to activate one of the first and second application programs and deactivate the other application program;

a determining unit configured to determine, when the first application program is in inactive state and the second application program is in active state, that the input event notified to the first application program by the event notifying unit is not an activate event caused by an active switching key but an event caused by a key other than the active switching key, and to determine whether or not an input is made to the second application program that is in active state;

a timing unit configured to time a predetermined time period, if it is determined by the determining unit that an input is made to the second application program that is in active state; and

a control unit configured to change a processing of the first application program to a light processing in which a predetermined wait time is provided in between the processing related to the first application program that is in inactive state, until the predetermined time period is timed out by the timing unit.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein:

the first application program is an application program related to thumbnail display;

the information processing apparatus further comprises;

a decoding unit configured to decode still image data or moving image data in a predetermined decoding method, upon execution of the first application program, and

a generating unit configured to generate thumbnail image data related to a still image or a moving image, on the basis of an image signal related to a still image or an image signal related to a moving image which is decoded by the decoding unit, upon execution of the first application program; and

the control unit controls so as to provide the predetermined wait time in between each generating process by the generating unit.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined wait time is provided after generation of a single piece of the thumbnail image data is finished.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the predetermined wait time is provided during generation of the thumbnail image data.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined wait time is set based on a number of macroblocks included in the thumbnail image data.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein if it is further determined before the predetermined time period is timed out that an input made with respect to the application program that is in active state, the timing unit resets the predetermined time period to be timed, and starts timing of the reset predetermined time period.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the event notified to each application program by the event notifying unit is an event related to dummy input issued by the application program that is in inactive state.