JP2011002931A - Operation device, operation method, operation program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a menu operation for intuitively and efficiently searching for content.SOLUTION: An icon is displayed so as to be selectable in association with the inclination of a remote control terminal 1, and a folder or a character is related with the icon. Thus, it is possible to select the folder or the character only by inclining the remote control terminal 1, and it is not necessary to depress a key several times in order to move a cursor. Also, the folder or the character is related with the icon as necessary by detecting the character input action of the user. Thereby, the user is free from trouble in switching between the character input and the selection of the folder.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for operating a menu displayed on a television screen based on information transmitted from a remote control terminal.

  In recent years, digital devices are connected to each other by wired communication or wireless communication, and digital devices are connected to a network such as the Internet, so that the amount of usable content has been dramatically increased. For this reason, an intuitive and easy-to-understand menu screen and a user-friendly operation method are required for the user to find and use desired content. Examples of content include moving images, still images, audio, text, and programs.

  Conventionally, contents are selected by moving folders divided into several layers. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a conventional screen for content selection. In the menu shown in FIG. 18, an operation of moving to the next lower level with the right direction key and moving to the next higher level with the left direction key is performed. The user searches the desired content by moving the hierarchy by such an operation. In the example shown in the figure, folders and contents for three layers of k to k + 2 layers are displayed. Items that cannot be displayed on the screen are displayed by operating the scroll bar.

  There is also a menu that displays a search window, accepts keywords, and narrows down contents by the keywords. By narrowing down the content, the content displayed on the screen is reduced, and the content can be searched more efficiently. Keyword input is facilitated by using an input device such as a keyboard. However, in a device such as a digital television that is operated away from the screen, the keyboard is large and requires a place for a keyboard such as a table, which is difficult to handle. An input device such as a mouse is smaller than a keyboard, but requires a space for operation. On the other hand, there is a problem that the number of keys is insufficient for inputting keywords with a remote control terminal that is easy to handle.

  Therefore, as a method for inputting information, a method of determining the order of pressing keys and inputting a number, a method of operating by moving an object serving as a mark, and the like have been considered (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-190452 JP 2004-272598 A

  However, when searching for content by selecting a folder using an easy-to-use remote control terminal, if there is a large amount of content, it is necessary to repeatedly move the cursor and press keys to select the folder and content. There is a problem that the burden is large.

  In addition, there is a problem of how to input keywords using a remote control terminal with a limited number of keys.

  Furthermore, when moving a folder and entering keywords to narrow down and search for content, select the search window from the folder selection screen, enter characters, and switch back to the folder selection screen. There is a problem that it is troublesome and troublesome.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a menu operation capable of searching for content efficiently and intuitively.

  An operating device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an operating device that operates a menu based on a signal transmitted from a small terminal device having an inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination and a key input means for detecting a key press. Management means for managing content for each folder, receiving means for receiving the signal, information input means for acquiring tilt information and key input information detected by the small terminal device from the received signal, and the folder Alternatively, a plurality of icons associated with characters, a character input area for receiving character input, a display means for displaying a menu having a list display area for displaying the list of contents, and the icon selected based on the tilt information In addition, an operation related to a folder or a character is performed based on the key input information, and the selected icon Operating means for updating the list display area based on a character associated with a folder and a character input in the character input area, and selecting content to be used from the list display area based on the key input information; It is characterized by having.

  In the operation device, when the folder is associated with the selected icon, the operation unit associates a character with the icon when the key input information indicates an operation related to the character, and the selected icon becomes a character. When the key input information indicating the change of the tilt information and the operation with respect to the character is not acquired for a predetermined time in the case of association, the icon is associated with the folder.

  In the operation device, content is managed for each folder corresponding to the character.

  The operation method according to the second aspect of the present invention is an operation method for operating a menu based on a signal transmitted from a small terminal device having an inclination detection means for detecting an inclination and a key input means for detecting a key press. Receiving the signal, obtaining tilt information and key input information detected by the small terminal device from the received signal, a plurality of icons associated with folders or characters for managing content, and characters A step of displaying a menu having a character input area for accepting input of the content, a list display area for displaying a list of the contents, a step of selecting the icon based on the tilt information, and a folder based on the key input information A step of performing an operation relating to or an operation relating to a character, and an operation associated with the selected icon Updating the list display area based on a folder and characters input to the character input area; and selecting content to be used from the list display area based on the key input information. And

  In the above operation method, when a folder is associated with the selected icon, when the key input information indicates an operation related to a character, a character is associated with the icon, and the selected icon is associated with a character. In addition, there is a step of associating the icon with a folder when the key input information indicating the change of the tilt information and the operation on the character is not acquired for a predetermined time.

  In the above operation method, content is managed for each folder corresponding to the character.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operating program for operating a menu based on a signal transmitted from a small terminal device having an inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination and a key input means for detecting a key press. Processing for receiving the signal, processing for acquiring tilt information and key input information detected by the small terminal device from the received signal, a plurality of icons associated with folders or characters for managing content, and character input Processing for displaying a menu having a character input area for receiving a list, a list display area for displaying a list of contents, a process for selecting the icon based on the tilt information, and an operation related to a folder based on the key input information Alternatively, a process for performing an operation related to characters, a folder associated with the selected icon, and the characters A process of updating the list display area based on the characters entered into force region, characterized in that to execute a process of selecting a content to be utilized from the list display region based on the key input information.

  In the above operation program, when a folder is associated with the selected icon, when the key input information indicates an operation related to a character, a character is associated with the icon, and the selected icon is associated with a character. In addition, there is a process of associating the icon with a folder when the key input information indicating the change of the tilt information and the operation on the character is not acquired for a predetermined time.

  In the operation program, content is managed for each folder corresponding to the character.

  A recording medium according to a fourth aspect of the present invention records any one of the above operation programs.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, menu operation which can search a content intuitively and efficiently can be provided.

It is the schematic which shows the whole system configuration | structure in this Embodiment, and the key of a remote control terminal. It is a functional block diagram which shows the functional structure of a remote control terminal. It is a functional block diagram which shows the functional structure of a digital television. It is the schematic which shows the structure of a menu. It is a figure explaining the tree structure of a folder. It is a figure explaining the inclination direction of a remote control terminal. It is a figure which shows the inclination of the remote control terminal corresponding to each direction. It is a figure which shows the direction selected according to the inclination of a remote control terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of a character input. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the menu at the time of character input. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a folder selection process and a character input process. It is a figure which shows the mode of a menu when starting a menu. It is a figure which shows the mode of a menu when the "sa" line folder is selected. It is a figure which shows the mode of a menu when the "su" folder is selected. It is a figure which shows the mode of a menu when a "ka" line folder is selected. It is a figure which shows the mode of a menu when the "ka" line folder is selected and "Kita" is input into the search bar. It is a figure which shows a mode that a content is selected from a content list in FIG. It is a figure explaining the conventional folder selection.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall system configuration and keys of a remote control terminal according to the present embodiment. This entire system is configured by a remote control terminal 1 (corresponding to a small terminal device) and a digital television 2 (corresponding to an operation device) that can communicate with each other wirelessly or by wire such as infrared rays. By transmitting information corresponding to the operation of the remote control terminal 1 by the user to the digital television 2, the digital television 2 can be remotely operated. The digital television 2 includes a display module such as a web browser and a widget, and can display a result of the user operating the remote control terminal 1 on the screen. Hereinafter, configurations of the remote control terminal 1 and the digital television 2 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the remote control terminal 1 includes a special key portion 3 composed of a plurality of special keys on which a symbol having discriminating power that can be discriminated by visual recognition is drawn, and four direction keys for instructing up, down, left, and right directions. And a center key 7 disposed at the center of the cross key portion 5. Each key is arranged within a predetermined range so that all keys are within the movable range of the thumb when the remote control terminal 1 is held by hand. The special key unit 3 includes a power key 31, an enter key 32, a delete key 33, a plus key 34, a minus key 35, a left arrow key 36, and a right arrow key 37. The cross key unit 5 includes an up direction key 51, a down direction key 52, a left direction key 53, and a right direction key 54.

  FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram showing a functional configuration of the remote control terminal 1. As shown in the figure, the remote control terminal 1 includes a key state detection unit 11 (corresponding to a key input unit), an inclination detection unit 12 (corresponding to an inclination detection unit), a microcomputer unit 13, and a transmission unit 14. The remote control terminal 1 has a function such as a tilt detection sensor, and sends the tilt information of the remote control terminal 1 detected by the tilt detection sensor and the key input information detected by the user pressing the key to the digital television 2.

  In the key state detection unit 11, when the special keys of the special key unit 3, the directional keys of the cross key unit 5, and the center key 7 are pressed by the user, the pressed key is any key. It has a function to detect.

  The inclination detection unit 12 has a function of detecting the inclination (posture) of the remote control terminal 1 changed by the user. As such an inclination detection unit 12, for example, an acceleration sensor or an inclination detection gyro sensor used in a mobile phone bodily sensation application or a walking robot can be used.

  The microcomputer unit 13 processes each information detected by the key state detection unit 11 and the inclination detection unit 12 and transmits an input signal including key input information indicating the key pressing state and inclination information indicating the inclination of the remote control terminal 1. A function of sending to the unit 15 is provided.

  The transmission unit 14 has a function of transmitting the input signal processed by the microcomputer unit 13 to the digital television 2 by infrared or wireless communication.

  FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram showing the functional configuration of the digital television 2. The digital television 2 shown in the figure includes a signal receiving unit 21 (corresponding to receiving means), a signal separating unit 22 (corresponding to information input means), a signal data storage unit 23, a display control unit 24 (corresponding to operating means), a display. An output unit 25 (corresponding to display means), a disk control unit 26, a network control unit 27, and an external memory access unit 28 (each corresponding to management means) are provided. Note that the digital television 2 may be configured by a computer including an arithmetic processing device, a storage device, a memory, and the like, and the processing of each unit may be executed by a program. This program is stored in a storage device included in the digital television 2, and can be recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, or provided through a network. Hereinafter, each part will be described.

  The signal receiving unit 21 has a function of receiving an input signal transmitted from the remote control terminal 1.

  The signal separation unit 22 has a function of separating the input signal received by the signal reception unit 21 into various information. Specifically, key input information, tilt information, and the like are separated and acquired from the received input signal.

  The signal data storage unit 23 has a function of temporarily holding various information separated by the signal separation unit 22. As the signal data storage unit 23, for example, a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk is used.

  The display control unit 24 reads various information based on the received input signal from the signal data storage unit 23 and performs a menu operation. In addition, the content is acquired from the disk control unit 26, the network control unit 27, and the external memory access unit 28 and displayed on the display output unit 27.

  The display output unit 25 outputs a control result by the display control unit 24, for example, a menu screen or selected content to the screen.

  The disk control unit 26, the network control unit 27, and the external memory access unit 28 acquire the stored content or the content from the outside based on an instruction from the display control unit 24. The disk control unit 26 stores content in a storage device or the like, and reads and acquires the content. The network control unit 27 acquires content via the network. The external memory access unit 28 reads out and acquires content stored in an external storage device.

  Next, the configuration of the menu generated by the display control unit 24 and displayed by the display output unit 25 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a menu displayed by the display output unit 25. The menu 100 shown in the figure has an icon display area 110, a search bar display area 120, and a content list display area 130.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the icon display area 110 has a semicircular shape, and includes an A layer 111, a B layer 112, and a C layer 113 in order from the outside. In each level 111 to 113, icons 114 associated with folders are arranged at five locations, upper, upper left, left, lower left, and lower. The B level 112 is the operation target level. The A layer 111 is one layer above the B layer 112. Folders included in the folder selected in the A hierarchy 111 are displayed in the B hierarchy 112. In the C level 113, folders included in the folder selected in the B level 112 are displayed. When the user changes the folder selected on the B level 112, the folder displayed on the C level 113 is also changed.

  When the folder is configured in a tree structure as shown in FIG. 5, the display content of the icon display area 110 changes depending on which level the operation target is. For example, when the operation target is the first hierarchy shown in FIG. 5, folders belonging to the first hierarchy are displayed on the B hierarchy 112, and folders included in the folder selected on the B hierarchy 112 are displayed on the C hierarchy 113. The At this time, the A layer 111 is not displayed. When the folder displayed on the B layer 112 is selected and determined, the operation target moves to the second layer, and the first layer folder displayed on the B layer 112 is displayed on the A layer 111 and displayed on the C layer 113. The folder in the second hierarchy that has been displayed is displayed in the B hierarchy 112, and the folder in the third hierarchy that is one level lower is displayed in the C hierarchy 113. When the operation target reaches the lowest hierarchy, the fourth hierarchy in FIG. 5, only the A hierarchy 111 for displaying the third hierarchy folder and the B hierarchy 112 for displaying the fourth hierarchy folder are displayed in the icon display area 110. The C hierarchy 113 is not displayed.

  The search bar display area 120 includes a character display field 121 for displaying characters input by the remote control terminal 1. The character input process will be described later.

  The content list display area 130 displays a content list 131 that is a list of contents. When the entire list cannot be displayed in the content list display area 130, the scroll bar 132 is displayed. The content list 131 displayed in the content list display area 130 includes contents stored in a folder selected in the B hierarchy 112 of the icon display area 110 or contents stored in a hierarchy below the selected folder. It is a list. The contents displayed in the content list display area 130 are narrowed down by the characters input in the character display field 121. The user selects content to be used from the content list 131.

  Next, the operation of the remote control terminal 1 will be described. In the present embodiment, the icon is selected by tilting the hand holding remote control terminal 1 in the roll direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the roll direction is a direction in which the remote control terminal 1 is tilted about the direction in which the hand holding the remote control terminal 1 extends. The tilt in the roll direction is a range in which the remote control terminal 1 is held horizontally, that is, a range in which the key of the remote control terminal 1 is rotated 90 degrees to the left and 90 degrees to the right from the state in which the keys are held in the antigravity direction. As shown in FIG. 7, the tilt information transmitted from the remote control terminal 1 to the digital television 2 is input in five directions 4a to 4e by associating the horizontal and vertical directions that are easily understood by the user with the diagonal directions therebetween. .

  First, icon selection and movement between folders will be described. In the B hierarchy 112 of the icon display area 110, five icons are displayed in correspondence with the five directions 4a to 4e. The user can change the icon selected on the B level 112 by rotating the remote control terminal 1 in the roll direction. When the user presses the right arrow key 37, the user moves to a hierarchy within the folder associated with the selected icon, and when the user presses the left arrow key 36, the user moves to a folder one level higher. In this way, the user moves the hierarchy by tilting the remote control terminal 1 to select an icon and pressing the left and right arrow keys 36 and 37.

  Next, character input will be described. In the present embodiment, a consonant is selected by tilting the remote control terminal 1 and a vowel is selected by pressing the center key 7. Then, the character to be input is determined by pressing the left and right direction keys 53 and 54. When inputting characters, as shown in FIG. 8, icons are displayed corresponding to the five directions 4a to 4j on the right side and the left side, and two icons are selected with respect to the tilt of the remote control terminal 1. The left and right keys 53 and 54 are used to select either the right side or the left side. For example, when “A”, “KA”, “SA”, “TA”, “NA”, “HA”, “MA”, “YA”, “RA”, and “WA” are assigned to the directions 4a to 4j, the remote control terminal 1 When the inclination is the angle shown at the left end of FIG. 8, the directions 4a and 4f are selected. At this time, “A” is input when the user presses the left direction key 53, and “HA” is input when the user presses the right direction key 54. Pressing the center key 7 changes the characters assigned to the directions 4a to 4j. For example, the characters assigned to the direction 4a change in the order of “A” → “I” → “U” → “E” → “O” → “A”.

  FIG. 9 shows a state when “ki” is input. First, the remote control terminal 1 is tilted obliquely to select the icons in the directions 4b and 4g. “Ka” is assigned to the direction 4b, and “ma” is assigned to the direction 4g. Subsequently, by pressing the center key 7 twice, the characters assigned to the directions 4a to 4j are changed, and "ki" is assigned to the direction 4b. Finally, by pressing the left direction key 53, “ki” is determined as the input character. At this time, when the right direction key 54 is pressed, “mi” is input.

  The icon displayed in the icon display area 110 can be used as an icon used for inputting characters. When the display control unit 24 detects the character input action of the user, the icon displayed in the icon display area 110 is associated with the character, and “a”, “ka”, “sa”, “ta”, “na”, etc. are associated with the icon. Display characters. As a result, the user can change the consonant by tilting the remote control terminal 1. The icons corresponding to the right directions 4f to 4j are displayed on the opposite side of the icon display area 110 with the content list display area 130 interposed therebetween, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, when a character input action is detected, the content list display area 130 may be hidden and displayed at the place where the content list display area 130 was. Or you may display the character corresponding to each of the left-right direction keys 53 and 54 on the icon of B hierarchy 112, without changing the structure of a menu. Specifically, both the letters “a” and “ha” are displayed on the icon corresponding to the upward direction, and “a” is input with the left arrow key 53 and “ha” is input with the right arrow key 54. To understand.

  As described above, the folder selection operation and the consonant change operation are both the same as the operation of tilting the remote control terminal 1. For this reason, when it is desired to narrow down the contents while inputting keywords in the contents of the currently selected folder, the folder that is simultaneously selected during the character input operation also changes. As a result, there arises a problem that it is difficult to understand the result of narrowing down the contents in the target folder by the keyword. Therefore, in the present embodiment, attention is paid to the action at the time of character input, and when the character input action is detected, the icon is controlled in association with the character so that the selected folder is not changed. Specifically, when the key input information indicates an operation related to a character, it is determined that the character input action is being performed, a change in the tilt of the remote control terminal 1 is not detected during the character input action for a predetermined time, and the character input operation is performed. When key input information indicating an operation is not received, it is determined that the character input action has ended. Hereinafter, folder selection and character input switching will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of folder selection processing and character input processing.

  First, the digital television 2 displays an initial menu screen (step S11) and enters a standby state waiting for an input signal from the remote control terminal 1 (step S12). The presence / absence of an input signal is determined (step S13). If there is no input signal, the process returns to step S12.

  If there is an input signal, it is determined whether there is a key event (step S14). The key event is information indicating that the key of the remote control terminal 1 has been pressed, and is included in the key input information of the input signal. When there is a key event, it is determined which key has been pressed, and processing corresponding to the pressed key is performed.

  When the left / right direction keys 53 and 54 are pressed (step S15), a character corresponding to the left direction key 53 or the right direction key 54 is input, and the changed vowel is changed to the initial vowel (a, ka, sa, Then, the timer is cleared (step S16). The input characters are displayed in the character display column 121 of the search bar display area 120. Then, the display content of the content list 131 is changed so that the content list corresponding to the character string (keyword) displayed in the character display field 121 is displayed. The timer is used to determine the end of the character input process. The timer is cleared when the character input process is performed, and when the timer exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the character input by the user is finished.

  When the center key 7 is pressed (step S17), a vowel change process is performed and the timer is cleared (step S18). The character assigned to each of the directions 4a to 4j is changed by the vowel changing process, and the input character is changed when the left and right direction keys 53 and 54 are pressed.

  When the delete key 33 is pressed (step S19), one character is deleted from the character display field 121, and the timer is cleared (step S20). This is the key event related to the character input process.

  When the up / down direction keys 51 and 52 are pressed (step S21), the item selected in the content list 131 is changed (step S22). When the up direction key 51 is pressed, the content displayed above the currently selected content is selected. When the down direction key 52 is pressed, the content is displayed below the currently selected content. Selected content.

  When the enter key 32 is pressed (step S23), use of the currently selected content is started (step S24).

  When the left and right arrow keys 36 and 37 are pressed (step S25), the hierarchy is moved (step S26). When the left arrow key 36 is pressed, it moves to the next higher level, and when the right arrow key 37 is pressed, it moves to the next lower level.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the tilt of the remote control terminal 1 (step S27). If there is a change in the inclination and the character input process is not in progress, the folder selected in the B hierarchy 112 is changed according to the inclination (steps S28 and S29). Whether or not a character input process is in progress is made by comparing a timer with a threshold value. If the timer is smaller than the threshold, character input processing is in progress.

  On the other hand, if there is a change in tilt and character input processing is in progress, consonant change processing is performed and the timer is cleared (steps S28 and S30). The consonant changing process is a process of changing the icons corresponding to the directions 4a to 4j selected according to the inclination. When the icon displayed on the B level 112 is used for character input, in order to distinguish the selected folder from the selected character, for example, the icon frame is thickened to indicate the selected folder, Highlight the icon with a gray highlight to indicate the selected character. The gray highlight moves when the user changes the consonant, that is, when the user tilts the remote control terminal 1.

  If there is no change in the inclination, the timer is increased (step S31), and it is determined whether or not the timer exceeds the threshold (step S32). When the timer exceeds the threshold, it is considered that the character input by the user has been completed, and the process returns to folder selection (step S33).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the determination of switching between folder selection and character input processing is determined based on whether or not an event related to character input processing has occurred within a predetermined time.

  Next, how to select content in the present embodiment will be described with reference to a menu screen.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state when the menu is launched. Assuming that the user is in the highest hierarchy when the menu is displayed, the B hierarchy 112 displays icons indicating the folders existing in the highest hierarchy. In the C level 113, folders existing in the folder selected in the B level 112 are displayed. In the content list display area 130, a list of contents existing under the folder selected in the B level 112 is displayed. In FIG. 12, the phone book folder is selected, and the content list display area 130 displays a list of contents existing in the phone book folder. In the telephone directory folder, there is a folder in which content is divided for each consonant, and is displayed on the C hierarchy 113. In the highest hierarchy shown in FIG. 12, there are a video folder, a music folder, a telephone directory folder, a photo folder, and a broadcast folder, and the contents are managed in each folder. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and other service folders may exist. For example, book information and video are categorized, a list of contents is displayed in the content list display area 130 by selecting or searching for a category, and information is acquired from the site by selecting the content But you can.

  Subsequently, when the user presses the right arrow key 37, the user moves to the next lower level of the phone book folder, and as shown in FIG. An icon indicating each folder in the phone book folder is displayed. In the C level 113, icons indicating the folders existing in the folder selected in the B level 112 are displayed. In FIG. 13, the “sa” line folder is selected, and the content list display area 130 displays a list of contents existing in the “sa” line folder and having last names beginning with the sa line. In addition, icons indicating the folders “sa”, “shi”, “su”, “se” and “so” are displayed on the C layer 113. At this time, when the user changes the tilt of the remote control terminal 1 and selects another icon, the display contents of the C layer 113 and the content list display area 130 change according to the selected icon.

  When the user further presses the right arrow key 37 in a state where the “sa” row folder is selected, the user moves to the next lower layer of the “sa” row folder, and each consonant is displayed in the A layer 111 as shown in FIG. Folder icons are displayed, and icons indicating the folders in the “sa” row folder are displayed on the B hierarchy 112. In FIG. 14, the “su” folder is selected, and the content list display area 130 displays a list of contents that have the last name beginning with “su” in the “su” folder. Since there is no further lower layer, the C layer 113 is not displayed in FIG.

  Next, how to narrow down the content by inputting characters will be described. FIG. 15 shows a state where the right arrow key 37 is pressed in the state of FIG. 14 to return to the next higher level, and the remote control terminal 1 is tilted to select the “ka” row folder. In the content list display area 130, a list of contents having last names starting with a line is displayed. Enter text from this state to narrow down the content. Hereinafter, a state where the character “Kita” is input from the state of FIG. 15 will be described.

  First, the center key 7 is pressed twice to display “ki”, and the left arrow key 53 is pressed to input “ki”. More specifically, when the user presses the center key 7, character input is started, and each folder in the B level 112 shows an icon for character input. Here, a highlight process is performed on the icon of the B layer 112 to distinguish the selected folder from the selected character. When the user presses the center key 7 twice, the character assigned to the upper left icon changes from “ka” to “ki”. The user tilts the remote control terminal 1 to select “ki”, and the character “ki” is input by pressing the left arrow key 53 while “ki” is selected.

  Subsequently, the center key 7 is pressed several times to display “TA”, and the left arrow key 53 is pressed to input “TA”. More specifically, since the character assigned to the B level 112 is changed by pressing the center key 7, the center key 7 is pressed several times until the character “TA” to be input is displayed. When the character “ta” is displayed, the remote control terminal 1 is tilted to select “ta”. By pressing the left arrow key 53 with “TA” selected, the character “TA” is input.

  FIG. 16 shows the state of the menu immediately after inputting the character “ta”. As shown in the figure, the icon indicating “ta” in the B hierarchy 112 is highlighted so that it can be distinguished from the selected “ka” row folder. In the character display field 121, the characters “Kita” are entered. In the content list display area 130, a list of contents existing in the “ka” line folder and including the characters “kita” is displayed.

  Thereafter, the user can use the content by pressing the up / down direction keys 51 and 52 to select desired content and pressing the enter key 32. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the content is selected by pressing the up / down direction keys 51 and 52.

  In this way, by managing the content in the folder associated with the character, the icon indicating the folder can be used as it is for character input.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by displaying an icon in a selectable manner corresponding to the tilt of the remote control terminal 1, the user can intuitively select the icon by tilting the remote control terminal 1. By associating a folder or character with the icon, it is possible to select a folder or a character simply by tilting the remote control terminal 1, and it is not necessary to repeatedly press a key to move the cursor. Further, by detecting the user's character input behavior and associating a folder or character with the icon as appropriate, the user is not bothered to switch between character input and folder selection.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Remote control terminal 11 ... Key state detection part 12 ... Detection part 13 ... Microcomputer part 14 ... Transmission part 15 ... Transmission part 2 ... Digital television 21 ... Signal reception part 22 ... Signal separation part 23 ... Signal data storage part 24 ... Display control Unit 25 ... Display output unit 26 ... Disk control unit 27 ... Network control unit 27 ... Display output unit 28 ... External memory access unit 3 ... Special key unit 31 ... Power key 32 ... Decision key 33 ... Delete key 34 ... Plus key 35 ... Minus key 36 ... Left arrow key 37 ... Right arrow key 5 ... Cross key part 51 ... Up key 52 ... Down key 53 ... Left key 54 ... Right key 7 ... Center key 100 ... Menu 110 ... Icon display area 111 ... A layer 112 ... B layer 113 ... C layer 114 ... icon 120 ... search bar display area 121 ... character display field 130 ... Ceiling list display area 131 ... content list 132 ... scroll bar

Claims (10)

An operating device for operating a menu based on a signal transmitted from a small terminal device having an inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination and a key input means for detecting a key press,
A management means for managing content for each folder;
Receiving means for receiving the signal;
Information input means for acquiring tilt information and key input information detected by the small terminal device from the received signal;
Display means for displaying a menu having a plurality of icons associated with the folder or characters, a character input area for receiving character input, and a list display area for displaying a list of the contents;
The icon is selected based on the tilt information, and the operation related to the folder or the character is performed based on the key input information, and the character input to the folder and the character input area associated with the selected icon Operating means for updating the list display area based on the key, and selecting content to be used from the list display area based on the key input information;
An operating device comprising:   The operation means associates a character with the icon when the key input information indicates an operation related to a character when the folder is associated with the selected icon, and the selected icon is associated with a character. 2. The operation device according to claim 1, further comprising: associating the icon with a folder when the key input information indicating the change in the tilt information and the operation on the character is not acquired for a predetermined time.   The operation device according to claim 2, wherein content is managed for each of the folders corresponding to the characters. An operation method for operating a menu based on a signal transmitted from a small terminal device having an inclination detection means for detecting an inclination and a key input means for detecting a key press,
Receiving the signal;
Obtaining tilt information and key input information detected by the small terminal device from the received signal;
A step of displaying a menu having a plurality of icons associated with folders or characters for managing content, a character input region for receiving character input, and a list display region for displaying a list of the content;
Selecting the icon based on the tilt information;
Performing an operation related to a folder or an operation related to characters based on the key input information;
Updating the list display area based on the folder associated with the selected icon and the characters input in the character input area;
Selecting content to be used from the list display area based on the key input information;
The operation method characterized by having.   When a folder is associated with the selected icon, when the key input information indicates an operation related to a character, a character is associated with the icon, and when the selected icon is associated with a character, a predetermined time 5. The operation method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of associating the icon with a folder when the key input information indicating the change in the tilt information and the operation on the character is not acquired.   6. The operation method according to claim 5, wherein contents are managed for each of the folders corresponding to the characters. An operating device for operating a menu based on a signal transmitted from a small terminal device having an inclination detecting means for detecting an inclination and a key input means for detecting a key press,
Receiving the signal;
Processing for obtaining tilt information and key input information detected by the small terminal device from the received signal;
A process for displaying a menu having a plurality of icons associated with folders or characters for managing content, a character input area for receiving character input, and a list display area for displaying a list of the contents;
Processing for selecting the icon based on the tilt information;
A process for performing an operation relating to a folder or an operation relating to a character based on the key input information;
Processing for updating the list display area based on the folder associated with the selected icon and the characters input in the character input area;
A process of selecting content to be used from the list display area based on the key input information;
An operation program characterized by causing   When a folder is associated with the selected icon, when the key input information indicates an operation related to a character, a character is associated with the icon, and when the selected icon is associated with a character, a predetermined time The operation program according to claim 7, further comprising a process of associating the icon with a folder when the key input information indicating the change in the tilt information and the operation on the character is not acquired.   The operation program according to claim 8, wherein contents are managed for each of the folders corresponding to the characters.   A recording medium on which the operation program according to claim 7 is recorded.

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