WO2004051452A1

WO2004051452A1 - Desktop display method, desktop display device, desktop display program, and computer-readable recording medium containing the program

Info

Publication number: WO2004051452A1
Application number: PCT/JP2002/012665
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mitsushige Murata
Original assignee: Fujitsu Limited
Priority date: 2002-12-03
Filing date: 2002-12-03
Publication date: 2004-06-17
Also published as: JPWO2004051452A1; JP4560410B2

Abstract

It is possible to eliminate complication in a display switching work of a real screen on a desktop screen displayed on a display of a personal computer, a work station, etc., and to improve the efficiency of the work on the desktop screen. One main area (31) including a screen to be referenced/updated and one or more sub areas (32 to 35) including screens other than the screen to be referenced/updated are displayed as one desktop screen (30) on a display unit (11). When one of the sub areas (32 to 35) on the desktop screen (30) is designated, the display content of the main area (31) and the display content of the designated sub area are replaced with each other on the desktop screen (30).

Description

Description: Desktop display method, desktop display device, desktop display program, and computer-readable recording medium storing the program

The present invention relates to a technique for displaying a desktop screen on a display (display unit) such as a personal computer or a workstation. Background art

In personal computers and workstations, the environment in which windows are used as user interfaces is becoming mainstream. When working in such an environment, a style in which multiple application windows are simultaneously opened on the display screen, and the active window (reference / update target window) is appropriately selected and switched to perform the work. Is becoming more common.

However, of course, the size of the display screen is limited, and if many windows are opened at the same time, the windows will overlap, making the displayed content difficult to see.

Therefore, in recent years, the screens that can be displayed on the display have been virtually expanded, and the parts other than the actual screen actually displayed on the display are assumed to exist in the virtual space. In some cases, a virtual desktop is used, which allows users to work while switching between and.

In this case, for example, a virtual desktop screen 2 as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 11, three windows 3 a, 3 b, and 3 c are opened on the virtual desktop screen (real screen) 2, and the window 3 a is active. The display area including these windows 3 a, 3 b, and 3 c is the area of the actual screen actually displayed on the display 1. Also, on the virtual desktop screen 2, the selector image 4 is displayed so as to be resident on the top surface. This selector image 4 is for working on the actual screen A small rectangular area large enough not to obstruct the view, and a map image of the entire area of the screen that can be displayed on the display 1 (all virtual spaces; four real screens in Fig. 11). There are four areas 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d corresponding to the four real screens, respectively.

In the selector image 4, the frame of the window currently open in the entire area is mapped and displayed, whereby the operator or the like recognizes where in the entire area the currently open window exists. You can do it. At this time, since the selector image 4 is a considerably small rectangular area, only the frame of the window is displayed in the selector image 4 so that its position can be recognized. Not displayed.

Then, the operator or the like operates the mouse and adjusts a force to a desired area in the selector image 4 (an area in which the operation is desired to be displayed; any one of the areas 4a to 4d). By clicking (designating), the virtual space corresponding to the designated area can be displayed on the virtual desktop screen 2 as a real screen.

In the example shown in Fig. 11, area 4a in selector image 4 is selected, and area 4a with three windows 3a, 3b, and 3c opened is displayed as a real screen on virtual desktop screen 2. ing.

The selector image 4 can be moved or minimized so as not to hinder the operation on the actual screen.

Next, the display switching procedure of the real screen on the virtual desktop screen 2 as described above is performed according to the flowchart (steps S1 to S5) shown in FIG. 12 and the virtual desktop shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. This will be described with reference to the specific display state of the top screen 2.

When an operator or the like wants to display a window which is not currently displayed on the virtual desktop screen 2 but is already opened and exists in the virtual space as a real screen, and activates the window to perform work, for example, First, as shown in Fig. 13, the user operates the mouse to select the desired area (operation Place the cursor 5 on the area where you want to display the display, etc .; any one of areas 4a to 4d) and click (press the left mouse button) (step S1). In the example shown in Fig. 13, the cursor 5 is moved to the area 4a in order to display the area 4c of the selector image 4 as a real screen while the area 4a of the selector image 4 is displayed as a real screen. It is adjusted to the position of c.

When the area 4c is clicked in the state shown in Fig. 13, the virtual space corresponding to the area 4c of the selection image 4 is displayed as a real screen on the virtual desktop screen 2 as shown in Fig. 14 ( Step S 2). As a result, the operator or the like can view the display contents of the windows opened in the virtual space corresponding to the area 4c of the selector image 4 (the windows denoted by reference numerals 3d and 3e in FIG. 14). become. The windows 3 d and 3 e displayed at this time are both inactive.

Then, the operator or the like refers to the display contents of the windows 3d and 3e on the virtual desktop screen 2 and determines whether or not the target window exists (step S3). If it does not exist (NO route), the process returns to step S1 to specify and display a region 4b or 4d other than the regions 4a and 4c in the selection image 4, and perform the same determination as described above. become.

If the target window exists (YES route; here, the window labeled 3 e in FIG. 14 is the target window), the operator or the like activates the target window 3 e. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the cursor 5 is positioned on the target window 3 e and clicked (step S 4). In response to this click operation, the target window 3 e is activated by the operating system as shown in FIG.

As described above, in the conventional virtual desktop screen 2, a part of the virtual space (only one of the four screen areas 4a to 4d in the above example) is displayed as the real screen. If the operator or the like wants to work in a window that exists in another area, it is necessary to switch the display of the real screen in the procedure described above with reference to FIGS. 12 to 16. There were such problems (1) to (1-3).

(1-1) Selector image 4 is displayed on the virtual desktop screen 2 Although it is possible for the selector image 4 to be resident on the top surface, the existence of such a selector image 4 often hinders the work, and it is necessary to frequently move or minimize the selector image 4, and the operation for that is necessary. It was troublesome for operators and others.

(1-2) In the selector image 4, since only the position of the window opened in the virtual space corresponding to each of the areas 4a to 4d is displayed as a frame, the operator etc. It is not possible to immediately recognize what kind of application window has been placed, and to display the virtual space in which the target window exists as a real screen, it is necessary to switch the display of the virtual space (step S l in Figure 12). To S3) may need to be repeated, and the display switching operation is troublesome for operators and the like.

(1-3) After selecting one of the areas 4a to 4d in the selector image 4 and switching the display of the actual screen, furthermore, in order to work on the target window, An operation to select the target window and make it active was necessary, and this operation was troublesome for operators and the like. For example, in the display switching work described above with reference to FIGS. 12 to 16, the minimum two click operations are required to display and activate the target window on the virtual desktop screen 2. Is required.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and enables display contents of a virtual space that is not displayed on a real screen to be displayed together with the real screen so as not to hinder work on the real screen. In addition, the object of the present invention is to eliminate the complexity of the actual screen display switching operation and to improve the efficiency of the operation on the desktop screen displayed on the display of a personal computer, a workstation or the like. Disclosure of the invention

In order to achieve the above object, a desktop display method of the present invention includes: a main area including a reference / update target screen and one or more sub areas including a screen other than the reference / update target screen; A first display step of displaying as one desktop screen on the display unit, and a designation of designating one of the sub-areas on the desktop screen. And a second display step of replacing the display content of the main area and the display content of the sub-area specified in the specification step on the desktop screen.

Further, the desktop display device of the present invention provides a display for displaying one main area including the reference / update target screen and one or more sub-areas including the reference / screen other than the update target screen as one desktop screen. A display control unit for controlling a display state on the display unit; and a designating unit for designating one of the sub-regions on the desktop screen. On the screen, the display content of the main area and the display content of the sub-area specified by the specifying means are switched and displayed.

Further, the desktop display program of the present invention is for displaying a desktop screen on the display unit, and includes one main area including the reference / update target screen and one main area including the reference / update target screen. A first display step of displaying the above-mentioned sub-areas as one desktop screen on the display unit, and a designation step of designating one of the above-mentioned sub-areas on the desktop screen according to an external instruction. And a second display step of replacing the display content of the main area and the display content of the sub-area specified in the specifying step on the desktop screen and executing the same on a computer. And The computer-readable recording medium of the present invention records the above-mentioned desktop display program. Each of the main area and the sub-areas includes one or more windows that are displayed according to one or more tasks, and the sub-areas and the sub-areas allow the outline of the display contents to be visually recognized. It is displayed at a reasonable resolution.

In addition, at the same time as one of the sub-areas is specified, one of the at least one window included in the specified sub-area is specified. At the same time as the display contents are switched and displayed in the designated sub-area, the designated window is displayed as an active window in the main area.

At this time, the sub-area and the window are simultaneously specified by a one-click operation using a mouse. Also, it is generated by one-click operation of the mouse. The click event is notified to the operating system that manages the display state of the main area, and the specified window is activated by the operating system.

Further, the operating system manages the display position of the window in the main area and the sub-areas and the sub-areas, and in response to the operation of the mouse, switches between the main area and the sub-areas and the sub-areas. The window may be moved, or the operating system may cause a file to be dragged from the main area to one of the sub-areas in response to an operation of the mouse. May be performed.

Still further, a single polyhedron may be displayed on the display unit, and a plurality of surfaces forming the polyhedron may be used as the main region and the sub-regions of at least one.

According to the present invention described above, the following effects (2-1) to (2-6) can be obtained.

(2-1) ReferenceThe one main area including the screen to be updated and the one or more sub-areas including the screen other than the screen to be updated are displayed as one desktop screen on the display unit. At the same time as displaying the real screen in the area, a screen existing in a virtual space other than the real screen can be displayed in the sub-area. Also, when one of the sub-areas is specified, the display contents of the main area and the specified sub-area are exchanged and displayed on the desktop screen. Therefore, a selector image is not required, and the presence of the selector image does not hinder the operation.

(2-2) By simply specifying the sub-area, the screen corresponding to the sub-area is referred to the main area.-The display can be displayed as the screen to be updated. At the same time, work on the desktop screen can be made much more efficient.

(2-3) The display contents of the virtual space that are not displayed on the real screen should be used together with the real screen so that they do not hinder the work on the real screen (at a resolution that allows the outline of the display contents to be viewed). Since the information is displayed on the desktop screen, the operator can operate while referring to and comparing the contents displayed in the multiple windows in the virtual space. Therefore, the operator or the like can immediately recognize where the target window is located, without having to repeat the display switching work as in the past. Therefore, the work efficiency on the desktop screen can be further improved.

(2-4) Since the contents of the virtual space are visualized, the target window can be selected at the same time as selecting the switching target virtual space (sub-region). Activation can be performed in a single selection operation (one-click operation), and work efficiency on the desktop screen can be further improved.

(2-5) In the conventional virtual desktop display method, it was necessary to switch the display of the real screen when moving the window to a different area.According to the present invention, without switching the display of the real screen, In addition, the window can be moved between the main area and the sub area according to the operation of the mouse, and the convenience for the operator and the like is greatly improved.

(2-6) In the conventional virtual desktop display method, when performing a drag-and-drop operation of a file to a window existing in the virtual space, it is necessary to switch the display of the real screen, but according to the present invention, It is possible to perform file drag-and-drop operations from the main area to the sub-area according to mouse operations without switching the display of the actual screen, greatly improving the convenience for operators and the like. . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a desktop display device (personal computer) as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example of the desktop screen of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the display switching procedure of the real screen on the desktop screen of the present embodiment.

4 and 5 are diagrams each showing a specific display state of the desktop screen for explaining the procedure for switching the display of the real screen on the desktop screen according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a virtual space area secured in the memory according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram specifically showing a division state and a coordinate system of the image data writing area in the display RAM of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of the virtual space area management table of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the display switching operation of the present embodiment in detail.

10 (A) to 10 (C) are diagrams each showing a modified example of the desktop screen of the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of a conventional virtual desktop screen.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure for switching the display of the actual screen on the conventional virtual desktop screen.

13 to 16 are diagrams showing specific display states of the virtual desktop screen in order to explain the procedure for switching the display of the real screen on the conventional virtual desktop screen. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

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

As shown in FIG. 1, the desktop display device as one embodiment of the present invention is configured by a personal computer 10 provided with a mouse 20. The personal computer 10 connects a display 11, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12, an input / output interface 13, a memory 14, and a display RAM (R andom Access Memory) 15 via a bus 16 so that they can communicate with each other. It is composed of

Here, the display 11 is specifically a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), for example, a multidimensional virtual desktop screen as shown in FIG. It functions as a display unit for displaying 30.

The CPU 12 performs arithmetic processing and control by reading and executing various programs stored in the memory 14, and functions as a display control unit that controls a display state on the display 11.

The input / output interface 13 is connected to a mouse 20 here, and instruction information (for example, mouse 2 A click event generated by a one-click operation of 0) is notified via the bus 16 to the CPU 12 that performs the function of the operating system.

The memory 14 not only stores various programs (including a desktop display program described later) but also functions as a working memory when the CPU 12 performs arithmetic processing and control. 'The display RAM 15 is for temporarily writing screen data to be displayed on the display 11 by the CPU 12 (display control unit).

The mouse 20 is connected to the personal computer 10 as described above. As will be described later, the mouse 20 is one of a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of sub-areas 32 to 35 (see FIG. 2) on the desktop screen 30. It functions as a specifying means to specify one.

In the present embodiment, the desktop screen 30 displayed on the display 11 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, one main area 31 including a reference / update target screen (real screen), and It is composed of four sub-areas 32, 33, 34, 35 including screens (virtual screens) other than the screen to be updated. In particular, on the desktop screen 30 of the present embodiment, a rectangular parallelepiped (polyhedron) is displayed in a three-dimensional manner, the central area is used as the main area 31, and the four outer peripheral areas surrounding the main area 31 They are used as four sub-regions 32 to 35, respectively. With these five areas 31 to 35, the entire area of the screen that can be displayed on the display 11 (entire virtual space; area for five screens) is displayed.

Each of the regions 31 to 35 includes one or more windows displayed according to one or more tasks. In the example shown in FIG. 2, two windows 3 la and 3 1 b are opened in the main area 3 1, two windows 3 2 a and 3 2 b are opened in the sub area 3 2, and a sub area 3 3 is opened. One window 33a is opened, two windows 34a, 34b are opened in sub-region 34, and no window is opened in sub-region 35. Further, the main area 31 is an area for displaying an actual screen on which an operator or the like actually accesses and performs reference / update, and the display content of the main area 31 is displayed at a normal resolution. In contrast, the four sub-regions 32 to 35 are currently referenced The sub-areas 32 to 35 have a lower resolution than the main area 31, and more specifically, the display content of the sub-areas 32 to 35. Is displayed at a resolution that can be visually recognized, for example, by an operation. Accordingly, the operator and the like can visually confirm the display contents of the main area 31 as well as the outline of the display contents of the four sub-areas 32 to 35 (what windows are open). It is like that.

All the display states on the desktop screen 30 described above are controlled by a function (operating system) as a display control unit of the CPU 12.

In addition, the CPU 12 (operating system) of the present embodiment, on the desktop screen 30, displays the contents of the main area 31 and any one of the sub-areas 32 to 35 specified by the mouse 20. There is also a function to switch the display contents and display.

More specifically, in the present embodiment, the operator or the like performs a one-click operation of the mouse 20 to perform one-click operation on the window included in the area designated as one of the four sub-areas 32 to 35. It is configured so that one can be specified at the same time. When a click event generated by a one-click operation of the mouse 20 is notified to the CPU 12 (operating system) via the input / output interface 13 and the bus 16, the CPU 12 returns to the desktop screen 30. In the main area 31, the current display contents of the main area 31 are replaced with the display contents of the sub-area specified by the one-click operation, and at the same time, the window specified by the one-click operation is changed to the active window in the main area 31. Is displayed as

Further, the CPU 12 (operating system) of the present embodiment manages the display positions of the windows in the areas 31 to 35, and operates the main area 31 and one or more sub-areas 3 according to the operation of the mouse 30. In addition to having the function of moving the window between 2 and 35, in response to the operation of the mouse 30, the main area 31 is moved to one or more of the one or more sub areas 32 to 35, It also has a function to drag and drop files.

The function of the CPU 12 as a display control unit (operating system) is a desktop display for displaying a desktop screen on the display 11. This is realized by the CPU 12 executing the program. This desktop display program consists of one main area 31 that includes the reference and update target screens (real screens) and one or more sub-areas 32 to 35 that include screens (virtual screens) other than the reference and update target screens. Display step as one desktop screen 30 on the display 11, and one or more sub-areas 32 to 2 on the desktop screen 30 according to an external instruction (in this embodiment, an instruction from the mouse 20). A second display step for replacing the display content of the main area 31 with the display content of the sub-area specified in the above-mentioned specified step on the desktop screen 30. These steps were created to be executed by the CPU 12 (computer).

This desktop display program is provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, CD-R @ M, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD. In the present embodiment, the desktop display program is stored in the memory 14 or the like in the personal computer 10 in advance, and the desktop display program is read out and executed by the CPU 12 to perform the display described above. A function as a control unit (operating system) is realized. The desktop display program may be recorded on a storage device (recording medium) such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk, and may be provided to the computer from the storage device via a communication path.

Next, the basic operation of the desktop display device (personal computer 10) according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the procedure for switching the display of the real screen on the desktop screen 30 described above is performed according to the flowchart (steps S11 and S12) shown in FIG. 3 and the desktop screen 3 shown in FIGS. This will be described with reference to a specific display state of 0.

For example, it is assumed that a desktop screen 30 shown in FIG. 4 (substantially the same as the desktop screen 30 shown in FIG. 2) is already displayed on the display 11 (first display step). While referring to the desktop screen 30, the operator, etc. Reference / update to the active window 31a in the main area 31 is performed.

In such a state, if the operator or the like wants to activate a window other than the current active window 31a to perform the work, the operator or the like operates the other windows 31 of the main area 31 of the desktop screen 30. In addition to referring to b, refer to the window ゥ schematically displayed at low resolution in the sub-regions 32 to 35 (in the virtual space) to search for a desired (purpose) window.

When the operator or the like recognizes the target window (here, for example, the window 34a in the sub-region 34 is the target), the operator operates the mouse 30 as shown in FIG. Move the cursor 36 to the window 34a in the sub-region 34 and perform a one-click operation, that is, press the left button of the mouse 30 once. As a result, the virtual screen to be displayed in the main area 31 (the sub-area 34 in FIG. 4) is selected and designated, and at the same time, the target window 34 a to be activated is selected and designated (the Step S11: Designated step).

In response to the one-click operation (click event) as described above, the CPU 12 corresponds to the display content currently displayed in the main area 31 and the selected sub-area 34 as shown in FIG. The display contents of the virtual space are exchanged and displayed, and at the same time, the target window 34a is activated (second display step). The windows 31a 'and 31b' in the main area 31 in FIG. 5 correspond to the windows 34a and 34b in the subarea 34 in FIG. 4, respectively. The windows 34a 'and 34b' in the sub-region 34 in FIG. 5 correspond to the windows 31a and 31b in the main region 31 in FIG. 4, respectively.

Next, a display switching operation by the desktop display device (personal computer 10) of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

When displaying the multidimensional virtual desktop screen 30 as shown in FIG. 2 on the display 11, the CPU 12 secures a virtual space area in the memory 14 (system memory) as shown in FIG. .

In the memory 14 shown in FIG. 6, a rectangular area for a real screen (current display screen) to be displayed in the main area 31 is secured, and four sub-areas 32 to 35 are provided. A rectangular area for each of the four virtual screens to be displayed (a ^ B-shaped area similar to the real screen) is secured as a virtual space area. At this time, sequential numbers i = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are assigned to these five rectangular areas. The two-dimensional coordinate positions in the real screen (i = l) and the four virtual screens (i = 2 to 5) are expressed as (Xi, Yi) (i = l to 5), respectively. Shall be accepted.

When displaying the multidimensional virtual desktop screen 30 as shown in FIG. 2 on the display 11, the CPU 12 displays the screen to be displayed on the display 11 in the display RAM 15 as shown in FIG. The rectangular area into which data (data on the desktop screen 30) is written is divided into five closed areas (closed space, polygon) corresponding to the areas 31 to 35, and the coordinate system is set.

At this time, the divided five closed areas are given sequential circled numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The closed areas ① to の of the display RAM 15 correspond to the sub area 32, the sub area 35, the main area 31, the sub area 33, and the sub area 34 of the desktop screen 30, respectively. The origin of the coordinate system in the display RAMI 5 is the upper left vertex of the rectangular area where the screen data is written, the right direction in FIG. 7 is the X axis direction, and the lower direction in FIG. 7 is the Y axis direction. Furthermore, the two-dimensional coordinate positions in each of the closed regions ① to ⑤ are represented as (X j, X j) (j = 1 to 5), respectively.

Then, when mapping the screen i (i = l to 5) shown in FIG. 6 to any one of the closed areas 域 to 示す shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 12 performs the following mapping conversion given in advance. Perform plane coordinate mapping using a function.

Mapping function f j (X i, Y i) = (χ j, y j)

I = l ~ 5, j = l ~ 5

The same number of mapping functions as the number of divisions of the rectangular area in the display RAMI 5 (here, 5) exists. For example, when the virtual screen 2 shown in FIG. 6 is displayed in the sub-region 33, the virtual screen 2 is closed by the mapping function f 4 (X2, Y2) = (x 4, y 4) as shown in FIG. It is mapped (area coordinate mapping) to the area ④. The screen numbered 1 in the example shown in FIG. 6 is the actual screen (current display screen). Since the screen is to be displayed in the main area 31, it should be mapped (plane coordinate mapping) to the closed area ③ shown in Fig. 7 by the mapping function f 3 (XI, Y 1) = (x 3, y 3). become.

Further, the CPU 12 creates, for example, a virtual space area management table as shown in FIG. 8 in the memory 14 and manages the display state of the multidimensional virtual desktop screen 30 on the display 11.

The virtual space area management table shown in FIG. 8 uses the coordinate system shown in FIG. 7 and stores the coordinates of the four vertices of each closed area (display virtual screen number) ① to 、, and also stores the coordinates of each closed area ① The screen number (memory virtual space number) that is currently displayed in と to ⑤ and a flag (specific area flag) for specifying which of the closed areas ① to で is the main area 31 are stored. ing. In FIG. 8, "1" is set in the column of the specific region flag of the closed region ③, which is the main region 31, and "0" is set in the column of the specific region flag of the other closed regions.

In the data storage example in FIG. 8, in the desktop screen 30, the closed area ③ is the main area 31 and the closed areas ① to ⑤ (areas 32, 35, 31, 33, and 34) are the screens 2 and 3 shown in FIG. , 1, 4, and 5 will be displayed.

In addition, the vertices of the closed areas ① to ⑤ are sequentially assigned vertex numbers. In the virtual space area management table shown in FIG. 8, the side from vertex number 1 to 2 is the upper side in the desktop screen 30. The coordinates of each vertex are stored so that As described above, the CPU 12 manages the display state of the multidimensional virtual desktop screen 30 by using the virtual space area management table as shown in FIG. 8, and displays the five screens 1 to 5 as shown in FIG. A multi-dimensional virtual desktop screen 30 is displayed on the display 11 according to the display RAM coordinates as shown in FIG.

Next, the display switching operation of the CPU 12 performed using the virtual space area management table will be described with reference to the flowchart (steps S21 to S28) shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, as described above, when a specific sub-region (specific virtual space) is designated by the mouse 20, the designated sub-region (virtual space) becomes active. Window exists at the coordinates specified by Then the window will also be active.

First, when an operator or the like specifies a specific position on the desktop screen 30 with the cursor 36 using the mouse 20 and performs a one-click operation at that position, the CPU 12 executes the one-click operation at the position specified according to the one-click operation. Obtain the coordinates (step S21). Here, in a state where the desktop screen 30 is displayed in accordance with the virtual space area management table shown in FIG. 8, the operator or the like arranges the force console 36 as shown in FIG. 4 and performs a one-click operation. It is assumed that the CPU 12 has acquired the display RAM coordinates (mx, my) as shown in FIG.

The CPU 12 searches the virtual space area management table shown in FIG. 8 and searches where the acquired coordinates (mx, my) are included in the closed areas I to 示す shown in FIG. 7 (step S22). If it is not included in any of the closed areas ① to （(NO route in step S23), the CPU 12 terminates abnormally and notifies the operator or the like of an error.

On the other hand, when a closed region including the coordinates (mx, my) is identified (YE S route of step S23; here, the closed region ⑤), the CPU 12 performs the following steps S24 to S26. Rewrite the virtual space area management table shown in FIG. Thus, the rotation of the virtual space is performed, and the display content of the main area 31 is replaced with the display content of the designated sub-area (here, the sub-area 34). That is, the CPU 12 writes the number (5) stored in the memory virtual space number column of the closed area No. specified in the virtual space area management table into the first area wk of the memory 14 (step S24). Next, the CPU 12 assigns the number (1) stored in the memory virtual space number column of the closed area ③ set with the specific area flag “1” in the virtual space area management table to the memory virtual space number column of the closed area ⑤. (Step S25). Then, the CPU 12 writes the number (5) written in the work area wk of the memory 14 in the memory virtual space number column of the closed area ③ in which the specific area flag “1” is set in the virtual space area management table. (Step S26). As a result, in the virtual space area management table, the memory virtual space number 5 of the specified closed area ⑤ and the memory virtual space number 1 of the closed area ③ set with the specific area flag are replaced. Thereafter, the CPU 12 displays the virtual screen 5 using the mapping function ί 3 (Χ5, Υ5) = (χ 3, y 3) so that the virtual screen 5 is displayed as the real screen in the main area 31. In addition to the mapping (area coordinate mapping) to the area ③, the real screen 1 is displayed by the mapping function f 5 (XI, Y 1) = (x 5, y 5) so that the real screen 1 is displayed as a virtual screen in the sub-area 34. Is mapped onto the closed area RAM of RAMI 5 (planar coordinate mapping) (step S27).

Further, the CPU 12 inversely transforms the display RAM coordinates (mx, my) acquired in step S21 into coordinates in the closed region including the coordinates (mx, my) by using an inverse mapping function, and obtains the obtained coordinates. A click event at the coordinate position is notified to the OS (step S28, notification step). Here, since the display RAM coordinates (mx, my) are included in the closed region 、, the coordinates (Mx, My) in the closed region ⑤ are calculated by the inverse mudding function (Mx, My) = f 5 " ¹ ( mx, my).

After the rotation of the virtual space is completed, since the main area 31 is managed by the OS, the click event at the coordinates (Mx, My) obtained by the inverse transformation is regarded as the same event as when a normal mouse click occurs. By notifying the OS, if there is a window containing the coordinates (Mx, My), the window is activated by the OS. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, since the coordinates (Mx, My) are included in the window 34a, this window 34a is activated as the window 31a 'in the main area 31 as shown in FIG. Will be displayed.

When the replacement of the display contents and the activation of the window are completed as described above, the CPU 12 discards the area wk and the table secured in the memory 14 and ends the processing.

If the coordinates (mx, my) obtained in step S21 are included in the closed area ③, that is, the main area 31, the CPU 12 executes the processing in steps S24 to S27 described above. Without performing the process, the process of step S28 is performed. Thus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the reference area 31 including the screen to be updated and the four sub-areas 32 to 35 including the screens other than the reference screen to be updated are displayed on the display 11. Main area as displayed as desktop screen 30 At the same time as displaying the real screen on 31, a screen (virtual screen) existing in a virtual space other than the real screen can be displayed on the sub-regions 32 to 35. When one of the sub-areas 32 to 35 is specified, the display content of the main area 31 and the display content of the specified sub-area are switched and displayed on the desktop screen 30. Therefore, the conventional selector image is not required, and the existence of the selector image does not hinder the work.

Also, by simply specifying one of the sub-areas 32 to 35 with the mouse, the screen corresponding to the specified sub-area can be referred to the main area 31 and displayed as the screen to be updated. In addition, the complexity of switching the display of the actual screen can be eliminated, and the work on the desktop screen 30 can be made much more efficient.

Furthermore, the desktop screen is displayed together with the real screen so that the display contents of the virtual space that are not displayed on the real screen do not hinder the work on the real screen (at a resolution that allows the outline of the display contents to be viewed). Displayed above, the operator can operate while referring and comparing the contents displayed in multiple windows in the virtual space. Therefore, the operator or the like can immediately recognize where the target window is located, eliminating the need to repeat the display switching work as in the past, and improving the work efficiency on the desktop screen 30. it can. At this time, in the present embodiment, a main area 31 for displaying a real screen is arranged at the center of the desktop screen 30, and four sub-areas 32 to 35 surrounding the outer periphery are arranged, and these sub-areas 32 are arranged. In 35, a virtual space including a screen other than the real screen is displayed. At the outer periphery of these sub-regions 32 to 35 (peripheral portion of the display 11), the displayed image is distorted. Even if such distortion is present, the sub-regions 32 to 35 are distorted. It is possible to provide the sub-areas 32 to 35 with a sufficient amount of information to confirm the outline of the display contents in 35.

In addition, since the contents of the virtual space are visualized, the target virtual space to be switched (one of the sub-regions 32 to 35) is selected using the mouse 20 ', and at the same time, the target window is selected. Can be selected at the same time, so that switching from the display of the real screen to activation of the window can be performed in a single selection operation (one-click operation with the mouse 20), and the desktop screen 30 can be selected. More work efficiency Can be enhanced.

On the other hand, in the conventional virtual desktop display method, when the window is moved to a different area, it is necessary to switch the display of the real screen. In the present embodiment, the mouse 30 is switched without switching the display of the real screen. The window can be moved between the main area 31 and any one of the sub-areas 32 to 35 in accordance with the operation of, and the convenience in operation and the like is greatly improved.

Similarly, in the conventional virtual desktop display method, when performing a drag-and-drop operation of a file existing in a virtual space, it is necessary to switch the display of the real screen. Without switching, a file can be dragged and dropped from the main area 31 to any one of the sub areas 32 to 35 according to the operation of the mouse 30. The convenience is greatly improved.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, on the desktop screen 30 of the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a rectangular parallelepiped is three-dimensionally displayed, and a central area is used as a main area 31, and this main area 31 is The surrounding four outer peripheral areas are used as four sub-areas 32 to 35, respectively, but the desktop screen of the present invention is not limited to this, and displays a polyhedron other than a rectangular parallelepiped. Each face of the polyhedron may be used as a main area or a sub-area, or for example, as shown in FIGS. 10 (A) to 10 (C) (desktop screens 10A to 10C), respectively. It is not limited to the shape, the number of divisions, the size, and the arrangement state of the main region and the sub-region disclosed in the specification of the present application. The layout state can be dynamically and freely changed.

Here, in the desktop screen 1OA shown in FIG. 10 (A), the large rectangular area at the top of the screen is used as the main area 31A, and the small rectangular area obtained by dividing the lower area of the screen into four parts is the sub-area. Used as regions 32A to 35A. In the desktop screen 10B shown in FIG. 10 (B), a large rectangular area on the left side of the screen is used as a main area 31B, and a small rectangular area obtained by dividing the right area of the screen into four is a sub-area. 3 B to 35 B Used. In the desktop screen 10C shown in FIG. 10 (C), an octagonal area is used as a main area 31C in the center of the screen, and a small area obtained by dividing the outer peripheral area of the main area 31C into eight is obtained. The area is used as sub-areas 32C to 39C. Industrial applicability

As described above, according to the present invention, a real screen can be displayed in the main area and a screen existing in a virtual space other than the real screen can be displayed in the sub area at the same time, and when one of the sub areas is designated, the desktop On the screen, the display contents of the main area and the display contents of the designated sub-area are switched and displayed. As a result, the existence of the selector image does not hinder the work, the complexity of the display switching work of the real screen is eliminated, and the work on the desktop screen can be made much more efficient. Therefore, the present invention is suitable for use in displaying a desktop screen on a display (display unit) such as a personal computer or a workstation, and its usefulness is considered to be extremely high.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. One main area (31) including the reference / update target screen and one or more sub-areas (32 to 35) including screens other than the reference / update target screen are displayed on the display unit (11). A first display step to be displayed as a desktop screen (30) of the

A designation step of designating one of the sub-regions (32-35) on the desktop screen (30);

The desktop screen (30) is provided with a second display step for replacing the display content of the main area (31) with the display content of the sub area specified in the specification step. Features desktop display method.

2. Each of the main area (31) and the at least one sub-area (32 to 35) includes one or more windows displayed according to one or more tasks. The desktop display method according to claim 1.

3. The desktop display method according to claim 2, wherein the sub-regions (32 to 35) and above are displayed with a resolution that allows the outline of the display content to be visually recognized. .

4. In the specifying step, one of the one or more sub-regions (32 to 35) is specified, and at the same time, one of the one or more windows included in the specified sub-region is specified. Specify,

In the second display step, on the desktop screen (30), the display content of the main area (31) and the display content of the specified sub-area are switched and displayed, and at the same time, the specified window is displayed. 4. The desktop display method according to claim 2, wherein the display is performed as an active window in the main area (31).

5. In the specifying step, the sub-region, the window, and the power mouse (20) are used. 5. The desktop display method according to claim 4, wherein the desktop display method is specified simultaneously by a one-click operation.

6. The method further comprises the step of notifying a click event generated by the one-click operation of the mouse (20) in the specifying step to an operating system for managing a display state of the main area (31).

6. The desktop display method according to claim 5, wherein in the second display step, the specified window is activated by the operating system.

7. The operating system manages the display position of the window in the main area (31) and the sub-areas (32 to 35) or more, and operates the main area ( 7. The desktop display method according to claim 6, wherein the window is moved between the sub-region (32) and the sub-region (32-35).

8. The operating system, in response to the operation of the mouse (20), drags a file from the main area (31) to one of the sub-areas (32-35). 8. The desktop display method according to claim 6, wherein a desktop operation is performed.

9. One polyhedron is displayed on the display section (11), and the plurality of faces forming the polyhedron are used as the main area (31) and the sub-areas (32 to 35), respectively. The desktop display method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the desktop display method is characterized in that:

10. Reference · One main area (31) including the screen to be updated and one or more sub-areas (32 to 35) including screens other than the reference · screen to be updated are displayed as one desktop screen (30). Display section (1 1) A display control unit (12) for controlling a display state on the display unit (11); and a designation unit (32) for designating one of the sub-regions (32 to 35) on the desktop screen (30). 20)

The display control unit (12) replaces the display content of the main area (31) with the display content of the sub area specified by the specifying means (20) on the desktop screen (30) and displays the same. A desktop display device, characterized in that:

11. The method is characterized in that each of the main area (31) and the-or more sub-areas (32 to 35) includes one or more windows displayed according to one or more tasks. 11. The desktop display device according to claim 10.

12. The display control unit (12) causes the display unit (11) to display the sub-regions equal to or larger than the sub-region at a resolution at which an outline of the display content can be viewed. 12. The desktop display device according to item 11 above.

13. The designating means (20) simultaneously designates one of the at least one sub-region (32 to 35) and one of the at least one window included in the designated sub-region. Configured to

The display control unit (12) replaces the display content of the main area (31) with the display content of the specified sub-area on the desktop screen (30) and displays the same at the same time. 13. The desktop display device according to claim 11, wherein the window is displayed as an active window in the main area (31).

14. The designation means (20) is constituted by a mouse,

14. The desktop display device according to claim 13, wherein the sub-region and the window are simultaneously designated by a one-click operation using the mouse (20).

15. The display control unit (12) is configured by an operating system that manages a display state of the main area (31),

Notifying means (13) for notifying the operating system of a click event generated by a one-click operation of the mouse (20), the operating system designating by a one-click operation of the mouse (20) 15. The desktop display device according to claim 14, wherein the activated window is activated.

16. The operating system manages the display position of the window in the main area (31) and the sub-areas (32 to 35) and the sub-areas (32 to 35). 16. The desktop display device according to claim 15, wherein the window is moved between (31) and the sub-regions (32 to 35) or more.

17. The operating system performs a drag-and-drop operation of a file from the main area (31) to one of the sub-areas (32-35) in response to the operation of the mouse (20). 17. The desktop display device according to claim 15, wherein the desktop display device is used.

18. The display control section (12) causes the display section (11) to display one polyhedron, and displays a plurality of faces constituting the polyhedron in the main area (31) and the-or more sub-areas (32 to 35. The desktop display device according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the desktop display device is used as:

19. A desktop display program for displaying a desktop screen (30) on the display unit (1 1),

One main area (31) including the screen to be updated and one or more sub-areas (32 to 35) including screens other than the screen to be updated are referred to as one desktop in the display unit (11). A first display step to be displayed as a screen (30); A designation step for designating one of the sub-regions (3;! To 35) on the desktop screen (30) in accordance with an external instruction;

Causing the computer to execute, on the desktop screen (30), a _second display step of replacing the display content of the main area (31) with the display content of the sub area specified in the specifying step. A desktop display program characterized by:

20. A computer-readable recording medium for recording a desktop display program for displaying a desktop screen (30) on a display unit (11), wherein the desktop display program comprises:

One main area (31) including the screen to be updated and one or more sub-areas (32 to 35) including screens other than the screen to be updated are referred to as one desktop in the display unit (11). A first display step to be displayed as a screen (30);

A designation step of designating one of the sub-regions (32 to 35) on the desktop screen (30) in accordance with an external instruction;

Causing the computer to execute, on the desktop screen (30), a second display step of replacing the display content of the main area (31) with the display content of the sub area specified in the specifying step. A computer readable recording medium that records a desktop display program.