Information processing apparatus and method for controlling the same
An information processing apparatus connects a plural coordinate input apparatus to a common screen display apparatus. The common screen display apparatus displays a common screen shared by a plurality of users. The plural coordinate input apparatus detects coordinate values instructed by a plurality of coordinate pointers and generates plural coordinate data. An input allocating section determines either supplying the coordinate data to an application or acquiring control authority and issuing an event to an operating system, based on the coordinate data entered from the coordinate input apparatus and position and back-and-forth relationship of windows of a plurality of applications displayed on the display apparatus.
1. An information processing apparatus comprising:
a memory storing instructions; and
a processor operably connected to the memory to read and execute the instructions from the memory to:
input data including coordinate data input by using a coordinate pointer and identification information of the coordinate pointer;
an execution unit configured to execute a first application in which an operable coordinate pointer is confined to the coordinate pointer holding a control authority and a second application in which the operable coordinate pointer is not confined to the coordinate pointer holding the control authority,
memorize a region and back-and-forth relationship of windows of the applications executed,
acquire information on the region and the back-and-forth relationship of the windows from the operating system in response to a change of the region and/or the back-and-forth relationship of the windows and to update information memorized based on the acquired information,
determine whether the acquiring process for acquiring the control authority is to be performed, based on the region of the window of the application which has been executed and the coordinate data input by using the coordinate pointer,
acquire the control authority for operating the first application based on the identification information, in accordance with the determination,
determine whether the coordinate data is contained in the region of the window of the second application, based on the region and the back-and-forth relationship of the windows memorized and the coordinate data, and
output, to the second application corresponding to the coordinate data, an event according to the input data when a determination is made that the coordinate data is contained in the region of the window of the second application.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor operabley connected to the memory, reads and executes the instructions stored in the memory to release the control authority when coordinate data is not entered for a predetermined time by using the coordinate pointer corresponding to the identification information currently holding the control authority.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor operabley connected to the memory, reads and executes the instructions stored in the memory to release the control authority when coordinate data corresponding to the identification information currently holding the control authority is continuously entered a predetermined number of times.
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor operabley connected to the memory, reads and executes the instructions stored in the memory to output an event to an operating system when the control authority is acquired for operating the first application and to display a cursor indicating a position of the coordinate data when the event is output to the second application or the operating system.
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor operabley connected to the memory, reads and executes the instructions stored in the memory to cancel the display of the cursor when coordinate data corresponding to the cursor is not entered for a predetermined time.
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor operabley connected to the memory, reads and executes the instructions stored in the memory to cancel the display of the cursor when coordinate data corresponding to the cursor is continuously entered a predetermined number of times.
7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor operabley connected to the memory, reads and executes the instructions stored in the memory to transfer a message according to the coordinate data and the identification information to the second application and determines whether the coordinate data is contained in the region of the window of the second application in response to a response to the message from the second application.
8. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:
an inputting step of inputting data including coordinate data input by using a coordinate pointer and identification information of the coordinate pointer;
an execution step of executing a first application in which an operable coordinate pointer is confined to the coordinate pointer holding a control authority and a second application in which the operable coordinate pointer is not confined to the coordinate pointer holding the control authority;
a window order memorizing step of memorizing, in a memory, a region and back-and-forth relationship of windows of the applications executed in the execution step;
an updating step of acquiring information on the region and the back-and-forth relationship of the windows from the operating system in response to a change of the region and/or the back-and-forth relationship of the windows and of updating information memorized in the window order memorizing step based on the acquired information;
an acquisition determination step of determining whether the acquiring process for acquiring the control authority is to be performed, based on the region of the window of the application which has been executed in the execution step and the coordinate data input by using the coordinate pointer;
an acquisition step of acquiring the control authority for operating the first application based on the identification information, in accordance with the determination in the acquisition determination step;
a window determination step of determining whether the coordinate data is contained in the region of the window of the second application, based on the region and the back-and-forth relationship of the windows memorized in the memory and the coordinate data; and
an outputting step of outputting, to the second application corresponding to the coordinate data, an event according to the input data when the windows determination step determines that the coordinate data is contained in the region of the window of the second application.
9. The method for controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a step of releasing the control authority when coordinate data is not entered for a predetermined time by using the coordinate pointer corresponding to the identification information currently holding the control authority.
10. The method for controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a step of releasing the control authority when coordinate data corresponding to the identification information currently holding the control authority is continuously entered a predetermined number of times.
11. The method for controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a step of outputting an event to an operating system when the acquisition step acquires the control authority for operating the first application and of displaying a cursor indicating a position of the coordinate data when the event is output to the second application or the operating system.
12. The method for controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a step of canceling the display of the cursor when coordinate data corresponding to the cursor is not entered for a predetermined time.
13. The method for controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a step of canceling the display of the cursor when coordinate data corresponding to the cursor is continuously entered a predetermined number of times.
14. A computer-executable program stored on a computer-readable medium, the program causing a computer to execute a first application in which an operable coordinate pointer is confined to a coordinate pointer holding a control authority and a second application in which the operable coordinate pointer is not confined to the coordinate pointer holding the control authority, comprising:
an inputting step of inputting data including coordinate data input by using a coordinate pointer and identification information of the coordinate pointer;
a window order memorizing step of memorizing, in a memory, a region and back-and-forth relationship of windows of the applications executed in the execution step;
an updating step of acquiring information on the region and the back-and-forth relationship of the windows from the operating system in response to a change of the region and/or the back-and-forth relationship of the windows and of updating information memorized in the window order memorizing step based on the acquired information;
an acquisition determination step of determining whether the acquiring process for acquiring the control authority is to be performed, based on the region of the window of the identification which has been executed in the execution step and the coordinate data input by using the coordinate pointer;
an acquisition step of acquiring the control authority for operating the first application based on the identification information, in accordance with the determination;
a window determination step of determining whether the coordinate data is contained in the region of the window of the second application, based on the region and the back-and-forth relationship of the windows memorized and the coordinate data; and
an outputting step of outputting, to the second application corresponding to the coordinate data, an event according to the input data when the window determination step determines that the coordinate data is contained in the region of the window of the second application.