JP7077024B2 - Electronic devices, information processing methods, programs and storage media - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device capable of inputting characters and a control method thereof.

Conventionally, when text is input by a WEB search on a PC or a smartphone, it is common that the cursor in the input window blinks and waits for the user's input. Patent Document 1 discloses that when voice input is performed and the voiceless state is continued for a certain period of time or longer, it is considered that the voice input of the title name is completed and the title name is started to be discriminated. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that whether or not a character string input in an input field corresponds to a permissible character string is determined each time a character input is accepted, and if it is determined that the character string does not correspond, notification is performed. Has been done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-343375 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-186595

In the method of Patent Document 1, if the user is not aware that the input is possible, or is not yet aware that the character must be input to determine the title name, a certain period of time or more has passed. The title name is determined according to the above. In the method of Patent Document 2, if the user is not aware that the character input is possible in the first place or that the character input is necessary, it is determined whether or not the character string is an allowable character string for the character string not intended by the user. .. In this way, in the state of accepting the operation of inputting characters, the user may not notice that the character input is possible and that the character input is necessary.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the operability of a user when inputting into a character input field.

Therefore, the present invention is an electronic device, which is a receiving means capable of accepting input of characters in an input field , and after displaying the input field on a screen, inputting characters into the input field by the receiving means is performed. The frame of the input field is changed from the first shape to the second shape different from the first shape according to the measuring means for measuring the non-accepted time and the time when the measured time has passed . The shape is changed to be controlled to be displayed on the screen, and the frame of the input field is changed to the second time according to the elapse of the second time, which is longer than the first time . The shape is changed to a third shape different from both the first shape and the second shape and controlled to be displayed on the screen, and the measured time elapses from the second time. After that, it has a display control means for controlling the frame of the input field to be animated in the third shape until the input of characters to the input field by the reception means is accepted .

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability of the user when inputting into the character input field.

It is a hardware block diagram of an electronic device. It is a flowchart which shows the display process of a character input screen. It is a flowchart which shows the input character addition processing. It is a flowchart which shows the hit item processing. It is a flowchart which shows the display process when there is no hit. It is a figure which shows the screen display example. It is a figure which shows the screen display example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1A is a hardware configuration diagram of the electronic device 100 according to the present embodiment. The electronic device 100 is, for example, a personal computer (PC) or the like. The electronic device 100 is an example of an information processing device. In FIG. 1, the CPU 101, the memory 102, the non-volatile memory 103, the image processing unit 104, the display 105, the reception unit 106, the display control unit 107, the recording medium I / F 108, the external I / F 109, and the communication I with respect to the internal bus 150. / F110 is connected. Each part connected to the internal bus 150 is configured to be able to exchange data with each other via the internal bus 150.

The memory 102 includes, for example, a RAM (such as a volatile memory using a semiconductor element). The CPU 101 controls each part of the electronic device 100 by using the memory 102 as a work memory according to a program stored in the non-volatile memory 103, for example. The non-volatile memory 103 stores image data, audio data, other data, various programs for operating the CPU 101, and the like. The non-volatile memory 103 is composed of, for example, a hard disk (HD) or a ROM. The functions and processes of the electronic device 100, which will be described later, are realized by the CPU 101 reading a program stored in the non-volatile memory 103 and executing this program.

Based on the control of the CPU 101, the image processing unit 104 includes image data stored in the non-volatile memory 103 and a recording medium, a video signal acquired via an external I / F 109, and an image acquired via a communication I / F 110. Perform various image processing on data and the like. The image processing performed by the image processing unit 104 includes A / D conversion processing, D / A conversion processing, image data coding processing, compression processing, decoding processing, enlargement / reduction processing (resizing), noise reduction processing, and color conversion. Processing etc. are included.

The display 105 displays an image, a GUI screen constituting a GUI (Graphical User Interface), and the like based on the control of the display control unit 107. The CPU 101 controls each part of the electronic device 100 so as to generate a display control signal according to a program, generate a video signal for display on the display 105, and output the video signal to the display 105. The electronic device 100 itself may include an interface for outputting a video signal to be displayed on the display 105, and the display 105 may be configured by an external monitor (television or the like).

The reception unit 106 is a device that accepts character input by a user, such as a keyboard, a microphone, a touch panel, and a mouse. A recording medium such as a memory card, a CD, or a DVD can be attached to the recording medium I / F 108, and data is read from the attached recording medium and data is written to the recording medium based on the control of the CPU 101. The external I / F 109 is an interface for connecting to an external device by a wired cable or wirelessly to input / output video signals and audio signals. The communication I / F 110 is an interface for communicating with an external device, the Internet 111, or the like to send and receive various data such as files and commands.

1 (b) and 1 (c) show an external view of an example of the electronic device 100 of this embodiment. FIG. 1B shows a smartphone (100), which has a touch panel 112, a power supply 116, a home button 117, and a menu button 118. By pressing the power supply 116, the power of the smartphone can be switched on and off. Further, by pressing the home button 117, it is possible to transition to a home screen in which various functions can be called. By pressing the menu button 118, a screen that allows detailed settings related to the smartphone can be displayed.

As one of the operation units, there is a touch panel 112 capable of detecting contact with the display 105. The touch panel 112 and the display 105 can be integrally configured. For example, the touch panel 112 is configured so that the light transmittance does not interfere with the display of the display 105, and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display 105. Then, the input coordinates on the touch panel and the display coordinates on the display 105 are associated with each other. This makes it possible to configure a GUI (graphical user interface) as if the user can directly operate the screen displayed on the display 105. The CPU 101 can detect the following operations or states on the touch panel 112.
-A finger or pen that was not touching the touch panel has newly touched the touch panel. That is, the start of touch (hereinafter referred to as touch-down).
-The touch panel is in a state of being touched with a finger or a pen (hereinafter referred to as touch-on).
-Move while touching the touch panel with a finger or pen (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Move).
-You have released your finger or pen that was touching the touch panel. That is, the end of touch (hereinafter referred to as touch-up (Touch-Up)).
-A state in which nothing is touched on the touch panel (hereinafter referred to as touch-off).

When touchdown is detected, it is also detected that it is touch-on. After touchdown, touch-on usually continues to be detected unless touch-up is detected. Touch move is also detected when touch on is detected. Even if touch-on is detected, touch move is not detected unless the touch position is moved. After it is detected that all the fingers and pens that have been touched are touched up, the touch off is performed.

These operations / states and the position coordinates of the finger or pen touching the touch panel are notified to the CPU 101 via the internal bus, and the CPU 101 indicates what kind of operation is performed on the touch panel based on the notified information. judge. Regarding the touch move, the moving direction of the finger or pen moving on the touch panel can also be determined for each vertical component and horizontal component on the touch panel based on the change in the position coordinates. It is also assumed that a stroke is drawn when the touch panel is touched up from a touchdown through a certain touch move. The operation of drawing a stroke quickly is called flicking. Flicking is an operation in which a finger is quickly moved on the touch panel by a certain distance while being touched, and then released as it is. In other words, it is an operation in which the touch panel is swiftly traced as if the finger is flicked. It can be determined that the flick has been performed when it is detected that the touch move is performed at a predetermined speed or more over a predetermined distance and the touch-up is detected as it is. In addition, if it is detected that the touch move is performed at a speed equal to or longer than a predetermined distance, it is determined that the drag has been performed. As the touch panel, any of various touch panels such as a resistance film method, a capacitance method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, an image recognition method, and an optical sensor method may be used. .. Depending on the method, there are a method of detecting that there is a touch due to contact with the touch panel and a method of detecting that there is a touch due to the approach of a finger or a pen to the touch panel, but any method may be used.

FIG. 1 (c) shows a personal computer (PC). The PC (100) has a display 105, a keyboard 113, and a mouse 114. By operating the keyboard 113, the user can give various instructions such as inputting characters and inputting numbers. Further, by operating the mouse 114, the cursor displayed on the display 105 can be moved, and items displayed on the display 105 can be selected or moved.

2 to 5 are flowcharts showing display control processing by the electronic device 100. 6 and 7 are views showing an example of screen display. FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the display process of the character input screen. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the input character addition process. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of hit item processing. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the display process when there is no hit. The processes of FIGS. 2 to 5 are realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 103 into the system memory (memory 102) and executing the program by the CPU 101. The display process of the character input screen starts when the electronic device 100 is turned on, the display 105 can be displayed, and the display instruction of the character input screen is given. The character input screen will be described as a product search screen in the present embodiment. However, the character input screen is not limited to this, and includes a person search screen, a place name search screen, a search screen that does not limit the search target via the Internet, and the like.

In S201, the CPU 101 first displays the initial screen on the display 105. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an example of an initial screen. An input field 601 for text input is displayed on the initial screen 600. Returning to FIG. 2, after the processing of S201, in S202, the CPU 101 displays the input field 601 so as to be deformed by the first animation display. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an input field 601 after transformation by the first animation display. In the example of FIG. 6B, the shape of the input field 601 is deformed so that the lower side of the frame is bulged.

Returning to FIG. 2, after S202, in S203, the CPU 101 starts the timing of the timer 1. Next, in S204, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the measurement time of the timer 1 has elapsed the predetermined time threshold value T1. Here, the passage of the time threshold value T1 means that the non-operation time exceeds the first time, which is an example of the first condition. The time threshold value T1 is, for example, a value such as 5 seconds or 10 seconds. When the time threshold value T1 has elapsed (YES in S204), the CPU 101 advances the process to S207. If the time threshold value T1 has not elapsed (NO in S204), the CPU 101 advances the process to S205. Character input can be performed by touching the soft keyboard displayed on the display 105 or by moving the cursor to the position of each character with the mouse and clicking. Further, character input using a keyboard may be used. In S205, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the character input has been performed by the user. When the character input is performed (YES in S205), the CPU 101 proceeds to the input character addition process shown in FIG. If the character input is not performed (NO in S205), the CPU 101 advances the process to S206. In S206, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the termination operation has been performed. When the end operation is performed (YES in S206), the CPU 101 ends the display control process. If the end operation is not performed (NO in S206), the CPU 101 advances the process to S204.

In S207, the CPU 101 displays the input field 601 so as to be deformed by the second animation display. FIG. 6C is a diagram showing an input field 601 after transformation by the second animation display. In the example of FIG. 6C, the shape of the input field 601 is deformed so that the upper side and the lower side of the frame are recessed. Returning to FIG. 2, after the processing of S207, in S208, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the measurement time by the timer 1 has elapsed the predetermined time threshold value T2. Here, the time threshold value T2 is a value such as 10 seconds or 15 seconds, which is longer than the time threshold value T1. The passage of the time threshold value T2 is an example of the second condition. When the time threshold value T2 has elapsed (YES in S208), the CPU 101 advances the process to S211. If the time threshold value T2 has not elapsed (NO in S208), the CPU 101 advances the process to 209.

In S209, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the character input has been performed by the user. When the character input is performed (YES in S209), the CPU 101 proceeds to the input character addition process shown in FIG. If the character input is not performed (NO in S209), the CPU 101 advances the process to S210. In S210, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the termination operation has been performed. The end process is performed by a touch operation on the item 602 showing the home screen shown in the item 602 of FIG. 6A or an operation of moving and clicking the mouse cursor. Further, the termination process is also performed by an operation of turning off the power of the electronic device 100 or an operation of transitioning to another screen. When the end operation is performed (YES in S210), the CPU 101 ends the display control process. If the termination operation is not performed (NO in S210), the CPU 101 advances the process to S208.

In S211 the CPU 101 displays the input field 501 so as to be deformed by the third animation display, and then proceeds to the process to S203. FIG. 6D is a diagram showing an input field 601 after transformation by the third animation display. In the example of FIG. 6D, the input field 601 is deformed into a state in which the entire frame is bulged and the centers of the upper and lower sides are recessed. As described above, when time elapses in a state where no input is made, the display of the input field 601 changes stepwise. This can prompt the user for input. The input fields shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D are examples of input fields shown in different display forms.

In S301 shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 101 executes a search using the newly input character as a search key. The newly input character here is a character in units of one character. For example, when "E" is input, followed by "O", and then "S", the search is executed when "E" is input. Next, in S302, the CPU 101 determines whether or not there is a hit item that hits the search key in the search result. If the hit item exists (YES in S302), the CPU 101 advances the process to S303. If the hit item does not exist (NO in S302), the CPU 101 proceeds to the display process when there is no hit shown in FIG. In S303, the CPU 101 adds a character to the input field. Next, in S304, the CPU 101 starts timing the timer 2.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a state in which search characters are added to the input field in S303. In the input field 701, three characters "EOS", which is a search key in which a hit item exists, are input, and a cursor 702 is displayed at the next input position. The three characters "EOS", which are the search keys, are displayed so that the vertical direction of the input field and the vertical direction of the characters match. This display form is referred to as a first display form.

Next, in S305, the CPU 101 determines the number of hit items. When the number of hit items is equal to or greater than the first number threshold value N1 (YES in S305), the CPU 101 advances the process to S306. When the number of hit items is less than the first number threshold value N1 and equal to or greater than the second number threshold value N2 (NO in S305, YES in S307), the CPU 101 advances the process to S308. When the number of hit items is less than the second number threshold value N2 and equal to or greater than the third number threshold value N3 (NO in S305, NO in S307, YES in S309), the CPU 101 advances the process to S310. When the number of hit items is less than the third number threshold value N3 (NO in S305, NO in S307, NO in S309), the CPU 101 advances the process to S312. It is assumed that the first number threshold value N1, the second number threshold value N2, and the third number number threshold value N3 are set in advance. Further, the second number threshold is a number smaller than the first number threshold, and the third number threshold is a number smaller than the second number threshold.

In S306, the CPU 101 displays up to N1 hit items, and then proceeds to process in S311. Further, in S308, the CPU 101 displays up to N2 hit items, and then proceeds to process in S311. Further, in S310, the CPU 101 displays up to N3 hit items, and then proceeds to the process to S311. In S311 the CPU 101 highlights a predetermined number of items M, which are smaller than N3, as an upper limit when there are items equal to or greater than the recommendation threshold, and then proceeds to the hit item processing shown in FIG. Further, in S312, the CPU 101 displays all the hit items, and then proceeds to the hit item processing.

The CPU 101 may change the input field to a display form other than the text box when there is an item equal to or larger than the recommended threshold value. This allows the user to know that no further character input is required. In this way, when it is understood that the character input is unnecessary, the user can proceed to the next operation such as item comparison, and can perform a comfortable and efficient operation. Further, the CPU 101 may change the input field to a display form other than the text box when the number (number of cases) of hit items is less than the fourth number threshold N4, which is smaller than the third number threshold.

In S401 shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 101 activates a comparison button for comparing hit items so that the user can instruct them. Next, in S402, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the comparison button has been instructed by the user. When the comparison button is instructed (YES in S402), the CPU 101 advances the process to S403. If the comparison button is not instructed (NO in S402), the CPU 101 advances the process to S404. In S403, the CPU 101 performs comparison screen processing when the comparison button is activated (YES in S403). On the comparison screen, it is possible to quantitatively compare the performance, user reviews, etc. of the products and items corresponding to the hit items displayed in FIG. The comparison screen processing is omitted. If the comparison button is not activated (NO in S403), the CPU 101 advances the process to S402.

In S404, the CPU 101 determines whether or not any of the hit items has been dragged and dropped onto the cart icon by the user. When the drag-and-drop operation is performed (YES in S404), the CPU 101 advances the process to S405. If the drag-and-drop operation is not performed (NO in S404), the CPU 101 advances the process to S406. In S405, the CPU 101 performs a process of adding the hit item targeted for the drag-and-drop operation to the cart, and then proceeds to the process of the process to S402.

In S406, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the item has been instructed by the user. When the item is instructed (YES in S406), the CPU 101 advances the process to S407. If the item is not instructed (NO in S406), the CPU 101 advances the process to S408. In S407, the CPU 101 displays the detailed information of the instructed item on the screen, and then proceeds to the process to S402.

In S408, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the character input has been performed again by the user. The character here is a character input as a character following the character input in the input field in S205 or S209. For example, in the state where "EO" is input in S205, "S" following in S408 is input, and "EOS" is input in the input field. When the character input is performed (YES in S408), the CPU 101 proceeds to the input character addition process shown in FIG. If the character input is not performed (NO in S408), the CPU 101 advances the process to S409.

In S409, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the measurement time of the timer 2 has elapsed a predetermined time S1. When the time S1 has elapsed (YES in S409), the CPU 101 advances the process to S410. The time threshold value S1 is, for example, a value such as 5 seconds or 10 seconds. If the time S1 has not elapsed (NO in S409), the CPU 101 advances the process to S415. In S410, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the cursor animation 1 is displayed. If the cursor animation 1 is not displayed (NO in S410), the CPU 101 advances the process to S411. If the cursor animation 1 is displayed (YES in S410), the CPU 101 advances the process to S412. In S411, the CPU 101 displays the cursor animation 1 and then proceeds to the process to S402.

In S412, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the measurement time of the timer 2 has elapsed the time S2. Here, the time S2 is a value such as 10 seconds or 15 seconds, which is longer than the time S1 and is a predetermined time. When the time S2 has elapsed (YES in S412), the CPU 101 advances the process to S413. If the time S2 has not elapsed (NO in S412), the CPU 101 advances the process to S402. In S413, the CPU 101 displays the cursor animation 2. Next, in S414, the CPU 101 resets the timer 2 and then starts timing again, and then advances the processing to S402. Here, the cursor animation is an animation in which the shape, size, and position of the cursor change continuously.

In S415, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the termination operation has been performed. When the end operation is performed (YES in S415), the CPU 101 ends the display control process. If the termination operation is not performed (NO in S415), the CPU 101 advances the process to S402.

In S501 of FIG. 5, if there is a hit item being displayed, the CPU 101 hides it. Next, in S502, the CPU 101 determines the number of non-hit characters, which is the number of non-hit characters, in the character string input in the input field. Here, the non-hit character is a character in which the hit item does not exist, or a character in which the hit item does not exist by being added to the character string in which the hit item exists. For example, if there is no hit item for "?", "?" Is a non-hit character. Further, while there is a hit item for "EOS", when there is no hit item for "EOS +", "+" is a non-hit character. In this case, "EOS +" has 1 non-hit character, and "EOS + W" has 2 non-hit characters. A character in which a hit item exists is referred to as a character with a hit. In the above example, "E", "EO", and "EOS" are hit characters.

When the number of non-hit characters is equal to or less than the predetermined character number threshold value P1 (YES in S502), the CPU 101 advances the process to S503. When the number of non-hit characters is larger than the character number threshold value P1 and is equal to or less than the character number threshold value P2 (NO in S502, YES in S504), the CPU 101 advances the process to S505. When the number of non-hit characters is larger than the character number threshold value P2 and is equal to or less than the character number threshold value P3 (NO to the threshold value) (NO in S502, NO in S504), the CPU 101 advances the process to S506. Here, the character number thresholds P1 and P2 are predetermined numbers. Further, the character number threshold value P2 is a number larger than the character number threshold value P1. In the present embodiment, the character number threshold value P1 is set to 2, and the character number threshold value P2 is set to 4.

In S503, the CPU 101 adds the newly input character to the input field, displays the input field in the second display form, and then proceeds to the process in S510. Here, the second display form is a form in which the non-hit characters arranged in the input field are displayed in the first color and the vertical direction of the characters is tilted with respect to the vertical direction of the input field. be. Here, the first color is a color different from the color of the character with a hit. In S505, the CPU 101 adds the newly input character to the input field, displays the input field in the third display form, and then proceeds to the process in S510. Here, the third display form is a form in which the non-hit characters arranged in the input field are displayed in the second color and in a tilted state. Here, the second color is the hit characters. It is a color different from the first color and different from the first color. In S506, the CPU 101 displays a discard animation. Here, the discard animation is a video in which the non-hit characters are moved so as to be ejected to the outside of the input field. Next, in S507, the CPU 101 performs a search using the hit character as a search key, and then proceeds to the process in S302 (FIG. 3).

The processing of S503 to S506 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7A, it is assumed that the hit character "EOS" is input in the input field 701. Here, "EOS" is displayed in the first display form as described above. That is, "EOS" is displayed so that the vertical direction of the characters matches the vertical direction of the input field. In this state, when the non-hit character "?" Is added to the input field 701, the "?" Is displayed in the second display form as shown in FIG. 7B (S503). That is, "?" Is a first color different from the hit character "EOS", and is displayed in a state of being tilted with respect to the vertical direction of the input field. Further, when the non-hit character "x" is added, the "x" is also displayed in the second display form.

When the non-hit character "*" is subsequently added, the number of non-hit characters becomes larger than that of P1 (2). Therefore, the non-hit character "? X *" is as shown in FIG. 7 (c). It is displayed in the third display form (S505). That is, "? X *" is a third color and is displayed in an inclined state. Subsequently, when the non-hit character "l" is added, the non-hit character "l" is also displayed in the third display form.

Further, when the non-hit character "w" is added, the number of non-hit characters becomes larger than that of P2 (4), so that the discard animation display is performed. In the discard animation, the shape of the input field 701 is changed as shown in FIG. 7 (d), and the non-hit character "? X * lw" is ejected to the outside of the input field 701. After that, as shown in FIG. 7 (e), the non-hit character "? X * lw" is displayed outside the input field 701, and only the hit character "EOS" is displayed in the input field.

The first display form, the second display form, and the third display form may be different from each other, and the specific display form is not limited to the embodiment. As a method of making the display form different, the display mode of the non-hit character may be different as described above. Examples of the display mode of the non-hit characters include the color and inclination of the characters, as well as the size and shape of the characters. Further, the CPU 101 may change the display form of the input field instead of changing the display form of the non-hit character, or in addition to changing the display form of the non-hit character. Examples of the display form of the input field include the shape of the input field, the display color, and the like.

As described above, by gradually changing the display form, the user can visually grasp that the non-hit character is input. Furthermore, by displaying the discard animation, the user can grasp that the text input cannot be continued.

In S508, the CPU 101 determines whether or not a character input has been performed. When the character input is performed (YES in S508), the CPU 101 advances the process to S301 (FIG. 3). If the character input is not performed (NO in S508), the CPU 101 advances the process to S509. In S509, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the termination operation has been performed. When the end operation is performed (YES in S509), the CPU 101 ends the display control process. If the end operation is not performed (NO in S509), the CPU 101 advances the process to S508.

As described above, in the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment, when the state in which the input to the input field is not performed continues, the input field is gradually deformed and displayed, and further, the input of the non-hit character in the input field is performed. When is continued, the display form of the input field is changed stepwise and displayed. As a result, the user can be made to recognize the input state in the character input field step by step.

As a first modification of the embodiment, when the number of non-hit characters is larger than P2, the electronic device 100 changes the database to be searched to another database instead of displaying the discard animation. May be good. Then, the electronic device 100 may perform a search in the changed database. The reason why the hit item does not exist corresponds to the case where the input character is not appropriate and the case where the database is inappropriate.

As a second modification, the electronic device 100 may delete the input characters when the user performs a gesture operation imitating a discard animation. Gesture operations include operations that vibrate the input field. It is common to delete all the text entered in the input field when the x mark or the like displayed in the corner of the input field is instructed by the user. If an operation that imitates an animation produces the same effect as when it is displayed, it becomes possible to inform the user of the operation method more intuitively.

According to this embodiment, since the display form of the character input field is changed twice or more, the user can easily notice the character input field. If the display form of the character input field is changed only once, it is difficult to notice when the user is gazing at other parts of the screen or not looking at the screen. If the display mode is changed twice or more as in the above-described embodiment, the screen changes several times with the passage of time, so that the user can easily notice the character input field. Further, since the display form of the character input field itself, that is, the shape is changed, the change in the display form is made large while showing that the character can be input. This makes it easier for the user to notice the character input field. In addition, by anthropomorphizing the character input field and changing the display form such as opening and closing the mouth, there is a high possibility that the user will feel that he / she wants to input some characters in the character input field. Become. Therefore, it is less likely that the user cannot perform the operation after inputting the character without noticing the character input field, or the character input is stopped in an unintended state. According to the present embodiment, the user can easily notice the character input field, so that the user can input characters until the intended characters and search results are obtained, and the operability for the electronic device is improved.

The above-mentioned various controls described as those performed by the CPU 101 may be performed by one hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by sharing the processing by a plurality of hardware.

Further, although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiment thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various embodiments within the range not deviating from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Further, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately combined.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an electronic device has been described as an example, but this is not limited to this example, and any device having a display means can be applied. That is, the present invention is applicable to PDAs, mobile phone terminals and portable image viewers, printer devices equipped with displays, digital photo frames, music players, game consoles, electronic book readers, tablet terminals, and smartphones. Further, the present invention can be applied to a projection device, a home electric appliance having a display, an in-vehicle device, and the like.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

100 Information processing device 101 CPU
105 display

Claims (5)

A reception means that can accept the input of characters in the input field,
After displaying the input field on the screen, a measuring means for measuring the time during which the input of characters in the input field by the receiving means is not accepted , and a measuring means.
According to the elapse of the first time, the frame of the input field is changed from the first shape to the second shape different from the first shape and displayed on the screen. Controlled , and further, the frame of the input field is changed from the second shape to the first shape and the first shape according to the elapse of the second time longer than the first time . It is controlled to change to a third shape different from any of the two shapes and display it on the screen, and after the measured time elapses, the input field by the reception means is entered. An electronic device comprising: a display control means for controlling an animation display of a frame of the input field in the third shape until an input of the character is accepted . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means controls the frame of the input field so as to display an animation in the second shape . It is an information processing method executed by electronic devices.
After displaying the input field on the screen, a measurement step for measuring the time during which the input of characters in the input field is not accepted by the reception means capable of accepting the input of characters in the input field, and the measurement step.
According to the elapse of the first time, the frame of the input field is changed from the first shape to the second shape different from the first shape and displayed on the screen. Controlled , and further, the frame of the input field is changed from the second shape to the first shape and the first shape according to the elapse of the second time longer than the first time . It is controlled to change to a third shape different from any of the two shapes and display it on the screen, and after the measured time elapses, the input field by the reception means is entered. An information processing method comprising a display control step for controlling an animation display of a frame of the input field in the third shape until the input of the character is accepted . A program for making a computer function as each means of the electronic device according to claim 1 or 2 . A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for operating the computer as each means of the electronic device according to claim 1 or 2 .

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