IP Library Granted Patent US 9,983,700
Granted Patent B2
US 9,983,700 · App. 14/232,532 · Granted May 29, 2018

Input device, image display method, and program for reliable designation of icons

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,983,700
App. No.
14/232,532
Granted
May 29, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

An input device includes: a screen ( 11 ) that displays images on a screen portion; a touch pad ( 12 ) that receives designation of in-plane positions with respect to the screen and supplies, as output, position signals that indicate the designated in-plane positions; and a control unit ( 10 ) that, when a plurality of in-plane positions has been designated, specifies each in-plane position on the basis of the position signals and both displays a plurality of images at the in-plane positions and controls the size of the display of each image in accordance with the spacing between the in-plane positions.

Claims (19)

1. An input device comprising:

a display unit that displays images on a screen;

a position input unit that receives designations of in-plane positions with respect to said screen and supplies, as output, position signals that indicate the in-plane positions that were designated; and

a control unit that, when a plurality of in-plane positions have been designated, based on said position signals, specifies each in-plane position and both displays a plurality of icon images at respective said in-plane positions and controls the size of display of each icon image according to the spacing of each of said in-plane positions,

wherein said control unit obtains, with respect to two adjacent in-plane positions from among said plurality of in-plane positions, a spacing between a gravity center of one in-plane position and a gravity center of the other in-plane position, and, based on the spacing, sets a width of the other in-plane position side from the gravity center of the image displayed at said one in-plane position and a width of the one in-plane position side from the gravity center of the image displayed at said other in-plane position such that the images do not overlap.

2. The input device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said control unit displays an image, to which a function has been assigned to control display of other images that are displayed at other in-plane positions, at a specific in-plane position among said plurality of in-plane positions and controls the display content of said other images according to operations upon the image.

3. The input device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:

a memory unit in which are stored a plurality of items of image data for which display has been ranked;

wherein said control unit determines, from among said plurality of items of image data, the image data of images that are to be displayed at each of said in-plane positions based on said ranking.

4. The input device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said position input unit is provided on a surface side on which said screen is formed.

5. The input device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said position input unit is provided on a first surface that is on a side opposite a second surface on which said screen has been formed.

6. An image display method comprising:

a position input unit receiving designations of in-plane positions with respect to a screen of a display unit and supplying, as output, position signals that indicate the in-plane positions that were designated; and

when a plurality of in-plane positions has been designated, a control unit, based on said position signals, specifying each in-plane position and both displaying a plurality of icon images at respective said in-plane positions and controlling the size of display of each icon image according to the spacing of each of said in-plane positions,

wherein said control unit obtains, with respect to two adjacent in-plane positions from among said plurality of in-plane positions, a spacing between a gravity center of one in-plane position and a gravity center of the other in-plane position, and, based on the spacing, sets a width of the other in-plane position side from the gravity center of the image displayed at said one in-plane position and a width of the one in-plane position side from the gravity center of the image displayed at said other in-plane position such that the images do not overlap.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with a program used in a computer, said program for causing the computer to execute processes of:

receiving from a position input unit position signals that indicate each of a plurality of in-plane positions that were designated with respect to a screen; and

based on said position signals, specifying said plurality of in-plane positions and both displaying a plurality of icon images at respective in-plane positions and controlling the size of display of each icon image according to the spacing of each of said in-plane positions,

wherein a control unit obtains, with respect to two adjacent in-plane positions from among said plurality of in-plane positions, a spacing between a gravity center of one in-plane position and a gravity center of the other in-plane position, and, based on the spacing, sets a width of the other in-plane position side from the gravity center of the image displayed at said one in-plane position and a width of the one in-plane position side from the gravity center of the image displayed at said other in-plane position such that the images do not overlap.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 30, 2015
From: NEC MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, LTD.
To: NEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 036037/0476 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 9, 2015
From: NEC CASIO MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, LTD.
To: NEC MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 035866/0495 →