JP5079044B2 - Information processing apparatus and menu screen generation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a menu screen generation method for displaying a menu screen for starting an application or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a mobile phone, a desired operation is performed by selecting a predetermined menu item (icon) from a menu screen. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that menu items such as icons are displayed on a mobile phone.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-327741

  However, mobile phones in recent years have become multi-functional and have a large number of menu items, so it is difficult to understand and use many menus, and a menu screen that enables simple and intuitive operation is desired. It is rare.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problems, an object is to provide an information processing apparatus and a menu screen generation method that enable operation using a simple menu screen.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an inquiry unit that inquires a carrier company about contract information , and a menu screen that includes menu items corresponding to the contract information obtained by the inquiry unit. Menu screen generating means for generating and display means for displaying the menu screen generated by the menu screen generating means are provided.

The menu screen generation method of the present invention is a menu screen generation method for an information processing apparatus having a display means for displaying a menu item on a menu screen. In the inquiry step for inquiring contract information to a carrier, and in the inquiry step A generating step for generating a menu screen including menu items corresponding to the obtained contract information .

According to this invention, it is possible to make an inquiry about contract information to a carrier and to display a menu item corresponding to the contract information obtained by the inquiry on the menu screen. Therefore, menu items such as services that are not contracted are not displayed on the menu screen, and a user-friendly menu screen can be provided without complicating the configuration of the menu screen. For example, a user who does not have a contract for a content distribution service does not need to display a menu item such as an icon for starting an application for the content distribution service. Therefore, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use menu screen by not displaying such menu items on the menu screen.

The information processing apparatus according to the present invention further includes storage means for storing the data and the data type of the data in association with each other, and the generation means displays a menu item corresponding to the data type of the data stored in the storage means. It is preferable to generate a menu screen including the same.

According to this invention, the data and the data type of the data are stored in association with each other, and the menu item corresponding to the data type of the stored data can be displayed on the menu screen. As a result, only necessary menu items and menu items that can be used can be displayed on the menu screen, so that a user-friendly menu screen can be provided without complicating the configuration of the menu screen. it can.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the data input means for adding and storing data in the storage means, and the data type of the data stored by the data input means are already stored in the storage means. And determining means for determining whether or not the data type matches the data type. When the determining means determines that the data type does not match, the generating means corresponds to the data type that does not match. Preferably, a menu screen including menu items to be generated is generated.

  According to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the data type of the newly added data matches the data type of the already stored data, and if it is determined that the data type does not match, Menu items corresponding to the data type of the added data can be displayed on the menu screen. Thereby, when data is added, menu items that can process the data can be displayed on the menu screen, and a user-friendly menu screen can be generated. For example, when still image data is newly obtained by shooting a camera or the like, and a menu item that is an icon for starting an application that can handle the still image data does not appear on the menu screen By displaying the menu item, a user-friendly menu screen can be generated.

  In the information processing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the generation unit generates a menu screen that displays menu items in descending order of the number of data stored in the storage unit.

  According to the present invention, the menu items are displayed on the menu screen in the descending order of the number of stored data, so that the menu items that are considered to be used more frequently are arranged in order, thereby improving the operability. be able to. For example, the operability can be improved by arranging the menu items in order from the top left of the menu screen in the descending order of the number of data.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the menu item is an icon for starting an application for processing data.

  According to the present invention, the menu item is an icon that activates an application for processing data. Therefore, it is possible to easily start the application.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the menu item is an icon for starting an application for realizing a service provided based on contract information.

  According to the present invention, the menu item is an icon that activates an application for realizing a service provided based on the contract information. Therefore, it is possible to easily start an application for providing a service.

  According to the present invention, since only necessary menu items and menu items that can be used can be displayed on the menu screen, a user-friendly menu screen is provided without complicating the configuration of the menu screen. can do.

It is a block diagram which shows the function of the portable terminal 100 of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the display database memorize | stored in the menu display database. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of a menu screen generation method when the mobile terminal 100 is powered on. 10 is a flowchart showing processing of a menu screen generation method when data is added to the data storage unit 102 of the mobile terminal 100. 10 is a flowchart showing processing of a menu screen generation method when data is deleted from the data storage unit 102 of the mobile terminal 100. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the menu screen comprised by adding each icon from the initial state of a menu screen. It is a figure which shows the state transition of a menu screen when data is added.

  A mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements or elements having the same function, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the mobile terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. The mobile terminal 100 is, for example, a mobile phone, and includes a storage unit 101 (data storage unit 102 (data storage unit), application storage unit 104, menu display database 105), display unit 106 (display unit), and control unit 107 (generation). A communication unit 108 (inquiry unit), a UIM 109, a data input unit 110 (data input unit), and an operation unit 111.

  The mobile terminal 100 is physically a CPU, a RAM and a ROM that are main storage devices, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse that are input devices, an output device such as a display, and a data transmission / reception device such as a network card. The information processing apparatus includes an auxiliary storage device such as a module and a hard disk. Each function described in FIG. 1 allows the input device, the output device, and the communication module to operate under the control of the CPU by loading predetermined computer software on hardware such as the CPU and RAM, This is realized by reading and writing data in the auxiliary storage device. Hereinafter, each functional block will be described based on the functional blocks shown in FIG.

  The storage unit 101 is a part that stores applications, data, and the like, and includes a data storage unit 102, an application storage unit 104, and a menu display database 105.

  The data storage unit 102 is a part that stores data that can be processed by an application running on the mobile terminal 100 and its data type. For example, it is a part that stores still image data such as photographs, moving image data, music data, and the like, and is configured such that the data type can be determined based on the extension added to the file name.

  The application storage unit 104 is a part that stores various applications running on the mobile terminal 100 and icons displayed on the menu screen. Applications include those for processing photo data, for reproducing moving images, for reproducing music data, and the like.

  The menu display database 105 stores a database for managing icons to be displayed on the menu screen, and the control unit 107 refers to the contents described in the menu display database 105 to determine which icon is selected from the menu. Whether to display on the screen can be determined. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a database stored in the menu display database 105. As shown in FIG. 2, the menu display database 105 includes a database for user contract information (FIG. 2A) and a database for data stored in the data storage unit 102 (FIG. 2B). ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the database for the user contract information is managed by storing the type, the data type, and the activated application menu in association with each other. For example, “contract” is stored as the type, and the content distribution service and the startup application menu are stored in association with the content distribution service as the data type.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the database for data, a type, a data type, the number of data, an update date, an activation application menu, and a priority are stored in association with each other and managed. For example, the type is “Data”, the data type is still image (JPG, GIF), the number of data is 3, the update date is 2010/1/11, the startup application menu is an image viewer and a slide show application (for multiple images) 1 is stored in association with the priority. As will be described later, this priority determines the display order of icons, and is used, for example, to arrange icons in order from the upper left of the menu screen.

  The storage contents of the various databases described above are stored in the menu display database 105 according to control by the control unit 107 as described later.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the description will be continued. The display unit 106 is a part that displays a menu screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, an icon based on the application and contract information is displayed, and the user selects this icon by operating the operation unit 111 to execute the application, You can receive services based on contract information.

  As described above, the control unit 107 is a part that performs icon display control on the display unit 106, management control on the menu display database 105, data registration control on the data storage unit 102, and the like. More specifically, the control unit 107 identifies the extensions of files constituting the data stored in the data storage unit 102, recognizes an application that can process the data, and stores the data in the menu display database 105. Build a database. Then, based on the stored contents of the menu display database 105, the application icon is read from the application storage unit 104, a menu screen is constructed using the read icon, and displayed on the display unit 106.

  Further, when data is newly stored in the data storage unit 102 via the data input unit 110, the control unit 107 determines whether or not an icon is already displayed on the menu screen. Performs control for newly displaying an icon. In addition, even when data is deleted, management control is performed to determine whether or not to display an icon corresponding to the data.

  The communication unit 108 is a part that inquires service contract information to a server that stores subscriber information in accordance with control by the control unit 107 when the power is turned on. Specifically, it is a part that transmits an identification number (for example, a telephone number) indicating the subscriber stored in the UIM 109 to the subscriber management server and receives service contract information returned in response thereto. The communication unit 108 can also download data via an external network such as the Internet and store the data in the data storage unit 102 according to control by the control unit 107.

  The UIM 109 is a part that stores subscriber information, and stores, for example, a telephone number. Service contract information or the like may be stored. At that time, the inquiry function in the communication unit 108 described above is performed on the UIM 109. That is, the service contract information is inquired to the UIM 109 under the control of the control unit 107.

  The data input unit 110 is a part that inputs and stores data in the data storage unit 102. For example, the data input unit 110 is a device such as a camera or a microphone, and causes the data storage unit 102 to store photo data, moving image data, sound collected by the microphone, or music data captured by the camera.

  The operation unit 111 is a part that receives an operation by a user, and is, for example, a keyboard such as a power switch or a numeric keypad. The user can select an icon or the like by operating the operation unit 111.

  Processing of the mobile terminal 100 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the menu screen generation method when the mobile terminal 100 is powered on.

  First, when a power-on operation is performed in the operation unit 111 (S101), an inquiry for service contract information is performed by the communication unit 108 (S102). When predetermined service contract information is acquired (S103), the control unit 107 describes the type and data type of the service contract information in the menu display database 105 (S104). Then, the control unit 107 identifies the application defined in each service contract information, and describes the application name in the activated application menu column of the menu display database 105 (S105).

  Next, the data stored in the data storage unit 102 in the portable terminal 100 is scanned by the control unit 107 (S106). If there is an external memory (not shown), the external memory is also a scan target. As a result of the scan, the control unit 107 acquires the data type of each data, the storage number of each data, and the update date and time (S107), and the acquired information is described in the database of the menu display database 105 (S108). Thereafter, the application defined by the data type is specified by the control unit 107 (S109). When there are a plurality of data and there is an application suitable for processing the plurality of data, the application is specified. For example, if there are multiple still image data, select an application that is suitable for handling multiple still image data, for example, an application that has a function that can perform a slide show that automatically changes the display sequentially. Is done.

  Then, the control unit 107 sets the priority of menu display in the order of the number of data, and when the number of data is the same, the priority is set in the order of the latest update date and time, and the priority is displayed in the menu. It is described in the database 105 (S110). Then, according to the information stored in the menu display database 105, an application icon is read from the application storage unit 104 by the control unit 107. Then, a menu screen including these icons is generated (S111), and the menu screen is displayed (S112).

  In this way, an icon for starting can be displayed on the menu screen so that only an application that can process data stored in the data storage unit 102 can be started, and the user can start it. It is possible to quickly and easily grasp applications that can be used.

  Next, processing when data is newly added to the data storage unit 102 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing of the menu screen generation method when data is added to the data storage unit 102 of the mobile terminal 100.

  Data is input by the data input unit 110 (S201), and the data is stored in the data storage unit 102 (S202). For example, when shooting with a camera is performed, still image data of the photograph is stored in the data storage unit 102.

  Then, the data type is determined by the control unit 107 based on the extension of the data input by the data input unit 110 (S203). Here, for example, when it is determined that the data is music data, still image data, or moving image data, the control unit 107 determines whether the data type is already stored in the menu display database 105. (S204). If it is determined that the data is not stored in the menu display database 105, the data type of the data input and stored from the data input unit 110 is newly added to the menu display database 105 (S205).

  Then, the control unit 107 identifies the application defined by the data type, and describes the data type, the number of data, the update date, the application name, and the priority in the menu display database 105 (S206). Note that the priority of the added application is 1, and the priority of each registered application is lowered by one. In determining the priority, the data use frequency may be used. For example, the number of reproductions of still image data may be stored, and the priority may be determined based on the number of times.

  In S204, if the control unit 107 determines that the data is stored in the menu display database 105, the control unit 107 determines whether there are a plurality of data (S207). If it is determined that there are a plurality of data, an application that can handle a plurality of data is identified, and the application name of the identified application is added to the menu display database 105 (S208). For example, taking FIG. 2B as an example, if an application called an image viewer has already been set in the menu display database 105 for still image data processing, an application named a slide show application is newly added. Will be.

  Then, the control unit 107 reads the application icon from the application storage unit 104 according to the information stored in the menu display database 105, and generates a menu screen including the icon (S209). Here, it is preferable that the menu screen is generated so that data input from the data input unit 110 is preferentially displayed. The generated menu screen is displayed on the display unit 106 (S210).

  In this way, when still image data captured by a camera or the like is added, if the still image data is stored in the data storage unit 102 for the first time, an application that can process the data In order to make the user start up more easily, a menu screen displaying an icon for the start-up can be generated.

  Next, processing when data stored in the data storage unit 102 is deleted will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of the menu screen generation method when data is deleted from the data storage unit 102 of the mobile terminal 100.

  When the user operates the operation unit 111 to instruct deletion of desired data from the data storage unit 102 (S301), the designated data is deleted from the data storage unit 102 (S302). After deletion, the control unit 107 scans the data stored in the data storage unit 102 in the portable terminal 100 by the control unit 107 (S302). If there is an external memory (not shown), the external memory is scanned. As a result of scanning, the data type of each data, the number of stored data, and the update date and time are acquired (S303). Then, the acquired information is described in the menu display database 105 (S304). Thereafter, the application defined by the data type is specified by the control unit 107 (S305). When there are a plurality of data and there is an application suitable for processing the plurality of data, the application is specified. For example, if there are multiple still image data, select an application that is suitable for handling multiple still image data, for example, an application that has a function that can perform a slide show that automatically changes the display sequentially. Is done.

  Then, the priority order of menu display is set in order from the largest number of data, and when the number of data is the same, the priority order is set in the order of the latest update date and time, and the priority order is described in the menu display database 105. (S306). Then, the icon is read from the application storage unit 104 according to the information stored in the menu display database 105. Then, a menu screen including the read icon is generated (S307), and the menu screen is displayed (S308).

  Thus, even when data is deleted, an appropriate menu screen can be generated by rescanning the data stored in the data storage unit 102 and reconstructing the menu structure.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation has been described using still image data, moving image data, and music data as an example. However, the operation is not limited to these data types, and applications corresponding to the data types are defined. Applicable to things. For example, the present invention can be applied to game data, its game application, word processor data, word processor data, word processor application, and the like.

  Next, a specific example of the menu screen will be described. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a menu screen configured by adding each icon from the initial state of the menu screen. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an initial state of the menu screen. As shown in FIG. 6A, minimum icons such as a call function, a mail function, a telephone directory, and a setting function set by default are displayed. FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the menu screen when, for example, the power-on process is performed, the contract service information is present, it is determined that there is data, and the menu screen generation process is performed. is there. As shown in FIG. 6B, since the user subscribes to various services such as a content distribution service, a user support service, and an answering machine service, icons for starting applications that can use these services are displayed. Yes.

  In addition, since still image data, moving image data, and music data are stored in the data storage unit 102, an icon for starting an application that can process various data is displayed. For example, an icon described as Photo is an icon for starting an application that can display still image data. Similarly, Movie is for processing moving image data, and Music is for processing music data.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state transition of the menu screen when data is added. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram showing a menu screen before the addition. As shown in the figure, before the music data is added, the Music icon is not displayed, and the Photo icon and the Movie icon are displayed. When music data is added, a Music icon is added as shown in FIG.

  When data is added in this way, an icon for starting an application corresponding to the data is displayed. Although not shown in the figure, in the case of deletion as well, if the data is deleted by deleting the data, the icon for starting the corresponding application is deleted. .

  Note that, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the displayed area is distinguished from the application icon based on the contract information and the application icon based on the data. For example, the application icon based on the contract information is arranged in the area A above the menu screen, and the application icon based on the data is arranged in the area B below the menu screen. By distinguishing and arranging in this way, the operability can be improved. This arrangement is an example, and the icon arrangement location may be reversed based on the icon and data related to the contract information.

  Further, when arranging icons, it is desirable to change the arrangement based on the number of data, the frequency of use of data, and the update date and time. 6 and 7, when the number of data is large in the order of still image data and moving image data, they are arranged on the menu screen in the order of Photo application and Movie application.

  Further, applications (telephone, e-mail, etc.) designated by default are arranged in a region C that is a predetermined region. This area is a fixed area, and an icon is always displayed regardless of the presence or absence of data.

  Next, functions and effects of the mobile terminal 100 of the present embodiment will be described. In the mobile terminal 100 of the present embodiment, the data storage unit 102 stores data and the data type of the data in association with each other, and an icon for starting an application corresponding to the data type of the data stored here Can be displayed on the menu screen. That is, the menu display database 105 stores a data type and an application name (or an identifier for identifying an application) in association with each other, and the control unit 107 is based on the stored contents of the menu display database 105. The corresponding icon is read from the application storage unit 104, a menu screen including the icon is generated, and the generated menu screen can be displayed on the display unit 106. As a result, only necessary icons and icons that can be used can be displayed on the menu screen. Therefore, the menu screen is easy to use for the user without complicating the configuration of the menu screen with unnecessary icons. be able to.

  In the mobile terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, the communication unit 108 inquires of the carrier company about the contract information, and the control unit 107 displays a menu item corresponding to the contract information obtained by the inquiry on the menu screen. be able to. That is, the control unit 107 stores the contract information and the application name (or an identifier thereof) in association with each other in the menu display database 105 based on the contract information, and the application storage unit based on the stored contents of the menu display database 105 A corresponding icon can be read from 104 and a menu screen including the icon can be generated. Therefore, it is possible to provide a user-friendly menu screen without displaying an icon of an application such as a service that is not contracted on the menu screen and without complicating the configuration of the menu screen. For example, there is no need to display an icon for starting an application for the content distribution service for a user who has not subscribed to the content distribution service. Therefore, an easy-to-use menu screen can be provided by not displaying such icons on the menu screen.

  In the mobile terminal 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 107 determines whether the data type of the data newly added by the data input unit 110 matches the data type of the already stored data. . If it is determined that the data types do not match, an application name corresponding to the data type of the added data is stored in the menu display database 105, and an icon corresponding to the application is stored from the application storage unit 104. read out. Then, a menu screen including the icon can be displayed. Thereby, when data is added, an activation icon of an application that can process the data can be displayed on the menu screen, and a user-friendly menu screen can be generated. For example, when new still image data is obtained by shooting a camera or the like, if an icon for starting an application that can handle the still image data does not appear on the menu screen, the icon is displayed. By displaying it, a user-friendly menu screen can be constructed.

  Further, in the mobile terminal 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 107 seems to be used more frequently by displaying the menu items on the menu screen in the descending order of the number of data stored in the data storage unit 102. By arranging the menu items in order, the operability can be improved. For example, the operability can be improved by arranging the menu items in order from the top left of the menu screen in the descending order of the number of data.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Portable terminal 101 ... Memory | storage part 102 ... Data memory | storage part 104 ... Application memory | storage part 105 ... Menu display memory | storage part 106 ... Display part 107 ... Control part 108 ... Communication part 109 ... UIM, 110 ... Data input unit, 111... Operation unit.

Claims (7)

Inquiry means for inquiring contract information to carrier operators,
Generating means for generating a menu screen including menu items corresponding to the contract information obtained by the inquiry means ;
Display means for displaying the menu screen generated by the generating means;
An information processing apparatus comprising: Storage means for storing the data and the data type of the data in association with each other;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates a menu screen including a menu item corresponding to a data type of data stored in the storage unit . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the generation unit generates a menu screen that displays menu items in descending order of the number of data stored in the storage unit. Data input means for adding and storing data in the storage means;
A judgment unit for judging whether the data type of the data stored by the data input unit matches the data type of the data already stored in the storage unit;
It said generating means, if it is determined that the data type does not match with the judgment unit, according to claim 2, characterized in that to generate a menu screen including a menu item corresponding to the data type does not match, or 3. The information processing apparatus according to 3 .   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the menu item is an icon that activates an application for processing data.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the menu item is an icon that activates an application for realizing a service provided based on contract information. In a method for generating a menu screen of an information processing apparatus including display means for displaying menu items on a menu screen,
An inquiry step for inquiring the carrier company for contract information;
Generating a menu screen including menu items corresponding to the contract information obtained in the inquiry step;
A menu screen generation method comprising:

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