JP2001344092A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor equipped with a main display and a sub-display whose displaying capabilities are lower than those of the main display, and to improve the inputting performance, visibility, and operability of the information processor. SOLUTION: In this information processor which is provided with a first display means 1 being a basic means and a second display means 2 being an auxiliary means, additional information such as the operating state of application software displayed at the first display means 1 or executable operation items or menu data 52 being menu data are worked so as to be displayed in a format suitable for the displaying capabilities of the second display means 2 based on display capability data 57 of the second display means being the display capability data of the second display means. Also, when the additional information of the second means 2 is selected by an inputting means, effects equivalent to those obtained at the time of operating an operation corresponding to the selected item to the application software are generated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to not only information devices such as personal computers, Japanese word processors, and portable information terminals, but also all devices having a main display and a sub-display such as home appliances and car navigation systems.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the advancement of information processing devices and software, there is a growing demand for an interface that is more user-friendly. The amount of information provided to users has increased dramatically with the advancement of software functions.In order to prepare the information providing capacity corresponding to this, the size of the display device has been increased, the definition has been increased, and multiple display devices have been provided. Information processing devices have also appeared.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-26382 discloses that one device has a main display and a sub-display, and a pointing device such as a touch panel is arranged on the sub-display to reduce the display function of the main display. There is disclosed a technique capable of performing the processing without using the processing.

[0004]

However, the technique described above still has the following problems.

In general, it is not practical to provide a sub-display having a display capability equal to or close to that of the main display in a personal computer or the like whose size and cost are decreasing. Therefore, the sub-display has a smaller display area than the main display,
The number of colors will also drop.

In the recent operating systems and application software, which are increasingly provided with a graphical interface, simply displaying and operating those windows and icons on the sub-display having a poor display capability results in a decrease in operability.

In the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-26382, a part of menu display or input means is assigned to the sub-display side so that additional information display and input can be performed without losing the display portion on the main display side. Although it is possible to perform the operation, if it is used without considering the display performance on the sub-display side, the operability will be reduced.

Also, there are pointers on the main display and the sub-display, and operating each with one pointing device requires an operation error because the user needs to know which pointer is currently being operated. There is a problem that is easy to occur.

[0009] Further, in a sub-display having poor display capability, the number of menus and icons on the main display to be displayed is large, and if all of the menus and icons cannot be displayed on the sub-display, the items that could not be displayed are displayed on the sub-display. In some cases, the operability was impaired because the operation could not be performed.

In the case of a sub-display having a poor display capability, when an icon composed of a large image or a high-definition image is to be displayed, the image is displayed on the sub-display in a state significantly different from the original image. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine which icon on the main display corresponds to the image from the image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus having a main display and a sub-display having a lower display capability. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which processes display contents in accordance with the display capability of the information processing apparatus, and which is easy to input, easy to view, and easy to operate.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: first display means for displaying application software windows and menus; and second display means smaller than the first display means. In the device,
Menu data storage means for storing menu data to be displayed on the first display means; display capability data storage means for storing display capability data of the second display means; and menu data stored in the menu data storage means. ,
Display control means for displaying on the second display means in a format corresponding to the display ability data stored in the display ability data storage means.

In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention,
The display control means determines whether an area size required for displaying the menu data is larger than a display area size of the second display means.
In addition to displaying on the display means, a scroll instruction icon is displayed on the second display means, and thereafter, when a scroll instruction is given, the remaining menu data is displayed on the second display means.

In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention,
The display control means determines whether an area size required for displaying the menu data is larger than a display area size of the second display means. If the area size is larger, the display area size of each item of the menu is reduced and the display area size is reduced. 2 Display on the display means,
Thereafter, when an item is designated, only the designated item is enlarged in display area size and displayed on the second display means.

In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention,
The display control means, when image data for icon display and text data for character string display corresponding to the image data for the icon display are stored in the menu data storage means, the menu based on the character string using only the text data. Second
The information is displayed on the display means.

In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention,
The display control means, when image data for icon display is stored in the menu data storage means, performs image conversion on the image data based on data stored in the display capability data storage means, 2 is displayed on the display means.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is first display means for displaying main information, and 2 is second display means for displaying additional information. The first display means 1 is a high-resolution liquid crystal display (hereinafter abbreviated as LCD), for example, having a size of 15 inches diagonally, 1024 horizontal dots, and 768 vertical.
The second display means 2 is a low-resolution monochrome LCD having a diagonal size of 7 inches and a width of 200 dots.
It is assumed that the display is capable of displaying dots, 16 dots vertically, and two colors of monochrome. The first display means 1 occupies a large part of the cost in this apparatus, and the second display means 2
It is impractical to use a display device having the same performance as the first display means 1.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a central processing unit (CPU) for executing a program, and 4 denotes a BIOS (Basic In) of each device.
ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing a part of a basic program such as output system (Output) and fixed data such as fonts and dictionaries.
y), 5 is a data-updatable RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores information necessary for processing of the apparatus, various data, and an extensible program.
ry). Here, application software 5
1. Menu data 52 such as image data for displaying icons of menus displayed on the first display means 1, text data for displaying character string menus, menu display format data (pull-down menus, pop-up menus, vertical / horizontal rows), Operating system 53, pointing device driver 54, first display device driver 55, second display device driver 5
6 and the like, the second display means display capability data 57 which is data such as the size of the display area in the second display means 2, the number of display colors, the resolution, and the like.
It is loaded from an internal storage device 8 or an external storage device 9 described later.

The menu data 52 may be included in the application software 51, the various device drivers 54 to 56 may be included in the operating system 53, and the second display means display capability data 57 is used for the second display means. It may be included in the device driver 56.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a key input device for receiving a key input or the like, and reference numeral 7 denotes a mouse or a pointing device such as a transparent tablet superimposed on the second display means 2 for receiving a coordinate input or the like. 8 is an internal storage device such as a hard disk or flash memory, 9 is a CD-ROM or DVD-R
An external storage device such as an OM, which stores programs to be loaded into the RAM 5 and stored data.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic functional configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

The main system 20 including the CPU 3, the RAM 5, and the internal storage device 8 can be divided into functional blocks of application software 51, an operating system 53, and various device drivers 54 to 56. The various device drivers include a pointing device driver 54, a first display device driver 55, a second display device driver 56, and the like. Pointer position information and selection operation information are obtained by the pointing device driver 54. The operating system 53 obtained from the pointing device 7 and receiving the information is stored in the RAM 5. The display contents of the first display means 1 and the second display means 2 are determined by the first display means device driver 55 and the second display means device driver 56, respectively.

The basic operation of the device driver 56 for the second display means to determine the display content on the second display means 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, when updating the display items of the second display means 2, selection of display additional information (menu data) is performed (step S11). This may be selected by a user's operation, may be an instruction from the application software 51, or may be determined by the second display device driver 56 based on past history information or the like.
Next, the content of the additional information (menu data) to be displayed is obtained from the application software 51 or the operating system 53 (step S12), and the display content according to the display capability of the second display means 2 is created (step S12).
13). Next, display is actually performed on the second display means 2 (step S14), and the process shifts to a state of waiting for input from the user (step S15).

FIG. 4 shows an example of a basic display screen in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4A is an example of a display screen according to the related art, and FIG.
Is an example of a display screen in the present invention.

4 (a) and 4 (b), the information processing apparatus has a first display 1 as a main display and a second display 2 as a sub-display.
Application software having two windows, a window 11 and a window 12, is displayed. The window 11 is a main window for inputting a main status display and most operation commands, and the window 12 has a role of a subwindow for displaying a part of the application software and a function of an operation icon. The second display means 2 has a horizontally long display area and a window 1
2 has a status display and operation icons.
FIG. 4C is an overall view of the window 12.

In the prior art shown in FIG. 4A, the window 12 is displayed on the second display means 2 without considering the display area, and cannot be displayed all at the same time. Therefore, the operability of the user is reduced.

In the technique of the present invention shown in FIG. 4B, the icons of the window 12 are displayed in a row in a line in accordance with the display area of the second display means 2. Window 1
2 is to display all the information of the window 12 on the second display means 2 even if it is hidden or not displayed in another window due to the restriction of the display area of the first display means 1. Is possible.

In this embodiment, the case where the icons are displayed on the second display means 2 has been described. However, not only the icons but also the character strings, figures, operation buttons, etc. on the window 12 can be displayed. It is. An embodiment in that case will be described later.

In FIG. 4B, a pointer 71 exists on the first display means 1 and a pointer 72 exists on the second display means 2. The pointer 71 and the pointer 72 can be operated by the pointing device 7, and which pointer is to be operated can be selected by a specific key operation or the like. For example, when the pointer 72 selects an icon on the second display unit 2, the first display unit 1
The same effect as when the corresponding icon is selected is generated. That is, by operating the icons on the second display means 2, the operation on the window 12 becomes possible regardless of the state on the first display means 1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for creating basic display contents in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and explains step S13 in FIG. 3 in detail.

First, the device driver 5 for the second display means
6 assigns 1 to a variable i (step S101), and arranges the i-th operation item on the right side of the (i-1) -th operation item with reference to the menu data acquired in step S12 (step S102). However, when the operation item is the first operation item, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, only one row of display area is provided vertically, and the operation items are arranged in order from left to right in consideration of the display area.

Next, i is increased by 1 (step S10).
3) It is checked whether i is larger than the total number of target items (step S104). If i is larger, the process proceeds to display update processing (step S105). If not, the process returns to step S102 and repeats the process.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing a basic operation at the time of selecting a pointer in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which explains step S15 in FIG. 3 in detail.

When the user sets the pointer 71 or the pointer 7
In the case where the selection is made by the user 2 (step S111), it is checked whether the position of the pointer is on the second display means 2 (step S112). If it is not on the second display means 2, it is determined that the operation is on the first display means 1 and the application of the first display means 1 is processed (step S117), and the process shifts to waiting for input (step S11).
6).

In step S112, if it is on the second display means 2, it is checked whether the icon is selected (step S113). If the icon is selected, it is handled as an operation on the icon on the first display unit 1 corresponding to the icon as a process at the time of executing the icon (step S11).
4). Thereafter, the display contents are updated (step S11).
5) Return to waiting for input (step S116). If no icon is selected, nothing is performed in this embodiment, and the process returns to the input wait state (step S116).

By the above operation, the operation items can be displayed in a format suitable for the display performance of the second display means 2 having poor display performance without impairing the display area of the first display means 1, and the display performance is poor. The application displayed on the first display unit 1 can be operated from the second display unit 2 without deteriorating the operability.

Second Embodiment FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
13 is an example of a display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment.
The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

FIG. 7A shows a state in which the window 12 and the pointer 73 are displayed on the first display means 1. By operating the pointing device 7 and the pointer 73
Is moved out of the display area of the first display means 1, for example, downward, a pointer 73 is displayed on the second display means 2 as shown in FIG. 7B. Conversely, when the pointer is moved out of the display area range of the second display means 2, it is displayed on the first display means 1.

As described above, one pointer is shared by the first display means 1 and the second display means 2, and the first display means 1 and the second display means 2 behave as if they are continuous display areas. be able to.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 7 shows the operation of the information processing apparatus having a pointer capable of moving a plurality of display means in FIG. 7 when the pointer is moved, and explains step S15 in FIG. 3 in detail.

When the user moves the pointer 73 (step S121), it is checked whether the position of the pointer 73 is on the second display means 2 (step S1).
22). If it is on the second display means 2, it is checked whether the pointer 73 is positioned at the top (step S123).
If it is not the top, it is the same, if it is the top, the pointer 7
3 is moved onto the first display means 1 (step S12).
4) Return to waiting for input (step S125).

If the position of the pointer 73 is on the first display means 1, it is checked whether the pointer 73 is located at the lowest position (step S126).
If it is at the lowermost position, the position of the pointer 73 is moved onto the first display means 1 (step S127), and the process returns to waiting for input (step S125).

By moving the pointer out of the display area range by the above operation, the pointer can be switched and moved between a plurality of display means so as to move in one display means. Further, it is also possible by a specific key operation, a specific combination of pressing a plurality of keys, a button on a pointing device, or the like.

Third Embodiment FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the entire device of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. Here, a personal computer will be described as an example of the embodiment. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

The personal computer 91 has two display units, a first display unit 1 and a second display unit 2. A mouse 74 and a touch panel 75 on the second display unit 2 are provided as a pointing device. The mouse 74 operates a pointer on the first display unit 1 and the touch panel 75 operates a pointer on the second display unit 2. The two pointers can operate independently for each operation. Therefore, each operation can be performed without depending on the state of each display means.

The movement of the pointer on the touch panel 75 is performed by moving the pointer in conjunction with the amount of movement of the finger by sliding the finger while touching the touch panel 75, and operating the icon at the same position for a predetermined time. This can be done by touching twice consecutively within a period of time. For example, even if the pointer on the first display means 1 cannot be operated by application software for playing back a moving image, for example, additional information and operation icons of the application software for confirming the arrival of an e-mail are displayed on the second display means 2.
And by operating the touch panel 75, it is possible to confirm the arrival of an e-mail while playing a moving image.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It shows the operation at the time of selecting the pointer in FIG. 9 and describes step S15 in FIG. 3 in detail.

When the user selects a pointer with the mouse 74 or the pointing device of the touch panel 75 (step S131), the second display means 2
It is checked whether or not selection by the upper pointer, that is, selection by the touch panel 75 (step S132).
If the selection is not made on the touch panel 75, the process is performed assuming that the operation is on the first display unit 1 by the mouse 74 (step S137), and the process proceeds to waiting for input (step S13).
6). If the selection is made with the touch panel 75, it is determined that the operation is the operation on the second display means 2, and whether or not the icon is selected on the second display means 2 is checked (step S13).
3). If the icon is selected, it is handled as an operation on the icon on the first display unit 1 corresponding to the icon as a process at the time of executing the icon (step S134). Thereafter, the display contents are updated (step S135), and the process returns to waiting for input (step S136). If the icon is not selected, nothing is performed in this embodiment, and the process returns to the input wait state (step S136).

In this embodiment, the touch panel 75 has been described as the pointing device of the second display means 2. However, when a pointing device such as a touch panel which does not need to display a pointer on the display means is adopted as the pointing device, It is not necessary to display the pointer.

Fourth Embodiment FIGS. 11A and 11B show an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. , (C), (d), (e), and (f) are examples of the display screen in the present invention. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

Conventionally, when a menu of application software is displayed as shown in FIG.
Is selected, a pull-down menu 13 is displayed as in screen (b), and additional information such as a more detailed menu is displayed.

In the present embodiment, such additional information of application software is displayed on the second display means 2. On the screen (c), "menu 1,""menu2," and "menu 3" which are menus of application software are displayed. The screen (d) shows the display contents when "menu 3" is selected by the pointer 76 on the screen (c). To display all of “Menu 3-A” to “Menu 3-H” in the pull-down menu on the screen (b), the display area of the second display unit 2 is insufficient, and thus “Menu 3-A” to “Menu 3-A” Only “Menu 3-D” is displayed, and a right scroll button A is arranged on the right side.

The right scroll button A by the pointer 76
Is selected, the display content is scrolled sequentially to the left, and a left scroll button B is also arranged on the left side as shown in the screen (e). When the left scroll button B is selected, the display content is scrolled to the right.

Further, if there is no information to be newly displayed by continuously selecting the right scroll button A, the right scroll button A is not displayed as shown in the screen (f). On the screen (d), since there is no information displayed by the left scroll button B, the left scroll button B
Is not displayed.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a method of creating display contents in the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and explains step S13 in FIG. 3 in detail.

First, the device driver 5 for the second display means
6 assigns 1 to a variable i (step S141), and determines whether or not the i-th operation item can be arranged on the right side of the (i-1) -th operation item with reference to the second display means display capability data 57 (step S141). S142). If it can be arranged, refer to the menu data acquired in step S12 and
The i-th operation item is arranged on the right side of the (i-1) -th operation item (step S143). However, when the operation item is the first operation item, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2.

Next, i is increased by 1 (step S14).
4) It is checked whether i is larger than the total number of target items (step S145). If i is larger, the process proceeds to display update processing (step S146). If not, the process returns to step S142 and repeats the process.

If it is determined in step S142 that no operation item can be arranged, a right scroll button is arranged at the right end (step S147), and the flow shifts to step S146 to perform display update processing.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an operation when the pointer is selected in FIG.
Step S15 will be described in detail.

When the user makes a selection with the pointer 76 (step S151), it is checked whether or not the position of the pointer 76 is on the second display means 2 (step S152). If it is not on the second display means 2, the process is performed assuming that the operation is on the first display means 1 (step S15).
0) Wait for input (step S160).

If it is on the second display means 2, it is checked whether the position of the pointer 76 is the right scroll button A (step S153). If so, the display screen is scrolled one item to the left (step S154). , A left scroll button B is added to the leftmost side (step S15).
5) It is further confirmed whether there is an undisplayed item on the right side (step S156). If there is not, the right scroll button A is added to the rightmost side if there is any (step S15).
7) Go to input waiting (step S160).

If it is determined in step S153 that the pointer is not located at the right scroll button A, then it is checked whether the pointer is located at the left scroll button B (step S16).
1). If so, the display screen is scrolled right by one item (step S162), a right scroll button A is added to the rightmost side (step S163), and it is confirmed whether there is an undisplayed item on the left side (step S164). If there is not, the left scroll button B is added to the leftmost side if there is any (step S165), and the process proceeds to wait for input (step S160).

In step S161, if it is not the left scroll button B, it is checked whether the icon is selected (step S166). If the icon is selected, the first process corresponding to the icon is performed as a process at the time of executing the icon.
This is handled as an operation on the icon on the display unit 1 (step S167). Thereafter, the display contents are updated (step S168), and the process returns to the input wait state (step S160). If the icon is not selected, nothing is performed in this embodiment, and the process returns to the input wait state (step S160).

With the above operation, all the additional information that does not fit in the display area of the second display means 2 can be displayed and selected by the operation of the user. In this embodiment, the scroll of the displayed content is started by selecting the scroll button.However, the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, when the pointer is moved to a specific area on the screen, or when a specific key is pressed, etc. The present invention is feasible and does not limit the operation method.

[Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 14 shows an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

FIGS. 14 (c), (d), (e), (f)
11 shows the case where the additional information of the application software displayed as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B is displayed on the second display means 2. FIG. On the screen (c), "menu 1,""menu2," and "menu 3" which are menus of application software are displayed. The screen (d) shows the display contents when “menu 3” is selected by the pointer 77 on the screen (c). “Menu 3-A” through “Menu 3” in the pull-down menu of FIG.
Since the display area of the second display means 2 is insufficient to display all of "-H", "menu 3-A" to "menu 3-C" and "menu 3-E" to "menu 3-
"H" is associated with the items of the abbreviations "A" to "C" and "" to "H", each of which represents only a part of each character string, and the "menu 3" selected by the pointer 77.
Only -D "is displayed.

When the pointer 77 is moved and positioned on "E" or "F", only the respective items are fully displayed as shown in screens (e) and (f).

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a method of creating display contents in the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and explains step S13 in FIG. 3 in detail.

First, the second display device driver 5
6 assigns 1 to a variable i (step S171), and determines whether or not all operation items can be displayed with reference to the second display means display capability data 57 (step S172). If it can be displayed, the i-th operation item is arranged on the right side of the (i-1) -th operation item with reference to the menu data acquired in step S12 (step S173). However, when the operation item is the first operation item, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2. Next, i is increased by 1 (step S17).
4), it is checked whether i is larger than the total number of target items (step S175). If i is larger, the process proceeds to display update processing (step S176); otherwise, the process returns to step S173 and repeats the process.

If it is determined in step S172 that all the operation items cannot be arranged, it is further determined whether or not the i-th operation item has been selected (step S181). If it is selected, the i-th operation item is arranged to the right of the (i-1) -th operation item (step S
182), i is increased by 1 (step S183), and it is checked whether i is larger than the total number of target items (step S18).
4) If the number is large, the process proceeds to display update processing (step S17)
6) Otherwise, return to step S181 and repeat the process.

If the i-th operation item has not been selected in step S181, the i-th operation item is reduced and placed on the right side of the (i-1) -th operation item (step S185), and continues to step S183. .

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows the operation at the time of moving the pointer in FIG.
Step S15 will be described in detail.

When the user moves the pointer 77 (step S191), it is checked whether or not the position of the pointer 77 is on the second display means 2 (step S1).
92). If it is not on the second display means 2, the process is performed assuming that it is an operation on the first display means 1 (step S197), and the process shifts to input waiting (step S196). If it is on the second display means 2, it is checked whether the position of the pointer 77 is on the icon (step S193). If it is not on the icon, the process proceeds to input waiting (step S196). If it is on the icon, all icons at the position of the pointer 77 are displayed (step S194), and icons other than the position of the pointer 77 are shortened (step S195). Then, the process returns to waiting for input (step S196).

By the above operation, more items can be displayed by changing the display content of each item according to the size of the display area of the second display means 2, and it is easy to confirm the items when selecting. Can be done. In the present embodiment, “Menu 3
−A ”to“ Menu 3-H ”corresponded to“ A ”to“ H ”.
"A" to "H" that each item has a difference
However, the present invention is of course feasible without being limited to this method.

Sixth Embodiment FIG. 17 is an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The basic configuration and basic operation of the information processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment are the same as those of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

FIG. 17 shows an operation example of the screen display of the application software. Items corresponding to the icons A, B and C on the window of the first display means 1 are also displayed on the second display means 2. I have. Items displayed on the second display means 2 include character attributes and character information of each corresponding icon, for example, a pop-up help 14 displayed to explain the function of the icon when the pointer is moved over the icon. Is used as a display item instead of an icon image.

In FIG. 17, since the icons A, B and C respectively hold the pop-up help information of “Save file”, “Print” and “Enlarged display”, the characters are displayed on the second display means 2. The columns are listed as display items. This is because the size and resolution of the display area of the second display means 2 are inferior to those of the first display means 1, so that the icon image cannot be displayed on the second display means 2 as it is, or even if it is displayed, the icon image is displayed on the second display means 2. This is effective when images cannot be distinguished due to collapse or the like.

The information displayed on the second display means 2 is not limited to character information. For example, image information may be displayed.

FIG. 18 shows an example of a display screen when image information is displayed on the second display means 2. This is an operation example of the screen display of the application software, in which the icons A, B, and C on the window 11 of the first display unit 1
Are displayed on the second display means 2. The items displayed on the second display means 2 include the performance of the corresponding icon images, such as the size of the display area of the second display means 2, the resolution, the number of colors, and the like (see the second display means display capability data 57). ) Is displayed after processing the image.

For example, when the display performance of the second display means 2 is significantly inferior to that of the first display means 1, in FIG. 18, the contour of the fine icon A is extracted, the image size is reduced, and the monochrome 2 By converting to a value, an image of the icon D that can be identified by the second display means 2 is obtained. The icons D, E, and F on the second display means 2 correspond to the icons A, B, and C, respectively, and the user can display the icons on the second display means 2 having a lower display capability according to the present invention. It is possible to identify and operate the icon.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and explains in detail the method of creating display contents in step S13 of FIG.

In this embodiment, the second display means 2 has a display area of only about 16 dots in length and one line of character string.
This information is stored in the display capacity data 57 of the second display means, assuming that there are only the two monochromatic colors.

First, the device driver 5 for the second display means
6 assigns 1 to a variable i (step S201), and checks with reference to the menu data 52 whether the i-th target item is represented by a character string or an image (step S202). . If the target is a character string (step S203), the process proceeds to step S203. If the target is an image, it is checked whether the item has character information such as popup help (step S20).
8) If there is character information, the process proceeds to step S203, and an operation item iconified by using the obtained character string is created.

In step S208, if there is no character information, the size of the image data is compared with the size of the display area (step S209). If the image is small, nothing is performed. Size,
In other words, the image data is reduced to the size of 16 dots vertically (step S210), and the process proceeds to step S211.

Further, it is compared whether the number of colors of the image is larger than the number of colors (two monochrome colors) of the second display means 2 (step S2).
11) If the value is equal to or less than the above, nothing is performed, and if the number is large, the image data is subjected to the color reduction processing according to the number of colors (step S21).
2) Create an operation item iconized based on the image (step S213).

The operation items created in steps S203 and S213 are arranged on the right side of the (i-1) th operation item (step S204). However, when the created operation item is the first operation item, it is arranged at the left end of the display area of the second display means 2. In this embodiment, since only one line of display area is provided vertically, the operation items are arranged in order from left to right in consideration of the display area.

Next, i is increased by 1 (step S205),
Check whether i is greater than the total number of target items (step S
206) If the number is large, the process proceeds to the display update process (step S)
207), otherwise return to step S202 and repeat the process.

By the above operation, even if the content displayed on the second display means 2 is image information, only the added character information is displayed on the second display means 2 or the image information is displayed on the second display means. 2 can also be displayed after processing such as reduction, color reduction, and contour extraction to a displayable state.

The contents of the above-described embodiments are not limited to the above description unless the gist of the present invention is changed.

[0092]

According to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

It has basic first display means and auxiliary second display means, and displays additional information such as the operation state of application software and executable operation items on the second display means in a format suitable for this. The first display means can display the display area without losing the display area. When the additional information on the second display means is selected by the input means, the operation corresponding to the selected item is performed on the application software. The same effect as that performed by performing the above can be generated.

Further, since a common input means is provided between a plurality of display means, the display means can be freely moved and any of the display means can be selected. Therefore, each display means is intuitive as a continuous display area. By providing a simple operation environment, the input can be easily grasped and the operability can be further improved.

Further, since the first display means and the second display means each have a dedicated input means, the operation of the second display means can be performed independently of the state of the first display means. .

When all of the additional information cannot be displayed on the second display means, a part of the additional information is displayed, and the remaining undisplayed portion is displayed by scrolling or switching, so that the display performance is improved. The operation can be easily performed on the inferior second display means without lowering the operability.

When all of the additional information cannot be displayed on the second display means, a part of the additional information is displayed, and only the items specified by the input means are fully displayed, thereby improving the display performance. Even on the inferior second display means, the operability can be improved by improving the listability.

Further, even if the information displayed on the second display means is image information which is difficult to handle in terms of display performance, it is possible to display the added character information or to display the image information on the second display means. By displaying after processing into a state, various information can be displayed in a legible manner even with the second display means having poor display performance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a basic functional configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a basic operation for determining display contents on a second display means 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a basic display content creation method in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the entire equipment of an information processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of creating display contents in an information processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method of creating display contents in an information processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of an information processing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the information processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 first display means 2 second display means 3 CPU 4 ROM 5 RAM 6 key input device 7 pointing device 8 internal storage device 9 external storage device 20 main system 51 application software 52 menu data 53 operating system 54 device driver for pointing device 55 Device driver for first display means 56 Device driver for second display means 57 Second display means display capability data

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: first display means for displaying a window or menu of application software; and second display means smaller than the first display means, wherein a menu displayed on the first display means is provided. Menu data storage means for storing data; display capacity data storage means for storing display capacity data of the second display means; menu data stored in the menu data storage means being stored in the display capacity data storage means. And a display control means for displaying the data on the second display means in a format corresponding to the obtained display capability data. 2. The display control means determines whether an area size required for displaying the menu data is larger than a display area size of the second display means, and if so, only a part of the display area size is displayed on the second display means. And a scroll instruction icon is displayed on the second display means.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a scroll instruction is issued, the remaining menu data is displayed on the second display means. 3. The display control means determines whether an area size required for displaying the menu data is larger than a display area size of the second display means. If the area size is larger, a display area size of each item of the menu is determined. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the item is designated, the display area size of only the designated item is enlarged and displayed on the second display unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. 4. When the menu data storage means stores icon display image data and corresponding character string display text data in the menu data storage means, the display control means 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a menu based on a column is displayed on the second display unit. 5. The display control means, when image data for icon display is stored in the menu data storage means, displays the image data based on the data stored in the display capability data storage means. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is converted and displayed on the second display unit.