JPH04256117A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operation convenience of an information processor by displaying the selected items at the proper positions or in a proper sequence with no influence of the using results of other persons even if the users are changed. CONSTITUTION:A display position memory means is provided to store the display positions of plural selected items together with a display means which displays the selected items based on the stored contents of the display position memory means (step 82), a using result memory means which stores the using result for each selected items, a using result updating means which updates the stored contents of the display position memory means based on the using result (step 86), and a using result invalidating means which erases the using result and changes the stored contents of the display position memory means to a prescribed standard display position (step 85).

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that displays a plurality of selection items such as menu items.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an information processing device capable of changing menu display contents, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-58320
Publication No. 1988-7122, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2-22 Hei 2-22
Some of them are described in Publication No. 4007 and the like.

[0003] All of these information processing devices are provided with means for storing usage records of items displayed on the menu,
Based on the usage history, the display position and display order of menu items are changed and displayed.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, since the usage records of past users remain for a long period of time, when the user of the information processing device changes, the user's own usage record is almost always reflected. There are problems in that it is difficult to use and is not easy to use.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of these conventional problems, and it is possible to display selected items in an appropriate position or order without being influenced by other people's usage history even when the user changes. The purpose is to provide an information processing device that is easy to use and easy to use.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] An information processing device for achieving the above object includes display position storage means for storing display positions and/or order of a plurality of selection items, and storage contents of the display position storage means. Accordingly, a display means for displaying a plurality of selection items, a usage record storage means for storing usage records for each of the plurality of selection items, and a usage record update for updating the storage contents of the display position storage means based on the usage records. and a usage history invalidating means for erasing the usage history and converting the updated storage contents of the display position storage means to a predetermined reference display position and/or order. That is.

Another information processing device for achieving the above object includes user identification code storage means for storing a user identification code determined for each user, and a display position and/or order of the plurality of selection items. display position storage means for storing, display means for displaying a plurality of selection items according to the storage content of the display position storage means, and usage history for storing usage records of the plurality of selection items in correspondence with the user identification code. The present invention is characterized by comprising a storage means, and a use record updating means for updating the storage contents of the display position storage means based on the use record corresponding to the user identification code.

[0008] Here, if the actual usage value of a specific selection item among the plurality of selection items exceeds a predetermined value, specifically a value that can be tolerated by the memory, the usage history of all selection items will be It is preferable to reduce the amount uniformly.

Further, when the information processing device is equipped with an external storage device, the usage record storage means is provided in the external storage device and the main body of the information processing device, and the usage record updating means is provided in the information processing device. The storage contents of the usage history storage means in the external storage device may be updated only when the storage contents of the usage history storage means in the device main body indicate a change in the display position or order of selected items.

[0010] The above-mentioned selection items include all items that allow selection of a plurality of items, such as menu display items, character display attribute type items, and the like.

[0011]

[Operation] When the user selects a desired item from among the plurality of selection items displayed by the display means, the selection of that item is stored in the usage record storage means as a usage record. The use record updating means updates the display position or order of each selection item stored in the display position storage means, according to the use record of each selection item stored in the use record update means. When displaying selection items again, a plurality of selection items are displayed according to the updated storage contents of the display position storage means. When the user changes, the past usage history is erased by the usage history invalidation means, and the stored contents of the display position storage means are converted to a predetermined standard display value or order, and based on this the past usage history is deleted. A plurality of selection items are displayed by the display means. In this way, when the user changes, the past usage history is deleted by the usage history invalidation means, so selection items are displayed without being influenced by other people's usage history, improving usability. can.

[0012] Furthermore, in the case where the usage history of a plurality of selection items is stored in correspondence with the user identification code, even if the user changes, the usage history of the user is always used, so the most suitable one for the user is always used. Selected items can be displayed depending on the status.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A first embodiment of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of at least the necessary elements in configuring an information processing device that displays and selects a menu used in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device of this embodiment includes a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 11 that controls the entire system;
An input device 12 such as a keyboard for inputting characters, control codes, selection numbers, etc., a display device 13 for displaying menu screens, input results, etc., and storing information related to the display position and order of menu items. A read/write memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) 14 for storage, and a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) for storing programs, display data, etc.
(hereinafter referred to as ROM).

As shown in FIG. 2, the RAM 14 contains display content data 21 and corresponding display order data 2.
2 is stored. In addition, in the RAM 15, the CP
The program for U11 to update the display order data 22 and when the clear key is pressed, the CP
A program for U11 to reset the display order data 23 to an initial value is stored.

[0015] Here, as the input device 12, a pointing device such as a mouse may be used, or a keyboard or the like may be used in combination with this pointing device. In addition, RAM14 and ROM15 are
For example, other storage media such as floppy disk drives or hard disk drives may be used. Furthermore, R
OM15 may be configured with RAM.

In this embodiment, the display position storage means and usage record storage means are implemented by the RAM 14, and the usage record update means and usage record invalidation means are implemented by the ROM 15 and the CPU 11 which operates according to a program stored in the ROM 15. It consists of

Next, the operation of the information processing apparatus will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG. When menu display is instructed, the CPU 11 first refers to the display order data 22 shown in FIG. 2 (step 81). This data is the initial value stored in the ROM 15 or other storage medium such as a floppy disk device or hard disk device that is set as the display order data 22 during initial processing of the system. shall be.

Next, the display content data 21 corresponding to the display order data 22 with the smallest number are obtained and displayed in order from the upper left as shown in FIG. 4 (step 82). Here, since the display order data 22 is the initial value, "Document creation", which is generally the most frequently used, is displayed at the top left, "Document update" is displayed to the right of it, and "Schedule" is displayed to the right of it. " is displayed. Note that although an example has been shown in which menus are displayed sequentially from the upper left, the starting point for menu display may be anywhere.

When the menu item is displayed and the key input acceptance state is entered, use the numeric keypad 42 to input, for example, "5".
"Address Book" (step 83). In this case, the judgment condition in the next step 84 is No, the display order data 22 is not reset to the initial value (step 84), and the display order of the selected item "Address Book" is changed to "1", and the display order data 22 is not reset to the initial value (Step 84). The display order of "Document Creation", "Document Update", "Schedule", and "Illustration", which were set to a lower number than the number set for "Record", will be moved down by "1" each.
This is stored in the RAM 14 as the updated display order data 23.
(step 86).

When displaying the menu again, steps 81 and 82 are executed. In this case, since "Address Book" is set to "1" in the display order data 23,
As shown in Figure 5, "Address Book" is displayed at the top left,
“Document creation” will be displayed to the right.

[0021] When used by the same user as last time, or when used by a user who does not care where the menu item is located, press the numeric keypad 42 corresponding to the desired menu item while remaining on this screen. (Step 83
), the same process as described above is repeated (step 84,
86).

[0022] When used by a different user than the previous one, etc.
As shown in FIG. 5, if the screen in which the "address book" is displayed at the top left corner feels strange or difficult to use, the user presses the clear key 44 in step 83. In this case, the condition determination at step 84 becomes Yes, and the display order data 23 is set to the initial display order data 22. Then, after step 81, as shown in FIG.
"Document creation" is displayed at the top left (step 82)
.

Note that when the display order data is updated in step 86, if this data is saved in an external storage device or the like, even if the system is reset, such as when the power is turned on again, It becomes possible to inherit the state before the reset and provide continuity. At this time, if a menu item whose display order is "1" is selected, the display order does not change, so it may not be stored in the external storage device. Since the number of times the external storage device is accessed is reduced, there is no reduction in processing speed. In addition, the display order data can be updated using the display order data 2 in Figure 2.
As shown in Figure 4, even if the number set in the "Address Book" is replaced with the "Illustration" number, which is set by 1 smaller than the number set in the "Address Book", or the display order data 25 in Figure 2 is As shown, the lowest number i.e. "1"
It is also possible to exchange it with the "Document Update" number that is set. In either case, the display position of only two menu items changes, so the position does not change significantly every time the menu screen is displayed, and it does not become difficult to find another item when trying to select it.

[0024] At this point, select "Address Book" from the basic menu shown in Figure 4.
After selecting , there is a submenu (address book menu) as shown in the screen 43, and using the numeric keypad 42, select ``
4", the display order data is updated in the same way, and the next time the menu is displayed, the display will be as shown in screen example 52 in FIG. 5.

[0025] By performing the above processing, for example,
Even when selecting multiple menus in sequence, such as "Address Print" in "Address Book," once a selection is made, the keys are always in the same position (in this case You can select it by pressing "7" on the top left. Therefore, if you want to interrupt and resume a certain task after selecting a certain task, all you have to do is press and hold the key in the same position, regardless of the type or content of the menu, making menu selection very easy. .

[0026] In addition to displaying and selecting menu items in a matrix format as shown in Fig. 4 and selecting them using the corresponding numeric keys, as shown in Fig. 6, menu items can be displayed and selected by combining numbers and item names. The menu can be displayed and selected by number, or it can be displayed in a pull-down menu or pop-up menu format as shown in Figure 7, and the item to be selected can be specified using a pointing device such as a mouse, or by using cursor keys. However, a menu item may be selected by inputting a key instructing execution.

Next, a second embodiment of the information processing apparatus will be described. In this embodiment, the selection frequency of a menu item is used as the usage record of the item, and the display order is determined based on this. The selection frequency data of menu items is stored in the RAM 14 shown in FIG. 1 in the form shown in FIG. 3. Also, stored in the ROM 15 is a program for updating the frequency of selection each time a specific menu item is selected. The selection frequency data in the RAM 14 is updated by the CPU 11, which operates based on this program. Note that the hardware configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the CPU
Refer to the selection frequency data 31 in which 11 is stored (
Step 91). Next, the display content data 21 corresponding to the selection frequency data 31 with the largest value are acquired and displayed in order from the upper left of the screen, and a screen as shown in the screen example 41 of FIG. 4 is displayed (step 92). In this example, the values of the selection frequency data 31 are all "0", but if the values are the same, the menus are displayed in the order of the display content data 21.

[0029] When used by a different user than the previous one, etc.
If the user feels uncomfortable with the change in the position of the menu item, the user presses the clear key 44 (step 93). in this case,
The condition determination at the next step 94 is Yes, the selection frequency data is returned to the initial value (step 95), and the menu is redisplayed.

If the user is the same as the previous user, or the user does not care where the menu item is located, display the menu, select the menu item when it is ready for key input, and press, for example, " When selecting "Address Book", the user inputs the "5" key using the numeric keypad 42 (step 93). In this case, the condition determination in the next step 94 is No, and the process moves to updating the selection frequency data.

By the way, there is a limit to the value that can be used to store selection frequency data, so for example, if each item is stored in a 1-byte area, if the selection frequency exceeds 256 times, it will be set to 0.
'', and the past selection frequency for items exceeding 256 times is no longer utilized, even though the user did not intend to do so.

Therefore, after selecting a menu item, it is checked whether the selection frequency data overflows (step 96). In this example, since the set value is not exceeded, the selection frequency data changes from the state of 31 to the selection frequency of the selected item "Address Book" to "1" and is updated to the state of selection frequency data 33 (step 98).

When displaying the menu at the next opportunity, the selection frequency data 33 is referred to, and a screen as shown in screen example 51 in FIG. 5 is displayed.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the value corresponding to "Address Book" in the selection display data 34 is "255", if "Address Book" is selected, the data will not overflow. All values of the selection frequency data 34 are halved and uniformly decreased (step 97).
. Through this process, selection frequency data 35 is obtained. The selection frequency data 35 is obtained by changing the past selection frequency data 34, but since the selection frequency data 34 is changed uniformly, it is possible to make use of the past performance and avoid errors that the user did not intend. However, the display order will not suddenly change meaninglessly.

As a method for uniformly decreasing the selection frequency data 34, in addition to the method of dividing by a constant value as described above,
There is a way to subtract a certain value. Specifically, new selection frequency data 36 is obtained by subtracting 10 from all values of selection frequency data 34. In this case, if subtracting 10, such as the value of "Illustration", results in a value smaller than "0", the result of subtraction is set to "0".

Note that the initial value of the selection frequency data does not need to be set to "0" as in the above example. may be set. Also, save the selection frequency data up to the previous time in an external storage device,
The data may be called and set as an initial value. At this time, if you perform the save process every time the selection frequency changes, the number of times the auxiliary storage device will be accessed will increase.
If the saving process is performed only when the order of selection frequency among menu items changes, the processing speed will not be reduced.

Next, a third embodiment of the information processing apparatus will be described. In recent years, in order to protect the data stored in devices, a user identification code such as a so-called ID code has been established for each individual user, and systems are starting up by entering this code. . In this embodiment, the usage history of selected items is stored in the RAM 14 in association with this user identification code, and the usage history for each user is managed.

[0038] When starting up the device, the user inputs a user identification code determined for the user. CPU1
1 starts up the system, refers to the usage history corresponding to the user identification code, and displays menu items based on this usage history.

[0039]As for the usage results, even if display order data is used as in the first embodiment, as in the second embodiment,
Selection frequency data may also be used.

[0040] In this way, by storing the usage history of the selected item in association with the user identification code, even if the user changes, the menu item can always be displayed in a position according to the user's usage history. can.

Even in the case of this embodiment, since it is sometimes desired to display the menu items in the initial display order, a usage history invalidating means may be provided as in the first and second embodiments. In the various embodiments described above, menu items have been described as selection items, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10,
It may also be applied to attribute items that indicate the type of character attributes.

[0042]

According to the present invention, even if the user changes, selection items are displayed at positions or in an order according to the user's usage history, thereby improving usability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data retention format and data updating regarding the display of menu items.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another data retention format and data update regarding display of menu items.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of a menu screen.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of a menu screen with the display order changed.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing another display example of the menu screen.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing still another display example of the menu screen.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a menu display processing procedure.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another menu display processing procedure.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of an attribute selection screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

11...CPU, 12...Input device, 13...Display device, 14
...RAM, 15...ROM, 21...Display content data, 22
, 23, 24, 25...display order data, 31, 32, 3
3, 34, 35, 36...Selection frequency data, 41...Basic menu display screen in initial state, 42...Numeric keypad, 43...Sub menu display screen in initial state, 44...Clear key, 5
2...Basic menu display screen after selecting "Address Book", 52...
Submenu display screen after selecting "Address Print".

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An information processing device that displays a plurality of selection items, comprising display position storage means for storing the display positions and/or order of the plurality of selection items; a display means for displaying selected items; a usage record storage means for storing usage records for each of the plurality of selection items; a usage record update means for updating the storage contents of the display position storage means based on the usage records; 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: a usage record invalidating means for erasing the usage record and converting the stored contents of the display position storage means to a predetermined reference display position and/or order. 2. An information processing device that displays a plurality of selection items, comprising user identification code storage means for storing a user identification code determined for each user, and a display position and/or order of the plurality of selection items. display position storage means for storing, display means for displaying a plurality of selection items according to the storage content of the display position storage means, and usage history for storing usage records of the plurality of selection items in correspondence with the user identification code. An information processing device comprising: a memory; and a usage record updating unit that updates the storage contents of the display position storage unit based on the usage record corresponding to the user identification code. 3. Usage performance value reducing means for uniformly reducing the usage performance of all selection items when the usage performance value of a specific selection item among the plurality of selection items exceeds a predetermined value. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. An external storage device, wherein the usage record storage means is provided in the external storage device and the information processing device main body,
The usage record updating means updates the storage content of the usage record storage unit in the external storage device only when the storage content of the usage record storage unit in the information processing apparatus main body indicates a change in the display position or order of selected items. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus updates the information processing apparatus. 5. Claim 1, wherein the usage record storage means is constituted by a non-volatile storage medium.
4. The information processing device according to 2, 3 or 4. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection item is a menu item.