Display apparatus, display method, and program

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display unit detecting contact and proximity of operating means with respect to a display range of the display unit; and

a controller determining a position where an item designated by contact is to be displayed, based on the position of contact and the position of proximity which are detected by said display unit,

wherein:

an xy coordinate system for identifying said position of contact and said position of proximity is established in the display range of said display unit;

said controller judges a direction of a straight line segment that originates from a contact point representing the position where the contact is detected and that passes through a proximity point representing the position where the proximity is detected, as the direction of said operating means in said xy coordinate system, and determines a position where said item is to be displayed in an area in a direction that originates from said contact point and that is different from the direction of said operating means; and

said controller establishes, in said xy coordinate system, a first division line passing through said contact point parallel to an x-axis of said xy coordinate system and a second division line passing through said contact point parallel to a y-axis of said xy coordinate system, thereby dividing said display range into four subranges, and determines the position where said item is to be displayed in one of said subranges which does not include said proximity point.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said controller displays said item in an enlarged scale or in a speech balloon at a position determined based on said point of contact and said position of proximity.

3. A display method to be carried out by a display apparatus, comprising:

detecting contact and proximity of operating means with respect to a display range; and

determining a position where an item designated by contact is to be displayed, based on the position of contact and the position of proximity which are detected,

wherein an xy coordinate system for identifying said position of contact and said position of proximity is established in the display range of said display unit,

wherein, in a step of determining a position where said item is to be displayed:

a direction of a straight line segment that originates from a contact point representing the position where the contact is detected and that passes through a proximity point representing the position where the proximity is detected, is judged as the direction of said operating means in said xy coordinate system, and a position where said item is to be displayed in an area in a direction that originates from said contact point and that is different from the direction of said operating means is determined; and

in said xy coordinate system, a first division line passing through said contact point parallel to an x-axis of said xy coordinate system and a second division line passing through said contact point parallel to a y-axis of said xy coordinate system, is established thereby dividing said display range into four subranges, and the position where said item is to be displayed in one of said subranges which does not include said proximity point is determined.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing a program for enabling the computer to carry out:

a procedure for receiving contact and proximity of operating means with respect to a display range from a display unit; and

a procedure for determining a position where an item designated by contact is to be displayed, based on the position of contact and the position of proximity which are detected by said display unit,

wherein an xy coordinate system for identifying said position of contact and said position of proximity is established in the display range of said display unit,

wherein, said procedure for determining a position where said item is to be displayed comprises:

judging a direction of a straight line segment that originates from a contact point representing the position where the contact is detected and that passes through a proximity point representing the position where the proximity is detected, as the direction of said operating means in said xy coordinate system, and determining a position where said item is to be displayed in an area in a direction that originates from said contact point and that is different from the direction of said operating means; and

establishing, in said xy coordinate system, a first division line passing through said contact point parallel to an x-axis of said xy coordinate system and a second division line passing through said contact point parallel to a y-axis of said xy coordinate system, thereby dividing said display range into four subranges, and determining the position where said item is to be displayed in one of said subranges which does not include said proximity point.