JP2008107865A - Tab browser operation device, tab browser operation method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tab browser operation device by which a tab browser can be operated rapidly and easily on a device with a narrow display area like a portable device. <P>SOLUTION: The tab browser operation device operates the tab browser for switching a Web page on a screen by selecting a tab, and has a detection means for detecting the operation state of an indicator by a touch sensor, and a tab display means for displaying the tabs by arranging them in a prescribed direction and changing the tabs so as to be displayed for allowing the visual recognition of the content of the tab according to the operation state of the indicator detected by the detection means. A user selects a tab with the indicator from among the tabs displayed thereon and the tab browser makes a Web page corresponding to the selected tab displayed on the screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tab browser operating device, a tab browser operating method, a program, and a recording medium for operating a tab browser with a device having a narrow display area such as a portable device.

  A so-called tab browser is known as one type of web browser. The tab browser is similar to the “tab” attached to a folder of paper files, and each tab is provided with a tab corresponding to the folder. A plurality of windows are completely overlapped on the display screen, and only the tab is identified. It is a browser displayed so that it can be selected.

  In a general browser, each time a new web page is opened, a new window is opened on the screen, the opened web page is displayed in the window, and the title of the web page is displayed in the tab. However, if a large number of web pages are opened, a large number of windows are opened, and it becomes troublesome to select a necessary web page from these windows.

On the other hand, the tab browser has only one substantial window, and when a new web page is created, a tab is added and displayed in the same window.
Therefore, tab browsers are not often generated in large numbers, and are therefore often used for display devices with a relatively narrow display screen that cannot afford to open several windows on the display screen.

  When using the tab browser, the user finds a desired web page from the tab title, operates the found tab with a button, joystick, jog dial, touch panel or mouse, and displays the desired web page again. A web page is displayed.

  However, if a large number of tabs are opened even in such a tab browser, many tabs cannot be displayed if the tab width is uniform. On the other hand, if the tab width is reduced, the titles cannot be displayed on the tab, and the visibility is reduced. There is a problem that becomes low.

  In Patent Document 1, the icon and the title are displayed on the tab for the displayed window, and only the icon is displayed on the other tabs, thereby solving the above-described problem.

Furthermore, if a large number of tabs are opened and the tab width is reduced, there is a problem that the visibility becomes low and at the same time the tab cannot be selected.
On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, tabs are switched by rotating the mouse wheel while the mouse cursor is placed in an area other than the displayed window.
There is also a tab browser that switches tabs with a mouse gesture.
JP 2000-172398 A JP 2006-107079 A

However, in the above-described conventional technique, the tab title cannot be read unless it is actually selected and displayed, and even if the contents can be understood by the icon, a fine nuance such as a character string is used. The difference cannot be expressed.
In addition, devices such as portable devices that have a narrow operating area cannot be used with a mouse-like device to switch tabs, and buttons, joysticks, or jog dials operate by turning pages one by one. There must be.
Furthermore, there is a device that switches tabs using a touch panel. However, in a device having a small display area such as a portable device, the tab switching operation is difficult because the tab width is small.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and a tab browser operating device and a tab browser that can be operated quickly and easily when operating the tab browser with a device having a narrow display area such as a portable device. An object is to provide an operation method, a program, and a recording medium.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is configured as follows.
The tab browser operation device of the present invention is a tab browser operation device that operates a tab browser that switches a web page on a screen by selecting a tab. In the tab browser operation device, a detection unit that detects an operation state of an indicator with a touch sensor; Are arranged in a predetermined direction, and according to the operation state of the indicator detected by the detecting means, tab display means for changing the tab for displaying the tab contents so as to be visible is provided. .

The tab display means enlarges and displays a tab corresponding to the operation state of the indicator detected by the detection means and a tab adjacent to the tab, and displays other tabs in a reduced size. Since the tab to be selected is enlarged and displayed, it is easy to visually recognize the title displayed on the tab.
The touch sensor can be operated without hindering the visual observation of the title displayed on the operation target tab by arranging the touch sensor adjacent to and parallel to the predetermined direction in which the tabs are arranged.

Here, the tab display means changes the tab to be displayed so as to be visible by any of the following.
(1) Select a tab in which the distance from the contact base point of the touch sensor to the position where the indicator touches and the distance from the tab display base point are equidistant.
(2) A tab is selected according to the moving direction of the indicator detected by the detecting means.
For example, if the moving direction of the indicator is rightward, the currently displayed tab to be enlarged is changed to a leftward (or rightward) tab. Alternatively, if the moving direction of the indicator is the left direction, the currently displayed tab to be enlarged is changed to a right (or left) tab.
(3) A tab is selected according to the contact position of the indicator detected by the detection means.
For example, when the contact position of the indicator is detected on the right half side of the touch sensor, the currently displayed tab to be enlarged is changed to a rightward tab. Alternatively, when the contact position of the indicator is detected on the left half side of the touch sensor, the currently displayed tab to be enlarged and displayed is changed to a tab in the left direction.

  Also, as each means of the tab browser operating device having the above-described configuration, a program for causing the computer to function is created, or the program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and this program is stored in the tab browser. The above-mentioned problem can also be solved by executing with a computer provided in the operating device.

According to the present invention, when a tab browser is operated with a device having a narrow display area such as a portable device, the tab switching operation can be performed intuitively and very easily.
In addition, since the tab width changes depending on how the touch sensor is operated, information such as the title on the tab is easily visible, and further, by arranging the touch sensor around the display area, The operation can be performed without obstructing the viewing of the title displayed on the operation target tab.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a tab browser operation device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view of an electronic device equipped with a tab browser operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention and incorporating a tab browser. In the figure, the electronic device 10 includes at least a display screen 11 for displaying a web page and the like and a touch sensor 12.
The display screen 11 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, and when a tab browser is activated, a web page 13, a tab 14 of the web page, and an input field 15 are displayed.

  The input field 15 is a field for inputting a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the web page in order to browse a desired web page. When the URL is input in the input field 15, the web page of the designated URL is input. Is opened, and the opened web page is displayed on the display screen 11. At that time, a tab 14 is attached to the web page, and the title of the web page is displayed on the tab 14.

  When web page URLs are successively designated and opened, tabs corresponding to those web pages are displayed as shown in FIG. The horizontal width of the tab 14 is a predetermined width as long as the number of displayed web pages is small. However, when the number of web pages is increased, all tabs cannot be displayed with the predetermined width. In this case, the horizontal width of tabs other than the tab adjacent to the tab of the currently displayed web page is reduced and displayed.

  For example, FIG. 3 shows a tab browser display example when nine web pages are opened. In the figure, the tab 31 displaying the title “1” is selected, and the tabs 32 and 33 are adjacent tabs. And the width of these tabs is enlarged. The other tabs 34 to 39 are tabs having a reduced width.

  FIG. 4 shows a case where the tab 35 of FIG. 3 is selected and the web page with the title “5” is the current display target. The tab 44 and the tab 46 are adjacent tabs. Is shown enlarged. The other tabs 41, 42, 43, 47, 48, and 49 are tabs having a reduced width.

  As described above, the horizontal width of one to three tabs adjacent to the tab corresponding to the selected web page (where the number of adjacent tabs can be set in advance or at any time) is set. By enlarging and displaying the other tabs in a reduced size, the title of the selected web page can be seen sufficiently, and the title of the adjacent part can also be seen, making comparison with the adjacent part easy and incorrect selection. Less.

  The touch sensor 12 is a switch for tab operation, and is arranged on the outer side of the display screen so as not to overlap the display screen 11 with the same length as the length of each side of the outer periphery of the display screen. The display screen is clearly visible.

The touch sensor 12 can detect the next operation state.
(1) Detection of distance from the base point:
As shown in FIG. 5A, the left end of the tab display area and the left end of the touch sensor 12 are set as base points. The touch sensor 12 can detect the distance to the point position when touched. The distance from the base point detected by the touch sensor 12 to the point position can be regarded as the same as the distance from the base point of the tab display area to the tab position.
Here, although the left end of the touch sensor 12 and the left end of the tab display area are set to the same position, they are not necessarily the same, and the distance from each base point may be equal.

(2) Operation direction detection:
As shown in FIG. 5B, it can be detected that the finger is moved while touching the touch sensor 12 leftward or rightward.

(3) Operation position detection:
As shown in FIG. 5C, the touch sensor 12 is divided into two parts, and it is possible to detect which part is touched. For example, when any of the right half (left half) of the touch sensor 12 is touched with a finger, it is detected that the right side (left side) is selected from the contact position.

  Here, the touch sensor 12 in FIG. 1 is arranged at a parallel position corresponding to the tab 14 displayed on the display screen 11, but as shown in FIG. 12s, 12m, 12u, 12h).

For example, when the tab is displayed below the display screen 11, the touch sensor 12 is disposed below the screen (12 s), and when the tab is displayed above the display screen 11, the touch sensor 12 is positioned above the screen (12 u ) May be arranged.
Further, when the touch sensor 12 for operating the tab is arranged below (12s), the other touch sensors (12m, 12u, 12h) may be used for other purposes such as a scroll operation of the web page.
When the touch sensor 12 is thus arranged in the vertical direction, the detection result of the operation direction is also changed accordingly.

  The touch sensor 12 includes a transparent sheet switch that detects a contact position based on a change in pressure sensitivity or capacitance, and an indicator (for example, a human finger, a wooden pencil, or a plastic is provided on the surface of the touch sensor. When a one-dimensional position is detected when pressure is applied with a pen, pencil, rubber, etc.), information such as the position where the detection is started, the relative movement distance from the position, the movement direction, and the click is output. Further, when it is composed of a plurality of touch sensors as shown in FIG. 6, the information from which touch sensor is obtained is also acquired.

  Next, three examples of operations using the touch sensor will be described.

(1) When detecting the distance from the base point of the touch sensor:
When the web page currently displayed on the display screen is the tab of the title “8” as shown in FIG. 7A, the indicator (finger) is brought into contact with the touch sensor around the tab of the title “1”. As shown in FIG. 7B, the width of the tab of the title “1” and the surrounding tabs (title “2” and “3” tabs) is enlarged, and the width of the other tabs is reduced. The titles “1” to “3” are easily visible.

Further, when the indicator (finger) is moved in the right direction while being in contact with the touch sensor as shown in FIG. 7B, the tab corresponding to the position of the touch sensor with which the indicator (finger) is in contact and its adjacent The horizontal widths of the tabs are expanded and the horizontal widths of the other tabs are reduced to display the tabs as shown in FIG.
The display of the enlargement / reduction of the horizontal width of the tab is performed until the selection of the tab is determined, and the web page displayed on the display screen during that time is the currently selected web page.
When the title displayed on the tab is what the user desires, when the indicator (finger) is moved away from the touch sensor surface, it corresponds to the position where the indicator (finger) was last placed. A tab is selected and determined, and the web page corresponding to the tab is displayed on the display screen as the currently selected web page.

(2) When detecting the operation direction of the indicator (finger):
As shown in FIG. 8A, when the widths of the 7 to 9 tabs are expanded, the touch sensor is left longer than the predetermined length from the left to the right while keeping the indicator (finger) in contact. As shown in FIG. 8B, the tabs (7-9) that have been enlarged are reduced and the three adjacent tabs (4-6) on the left are enlarged and displayed as shown in FIG. The position stroked by the indicator (finger) may be any position on the touch sensor. For example, the same result is obtained at the position of the operation A and the position of the operation B in FIG. By repeating this, the tabs on the left are enlarged and displayed one after another, and the titles displayed on the tabs are easily visible.
Conversely, as shown in FIG. 8C, the indicator (finger) is now enlarged by stroking from the right to the left over a predetermined length (operation A ′ or operation B ′) while touching the touch sensor. Three tabs (7-9) adjacent to the right of the tabs (4-6) are enlarged and displayed (FIG. 8D).

  Alternatively, the direction of stroking with the indicator (finger) and the direction of the enlarged tab may be the same. For example, when the currently expanded tabs are 4 to 6, when the indicator (finger) is stroked from left to right, the tabs 7 to 9 may be enlarged and displayed.

  In this way, as shown in (1) above, rather than displaying the tab corresponding to the absolute position where the indicator (finger) is placed, the operation is simple, the number of tabs is increased, and the screen is displayed without relying on vision. This is considered effective when it becomes finer and does not match the sensitivity of the touch sensor.

(3) When detecting the operation position of the indicator (finger):
When the widths of the 7 to 9 tabs are expanded among the 9 tabs as shown in FIG. 9A, the indicator (finger) is brought into contact with any position on the left half of the touch sensor, As shown in FIG. 9B, the tabs (7 to 9) that have been enlarged are reduced, and the three adjacent tabs (4 to 6) on the left are enlarged and displayed. By repeating this, the tabs on the left are enlarged and displayed one after another, and the titles displayed on the tabs are easily visible.

  Conversely, by bringing the indicator (finger) into contact with any position on the right half of the touch sensor as shown in FIG. 9C, the tabs (4 to 4) that have been enlarged as shown in FIG. 6) is reduced, and the three adjacent tabs (7 to 9) on the right are enlarged and displayed. By repeating this, the right tabs are enlarged and displayed one after another, and the titles displayed on the tabs are easily visible.

  In this way, as shown in (1) above, rather than displaying the tab corresponding to the absolute position where the indicator (finger) is placed, the operation is simple, the number of tabs is increased, and the screen is displayed without relying on vision. This is considered effective when it becomes finer and does not match the sensitivity of the touch sensor.

  Next, a tab browser operation device for realizing the above three functions will be described.

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment is an operation example in the case of detecting the distance from the base point of (1) the touch sensor described above.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration of an electronic device equipped with the tab browser operating device and the tab browser according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, the electronic device 25 includes a web page display unit 26. , A display unit 276, and a tab browser operation device 20. The tab browser operation device 20 includes a touch sensor 21, a detection unit 22, a tab display unit 23, and a tab position table 24.

The tab position table 24 stores information on each tab of the web page being displayed in the tab browser in the storage means as shown below. This entry is set when the web page is opened, and the web page is closed. Deleted when
Here, the tab ID, the title, and the URL are set when the web page corresponding to the tab ID is opened. The tab display range depends on the position of the touch sensor 21 on which the indicator is placed. Updated every time.

Tab ID: An identifier for identifying a tab, which is a number assigned in order from the base point side of the tab display area.
Tab display range: Coordinate values of the left end and right end of the horizontal width of the tab indicating where the tab indicated by the tab ID is displayed in the tab display area.
Title: The title of the web page corresponding to this tab.
URL: URL of the web page corresponding to this tab.

  Since the touch sensor 21 is the same as the touch sensor 12 described above, description thereof is omitted.

  The detection unit 22 refers to the tab position table 24 based on the information output from the touch sensor 21 (the position where the indicator starts to contact, the relative movement position, and the direction), and the “ It is determined whether there is an indicator at a position corresponding to “within display range”, and the tab ID of the determined tab is output.

(1) When the touch sensor 21 is clicked with an indicator:
It is determined which tab within the display range the position of the indicator output by the touch sensor 21 is displayed, and the determined tab ID is transmitted to the tab display unit 23 and the web page display unit 25.

(2) When the indicator moves on the touch sensor 21:
The current position of the indicator is calculated from the contact start position of the indicator output by the touch sensor 21, the relative movement distance, and the movement direction, and the tab within which the position is displayed is “in the display range”. The determined tab ID is transmitted to the tab display unit 23.

(3) When the indicator becomes non-contact from the touch sensor 21:
From the contact start position, relative movement distance, and movement direction of the indicator output by the touch sensor 21, the current position of the indicator at the time of non-contact is calculated, and “display” of which tab on which this position is displayed is displayed. It is determined whether it is “within range”, and the determined tab ID is transmitted to the tab display unit 23 and the web page display unit 25.

The tab display unit 23 refers to the tab position table 24 to increase the horizontal width of the tab indicated by the tab ID received from the detection unit 22 and the tab adjacent to the tab, and to reduce the horizontal width of other tabs. In addition, the tab display range is updated and each tab is displayed with a title.
Here, “reduction” of the width of the tab means to make it large enough to confirm that the title cannot be read but there is a tab, and “enlargement” of the width of the tab means this reduction. Make the tabs large enough to read the contents of the title. The horizontal width of the tab when reduced or enlarged may be determined in advance, or may be calculated based on the number of character strings in the title.

  The web page display unit 25 corresponds to the tab ID of the tab corresponding to the position of the indicator when the indicator that is in contact with the touch sensor 21 becomes non-contact or the position of the indicator when clicked. When the tab ID of the tab is received from the detection unit 22, the web page of the URL corresponding to the received tab ID is acquired with reference to the tab position table 24 and transmitted to the display unit 26 to be displayed on the display screen.

  The display unit 26 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and the like. The tab browser web page, tabs, and input fields are displayed, and the operation of the touch sensor 21 updates the tab and web page display.

<Embodiment 2>
The second embodiment is an operation example in the case of detecting the operation direction of the above-described (2) indicator (finger). The functional configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 10 and will not be described. However, only the differences between the detection unit 22, the tab display unit 23, and the tab position table 24 will be described.

In the second embodiment, the tab position table 24 stores information on each tab of the web page being displayed in the tab browser in the storage unit as shown below, and this entry is set when the web page is opened. And deleted when the web page is closed.
Here, the tab ID, the title, and the URL are set when the web page for the tab ID is opened, but the enlarged display tab flag is updated each time the indicator is operated.

Tab ID: An identifier for identifying a tab, which is a number assigned in order from the base point side of the tab display area.
Enlarged display tab flag: “true” is set when the tab width is enlarged and the web page is displayed, and “false” is set for other tabs.
Title: The title of the web page corresponding to this tab.
URL: URL of the web page corresponding to this tab.

  The detection unit 22 displays the tab width in an enlarged manner with reference to the tab position table 24 based on the information output by the touch sensor 21 (the position where the pointer starts to contact, the relative movement position, and the movement direction). The tab is searched, and the tab ID of the tab to be enlarged and displayed next is output according to the moving direction.

  That is, when the indicator moves on the touch sensor 21 and becomes non-contact, the distance of the indicator moved by contact is calculated from the contact start position of the indicator output by the touch sensor 21 and the relative movement distance. If this distance is equal to or longer than the predetermined length, a tab ID whose “enlarged display tab flag” in the tab position table 24 is “true” is found.

Then, the tab ID of the tab for which the tab width is enlarged and displayed next is determined from the moving direction of the indicator.
Here, it is assumed that the number of adjacent tabs that are enlarged and displayed centering on a tab that displays a web page is N. For example, if there are only one adjacent tab on both the left and right, N = 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, and if there are two adjacent tabs on the left and right, N = 2 + 1 + 2 = 5.

In this determination, when the moving direction of the indicator is rightward, the left tab N tabs away from the tab ID with the enlarged display tab flag of the tab position table 24 being “true” To do. Further, when the moving direction of the indicator is the left direction, the right-side tab N tabs away from the tab ID in which the enlarged display tab flag of the tab position table 24 is “true” is set as a tab for enlarging the tab width next.
Here, when there are N or less tabs in the direction in which the next tab to be enlarged is present, the tab to be enlarged next is regarded as a tab at the end in each direction.

For example, when N = 3 and the currently enlarged tab is “5”, when the indicator is moved to the right, the position of the tab to be enlarged is moved to the left, and the next enlarged display is displayed. The tab to be displayed is “2” when 5-N = 2, and when the indicator is moved to the left, the position of the tab to be enlarged is moved to the right, and the next tab to be enlarged is When 5 + N = 8, “8” is obtained.
In this description, the direction of movement of the indicator and the direction of movement of the tab to be magnified next are reversed, but the direction of movement of the indicator and the direction of movement of the tab to be magnified next may be the same.

On the other hand, when the indicator moves on the touch sensor 21 and becomes non-contact, the detection unit 22 moves in contact with the indicator from the contact start position of the indicator output by the touch sensor 21 and the relative movement distance. If this distance is less than or equal to a predetermined length, no action is taken.
Then, the detection unit 22 transmits the determined tab ID to the tab display unit 23 and the web page display unit 25.

  The tab display unit 23 sets the “enlarged display tab flag” of the tab position table 24 of the tab ID received from the detection unit 22 to “true”, and sets the “enlarged display tab flag” of other tab IDs to “false”. Then, each tab is displayed with a title so that the horizontal width of the tab indicated by the tab ID received from the detection unit 22 and the tab adjacent to the tab are enlarged and the horizontal width of the other tabs is reduced.

  The web page display unit 25 refers to the tab position table 24, acquires the web page of the URL corresponding to the tab ID received from the detection unit 22, transmits it to the display unit 26, and displays it on the display screen.

<Embodiment 3>
The third embodiment is an operation example in the case of detecting the operation position of the above-described (3) indicator (finger). The functional configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 10 and will not be described. However, only differences between the detection unit 22, the tab display unit 23, and the tab position table 24 will be described.

The tab position table 24 of the third embodiment has the same configuration as that of the second embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
The detection unit 22 refers to the tab position table 24 based on the information output by the touch sensor 21 (the indicator is the contact position), searches for a tab whose tab width is enlarged, and detects the contact position of the indicator. Accordingly, the tab ID of the tab to be enlarged is output.

  That is, when the touch sensor 21 is touched with an indicator, the contact position of the indicator output from the touch sensor 21 is determined as to which side the touch sensor 21 is divided into two, and the tab position table 24 Find the tab ID whose “enlarged display tab flag” is “true”.

Then, from the contact position of the indicator, the tab ID of the tab whose next tab width is enlarged and displayed is determined.
Here, it is assumed that the number of adjacent tabs that are enlarged and displayed centering on a tab that displays a web page is N. For example, if there are only one adjacent tab on both the left and right, N = 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, and if there are two adjacent tabs on the left and right, N = 2 + 1 + 2 = 5.

In this determination, when the contact position of the indicator is on the left side of the two divided parts of the touch sensor 21, the left tabs N tabs away from the tab ID of which the enlarged display tab flag of the tab position table 24 is “true” are displayed. The tab width is enlarged to the tab. When the contact position of the indicator is on the right side of the two parts of the touch sensor 21, the tab on the right side N tabs away from the tab ID whose enlarged display tab flag in the tab position table 24 is “true” is the next tab. A tab whose width is enlarged is displayed.
Here, when there are N or less tabs in the direction in which the next tab to be enlarged is present, the tab to be enlarged next is regarded as a tab at the end in each direction.

  For example, when N = 3 and the currently displayed tab is “5” and the indicator is brought into contact with any position on the left half side, the position of the tab to be enlarged is moved to the left. The next tab to be enlarged is “2” when 5-N = 2, and when the indicator is brought into contact with any position on the right half side, the position of the tab to be enlarged moves to the right. Then, the next tab to be enlarged is “8” when 5 + N = 8.

  Then, the detection unit 22 transmits the determined tab ID to the tab display unit 23 and the web page display unit 25.

  The tab display unit 23 and the web page display unit 25 have the same functions as those in the second embodiment.

By configuring the embodiment as described above, the tab switching operation can be performed intuitively and very easily when the tab browser is operated with a device having a small display area such as a portable device.
In addition, since the tab width changes depending on how the touch sensor is operated, information such as the title on the tab is easily visible, and further, by arranging the touch sensor around the display area, The operation can be performed without obstructing the viewing of the title displayed on the operation target tab.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and corrections can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the screen configuration as illustrated in FIG. 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a screen configuration, and can be applied to any type of tab browser. it can.

  The embodiment of the present invention can also be realized by converting each function of the tab browser operation device into a computer program, and installing and executing the computer program on the tab browser operation device. Further, the computer program can be recorded on a detachable recording medium or downloaded via a network, so that the transfer can be simplified and implemented easily.

1 is an external view of a tab browser operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a browser display example at the time of opening three web pages. It is a browser display example at the time of opening nine web pages. It is a browser display example at the time of opening the 5th tab among nine web pages. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between a pointer position and a tab position. This is an example in which four touch sensors are arranged. It is an example of a tab operation by a touch sensor (corresponding to the first embodiment). It is an example of a tab operation by a touch sensor (corresponding to the second embodiment). It is an example of a tab operation by a touch sensor (corresponding to the third embodiment). It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the tab browser operation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,25 ... Electronic device, 20 ... Tab browser operation apparatus, 11 ... Display screen, 12, 12s, 12u, 12h, 12m, 21 ... Touch sensor, 13 ... Web page, 14 ... Tab, 15 ... Input field, 22 ... Detection unit, 23 ... tab display unit, 24 ... tab position table, 26 ... web page display unit, 27 ... display unit, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43 , 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 ... tabs.

Claims (9)

  In the tab browser operation device that operates the tab browser that switches the web page on the screen by selecting the tab, the detection means for detecting the operation state of the indicator with the touch sensor, the tabs are displayed side by side in a predetermined direction, A tab browser operating device, comprising: a tab display unit that changes a tab for displaying the contents of the tab so as to be visible according to the operation state of the indicator detected by the detecting unit.   2. The tab browser operating device according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is arranged adjacent to and parallel to a predetermined direction in which the tabs are arranged.   3. The tab browser operation device according to claim 1, wherein the tab display unit enlarges and displays a tab corresponding to an operation state of the indicator detected by the detection unit and a tab adjacent to the tab. Then, a tab browser operating device characterized in that the tab contents can be visually recognized by reducing and displaying other tabs.   4. The tab browser operating device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means detects a distance from a contact base point of the touch sensor to a position where the indicator contacts, and the tab display means By displaying the tabs adjacent to the tabs and the tabs adjacent to the tabs in which the distance of the detected indicator and the distance from the display base point of the tabs are equal, and displaying the other tabs in a reduced size, A tab browser operation device characterized in that the contents of a tab are visible.   The tab browser operating device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the detecting means detects a moving direction of the indicator by a touch sensor, and the tab display means corresponds to the moving direction of the indicator. A tab browser operation device characterized by changing a tab to be displayed so as to be visible.   4. The tab browser operating device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects a position where the indicator is touched by a touch sensor, and the tab display unit is configured according to the position of the indicator. A tab browser operation device characterized by changing a tab to be displayed so as to be visible.   In the tab browser operation method of operating the tab browser that switches the web page on the screen by selecting the tab, the tabs are displayed side by side in a predetermined direction, and according to the operation state of the indicator detected by the touch sensor, A tab browser operating method, wherein a tab for displaying the contents of a tab so as to be visible is changed.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the tab browser operation apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 8 is recorded.

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