JP5397388B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

(Description of related applications)
The present invention is based on the priority claim of Japanese patent application: Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-002281 (filed on Jan. 8, 2009), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Shall.
The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program, and more particularly, to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program for displaying a correspondence between an object displayed on a screen and a cursor key.

  With the advance of technology, objects that can be selected by the user on the screen of the information processing apparatus are often arranged two-dimensionally. When the user directly selects an object displayed on the screen using a pointing device such as a mouse, the user can easily select the object even when the object is two-dimensionally arranged.

  However, when the user selects an object displayed on the screen by using a TV remote control, a portable terminal, or a cursor key of a computer, there may be a case where the object cannot be easily selected.

  Note that Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus that allows a target object to be easily selected on a screen in an input operation using a touch panel.

JP 2007-096569 A

The entire disclosure of the above patent document is incorporated herein by reference. The following analysis is given by the present invention.
The following problems may occur when the user does not directly select an object arranged two-dimensionally with a pointing device such as a mouse but selects information with a cursor key. For example, when selecting an object arranged in an oblique direction with respect to the object currently selected by the cursor, the user cannot determine which key should be pressed, up and down, left and right. Have to do.

  According to the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the screen area is divided vertically and horizontally with the current object position (cursor position) as a reference point. However, according to the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, if there is a bias in the display of the selected object, there is a possibility that the object is not included in the area in a specific direction in the divided screen. In addition, when the display size of the object is small, there is a problem that it is difficult to recognize the displayed object.

  Therefore, when a plurality of objects selected by the cursor are displayed in a two-dimensional manner, it becomes an issue to allow the user to easily select an object using the cursor key. The objective of this invention is providing the information processing apparatus, method, and program which solve this subject.

  The information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a first object selected by a cursor; and a plurality of second objects associated with a plurality of cursor keys for moving the cursor. The displayed screen is divided into a plurality of regions by a boundary line starting from the first object, each of the plurality of regions includes one of a plurality of second objects, and each of the plurality of regions is a plurality of regions. Boundary determination unit that determines the boundary line, and a plurality of boundary keys, or a plurality of the boundary keys or the plurality of cursor keys that can be distinguished from each other so as to correspond to the arrangement of the cursor keys or the direction in which the cursor is moved by each of the plurality of cursor keys A screen display determination unit that determines to display the area on the screen.

  The information processing method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a first object selected by a cursor; and a plurality of second objects associated with each of a plurality of cursor keys for moving the cursor. The displayed screen is divided into a plurality of regions by boundary lines starting from the first object, and each of the plurality of regions includes one of a plurality of second objects, and each of the plurality of regions includes A boundary determination step for determining a boundary line corresponding to the arrangement of a plurality of cursor keys, or the direction in which the cursor is moved by each of the plurality of cursor keys, and a plurality of boundary lines, or a plurality that can be distinguished from each other And a screen display determination step for determining to display the area on the screen.

  The program according to the third aspect of the present invention displays a first object selected by a cursor and a plurality of second objects associated with each of a plurality of cursor keys for moving the cursor. The screen is divided into a plurality of areas by boundary lines starting from the first object, each of the plurality of areas includes one of a plurality of second objects, and each of the plurality of areas includes a plurality of cursors. A boundary determination process for determining a boundary line and a plurality of areas that can be distinguished from each other, corresponding to a key arrangement or a direction in which the cursor is moved by each of a plurality of cursor keys. And causing the computer to execute a screen display determination process for determining to display on the screen. In addition, according to the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium recording such a program is provided.

  According to the information processing apparatus, the information processing method, and the program according to the present invention, when a plurality of objects selected by a cursor are displayed in a two-dimensional manner, the user can easily select an object using a cursor key.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to the cursor key in 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to the cursor key based on a prior art. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to the cursor key in 2nd Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing apparatus in the 3rd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the object selection part of the information processing apparatus in 3rd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to the cursor key in the 3rd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to the cursor key in the 4th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to the cursor key in the 4th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of the cursor key in the 5th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to a cursor key in the 5th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to a cursor key in the 6th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to a cursor key in the 7th Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the area | region allocated to a cursor key in the 7th Example of this invention.

  An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 30 includes a boundary determination unit 31 and a screen display determination unit 32.

  The boundary determining unit 31 displays a screen on which a first object designated by the cursor and a plurality of second objects associated with each of a plurality of cursor keys for moving the cursor are displayed. Is divided into a plurality of regions by a boundary line starting from the object. At this time, the boundary determining unit 31 includes each of the plurality of areas including any of the plurality of second objects, and each of the plurality of areas is cursored by the arrangement of the plurality of cursor keys or each of the plurality of cursor keys. The boundary line is determined so as to correspond to the direction of moving.

  The screen display determination unit 32 determines to display a boundary line or a plurality of regions that can be distinguished from each other on the screen.

  According to the information processing apparatus 30, when a plurality of objects selected by the cursor are displayed in a two-dimensional manner, the user can easily select an object using the cursor key. The screen is divided into a plurality of areas by a boundary line, and the boundary line includes an object in which each of the plurality of areas is associated with the cursor key, and each of the plurality of areas is cursored by the cursor key arrangement or the cursor key. This is because it has been determined so as to correspond to the direction of movement.

  Further, the information processing apparatus 30 may further include an object selection unit (not shown). The object selection unit selects an object to be associated with each of the plurality of cursor keys as a plurality of second objects based on a relative position with respect to the first object on the screen. In this case, when the cursor is moved by the user and any one of the second objects is designated by the cursor, the above-described processing can be repeated with the designated second object as the first object.

  Further, when any of the plurality of second objects is located on the boundary line, the boundary determination unit 31 changes the boundary line so that the object is not located on the changed boundary. It is preferable to do. This is because the correspondence between the area divided by the boundary line and the cursor key can be presented to the user in an easily understandable manner.

  In addition, the boundary determination unit 31 may determine a plurality of areas by dividing the screen radially by a boundary line starting from the first object.

  Further, when the screen is rectangular, the boundary determining unit 31 may determine a plurality of regions by dividing the screen by line segments connecting the four corners of the screen and the first object. For example, when the cursor key is an up / down / left / right key, the correspondence between the area divided by the boundary line and the cursor key can be presented to the user in an easily understandable manner.

  The screen display determination unit 32 may display a plurality of areas according to the colors of the plurality of cursor keys. At this time, the user can intuitively grasp the correspondence between the plurality of areas and the cursor keys.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 30 includes a boundary determination unit 31 and a screen display determination unit 32.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the first object 10 is selected by a cursor. The second objects 11 to 14 are associated with a plurality of cursor keys that move the cursor. The cursor keys may be, for example, up / down / left / right keys.

  The boundary determining unit 31 determines an area to be associated with each cursor key as a cursor key corresponding area based on the positional relationship of the second object assigned to the cursor key. Here, each cursor key corresponding area is determined so as to include the second object assigned to the cursor key. The screen display determination unit 32 generates data for display so that the cursor key corresponding areas can be distinguished from each other.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an area assigned to the cursor key in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an area assigned to cursor keys based on the prior art. The difference between the present embodiment and the prior art will be described with reference to FIGS.

  2 and 3, the cursor key has up / down / left / right keys. The left key of the cursor key is the second object 11, the up key is the second object 12, the right key is the second object 13, and the down key is It is assumed that it is assigned to the second object 14.

  Since the device described in Patent Document 1 assumes a touch panel operation, when the display of the second objects 11 to 14 is biased, the second object is included in the region in a specific direction. The area is divided without being present. Referring to FIG. 3, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, both of the second objects 11 and 13 are included in the right direction area.

  On the other hand, referring to FIG. 2, in the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the screen is displayed so that the second object 11 is included in the upper area and the second object 13 is included in the lower area. Divided. Thus, according to the present embodiment, the area to be allocated to the cursor key is determined based on the association between the cursor key and the second objects 11 to 14. Therefore, the user can easily grasp which of the up, down, left and right keys can be used to select a desired object.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an area assigned to the cursor key in the present embodiment.

  The cursor key in this embodiment is a color key (colored key). It is assumed that the red key of the cursor key is assigned to the second object 21, the blue key is assigned to the second object 22, the green key is assigned to the second object 23, and the yellow key is assigned to the second object 24.

  In this embodiment, the area assigned to the cursor key is displayed in each cursor key color or approximate color. For example, a region including the second object 21 is a red region 25, a region including the second object 22 is a blue region 26, a region including the second object 23 is a green region 27, and the second object 24 is By including the yellow area 28 as the area to be included, the user can distinguish the areas assigned to the cursor keys from each other. Here, for example, the color of the area assigned to the cursor key may be pink instead of red, and light blue instead of blue. That is, any color may be used as long as the area assigned to the cursor key can be identified.

  A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, the information processing apparatus 40 in this embodiment includes an object selection unit 43, a boundary determination unit 41, and a screen display determination unit 42.

  The information processing apparatus 40 in the present embodiment is different from the information processing apparatus 30 in the first embodiment in that an object selection unit 43 is provided. When the object selected next to the first object selected by the cursor is not assigned to the cursor key for moving the cursor, the object selection unit 43, based on the position of the first object, Determine the object assigned to the cursor key.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the object selection unit 43 of the information processing apparatus 40 according to this embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the object selection unit 43 extracts the center coordinates (x, y) of the object (first object) selected by the cursor (step S11). As initialization, 1 is substituted for variable Z, 1 is substituted for variable a (for example, the slope of a straight line) that defines a function for dividing the region, and 0 is set for the determination flag of the selection direction table (not shown). Substitute (step S12).

  For all the objects arranged in the two-dimensional display, the direction and distance with respect to the object selected by the cursor are obtained (step S15) and stored in the selection direction temporary variable. It is determined whether or not the object is closer to the cursor than the object recorded in the selection direction table (step S16). If it is close (Yes in step S16), the object selected in step S14 is the corresponding direction in the selection direction table. (Step S17). Then, it is determined again whether the calculation has been completed for all objects on the two-dimensional display (step S13).

  When the calculation has been completed for all objects (Yes in step S13), it is determined whether objects are recorded in all columns of f = 0 or the selection direction table (step S18). The fact that objects are recorded in all fields means that an object to be assigned to each key of the cursor key has been determined. When objects are recorded in all the columns (Yes in step S18), the objects recorded in the selection direction table are assigned to the cursor keys in the up / down / left / right directions (step S24).

  If no object is recorded in any column of the selection direction table (No in step S18), the blank area is expanded by a function for dividing the area (step S19). Next, it is determined whether or not it is a function limit (step S20). If it is the limit of the function (Yes in step S20), 0 is substituted for f (step S21). Next, 0 is substituted for Z (step S22). In the selection direction table, 1 is assigned to the determination flag for the direction to which the object is assigned (step S23). Here, the limit of the function refers to, for example, the boundary line between the left direction area and the lower direction area of the function generated first and the boundary line between the lower direction area and the right direction area in the upward direction. Further, the limit of the function may be y = b if it is upward.

  Next, an object is selected again (step S14), and steps S15 to S17 and S13 are repeated. If all the objects have been calculated (Yes in step S13), it is determined whether the object is recorded in all columns of f = 0 or the selection direction table (step S18). If the determination result is true (Yes in step S18), the object stored in the selection direction table is assigned to each of the up / down / left / right cursor keys (step S24). On the other hand, if there is no object in any column of the selection direction table (No in step S18), the object is not assigned to the cursor key.

  In the above, the function limit is determined, but it may be assigned to all the cursor keys according to the division angle and the distance from the object selected by the cursor.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an area assigned to the cursor key in the present embodiment. Below, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, operation | movement of the information processing apparatus 40 in a present Example is demonstrated concretely.

  The center coordinates (100, 100) of the first object 10 selected by the cursor are extracted (step S11). As initialization, 1 is assigned to variable Z, 1 is assigned to variable a that defines the function, and functions y = x and y = −x + 200 for dividing the region are generated, and the selection direction table is determined. 0 is assigned to the flag (step S12). It is determined whether or not all objects on the two-dimensional display have been calculated (step S13).

  Since the determination result is false (No in step S13), the object 61 is selected (step S14). Next, the direction and distance with respect to the first object 10 selected by the cursor are obtained. In the function y = x and the function y = −x + 200, when the x coordinate is 70, 70 and 130 are obtained as the corresponding y coordinates. Since the y coordinate of the object 61 is larger than the y coordinate in the two functions, the upward direction is obtained as the direction of the object 61. Further, the Euclidean distance 50 is obtained as the distance between the coordinates (100, 100) of the first object 10 and the center coordinates (70, 140) of the object 61 (step S15). Since nothing has been recorded yet in the upper column of the selection direction table (Yes in step S16), the object 61 is first recorded in the upper column of the selection direction table (step S17).

  Next, the object 62 is selected (step S14). A direction and a distance with respect to the first object 10 selected by the cursor are obtained (step S15). In the function y = x and the function y = −x + 200, when the x coordinate is 110, 110 and 90 are obtained as the corresponding y coordinates. Since the y coordinate of the object 61 is larger than the y coordinate in the two functions, the upward direction is obtained as the direction of the object 62. Further, the Euclidean distance √50 is obtained as the distance between the coordinates (100, 100) of the first object 10 and the center coordinates (110, 120) of the object 62 (step S15). Since this distance is shorter than the distance 50 recorded in the upper column of the selection direction table (Yes in step S16), the object 62 is recorded in the upper column of the selection direction table (step S17).

  Next, the object 63 is selected (step S14). A direction and a distance with respect to the first object 10 selected by the cursor are obtained (step S15). In the function y = x and the function y = −x + 200, when the x coordinate is 130, 130 and 70 are obtained as the corresponding y coordinates. Since the y coordinate of the object 61 is smaller than the y coordinate on the function y = x and larger than the y coordinate on the function y = −x + 200, the right direction is obtained as the direction of the object 63. Further, the Euclidean distance 30 is obtained as the distance between the coordinates (100, 100) of the first object 10 and the center coordinates (130, 100) of the object 63 (step S15). Since nothing is recorded yet in the right direction column of the selection direction table (Yes in step S16), the object 63 is recorded in the right direction column (step S17).

  For the objects 64 to 67, the direction and distance of the object are similarly calculated. As a result, the object 62 is recorded in the upper column of the selection direction table, the object 63 is recorded in the right column, the object 64 is recorded in the lower column, and the object 67 is recorded in the left column.

  Since calculation has been completed for all objects arranged in the two-dimensional display (Yes in step S13), it is determined whether objects are recorded in all columns of f = 0 or in the selection direction table (step S18). Since the determination result is true (Yes in step S18), the object 62 recorded in the selection direction table is the up key of the cursor keys, the object 63 is the right key, the object 64 is the down key, and the object 67 is assigned to each of the left direction keys (step S24).

  A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an area assigned to the cursor key in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, when the function for dividing the region and the center coordinates of the object overlap, for example, the function is shifted clockwise.

  For the objects 71 to 74, at first, the function and the center coordinates of the object are overlapped, and the direction cannot be obtained. However, the direction can be determined by shifting the function clockwise. As a result, the object 71 is recorded in the upper column of the selection direction table, the object 72 is recorded in the right column, the object 73 is recorded in the lower column, and the object 74 is recorded in the left column.

  In the present embodiment, the function is rotated clockwise, but of course may be shifted counterclockwise. Further, instead of the center coordinates of the object, an overlap between an arbitrary coordinate included in the object and the function may be considered.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an area assigned to the cursor key in the present embodiment. When the objects are arranged in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 9, the objects 82 and 83 whose positions are closest to the first object 10 selected by the cursor are assigned to the up and down keys, respectively. Cannot be assigned to the left and right keys.

  A difference from the above-described embodiment is that a right key object and a left key object are not assigned to the first object 10 selected by the cursor. In this case, when it is determined whether f = 0 or an object is recorded in all the columns of the selection direction table (step S18), the determination result is false (No in step S18). Therefore, a function is generated so as to widen the areas in the right direction and the left direction, which are blank directions (step S19). For example, 2 may be substituted for the variable a that defines the function to obtain the function y = 2x-100 and the function y = -2x-200. Here, the limit of the function for the right direction and left direction regions is y = 1000x + b. It is determined whether or not it is a function limit (step S20). When the determination result is true (Yes in step S20), f = 0 is set (step S21).

  Next, steps S22 and S23 and steps S14 to S17 are performed. Since calculation has been performed for all objects (Yes in step S13), it is determined whether objects are recorded in all columns of f = 0 or the selection direction table (step S18). At this time, f = 0 and the determination result is true (Yes in step S18). Accordingly, of the two objects recorded in the selection direction table, the object 82 is assigned to the up direction key, and the object 83 is assigned to the down direction key. On the other hand, 1 is assigned to the upward and downward determination flags of the selection direction table. At this time, no object is assigned to the right and left keys of the cursor key.

  A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the cursor keys in the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an area allocated to the cursor key in this example. The present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The operation device 90 of FIG. 10 includes an upper right direction key 91, a lower direction key 92, and an upper left direction key 93 as cursor keys. 10 and 11, it is assumed that the object 62 is assigned to the upper right direction key 91, the object 64 is assigned to the lower direction key 92, and the object 67 is assigned to the upper left direction key 93.

  The boundary determination unit 41 divides the angle around the first object 10 according to the number of cursor keys around the first object 10 currently selected by the cursor, and is an area to be allocated to the cursor keys To decide. For example, the operation device 90 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes three cursor keys. Therefore, the screen is divided into three according to the direction of each cursor key. The boundary determining unit 41 divides the screen so that the objects 62 to 64 are included.

  A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an area allocated to the cursor key in this example. The screen 101 in this embodiment is a rectangle. The boundary determining unit 41 divides the screen 10 by a line segment 200 that connects each of the four corners of the screen 101 and the first object 10 currently selected by the cursor, and determines an area to be assigned to each of the cursor keys. To do.

  A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are diagrams showing areas assigned to the cursor keys in this example. The operation of the screen display determination unit 42 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The curve defining the area assigned to each cursor key starts from the first object 10 currently selected by the cursor and is between the second objects 11 and 12 associated with each of the adjacent cursor keys. Pass through region 202. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, an area assigned to the cursor key may be generated by a combination of straight lines. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, an area assigned to the cursor key may be generated by a combination of a straight line and a curved line. Furthermore, the area assigned to the cursor key may be generated only by the curve.

  According to the above embodiment, the user can easily select an object with the cursor keys (for example, up / down / left / right keys) of the remote controller (keyboard). For example, even if the object is arranged in the diagonal direction of the object currently selected by the cursor key, the user can select a desired object by pressing any key up, down, left, or right. This is because it can be easily grasped.

  In addition, even when an object located at a position away from the object currently selected by the cursor key is selected, the above-described process is performed using the second object selected by the user as the first object. By repeating, the user can easily select a desired object.

  Furthermore, when the user uses a remote controller (keyboard) having color keys as cursor keys, the area assigned to each cursor key is displayed according to the color of each cursor key. Therefore, the user can easily select a desired object.

Hereinafter, possible embodiments of the present invention will be described.
(Form 1)
The information processing apparatus according to the first aspect.
(Form 2)
An object selection unit that selects, as the plurality of second objects, an object to be associated with each of the plurality of cursor keys based on a relative position with respect to the first object on the screen; The information processing apparatus according to aspect 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is characterized.
(Form 3)
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the object selection unit preferentially selects a plurality of second objects that are close to the first object on the screen.
(Form 4)
When any one of the plurality of second objects is positioned on the boundary line, the boundary determination unit changes the boundary line so that the object is not positioned on the changed boundary. The information processing apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein:
(Form 5)
The said boundary determination part divides | segments the said screen radially by the boundary line which makes the said 1st object a starting point, and determines these several area | regions, The form 1 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned Information processing device.
(Form 6)
The boundary determining unit determines the plurality of regions by dividing the screen by a line segment connecting each of the four corners of the screen and the first object when the screen is rectangular. The information processing apparatus according to any one of forms 1 to 4.
(Form 7)
The information processing apparatus according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the screen display determination unit displays the plurality of areas according to colors of the plurality of cursor keys.
(Form 8)
An information processing method according to the second aspect.
(Form 9)
An object selection step of selecting an object to be associated with each of the plurality of cursor keys as the plurality of second objects based on a relative position with respect to the first object on the screen; The information processing method according to claim 8.
(Form 10)
In the boundary determination step, when any of the plurality of second objects is positioned on the boundary line, the boundary line is changed so that the object is not positioned on the changed boundary. The information processing method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that:
(Form 11)
The aspect determination process according to any one of Embodiments 8 to 10, wherein, in the boundary determination step, the plurality of regions are determined by dividing the screen radially with a boundary line starting from the first object. Information processing method.
(Form 12)
In the boundary determination step, when the screen is rectangular, the screen is divided by line segments connecting each of the four corners of the screen and the first object to determine the plurality of regions. The information processing method according to any one of Embodiments 8 to 10.
(Form 13)
13. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein, in the screen display determination step, the plurality of areas are displayed according to respective colors of the plurality of cursor keys.
(Form 14)
The program described in the third viewpoint.
(Form 15)
Based on the relative position with respect to the first object on the screen, the computer further executes object selection processing for selecting an object to be associated with each of the plurality of cursor keys as the plurality of second objects. The program according to aspect 14, characterized by:
(Form 16)
In the boundary determination process, when the second object is positioned on the boundary line, the boundary line is changed so that the second object is not positioned on the changed boundary. The program according to Form 14 or 15.
(Form 17)
17. The boundary determination process according to any one of forms 14 to 16, wherein the plurality of regions are determined by dividing the screen radially with a boundary line starting from the first object. program.
(Form 18)
In the boundary determination process, when the screen is rectangular, the screen is divided by line segments connecting each of the four corners of the screen and the first object to determine the plurality of regions. The program according to any one of forms 14 to 16.
(Form 19)
The program according to any one of modes 14 to 18, wherein, in the screen display determination process, the plurality of areas are displayed according to respective colors of the plurality of cursor keys.

  The information processing apparatus, method, and program according to the present invention are suitable for selecting an object displayed on a screen with a cursor key, regardless of a pointing device (such as a mouse). In addition, the information processing apparatus, method, and program according to the present invention select objects displayed on the screens of these information devices using, for example, cursor keys provided on a TV remote control, a portable terminal, or a computer keyboard. Suitable for

  Within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims) of the present invention, the embodiments and examples can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. Various combinations and selections of various disclosed elements are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention. That is, the present invention of course includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea.

10 First object 11-14, 21-24 Second object 25 Red area 26 Blue area 27 Green area 28 Yellow area 30, 40 Information processing apparatus 31, 41 Boundary determination unit 32, 42 Screen display determination unit 43 Object selection Parts 61-66, 71-74, 81-84 Object 90 Operation device 91 Upper right key 92 Lower key 93 Upper left key 101 Screen 200 Line segment 201 Boundary line 202 Area

Claims (19)

A screen on which a first object selected by a cursor and a plurality of second objects associated with each of a plurality of cursor keys for moving the cursor are displayed as a starting point. Are divided into a plurality of regions by the boundary line, and each of the plurality of regions includes any of the plurality of second objects, and each of the plurality of regions is arranged with the plurality of cursor keys, or the A boundary determining unit that determines the boundary line so as to correspond to a direction in which the cursor is moved by each of a plurality of cursor keys;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a screen display determination unit that determines to display the boundary lines or the plurality of regions that can be distinguished from each other on the screen.   An object selection unit that selects, as the plurality of second objects, an object to be associated with each of the plurality of cursor keys based on a relative position with respect to the first object on the screen; The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is characterized.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the object selection unit preferentially selects a plurality of second objects having a short distance from the first object on the screen. .   When any one of the plurality of second objects is positioned on the boundary line, the boundary determination unit changes the boundary line so that the object is not positioned on the changed boundary. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus.   The said boundary determination part divides | segments the said screen radially by the boundary line which makes the said 1st object a starting point, and determines these several area | regions, The said any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The information processing apparatus described.   The boundary determining unit determines the plurality of regions by dividing the screen by a line segment connecting each of the four corners of the screen and the first object when the screen is rectangular. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the screen display determination unit displays the plurality of areas according to colors of the plurality of cursor keys. A screen on which a first object selected by a cursor and a plurality of second objects associated with each of a plurality of cursor keys for moving the cursor are displayed as a starting point. Are divided into a plurality of regions by the boundary line, and each of the plurality of regions includes any of the plurality of second objects, and each of the plurality of regions is arranged with the plurality of cursor keys, or the A boundary determining step for determining the boundary line so as to correspond to a direction in which the cursor is moved by each of a plurality of cursor keys;
And a screen display determining step of determining to display the boundary lines or the plurality of regions that can be distinguished from each other on the screen.   An object selection step of selecting an object to be associated with each of the plurality of cursor keys as the plurality of second objects based on a relative position with respect to the first object on the screen; The information processing method according to claim 8.   In the boundary determination step, when any of the plurality of second objects is positioned on the boundary line, the boundary line is changed so that the object is not positioned on the changed boundary. The information processing method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that:   11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in the boundary determination step, the plurality of regions are determined by dividing the screen radially by a boundary line starting from the first object. The information processing method described.   In the boundary determination step, when the screen is rectangular, the screen is divided by line segments connecting each of the four corners of the screen and the first object to determine the plurality of regions. The information processing method according to any one of claims 8 to 10.   The information processing method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein, in the screen display determination step, the plurality of areas are displayed according to respective colors of the plurality of cursor keys. A screen on which a first object selected by a cursor and a plurality of second objects associated with each of a plurality of cursor keys for moving the cursor are displayed as a starting point. Are divided into a plurality of regions by the boundary line, and each of the plurality of regions includes any of the plurality of second objects, and each of the plurality of regions is arranged with the plurality of cursor keys, or the A boundary determination process for determining the boundary line so as to correspond to a direction in which the cursor is moved by each of a plurality of cursor keys;
A program that causes a computer to execute a screen display determination process for determining to display the boundary lines or the plurality of regions that can be distinguished from each other on the screen.   Based on the relative position with respect to the first object on the screen, the computer further executes object selection processing for selecting an object to be associated with each of the plurality of cursor keys as the plurality of second objects. The program according to claim 14, characterized in that:   In the boundary determination process, when the second object is positioned on the boundary line, the boundary line is changed so that the second object is not positioned on the changed boundary. The program according to claim 14 or 15.   17. The boundary determination process according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the plurality of regions are determined by dividing the screen radially by a boundary line starting from the first object in the boundary determination process. The listed program.   In the boundary determination process, when the screen is rectangular, the screen is divided by line segments connecting each of the four corners of the screen and the first object to determine the plurality of regions. The program according to any one of claims 14 to 16.   The program according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein, in the screen display determination process, the plurality of areas are displayed according to respective colors of the plurality of cursor keys.

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