WO2010044151A1 - Selection input accepting program, information processing device and selection input accepting method - Google Patents

Abstract

The operability when an icon is selected by a pointing device is improved. An icon displaying means (1a) displays an icon on a display screen. A detecting means (1b) detects an input of a position on the display screen by the pointing device. A trajectory acquiring means (1c) acquires the trajectory of the position detected by the detecting means (1b). An area determining means (1d) determines the area surrounded by the trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquiring means (1c). A selection judging means (1e) judges whether or not the icon displayed on the display screen exists within the area determined by the area determining means (1d), and regards the icon within the area as a selected selection icon when the icon displayed on the display screen exists.

Description

Selection input receiving program, information processing apparatus, and selection input receiving method

The present invention relates to a selection input reception program, an information processing apparatus, and a selection input reception method, and more particularly to a selection input reception program, an information processing apparatus, and a selection input reception method for receiving an input for selecting an icon.

At present, computers equipped with GUI (Graphical User Interface) are widely used. In many computers, an operating system (OS) generates an operation screen and outputs an image signal indicating the operation screen to a display device (monitor) connected to the computer. Thus, the user can easily operate the computer by intuitively operating input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse while viewing the operation screen displayed on the display device.

In this GUI, it is easier to understand intuitively than text information, so it is not limited to computers to express programs, data files, selection items, etc. in general, but bank ATMs (Automated Teller Machine) It is used in a wide range of fields including automatic transaction devices such as the above and other hardware devices.

In recent years, “computer styles that do not choose time and place”, as indicated by the words wearable computer and ubiquitous computing, are spreading. Along with this, pointing that can be operated by touching the input surface with a pen or finger, such as tablet type PC (Personal Computer), UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC), smartphone (smartphone), etc. Mobile information devices having devices (pointing devices) have become widespread.

The following techniques are known for icon operation using a pointing device of the type operated by touching such an input surface.
JP-A-9-204426 JP-A-9-101874

However, there is a problem that a device that operates an icon by using a pointing device of a type that is input with a pen or the like may not be suitable for an operation that is originally designed on the premise of an operation with a pointing device such as a mouse. .

In particular, selecting a set of icons from multiple icons complicates pen operations, making it difficult to perform intuitive operations and hindering smooth mobile device operations. There is a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a selection input reception program, an information processing apparatus, and a selection input reception method that are improved in operability when an icon is selected in a device that selects an icon with a pointing device. The purpose is to provide.

The disclosed selection input receiving program causes a computer to detect a position input on a display screen by a pointing device, a trajectory acquiring means for acquiring a trajectory of the position detected by the detecting means, and a trajectory acquiring means. Region determining means for determining an area surrounded by the acquired trajectory, determining whether or not an icon displayed on the display screen exists in the area determined by the region determining means; If the icon displayed on the display screen is present in the display area, the icon is made to function as selection determination means for selecting the icon in the area as the selected selection icon.

According to the disclosed selective input acceptance program, the position input on the display screen is detected by the detecting means. The locus of the position is obtained by the locus acquisition means. A region surrounded by the locus is determined as a region by the region determination means. The selection determining means determines whether or not an icon exists in the area. If an icon exists, the icon in the area is determined as the selected icon.

According to the disclosed selection input reception program, information processing apparatus, and selection input reception method, a user can operate smoothly when selecting an icon with a pointing device, and operability when selecting an icon can be improved.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments as examples of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of this Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of information processing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a coordinate table. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a standby mode process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the mode process during selection. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a command reception mode process. It is a figure which shows determination whether an icon is in an area | region. It is a figure which shows determination whether an icon is in an area | region. It is a figure which shows determination whether an icon is in an area | region. It is a figure which shows the file window at the time of normal selection. It is a figure which shows the file window at the time of selection of the icon in selection mode. It is a figure which shows the file window at the time of selection of the icon in selection mode. It is a figure which shows the file window at the time of command reception mode. It is a figure which shows the file window at the time of the additional selection in selecting mode. It is a figure which shows the file window at the time of the cancellation | release in selection mode.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the present embodiment. The information processing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is connected to a display screen 21 included in the pointing device 2 and displays character information and image information generated by the OS and applications on the display screen 21 based on user operations. The information processing apparatus 1 includes an icon display unit 1a, a detection unit 1b, a trajectory acquisition unit 1c, an area determination unit 1d, and a selection determination unit 1e. Further, the information processing apparatus 1 is realized by a computer that functions as the detection unit 1b, the locus acquisition unit 1c, the region determination unit 1d, and the selection determination unit 1e by the selection input receiving program.

The icon display means 1a displays the icon 21a on the display screen 21. The user selects and operates the icon 21a with the input pen 22 of the pointing device 2 to move, copy, and delete the file indicated by the icon 21a to the information processing apparatus 1 or start the application indicated by the icon 21a. Can be executed.

The detecting means 1b detects the position input on the display screen 21. The input of this position is performed by the user operating the pointing device 2. As a result, the position input by the user operating the pointing device 2 is detected.

The trajectory acquisition unit 1c acquires the trajectory 21b of the position detected by the detection unit 1b. Thereby, the change in the position input by the user operating the pointing device 2 is acquired as a locus 21b.

The region determination unit 1d determines the region surrounded by the locus 21b acquired by the locus acquisition unit 1c as the region 21c. As a result, the range input by the user operating the pointing device 2 to select the icon 21a is determined.

The selection determination unit 1e determines whether or not the icon 21a displayed on the display screen 21 exists in the region 21c determined by the region determination unit 1d, and is displayed on the display screen 21 in the region. When the icon 21a exists, the icon 21a in the area 21c is set as the selected selection icon. Thereby, an icon is selected based on an input operation by the user's pointing device 2.

The pointing device 2 has a display screen 21 and an input pen 22. The display screen 21 is a display screen that displays information output from the information processing apparatus 1. The pointing device 2 is an input device for touching an input surface and inputting a position, such as an input tablet or a touch panel. The input pen 22 can input a position when the user touches with a finger or an input pen. Further, the input pen 22 can continuously acquire the input position. The input pen 22 has a display screen 21 and inputs a position by touching the display screen 21.

Note that the input pen 22 is not limited to this, and the display screen 21 and an input surface (not shown) for receiving position input by the input pen 22 may be separate. In this case, the position input by the input surface and the input pen 22 is displayed on the display screen 21 as a pointer. The user inputs a position with the input pen 22 on the input surface while referring to the pointer displayed on the display screen 21.

According to such an information processing apparatus 1, the icon 21a is displayed on the display screen 21 by the icon display means 1a. The position input by the pointing device 2 is detected by the detection means 1b. The locus 21b is obtained by the locus obtaining means 1c. The area surrounded by the locus 21b is determined as the area 21c by the area determining means 1d. The selection determination unit 1e determines whether or not the icon 21a exists in the area 21c. If the icon 21a exists, the icon 21a in the area 21c is determined as the selection icon.

In this way, the information processing apparatus 1 determines whether the selection determining unit 1e determines whether or not the icon 21a exists in the area 21c surrounded by the locus 21b of the position input by the pointing device 2, and the area 21c By determining the icon 21a as the selected icon, it is possible to operate smoothly when the icon 21a is selected by the input pen 22, and it is possible to improve the operability when selecting the icon.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus.
The information processing apparatus 100 is entirely controlled by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101. A random access memory (RAM) 102, a hard disk drive (HDD) 103, a graphics processing device 104, an input interface 105, and a communication interface 106 are connected to the CPU 101 via a bus 107.

The RAM 102 temporarily stores at least a part of OS programs and applications to be executed by the CPU 101. The RAM 102 stores various data necessary for processing by the CPU 101.

The HDD 103 stores data handled by the OS and applications on the information processing apparatus 100.
A display device such as the input tablet 200 can be connected to the graphic processing device 104. The graphic processing device 104 can display an image on a screen of a display device such as the input tablet 200 in accordance with a command from the CPU 101. The graphic processing device 104 and the input tablet 200 are connected by, for example, a serial communication cable, and control signals and image signals are alternately transmitted and received.

The input interface 105 can be connected to input devices such as an input tablet 200, a keyboard 300, and a mouse 400. The input interface 105 outputs a signal sent from an input device such as the input tablet 200 to the CPU 101 via the bus 107.

The communication interface 106 can be connected to a network (not shown). The communication interface 106 can send and receive data to and from other computers via a network.

Here, the input tablet 200 has a monitor (not shown) on the upper surface, and can display information on the display screen of the monitor according to the operation of the information processing apparatus 100. Further, the input tablet 200 is displayed on a display screen by a user, for example, by detecting contact with the input pen 201 or a finger on the display screen by detecting a change in pressure or static electricity of the display screen provided on the surface. It is possible to accept input such as selecting an icon.

With the hardware configuration as described above, the processing functions of the present embodiment can be realized.
Next, the module configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the information processing apparatus.
The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment displays icons (not shown) displayed on the display screen (not shown) of the input tablet 200 based on the positions input by the user operating the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201. A computer that accepts a selection and executes a process based on a selected icon. The information processing apparatus 100 receives an icon selection input in order to receive an icon display unit 111, a detection unit 112, a trajectory acquisition unit 113, an area determination unit 114, a selection determination unit 115, a trajectory display unit 116, and a selection release determination unit 117. A selection icon processing execution unit 118, an operation display unit 119, and a coordinate information storage unit 160. Furthermore, the detection unit 112 includes a start detection unit 112a and an end detection unit 112b. These functions of the information processing apparatus 100 are realized by a computer executing a selection input receiving program.

In addition, pointing devices such as the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201 can be connected to the information processing apparatus 100.
The icon display unit 111 highlights the selection icon determined by the selection determination unit 115 on the display screen, and switches the icon canceled by the selection cancellation determination unit 117 from the highlighted display to the normal display on the display screen. Display. By selecting and operating this icon, the user can cause the information processing apparatus 100 to move, copy, delete, start an application indicated by the icon, or the like.

The detecting unit 112 detects an input of a position on the display screen by the pointing device. At this time, the detection unit 112 acquires the coordinates of the position on the display screen input by the pointing device, and stores the coordinate information (details will be described later in FIG. 4) indicating the acquired coordinates in the coordinate information storage unit 160. As a result, the position input by the user operating the pointing device is detected.

The start detection unit 112a detects the start of position input by the pointing device and the start position of the position input. The end detection unit 112b detects the end of the position input by the pointing device and the end position of the position input. These detected positions are stored in the coordinate information storage unit 160 as coordinate information.

The trajectory acquisition unit 113 acquires a trajectory of a position from the input start position of the position detected by the start detection unit 112a to the input end position of the position detected by the end detection unit 112b. At this time, the trajectory acquisition unit 113 acquires the trajectory of the position detected by the detection unit 112 based on the coordinates indicated by the coordinate information stored in the coordinate information storage unit 160. Thereby, the change in the position input by the user by operating the pointing device is acquired as a trajectory.

The trajectory acquisition unit 113 acquires a trajectory based on the input when the input start position of the position detected by the start detection unit 112a is not on the icon displayed on the display screen. Accordingly, when the user inputs a position other than the icon on the display screen of the input tablet 200 with the input pen 201, the user can select an icon by area (described later in FIGS. 12 and 13).

The region determination unit 114 determines a region surrounded by the trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquisition unit 113. At this time, the area determination unit 114 connects the start position of the trajectory detected by the start detection unit 112a and the end position of the trajectory detected by the end detection unit 112b with a straight line, and forms a closed area between the trajectory and the straight line. , Confirm the formed closed region. As a result, a range input by the user operating the pointing device to select an icon is determined.

The selection determination unit 115 determines whether or not the icon displayed on the display screen exists in the region determined by the region determination unit 114, and when the icon displayed on the display screen exists in the region. The icon in the area is the selected selection icon. Thereby, an icon is selected based on an input operation by the user with the input pen 201.

The selection determination unit 115 selects a plurality of icons (described later in FIG. 13). Thereby, the user can select a plurality of icons by one operation. Further, the selection determination unit 115 cancels the selection of the selection icon executed by the selection icon processing execution unit 118 (described later in FIG. 16). Thereby, the user can cancel the selection of the icon once selected.

The trajectory display unit 116 displays the trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquisition unit 113 on the display screen. As a result, the user can easily control the trajectory with the input pen 201 by moving the input pen 201 while inputting the position while checking the trajectory displayed on the display screen. For this reason, the operability of forming the region where the icon is selected or deselected is improved.

The selection cancellation determination unit 117 determines whether or not the selection icon determined by the selection determination unit 115 exists in the region determined by the region determination unit 114, and the selection icon determined by the selection determination unit 115 is If it exists, the selection icon in the area is deselected. Thereby, the selection of the icon is released based on the input operation by the user with the input pen 201.

The selection icon process execution part 118 performs the process according to a selection icon. Thereby, processing based on the icon selected by the user by the information processing apparatus 100 is executed.
The operation display unit 119 accepts an input operation for instructing a process to be executed based on the icon determined to be selected by the selection determination unit 115 when the end detection unit 112b detects the end of position input. (Described later in FIG. 14) is displayed on the display screen. The menu functions as operation means.

The coordinate information storage unit 160 acquires the coordinates of the position on the display screen by the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201, and stores the coordinate information indicating the acquired coordinates.
In this embodiment, the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201 are used as a pointing device. The pointing device is an input device such as an input tablet, a touch panel, and a dedicated input pen. The input tablet 200 has a display screen that can accept position input. The input pen 201 can input a position to the input tablet 200.

The input tablet 200 can input a position when the user touches with the finger or the input pen 201. Further, the input tablet 200 can continuously acquire the position input by the input pen 201 operated by the user. The input tablet 200 has a display screen, and the user inputs a position by touching the finger or the input pen 201 on the display screen.

Note that the pointing device is not limited to the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201, and other pointing devices such as a touch panel may be used. The pointing device may have a display screen and an input part that are separate. In this case, the position input by the pointing device is displayed as a pointer on the display screen, and the user inputs the position to the input tablet or the like of the pointing device while referring to the pointer displayed on the display screen.

In the present embodiment, when the user selects an icon, the icon is not directly tapped, but as will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 13, “operate the input pen 201 so that the locus surrounds the selected icon”. Thus, selection of those icons is inputted. At this time, the line drawn on the display screen by the operation surrounding the icon does not need to be a curve forming a completely closed region, and if the start point and end point of the locus are not in contact, the start point The region is closed by complementing the trajectory with a line (for example, a complementary straight line) connecting the end point and the end point.

In the present embodiment, the details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, but the user does not need to operate the input pen 201 so that the icon to be selected is completely surrounded by the area, and the outer periphery of the area. When an area of a certain trajectory and a line connecting the start point to the end point includes an area with a certain size or more of the icon, it is regarded as “selected (or deselected)”. Thereby, when selecting some icons among a plurality of icons, the user can more intuitively perform the selection operation.

In the present embodiment, details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, but when the user performs the operation of surrounding the icon continuously after the user once performed the operation of surrounding the icon with the input pen 201. , Do not deselect some of the icons that you have enclosed. In the present embodiment, the user can continuously select icons that form two groups in a discontinuous and distant portion of a plurality of icons at a time. In addition, when the user performs an operation of further surrounding the icon once selected, the selection of the enclosed icon is cancelled.

These “successive selection” and “deselection” expand the degree of freedom of icon selection and complexity compared to the case where input can only be accepted by selecting a group of icons. Easy selection can be input by an easy operation.

In the present embodiment, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 14, even in the execution of processing relating to the selected icon, processing executed by tapping the input pen 201 using a menu or the like (for example, the file indicated by the icon) "Copy", "Delete", "Move", etc.) can be specified.

When the process is designated by the menu, the corresponding process is executed for the selected icon. Also, the menu disappears from the screen and disappears at the start of processing execution.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the user selects an icon by operating the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201 in the information processing apparatus 100, the icon can be handled more intuitively. .

Next, a table used in the information processing apparatus of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the coordinate table. A coordinate table 161 illustrated in FIG. 4 is created and managed by the information processing apparatus 100. The coordinate table 161 is a table that stores coordinate information indicating the coordinates of the position input by the user acquired by a pointing device such as the input tablet 200 (described above in FIG. 2) connected to the information processing apparatus 100. The coordinate table 161 is stored in the coordinate information storage unit 160.

The coordinate table 161 is provided with “operation contents”, “data name”, and “data value”. Information arranged in the horizontal direction of each item is associated with each other to constitute coordinate information.

The operation content indicates the operation performed by the user with the pointing device when acquiring the data. The operation content includes, for example, “pen down” indicating that the user has started inputting the position on the input tablet 200 with the input pen 201 (described above in FIG. 2), and the user inputs the position while inputting the position on the input tablet 200. “Pen dragging” indicating that the pen 201 is being moved, and the input of the position by the input tablet 200 is terminated by lifting the input pen 201 that is in contact with the input tablet 200 and releasing it from the input tablet 200. “Pen-up” etc.

The data name indicates the name of data acquired from the operation performed with the pointing device. The data name includes, for example, “(SX, SY)” indicating the X coordinate data and the Y coordinate data name of the position (start point) acquired at the time of pen down, and the X of the position acquired nth during the pen drag. “(Xn, Yn)” indicating the coordinate data and the Y coordinate data name, “(EX, EY)” indicating the X coordinate data and the Y coordinate data name of the position (end point) acquired at the time of pen-up. is there.

This coordinate information indicates the position input by the pointing device and the locus based on the coordinate information. Further, an area where an icon is selected and the selection of the icon is canceled is determined based on the locus.

In determining the area, in this embodiment, as will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 13, it is assumed that a complementary line is added to the locus and the area is closed. Specifically, with respect to the coordinate information of the trajectory acquired based on the pointing device operation by the user, the trajectory start point (coordinates are (SX, SY)) and end point (coordinates are (EX, EY)). Tie with. As a result, the start point and end point of the region are connected by the complementary straight line. In the present embodiment, a closed region for selecting an icon is formed in this way.

Next, a processing procedure in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of standby mode processing.
The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment detects pen-down of the input pen 201 through this standby mode process, and determines whether or not the icon is directly operated by the input pen 201. Next, based on the determination, it is determined whether to perform a normal process or to shift to a selected mode process in which an area is determined and an icon is selected. This standby mode process is always executed in the information processing apparatus 100 in order to constantly monitor the operation of the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the standby mode process may be executed periodically at regular intervals. Hereinafter, the standby mode process will be described.

[Step S11] The start detection unit 112a (described above in FIG. 3) of the detection unit 112 determines whether or not the pen-down of the input pen 201 has been detected. If pen-down is detected, the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if the pen-down is not detected, the process of step S11 is repeated until the pen-down is detected. At this time, the detection unit 112 stores the pen-down coordinates as coordinate information in the coordinate information storage unit 160 (described above in FIG. 3).

[Step S12] The trajectory acquisition unit 113 determines whether or not the pen-down position detected in step S11 in the input tablet 200 is on an icon displayed on a display screen of a monitor (not shown) of the input tablet 200. judge. If the pen-down position is on the icon, the process proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if the pen-down position is not on the icon, the process proceeds to step S13.

[Step S13] The trajectory acquisition unit 113 proceeds to a selected mode process (described later in FIG. 6) in which an icon is selected according to an area.
[Step S14] After returning from the command reception mode process (described later in FIG. 7) through the selected mode process transferred in step S13, the process proceeds to step S11. Thereby, the start detection part 112a detects the pen down of the input pen 201 with respect to the input tablet 200 by the user.

[Step S15] The selection determination unit 115 executes processing based on selection of a normal icon. Specifically, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 11, when the input pen 201 is pen-down at a position inside the icon, the icon is selected as usual. Next, processing designated by the user through a menu (not shown) or the like is performed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the selected mode process.
The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment acquires and detects a trajectory for selection based on the pen-down of the input pen 201 detected by the standby mode process (described above in FIG. 5) by the selected mode process. A region is determined based on the pen-up of the input pen 201, a selection icon is determined from the determined region, and a menu for receiving an input of a process to be executed is displayed. This selected mode process is executed by shifting from step S13 of the standby mode process. Hereinafter, the selected mode process will be described.

[Step S21] The detection unit 112 detects the coordinates of the position input by the user with the input pen 201. The detected coordinates are stored as coordinate information in the coordinate information storage unit 160 (described above in FIG. 3). At this time, the detection unit 112 compares the coordinate information acquired last time (at the time of pen-down or immediately before movement) with the coordinate information acquired this time, and if the coordinates are the same, It is not stored in the coordinate information storage unit 160. Thereby, coordinate information is memorize | stored only when the input position changes.

[Step S <b> 22] The trajectory acquisition unit 113 acquires a trajectory for selecting an icon from the coordinate information about the pen-down stored up to that point stored in the coordinate information storage unit 160.
[Step S23] The trajectory display unit 116 displays the trajectory for selecting the icon acquired in step S22 on the display screen of the input tablet 200. The display of the icon selection locus will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

[Step S24] The end detection unit 112b (described above in FIG. 3) included in the detection unit 112 determines whether pen-up of the input pen 201 has been detected. If pen-up is detected, the process proceeds to step S25. At this time, the detection unit 112 stores pen-up coordinates as coordinate information in the coordinate information storage unit 160 (described above in FIG. 3). On the other hand, if pen-up is not detected, the process proceeds to step S21.

[Step S25] The trajectory acquisition unit 113 acquires the trajectory from the coordinate information about the pen-up input stored in the coordinate information storage unit 160 in Step S21 and Step S24. The area determination unit 114 connects the coordinates of the input start position and the end position indicated by the coordinate information stored in the coordinate information storage unit 160 to form a closed area, and determines the area. . This area will be described later in detail in FIG.

[Step S26] The selection determination unit 115 determines whether or not the displayed icon is within the region determined by the region determination unit 114 in step S25, and selects an icon that has not been selected among the icons in the region. The selected icon is the selected icon.

In addition, the selection cancellation determination unit 117 determines whether or not the displayed icon is within the region determined by the region determination unit 114 in step S25, and the selection icon that has already been selected among the icons in the region. Cancel the selection.

[Step S27] The operation display unit 119 displays, on the display screen of the monitor of the input tablet 200, a menu for accepting an input related to the processing based on the selection icon determined in Step S26. Thereafter, the process proceeds to a command reception mode process (described later in FIG. 7). This menu will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of command reception mode processing.
The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment detects the user's pen-down by the command reception mode process, and is selected from the menu (described later in FIG. 14) displayed by the selected mode process (described above in FIG. 6). It is determined whether or not to execute the instructed process or to shift to the selected mode process again and repeat the selection of the icon. This command reception mode process is executed by shifting from the selected mode process. The command reception mode process will be described below.

[Step S31] The start detection unit 112a (described above in FIG. 3) of the detection unit 112 determines whether or not the pen-down of the input pen 201 has been detected. If pen down is detected, the process proceeds to step S32. On the other hand, if the pen-down is not detected, the process of step S31 is repeated until the pen-down is detected. At this time, the detection unit 112 stores the pen-down coordinates as coordinate information in the coordinate information storage unit 160 (described above in FIG. 3).

[Step S32] The operation display unit 119 (described above in FIG. 3) determines whether or not any of the menu items has been tapped in the input in which the pen down is detected in Step S31 of the input tablet 200, that is, the pen down and Whether or not the pen-up is performed and the pen-down position is on any item of the menu displayed on the display screen of the monitor (not shown) of the input tablet 200 in step S27 of the selected mode process Judge about. If the menu is tapped, the process proceeds to step S33. On the other hand, if the menu is not tapped, the process proceeds to step S35.

[Step S33] The selection icon processing execution unit 118 determines that the menu item displayed at the pen-down coordinates detected by the detection unit 112 in Step S32 and the selection determination unit 115 (described above in FIG. 3) have selected. The process based on the selected icon is executed. Thereby, the process selected by the user from the menu is executed.

[Step S34] The operation display unit 119 erases the menu displayed on the display screen of the monitor (not shown) of the input tablet 200 in step S27 of the selected mode process. Thereafter, in order to accept an input for selecting a new icon, the process proceeds to a standby mode process (described above in FIG. 5).

[Step S35] The operation display unit 119 erases the menu displayed on the display screen of the monitor (not shown) of the input tablet 200 in step S27 of the selected mode process. Thereafter, in order to accept an additional input for selecting an icon, the process proceeds to a selection mode process.

Next, determination of whether or not an icon in the present embodiment has been selected will be described.
FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 are diagrams showing the determination as to whether or not the icon is within the area.
First, referring to FIG. 8, the determination of whether or not the icon 211 is within the area 212 will be described. An icon 211 illustrated in FIG. 8 is an icon displayed on a monitor (not illustrated) included in the input tablet 200. Hereinafter, determination of whether or not the icon 211 is within the area 212 on the monitor will be described.

The coordinates of the icon center 211a, which is the center of the icon 211, are (IX, IY). The height of the icon 211 is H and the width is W. In this case, the coordinates of the icon upper left 211b, which is a point at the upper left corner of the icon 211, are indicated by "(IX-W / 2, IY-H / 2)". The coordinates of the icon lower right 211c, which is a point at the lower right corner of the icon, are indicated by “(IX + W / 2, IY + H / 2)”. Similarly, the coordinates of the upper right corner of the icon (not shown), which is the upper right corner point of the icon, are indicated by “(IX + W / 2, IY−H / 2)”. The coordinates of the lower left corner of the icon (not shown), which is the lower left corner point of the icon, are indicated by “(IX−W / 2, IY + H / 2)”. All points in the icon are included in the range of “(IX−W / 2, IY−H / 2) to (IX + W / 2, IY + H / 2)”.

The area 212 is an area surrounded by coordinate trajectories “(SX, SY) to (Xn, Yn) to (EX, EY)” of positions input by the user with the input pen 201 to the input tablet 200. Here, as will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 13, it is assumed that a complementary straight line has already been added to this locus after input by the user, and the region has been closed.

When the point on the coordinates within the area 212 among all the points on the coordinates in the icon 211 is 50% or more, the icon 211 is determined to be selected (is the selected icon). . On the other hand, if the point on the coordinates within the area 212 among all the points on the coordinates in the icon 211 is less than 50%, it is determined that the icon 211 is not selected.

In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the icon is in the area 212 based on whether or not the point on all coordinates in the icon 211 is in the area 212. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A part of the coordinates of the icon 211 may be extracted, and determination may be made based on whether or not the extracted point is within the region 212.

In the present embodiment, it is determined that the icon is selected when 50% or more of the points on the coordinates in the icon are within the area 212. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is determined that the icon 211 is selected. The ratio at which the point on the coordinate in the icon 211 is in the area 212 can be set to an arbitrary ratio.

Next, referring to FIG. 9, the determination as to whether or not each point of the icon 211 is within the area 212 will be described.
In this embodiment, when determining whether a certain point in the icon 211 is inside or outside the region 212, the display region of the display screen of the monitor (not shown) of the input tablet 200 is determined from that point. When a straight line is drawn to the outside of the display area in an arbitrary direction (for example, right direction), the number of intersections between the straight line and the locus surrounding the area 212 is counted, and the counted number is an even number (“0 It is judged by whether it is "includes" or an odd number.

Here, this determination will be described using a point 211d which is one of the points inside the icon 211. When a straight line is drawn from the point 211d in the right direction, the number of intersections with the trajectory surrounding the region 212 is zero. Therefore, since the intersection of the straight line and the trajectory is an even number, the point 211d is determined to be outside the region 212. Further, when the point 211e, which is another point in the icon 211, draws a straight line in the right direction, the number of intersections with the locus surrounding the region 212 is two. Therefore, since the intersection of the straight line and the locus is an even number, the point 211e is determined to be outside the region 212.

On the other hand, when the point 211f, which is still another point in the icon 211, draws a straight line in the right direction, the number of intersections with the locus surrounding the region 212 is 1. Therefore, since the intersection of the straight line and the trajectory is an odd number, the point 211f is determined to be within the region 212.

Next, the determination of whether or not each point of the icon 211 is within the region 213 in the case where the outer shape of the region 213 is complicated and has unevenness will be described with reference to FIG.

Even when the shape of the outer periphery of the region 213 is complicated, as shown in FIG. 10, it is determined whether each point of the icon 211 is within the region 213 or outside the region as shown in FIG. can do.

Next, an operation at the time of selecting an icon displayed on the display screen in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a file window during normal selection.

A file window 230 shown in FIG. 11 is a window displayed on the display screen of the monitor (not shown) of the input tablet 200 connected to the information processing apparatus 100 (described above in FIG. 2). The icon display area 231 displays a plurality of icons indicating files stored in the HDD 103 (described above in FIG. 2) or the like.

In the file window 230, one of the displayed icons is selected with the input pen 201 by the user. In addition, the selected icon is highlighted as in the highlighted display 231a. The user can recognize that the icon is selected and the selected icon by this highlighting 231a.

The user can select an icon by pen-downing the input pen 201 onto the input tablet 200 on the icon displayed in the icon display area 231. Also, the user can move, copy, etc. the icon by dragging the input pen 201 pen-down on the icon. Further, by tapping the selected icon with the input pen 201, the user can open, for example, a file indicated by the icon or activate an application indicated by the icon.

In this way, the user can select one icon and cause the information processing apparatus 100 to execute processing related to the selected icon.
Here, in the present embodiment, as shown in the highlight display 231a, the icon is emphasized by overlapping and displaying an area indicated by diagonal lines. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may emphasize by other display methods, such as a shading display. The same applies to FIGS. 12 to 16.

12 and 13 are diagrams showing a file window when an icon is selected in the selected mode.
A file window 240 shown in FIG. 12 is a window displayed on the display screen of the monitor (not shown) of the input tablet 200 connected to the information processing apparatus 100 (described above in FIG. 2), as in FIG. It has an icon display area 241 in which a plurality of icons indicating files stored in the HDD 103 (described above in FIG. 2) of the apparatus 100 are displayed.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the user pens down the input pen 201 onto the input tablet 200 with respect to the blank portion on the icon display area 241, so that the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment selects from the standby mode processing. The process proceeds to the middle mode process (described above in steps S12 and S13 in FIG. 5). As a result, the user can simultaneously select a plurality of icons with the input pen 201 as shown in FIG.

The icon display area 251 of the file window 250 shown in FIG. 13 is drawn with the user's input pen 201 by performing an operation of surrounding one or more icons selected on the input tablet 200 by the user using the input pen 201. The icon selected by surrounding it with the locus 252b and the supplementary straight line 253b is highlighted as in the highlighted display 251b.

Here, the locus 252b is displayed as a solid line on the icon display area 251 of the file window 250. The locus 252b changes as the user moves the input pen 201 on the input tablet 200 to change the position where the user is inputting, and a curve traced from the pen down to the current input position in real time. Is displayed.

Also, the start point and end point of the trajectory 252b are connected by a complementary straight line 253b. The complementary straight line 253 b is displayed as a dotted line on the icon display area 251 of the file window 250. The complementary straight line 253b is displayed in real time so as to connect the start point and the current end point of the trajectory 252b each time the current input position changes as the user moves the input pen 201.

A line formed by connecting these trajectory 252b and complementary straight line 253b is formed as a closed area with the outer circumference as a line. When the user pens up the input pen 201, this area is fixed. The icon in the area thus determined is determined as the selected selection icon.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a file window in the command reception mode.
In the vicinity of the file window 260 shown in FIG. 14, a menu 264 for allowing the user to input processing to be executed regarding the selected icon highlighted by the highlight display 261 b in the icon display area 261 is displayed.

The user can recognize that the icon is selected and the selected icon by highlighting the selected icons as highlighted 261b.

The user copies, deletes, and moves (sends) a plurality of selected icons to the information processing apparatus 100 (described above in FIG. 2) by tapping an item of the menu 264 with the input pen 201 in a state where the plurality of icons are selected. ), Processing such as deselection can be executed.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a file window at the time of additional selection in the selected mode.
In the icon display area 271 of the file window 270 shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of selection icons are highlighted as in the highlighted display 271b, as in FIG. The icon is highlighted as in the highlighted display 271c.

The user can add a new selection icon by pen-downing to a part other than the menu (described above in FIG. 14) in the command reception mode process (described above in step S32 in FIG. 7). At this time, the user moves the input pen 201 like the locus 272c on the input tablet 200 to surround an icon to be selected, thereby forming an area having the locus 272c and the complementary straight line 273c as an outer periphery.

At this time, the locus 272c is displayed as a solid line on the icon display area 271 of the file window 270, as in FIG. The locus 272c changes as the user moves the input pen 201 on the input tablet 200 to change the position where the user is inputting, and a curve traced from the pen down to the current input position in real time. Is displayed.

Also, the start point and end point of the locus 272c are connected by a complementary straight line 273c. The complementary straight line 273c is displayed as a dotted line on the icon display area 271 of the file window 270. The complementary straight line 273c is displayed in real time so as to connect the start point and the current end point of the locus 272c each time the current input position changes as the user moves the input pen 201.

The line is formed as a closed region with a line obtained by combining the locus 272c and the complementary straight line 273c as an outer periphery. This region is fixed when the user pens up the input pen 201. The icon in the area thus determined is determined as a selection icon selected additionally.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a file window when the selection is canceled in the selected mode.
In the icon display area 281 of the file window 280 shown in FIG. 16, a plurality of selection icons are highlighted as in the highlighted displays 281c and 281d as in FIG. 15, and in the area formed by the locus 282d and the complementary straight line 283d. A plurality of icons are excluded from the objects of the highlight display 281d.

The user pens down the input pen 201, moves the input pen 201 later so that the locus 282d surrounds the icon that has already been selected on the input tablet 200, and then performs the pen up, which is executed by the menu (described above in FIG. 15). Until a process to be performed is designated, it is possible to deselect some of the already selected selection icons and remove them from the selection icons. At this time, the user moves the input pen 201 like the locus 282d on the input tablet 200 and surrounds an icon to cancel the selection, thereby forming an area having the locus 282d and the complementary straight line 283d as the outer periphery.

At this time, as in FIG. 15, the locus 282d is displayed as a solid line on the icon display area 281 of the file window 280. The trajectory 282d is displayed so as to change as the user moves the input pen 201 on the input tablet 200 to change the input position. The trajectory 282d is displayed while the curve traced from when the user pen-downed until reaching the current input position changes in real time.

In addition, the start point and the end point of the locus 282d are connected by the complementary straight line 283d. The complementary straight line 283d is displayed as a dotted line on the icon display area 281 of the file window 280. The complementary straight line 283d is displayed in real time so as to connect the start point and the current end point of the locus 282d each time the current input position changes as the user moves the input pen 201.

The line is formed as a closed region with the line connecting these locus 282d and the complementary straight line 283d as the outer periphery. This region is fixed when the user pens up the input pen 201. The selection of the icon in the region thus determined is canceled and excluded from the selected icon.

This allows the user to deselect the icon once selected. For example, the user can select an icon by forming a region having a border line that cannot be drawn with a single stroke, such as a donut shape with a part of the region cut out.

In FIG. 16, the locus 282d encloses only the selected icon that has already been selected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the user performs an operation of simultaneously enclosing the unselected icon and the already selected selection icon with the locus. You can also Based on this operation, in the information processing apparatus 100, the selection determination unit 115 sets an icon that has not been selected in the region determined by the region determination unit 114 as a selection icon, and the selection cancellation determination unit 117 performs the operation in the region. Deselect a selection icon that has already been selected.

Here, in a general information processing apparatus, a user's operation in “when many icons are presented and an icon is selected from among them” using an input tablet and an input pen that are input by touching a display screen Think.

If only one icon is selected, it can be selected by tapping the target icon, etc., but if the second icon is simply tapped, the first selection is usually canceled. As a result, only the second icon is selected.

Therefore, in such a case, an operation of “tapping while performing some operation” is usually required. For example, in the case of Windows (registered trademark), the user taps while pressing the Ctrl key. For this reason, it cannot operate with only a pen and a finger, and has become a big hindrance to realization of smooth operation by an input tablet.

Further, there is a selection operation method of “dragging an area including an icon” without directly tapping the icon, but it is not intuitive.
On the other hand, in this embodiment, when selecting an icon, in addition to being able to operate smoothly by enabling an intuitive operation, the selection range can be expanded or only a part of icons can be selected. It is possible to improve the operability of actions such as canceling.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, whether the selection determination unit 115 has an icon in the area surrounded by the locus of the position input by the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201. By determining whether or not the icon in the area is a selected icon, the input tablet 200 and the input pen 201 can be operated smoothly when the icon is selected, and the operability when selecting the icon is improved. It becomes possible.

In addition, it is possible to greatly improve the operability when selecting multiple icons on a mobile machine that does not take up enough keyboard size, or on an operation terminal without a keyboard (such as a bank ATM or a multi-purpose terminal at a convenience store). Thus, the usability of these hardware can be improved.

Note that the above processing functions can be realized by a computer. In that case, a program describing the processing contents of the functions that the information processing apparatus 100 should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer.

The program describing the processing content can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory. Magnetic recording devices include HDDs, flexible disks (FD), magnetic tapes (MT) and the like. Optical discs include DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), DVD-RAM, CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), CD-R (Recordable) / RW (ReWritable), and the like. Magneto-optical recording media include MO (Magneto-Optical Disk).

When distributing the above program, for example, a portable recording medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM in which the program is recorded is sold. It is also possible to store the program in a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

The computer that executes the program stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

As described above, the disclosed selection input receiving program, information processing apparatus, and selection input receiving method have been described based on the illustrated embodiment. However, the configuration of each unit may be replaced with any configuration having the same function. it can. In addition, any other component or process may be added to the disclosed technology. Further, the disclosed technique may be a combination of any two or more of the above-described embodiments.

The above merely shows the principle of the present invention. In addition, many variations and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and the disclosed technology is not limited to the exact configurations and applications shown and described above, and all corresponding variations and equivalents are The scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing apparatus 1a Icon display means 1b Detection means 1c Trajectory acquisition means 1d Area determination means 1e Selection determination means 2 Pointing device 21 Display screen 21a Icon 21b Trajectory 21c Area 22 Input pen

Claims (18)

1. In a selection input receiving program for causing a computer to execute a process of receiving an input for selecting an icon,
   The computer,
   Detecting means for detecting an input of a position on a display screen by a pointing device;
   Trajectory acquisition means for acquiring a trajectory of the position detected by the detection means;
   Area determination means for determining an area surrounded by the trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquisition means;
   It is determined whether or not the icon displayed on the display screen exists in the area determined by the area determination means, and when the icon displayed on the display screen exists in the area , Selection determination means for selecting the icon in the region as a selected selection icon,
   A selection input receiving program characterized by functioning as:
2. The detection means includes
   Start detection means for detecting a start of the position input by the pointing device and a start position of the position input;
   An end detection means for detecting an end of input of the position by the pointing device and an end position of input of the position;
   The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, comprising:
3. The computer,
   The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, wherein the program is made to function as a trajectory display means for displaying the trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquisition means on the display screen.
4. The computer,
   The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, wherein an operation means for receiving an input operation instructing a process to be executed based on the selection icon is caused to function as an operation display means for displaying on the display screen.
5. The computer,
   It is determined whether or not the selection icon exists in the area determined by the area determination means, and when the selection icon exists in the area, the selection icon in the area is deselected. The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, wherein the selection input receiving program is made to function as a selection cancellation determination means.
6. The trajectory acquisition means acquires the trajectory of the position from the start position of the position input detected by the start detection means to the end position of the position input detected by the end detection means. The selection input receiving program according to claim 2, characterized in that the program is received.
7. The region determining means connects the start position of the trajectory detected by the start detection means and the end position of the trajectory detected by the end detection means with a straight line, and closes the trajectory and the straight line. The selection input receiving program according to claim 6, wherein an area is formed, and the formed closed area is determined as the area.
8. The detection means includes end detection means for detecting an end of position input by the pointing device and an end position of the position input,
   5. The selection input acceptance according to claim 4, wherein the operation display means displays the operation means on the display screen when the end detection means detects the end of the input of the position. program.
9. The detection means includes start detection means for detecting a start of input of the position by the pointing device and a start position of input of the position,
   The trajectory acquisition means acquires the trajectory based on the input when the start position of the input of the position detected by the start detection means is not on an icon displayed on the display screen. The selection input receiving program according to claim 1.
10. The computer,
    2. The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, wherein the selection input receiving program functions as icon display means for highlighting the selection icon on the display screen.
11. The computer,
    The selected icon is highlighted on the display screen, and the icon that has been deselected by the deselection determining unit is made to function as an icon displaying unit that switches from the highlighted display to the normal display on the display screen. The selection input receiving program according to claim 5, wherein:
12. The detection means acquires the coordinates of the position on the display screen by the pointing device, stores the coordinate information indicating the acquired coordinates in the coordinate information storage means,
    The trajectory acquisition unit acquires the trajectory of the position detected by the detection unit based on the coordinates indicated by the coordinate information stored in the coordinate information storage unit. Selective input acceptance program described in the section.
13. The computer,
    2. The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, wherein the selection input receiving program is made to function as selection icon processing execution means for executing processing according to the selection icon.
14. The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, wherein the selection determining means is capable of selecting a plurality of the icons.
15. The computer,
    The selection input receiving program according to claim 1, wherein the selection input receiving program functions as a selection cancellation determination unit that cancels the selection of the selection icon selected by the selection determination unit.
16. The selection according to claim 1, wherein the pointing device includes an input tablet having the display screen capable of accepting an input of the position, and an input pen for inputting the position to the input tablet. Input reception program.
17. In an information processing apparatus that accepts an input for selecting an icon,
    Icon display means for displaying the icon on a display screen;
    Detecting means for detecting an input of a position on the display screen by a pointing device;
    Locus acquisition means for acquiring a locus of the position detected by the detection means;
    Area determining means for determining an area surrounded by the trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquiring means;
    It is determined whether or not the icon displayed on the display screen exists in the area determined by the area determination means, and when the icon displayed on the display screen exists in the area A selection determining means for selecting the icon in the region as a selected selection icon;
    An information processing apparatus comprising:
18. In a selection input receiving method for causing a computer to execute a process of receiving an input for selecting an icon,
    An icon display means for displaying the icon on a display screen;
    Detecting means for detecting an input of a position on the display screen by a pointing device;
    A trajectory acquisition unit acquires a trajectory of the position detected by the detection unit;
    A step of determining a region surrounded by the trajectory acquired by the trajectory acquiring unit;
    A selection determining unit determines whether or not the icon displayed on the display screen exists in the region determined by the region determining unit, and the icon displayed on the display screen in the region. If there is, the step of making the icon in the region a selected selection icon;
    A selection input receiving method characterized by comprising:

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