JP2011107911A - Program, apparatus and system for processing information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an input operability through a plurality of pointing devices. <P>SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus (10) is made to execute: a step of displaying a plurality of temporary pointers corresponding to a plurality of pointing devices (20A, 20B) on a display means (30); a step of saving the input data of the pointing device whose prescribed button is put in an ON state between the plurality of pointing devices; a step of starting the saving of the input data when the prescribed button is turned on, and for ending the saving of the input data when the prescribed button is turned off; and a step of executing processing based on the input data whose saving is ended. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system capable of input by a plurality of pointing devices, an information processing apparatus, and an input control program thereof.

  As an input means to the information processing apparatus, a pointing device (for example, a mouse) capable of inputting a coordinate position on the screen by a pointer appearing on the display screen is known. In recent years, an information processing system has been developed in which a plurality of pointing devices can be connected to one information processing apparatus and input can be performed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP-A-8-63279 JP 2001-34411 A

  In a conventional information processing system, although a plurality of pointing devices can be connected to the information processing apparatus, it is substantially the case that data input by another pointing device is performed until the data input by one pointing device is completed. It was not possible. That is, it is difficult to input data simultaneously using a plurality of pointing devices (for example, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, when inputs are performed simultaneously from a plurality of pointing devices, the highest priority is given. Only the input data from the pointing device is left, and the remaining input data is discarded).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to improve the operability of input using a plurality of pointing devices.

  The present invention provides a step of displaying a plurality of temporary pointers corresponding to each of a plurality of pointing devices on a display means for an information processing apparatus, and a pointing device in which a predetermined button is on in the plurality of pointing devices Saving the input data, starting to save the input data when the predetermined button is turned on, and ending the saving of the input data when the predetermined button is turned off A program for executing a step and a step of executing a process based on the input data that has been saved.

  According to this configuration, in order to control the start and end of storage of input data depending on whether or not a predetermined button on the pointing device is in an on state, parallel data input using a plurality of pointing devices (for example, a plurality of data input) Input by a human being). In addition, since the input data is saved once and the process based on the input data is executed, even if simultaneous input is performed from multiple pointing devices, all input operations can be performed without discarding any input data. Corresponding processing can be executed. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability of an input operation using a plurality of pointing devices.

  In the above configuration, the step of executing the process based on the input data includes the process based on the input data in the order in which the storage of the input data is completed in the step of storing the input data when there are a plurality of the input data. It can be configured to be executed. According to this configuration, all input data is saved once, and then executed sequentially from the end of input, so that processing corresponding to all input operations is executed reliably without discarding any input data. can do.

  In the above configuration, the information processing apparatus may be configured to further execute a step of displaying one real pointer on the display unit based on the stored input data. According to this configuration, since the user can know whether or not the information processing based on his / her input operation has been appropriately performed by watching the movement of the real pointer, the operability can be further improved.

  In the above configuration, the step of displaying the temporary pointer on the display means includes the temporary pointer corresponding to the pointing device on which the input is being performed when the step of storing the input data is being executed, It can be configured to display that the input data of the pointing device is being saved. According to this configuration, the user can easily know whether or not the input data is stored, so that the input operation can be performed more reliably.

  In the above configuration, the step of displaying the temporary pointer on the display means includes the temporary pointer corresponding to the pointing device on which the input is being performed when the step of storing the input data is being executed, The trajectory of the temporary pointer can be displayed. According to this configuration, since the user can easily know whether or not the input data is stored and the contents (the locus of the pointer corresponding to the input data), the input operation can be performed more reliably. it can.

  The present invention provides a temporary pointer operation unit that displays a plurality of temporary pointers corresponding to each of a plurality of pointing devices on a display unit, and input data of a pointing device in which a predetermined button is turned on among the plurality of pointing devices. An input data storage unit, and a control unit that executes a process based on the input data stored in the input data storage unit, the input data storage unit includes the predetermined button on the pointing device. The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the storage of the input data is started when turned on and the storage of the input data is ended when the predetermined button is turned off. According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability of an input operation using a plurality of pointing devices.

  The present invention includes an information processing apparatus, a plurality of pointing devices connected to the information processing apparatus, and display means connected to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus includes a plurality of pointing devices. A temporary pointer operation unit that displays a plurality of temporary pointers corresponding to each on the display unit; and an input data storage unit that stores input data of a pointing device in which a predetermined button of the plurality of pointing devices is on; A control unit that executes processing based on the input data stored in the input data storage unit, the input data storage unit when the predetermined button in the pointing device is turned on Start saving input data and finish saving input data when the button is turned off An information processing system according to claim Rukoto. According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability of an input operation using a plurality of pointing devices.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability of an input operation using a plurality of pointing devices.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart (part 1) showing the flow of input processing. FIG. 3 is a flowchart (part 2) showing the flow of the input process. FIG. 4 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating a display screen mode during input processing. FIG. 5 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating a display screen mode during input processing.

  Hereinafter, an information processing system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. Two mice 20A and 20B and one display 30 are connected to a PC (Personal Computer) 10. The PC 10 is an example of an information processing apparatus, and the display 30 is an example of a display unit. The mice 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B are examples of input means (pointing device) for operating a pointer (cursor) as position specifying means appearing on the display 30. The user can designate an arbitrary coordinate position on the display 30 by operating the pointer with the mouse 20A (20B). The mouse 20A (20B) is provided with one or a plurality of buttons. When the user presses these buttons (turns on), objects (icons, windows, etc.) displayed on the screen are displayed. Selection and command input (processing such as opening and closing windows) can be performed. In addition to the mouse 20A (20B), a trackball, a touch pad, or the like can be used as a pointing device.

  The PC 10 includes data storage / determination units 12A and 12B. Signals from the mice 20A and 20B are input to the data storage / determination units 12A and 12B, respectively. The data storage / determination unit 12A determines whether or not data input from the mouse 20A (hereinafter referred to as “input data”) is to be stored, and stores the input data if necessary. The same applies to the data storage / determination unit 12B. The data input to the data storage / determination units 12A and 12B are output to the real pointer operation unit 14, the temporary pointer operation unit 16, and the control unit 18, respectively.

  Based on the data stored in the data storage / determination unit 12A (12B), the real pointer operation unit 14 displays a real pointer (described in detail later) on the display 30 and performs the operation. The temporary pointer operation unit 16 displays a temporary pointer (described in detail later) on the display based on data input from the mice 20A and 20B via the data storage / determination unit 12A (12B), and performs the operation. . The control unit 18 is an information processing mechanism for executing a command input by the user, and performs processing based on data input from the data storage / determination unit 12A (12B) (calculation, graphic drawing, movement of icons and windows). (Open / close, etc.) and the result is displayed on the display 30 as necessary.

  These functions in the PC 10 can be realized by causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program related to pointer control stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk.

  As in this embodiment, in an information processing system that inputs information using a plurality of pointing devices, processing when signals are simultaneously input from a plurality of pointing devices becomes a problem. For example, if multiple pointing devices are prioritized and multiple signals are input at the same time, only processing based on the input signal from the pointing device with the highest priority is executed, and other input signals are discarded. It is possible to do. However, this method may cause inconvenience to a user who uses a pointing device with a low priority.

  In this embodiment, an information processing system with improved operability at the time of simultaneous input of a plurality of pointing devices will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the first half of the data input process. Here, a case where an input is performed from the mouse 20A which is the first pointing device will be described. First, the temporary pointer operation unit 16 displays a temporary pointer corresponding to the mouse 20A on the display 30 (step S10). Next, the data storage / determination unit 12A determines whether or not a predetermined button on the mouse 20A (for example, a button provided on the upper surface of the mouse 20A and used for a click operation) is in an on state (step S12). ). If the button is on, the data storage / determination unit 12A starts storing input data from the mouse 20A (step S14).

  When saving of the input data is started, the temporary pointer operation unit 16 displays a message indicating that the data is being saved near the temporary pointer of the mouse 20A on the display 30 and also displays a locus associated with the movement of the temporary pointer. The image is displayed on the display 30 (step S16). Accordingly, the user can easily grasp whether or not the input data is stored and the content of the input data to be stored.

  Next, the data storage / determination unit 12A determines whether or not the predetermined button determined to be in the on state in step S12 continues to be in the on state (step S18). If the button is on, the data storage / determination unit 12A continues to store the input data (step S19). When the button is not on (when the button is turned off), the data storage / determination unit 12A ends the storage of input data from the mouse 20A (step S20). The temporary pointer operation unit 16 deletes the display indicating that the data is being saved and the display of the locus of the temporary pointer (step S22). Through the above steps, storage of input data from the mouse 20A is completed. When the data storage is completed, the data storage / determination unit 12A outputs the input data of the mouse 20A stored according to the processing of FIG. 3 to the real pointer operation unit 14 and the control unit 18.

  Here, the input data from the mouse 20A includes pointer position information (and its change) accompanying the movement of the mouse 20A and the on / off states of buttons provided on the mouse 20A. As a result, the user can store a mouse operation (for example, drag and drop, drawing of a figure, etc.) while pressing a predetermined button in the PC 10. In the case of an input operation from the mouse 20B, the data storage / determination unit 12B and the temporary pointer operation unit 16B perform the same processing as in the case of the mouse 20A. Thereby, the input data from the two pointing devices (mouse 20A and mouse 20B) are independently stored in the data storage unit (12A and 12B) in the PC 10 regardless of whether the inputs are simultaneous or not. .

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the latter half of the data output process. First, the control unit 18 and the real pointer operation unit 14 determine whether data is being input from the mouse 20A and the mouse 20B (step S30). While data is being input, subsequent processing is not performed. When there is no data input, the control unit 18 and the actual pointer operation unit 14 determine whether there is stored data that has been input to the two data storage / determination units 12A and 12B (step S32). If there is stored data, the stored data is output from the data storage / determination unit 12A or 12B to the control unit 18 and the actual pointer operation unit 14 (step S34). When there are a plurality of stored data, the output is performed in order from the data that has been stored earlier. Here, the data input and stored in the data storage / determination unit 12A from the mouse 20A in steps S14 and S19 of FIG. 2 is output to the control unit 18 and the real pointer operation unit 14.

  Next, the real pointer operation unit 14 operates the real pointer 24 displayed on the display 30 based on the data input from the data storage / determination unit 12A (step S36). As a result, the real pointer 24 moves on the screen so as to follow the mouse operation input by the user with the temporary pointer. Similarly, the control unit 18 executes predetermined processing (calculation, drawing, moving / opening / closing of icons and windows, etc.) based on data input from the data storage / determination unit 12A. The result is displayed on the display 30 (step S38). The control unit 18 and the real pointer operation unit 14 determine whether there is stored data that has not been output in the two data storage / determination units 12A and 12B (step S40). The process returns to the previous stage of step S34. When the output of all the stored data is completed, a series of input processes starting from step S10 in FIG.

  Next, the actual process will be described based on the screen displayed on the display 30.

  FIGS. 4A to 5E are diagrams showing changes in screen display accompanying the input processing described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case where an icon movement command is first input from the mouse 20A and then an icon movement command is input from the mouse 20B will be described. As shown in FIG. 4A, the temporary pointers 22A (shaded arrows) and 22B (shaded arrows), the real pointer 24 (open arrows), and icons 40A and 40B are displayed on the screen of the display 30. ing. In the drawing, the left mouse represents the mouse 20A, and the right mouse represents the mouse 20B. The state of a predetermined button (here, the left button) in each mouse is also illustrated.

  Here, the temporary pointers 22A and 22B are pointers set corresponding to the mice 20A and 20B, respectively. The temporary pointer moves on the screen as the user moves the mouse. At this time, it does not matter whether a predetermined button on the mouse is pressed or not (whether it is on or off). That is, the temporary pointer operation unit 16 immediately reflects the position input command by the user's mouse operation on the temporary pointers 22A and 22B on the screen regardless of the state of the predetermined buttons on the mice 20A and 20B.

  On the other hand, the real pointer 24 is a pointer set separately from the temporary pointers 22A and 22B in order to notify the user of the processing contents by the PC 10. As described in FIG. 3, the real pointer 24 starts moving after all data input is completed, and the user cannot directly operate the real pointer 24. The movement of the actual pointer reflects the contents of data input to the PC 10 while the predetermined buttons of the mice 20A and 20B are in the on state. That is, the real pointer 24 moves in the same manner as the temporary pointers 22A and 22B during data input (save).

  First, the first user inputs a command to move the icon 40A by operating the mouse 20A. At this time, the first user moves the temporary pointer 22A onto the icon 40A (FIG. 4 (b)) and clicks the button of the mouse 20A (turns on). Thereby, the input process corresponding to step S14 in FIG. 2 is started.

  Subsequently, the first user performs a drag operation to move the temporary pointer 22A to a predetermined position while clicking the button of the mouse 20A (FIG. 4C). Thereby, the input data from the mouse 20A is stored in the data storage / determination unit 12A, and at the same time, the display indicating that the data is being stored (26) and the locus (28) of the temporary pointer 22A are displayed on the screen. (Step S16 in FIG. 2). At this time, the icon 40A does not move.

  Subsequently, during input by the first user, the second user inputs a command to move the icon 40B by operating the mouse 20B. Specifically, the second user moves the temporary pointer 22B onto the icon 40B (FIG. 4 (d)) and clicks the button of the mouse 20B (turns on). Thereby, the input process corresponding to step S14 of FIG. 2 is also started on the mouse 20B side. The second user performs a drag operation to move the temporary pointer 22B to a predetermined position while clicking the button of the mouse 20B (FIG. 4E). As a result, the input data from the mouse 20B is stored in the data storage / determination unit 12B, and at the same time, the display indicating that the data is being stored and the locus of the temporary pointer 22B are displayed on the screen (step in FIG. 2). S16, S18). FIG. 4 (f) shows a state in which the input by the mouse 20A is finished during the input by the mouse 20B, and FIG. 4 (g) shows a state in which all the inputs are finished. The icon 40B does not move during a series of processing.

  When the input using the mouse 20A and the mouse 20B is completed, processing based on the input data is started. First, the real pointer 24 moves to the position of the temporary pointer 22A at the start of data input from the mouse 20A (FIG. 5A). The real pointer 24 moves to the position of the temporary pointer 22A at the end of data input from the mouse 20A so as to trace the locus of the temporary pointer 22A (FIGS. 5B and 5C). At this time, the icon 40A also moves with the real pointer 24A (to the user's eyes, it appears that the real pointer 24A has moved the icon 40A to a predetermined position by a drag and drop operation). In addition, the arrow in a figure shows the moving direction of a pointer and an icon.

  Subsequently, the real pointer 24 moves to the position of the temporary pointer 22B at the start of data input from the mouse 20B (FIG. 5D). The real pointer 24 moves to the position of the temporary pointer 22B at the end of data input from the mouse 20B so as to trace the locus of the temporary pointer 22B (FIGS. 5E and 5F). At this time, the icon 40B also moves with the real pointer 24B (to the user's eyes, the real pointer 24B appears to have moved the icon 40B to a predetermined position by a drag and drop operation). Thus, a series of input processes using the mouse 20A and the mouse 20B is completed.

  According to the information processing system of the first embodiment, input data of a mouse in which a predetermined button is turned on among a plurality of mice is stored. In the data storage step, the storage of the input data is started when the predetermined button is turned on, and the storage of the input data is ended when the predetermined button is turned off. Thereafter, processing based on the input data that has been stored is executed. According to this configuration, since the start and end of the storage of the input data is controlled by whether or not a predetermined button on the mouse is in an on state, it is easy to determine whether or not to store the input data. Suitable for input using multiple mice. In addition, once input data is saved, processing based on the input data is executed, so even if multiple inputs are made simultaneously from multiple mice, all input operations can be handled without discarding any input data Can be executed.

  The above configuration is particularly effective in an operation (drag and drop, figure drawing, etc.) of moving the mouse while pressing a specific button. For example, even when two or more users perform such an operation at the same time, the user does not need to perform the input operation again, and the PC can surely execute each intended process.

  In particular, when there are a plurality of input data, the processing based on the input data is executed in the order in which the storage of the input data is completed in the step of storing the input data. As a result, it is possible to sequentially execute processing based on a plurality of input data without setting priorities in the pointing device in advance.

  In the present embodiment, when the data is stored, the temporary pointer operation unit 16 displays the fact that the data is being stored and the locus of the temporary pointer on the screen. However, this configuration is not essential. However, with this configuration, the user can easily understand that the data has been input (stored) and the contents thereof, so that convenience for the user is improved. Although displaying the actual pointer 24 is not an essential configuration, this configuration allows the user to more accurately grasp the execution contents of the input process, thereby improving convenience for the user.

  In this embodiment, the number of input devices (mouses) is two, but the present invention can be similarly applied to a case where input is performed from three or more pointing devices.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

10 PC
12 Data Save / Determine Unit 14 Real Pointer Operation Unit 16 Temporary Pointer Operation Unit 18 Control Unit 20 Mouse 30 Display 22 Temporary Pointer 24 Real Pointer 40 Icon

Claims (7)

For information processing equipment
Displaying a plurality of temporary pointers corresponding to each of the plurality of pointing devices on the display means;
Storing input data of a pointing device in which a predetermined button of a plurality of pointing devices is in an on state, and starting storing the input data when the predetermined button is turned on; Ending the storage of the input data when the button is turned off;
Executing a process based on the input data that has been saved;
A program for running   The step of executing the process based on the input data is a process of executing the process based on the input data in the order in which the storage of the input data is completed in the step of storing the input data when there are a plurality of the input data. The program according to claim 1, wherein there is a program.   The program according to claim 1 or 2, further causing the information processing apparatus to execute a step of displaying one real pointer on the display unit based on the stored input data.   The step of displaying the temporary pointer on the display means includes a step of storing the input data together with the temporary pointer corresponding to the pointing device on which the input is being performed when the step of storing the input data is being executed. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the program displays that input data is being saved.   The step of displaying the temporary pointer on the display means includes, when the step of storing the input data is being executed, together with the temporary pointer corresponding to the pointing device on which the input is being performed, The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the program displays a trajectory. A temporary pointer operation unit for displaying a plurality of temporary pointers corresponding to each of the plurality of pointing devices on the display means;
An input data storage unit that stores input data of a pointing device in which a predetermined button is on in the plurality of pointing devices;
A control unit that executes processing based on the input data stored in the input data storage unit,
The input data storage unit starts storing the input data when the predetermined button of the pointing device is turned on, and ends the storage of the input data when the predetermined button is turned off. An information processing apparatus characterized by that. An information processing device;
A plurality of pointing devices connected to the information processing apparatus;
Display means connected to the information processing apparatus,
The information processing apparatus includes:
A temporary pointer operation unit for displaying a plurality of temporary pointers corresponding to each of the plurality of pointing devices on the display means;
An input data storage unit that stores input data of a pointing device in which a predetermined button is on in the plurality of pointing devices;
A control unit that executes processing based on the input data stored in the input data storage unit,
The input data storage unit starts storing the input data when the predetermined button of the pointing device is turned on, and ends the storage of the input data when the predetermined button is turned off. An information processing system characterized by this.

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