Information processing apparatus, program, and information processing method

Abstract

To visually associate a plurality of tags easily.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus (terminal device 20) includes: a selection unit (CPU 21) which selects an electronic tag where the region overlaps a part of operational trajectory from a first designated position to a second designated position; a connection unit (CPU 21) which associates, when a plurality of electronic tags are selected by the selection unit, the electronic tags in series by visual association so that the order of connecting the electronic tags can be identified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a program, and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique is known for connecting a plurality of objects arranged on a work field with an arrow indicating the order of reproduction of the objects (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in order to connect objects to each other, it is necessary to perform the operation of connecting an arrow from the source object to the destination object one by one by a drag operation. Therefore, when connecting a large number of objects, it is necessary to perform the connection operation multiple times, which is very complicated.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, a program, and an information processing method that can easily visually associate a plurality of sticky notes.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a selection unit that selects an electronic sticky note in which a part of an operation locus from a first designated position to a second designated position overlaps within a region, a connection unit that, when a plurality of electronic sticky notes are selected by the selection unit, serially associates the plurality of electronic sticky notes so that the connection order between the plurality of electronic sticky notes can be identified by visual association. comprises.

[0007] In addition, the program of the present invention causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to a selection unit that selects an electronic memo in which a part of an operation locus from a first designated position to a second designated position overlaps within a region, a linking unit that, when a plurality of electronic memos are selected by the selection unit, serially links the plurality of electronic memos in such a manner that the linking order between the plurality of electronic memos can be identified by visual association, function as.

[0008] In addition, the information processing method of the present invention is an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, a selection step of selecting an electronic memo in which a part of an operation locus from a first designated position to a second designated position overlaps within a region, a linking step of, when a plurality of electronic memos are selected in the selection step, serially linking the plurality of electronic memos in such a manner that the linking order between the plurality of electronic memos can be identified by visual association, including.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a plurality of memos can be easily visually associated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing a learning support system of this embodiment. [Diagram 2] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server. [Diagram 3] It is a diagram showing an example of a notebook screen on which memos are arranged. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing notebook processing. [Figure 6]It is a diagram showing an example of a notebook screen on which unlinked sticky notes are arranged. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of a notebook screen on which the trajectory of a drag-and-drop operation is displayed. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing another example of a notebook screen on which the trajectory of a drag-and-drop operation is displayed. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of a notebook screen on which linked sticky notes are arranged.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that although various technically preferable limitations are imposed on the embodiments described below for carrying out the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0012] <1. Configuration of the Learning Support System> As shown in FIG. 1, the learning support system 1 includes a server 10 and a terminal device 20. The server 10 and the terminal device 20 are communicatively connected via a communication network 30. The communication network 30 is a network that relays communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20, and is, for example, the Internet, but may include a LAN (Local Area Network), a dedicated line, and the like.

[0013] The learning support system 1 has an administrator support function that provides management support for account information, class information, lesson information, etc. of teachers and students to the administrator of an educational institution. Further, the learning support system 1 has a teacher support function that provides lesson support such as creating and distributing assignments to students and conducting lessons to the teachers of an educational institution. Further, the learning support system 1 has a learning support function that provides lesson support such as creating notebooks for lessons, online dictionaries, math tools, and implementing and submitting assignments from teachers to the students of an educational institution.

[0014] In this embodiment, among the functions of the learning support system 1, the learning support function will be described. The learning support function is provided to users whose account information (ID and password) has been registered in the server 10 in advance.

[0015] The server 10 is a WEB server device provided on the cloud of the communication network 30, and provides the above-mentioned learning support function to the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 is an information processing device used by the user, such as a notebook PC. However, the terminal device 20 is not limited to a notebook PC, and may be other information processing devices such as a desktop PC, a tablet PC, or a smartphone. Also, the terminal device 20 in FIG. 1 represents one unit representing a plurality of terminal devices 20 used by a plurality of users.

[0016] <1-1. Configuration of the server> As shown in FIG. 2, the server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, an operation unit 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a display unit 14, a storage unit 15, and a communication unit 16. Each part of the server 10 is connected via a bus 17.

[0017] The CPU 11 controls each part of the server 10. The CPU 11 reads out a specified program among various programs stored in the storage unit 15, expands it in the RAM 13, and executes various processes in cooperation with the expanded program. The operation unit 12 has a keyboard having various keys and a pointing device such as a mouse that accepts position input, accepts key input and position input operation input from the user, and outputs the operation information to the CPU 11. The RAM 13 is a volatile semiconductor memory capable of reading and writing information, provides a working area for the CPU 11, and temporarily stores data and programs. The display unit 14 has a display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and displays various display information input from the CPU 11 and the like on the display panel. The storage unit 15 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., and is a storage unit capable of reading and writing information, and stores various data and various programs.

[0018] The storage unit 15 stores a learning support providing program P1 for executing the learning support providing process described later and a learning support program P2 for executing the learning support process described later. The learning support program P2 includes a notebook program P21 for executing the notebook process described later. The learning support providing program P1 is a program executed by the CPU 11. The learning support program P2 and the notebook program P21 are programs for execution on the browser of the terminal device 20. The browser is software that connects to a WEB server, receives and displays WEB page data.

[0019] In addition, the storage unit 15 stores notebook management information for managing information related to notebooks created by the user in the learning support function. The storage unit 15 stores notebook management information for each user. The user can create a sticker (electronic sticker) and place the sticker on the notebook in the learning support function.

[0020] FIG. 3 is an example of a notebook screen 100 that displays a notebook, and sticky notes 101a to 101d are arranged on the notebook. The notebook is a notebook-type WEB component (digital component), which is a display element to be displayed on the display unit 24 (see FIG. 4) of the terminal device 20. The sticky note is a WEB component that records learning items in various expressions. Here, an example in which the shape of the sticky note is substantially rectangular will be described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, the sticky notes can be connected by a directed connection line. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the sticky note 101a and the sticky note 101b are displayed in a state of being connected by a connection line A1, with the sticky note 101a as the start end (connection source) and the sticky note 101b as the end end (connection destination). The sticky note 101b and the sticky note 101c are displayed in a state of being connected by a connection line A2, with the sticky note 101b as the start end (connection source) and the sticky note 101c as the end end (connection destination). The sticky note 101c and the sticky note 101d are displayed in a state of being connected by a connection line A3, with the sticky note 101c as the start end (connection source) and the sticky note 101d as the end end (connection destination). In the present embodiment, the connection line is an arrow, but it is not limited to an arrow as long as it is a line including direction information. A plurality of sticky notes connected by a connection line have an order according to the direction of the connection line. The order of the plurality of connected sticky notes is, for example, the display order of a slide show function that sequentially displays each sticky note at set time intervals, or the order of the learning schedule directions of each sticky note. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the order of the sticky notes 101a to 101d is, in order from the top, the sticky note 101a, the sticky note 101b, the sticky note 101c, and the sticky note 101d. In the present embodiment, the connection line is not branched (connected from one sticky note to one sticky note and not connected from one sticky note to a plurality of sticky notes). The shape and size of the sticky note are assumed to be those that can be arranged on the notebook. The user can move the sticky note arranged on the notebook to an arbitrary position within the notebook via the operation unit 22.

[0021] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the connection mark C1 attached to the sticker 101d is an instruction means for instructing to connect stickers to each other. When the user drags and drops the connection mark C1 of a predetermined first sticker to a predetermined second sticker, the CPU 21 connects the first sticker and the second sticker with a connection line having the first sticker as the connection source and the second sticker as the connection destination. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to display the connection mark C1 protruding in a tongue shape as a part of the sticker to improve its visibility.

[0022] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the connected mark C2 attached to the sticker 101a is a mark indicating that any sticker is connected to the sticker 101a and that the sticker 101a is the leading sticker. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to display the connected mark C2 protruding in a tongue shape as a part of the sticker to improve its visibility.

[0023] The notebook management information has the identification information of the target notebook, the identification information of the stickers arranged in the notebook, the coordinate information of the stickers in the notebook, the identification information of the connection source / destination stickers of the stickers, etc., associated with each other.

[0024] Also, the storage unit 15 stores sticker management information for managing information related to the stickers created by the user in the learning support function. The sticker management information includes information such as the identification information of the target sticker, the type of the sticker, and the content of the sticker. The type of the sticker is information indicating types corresponding to stickers such as text stickers, camera stickers, link stickers, file stickers, dictionary stickers, and tool stickers. Each type of the sticker will be described in detail later. The sticker content indicates the content of the sticker and is information that can specify a character string, an image, a video, etc. Also, the sticker content includes information related to display settings such as the display size and background color of the sticker.

[0025] The communication unit 16 is a communication unit such as a network card connected to the communication network 30. The communication unit 16 transmits and receives information to and from external devices such as the terminal device 20 on the communication network 30 according to the instructions of the CPU 11. The communication unit 16 is a wired communication unit that is wired-connected to the communication network 30, but is not limited thereto, and may be a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication and is configured to be connected to the communication network 30 via a base station or an access point.

[0026] <1-2. Configuration of Terminal Device> As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 20 includes a CPU 21, an operation unit 22, a RAM 23, a display unit 24, a storage unit 25, a communication unit 26, and a photographing unit 27. Each unit of the terminal device 20 is connected via a bus 28. The CPU 21 controls each unit of the terminal device 20. The CPU 21 reads out a specified program from among various programs stored in the storage unit 25 and expands it in the RAM 23, and executes various processes in cooperation with the expanded program.

[0027] The operation unit 22 has a keyboard having various keys and a pointing device that receives a position input, receives key inputs and position input operation inputs from the user, and outputs the operation information to the CPU 21. Here, the operation unit 22 is assumed to have a mouse as the pointing device. Further, the operation unit 22 may include a touch panel integrally formed on the display panel of the display unit 24 and be configured to receive touch inputs from the user.

[0028] The RAM 23 is a volatile semiconductor memory capable of reading and writing information, provides a working area for the CPU 21, and temporarily stores data and programs. The display unit 24 has a display panel such as an LCD or an EL display, and displays various display information input from the CPU 21 or the like on the display panel. The storage unit 25 is composed of an HDD, an SSD, etc., is a storage unit capable of reading and writing information, and stores various data and various programs. The storage unit 25 stores the browser program P3 for executing the above-described browser.

[0029] The communication unit 26 is a communication unit such as a network card connected to the communication network 30. The communication unit 26 transmits and receives information to and from external devices such as the server 10 on the communication network 30 according to the instructions of the CPU 21. The communication unit 26 is a wired communication unit that is wired-connected to the communication network 30, but is not limited thereto, and may be a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication and is configured to be connected to the communication network 30 via a base station or an access point. The imaging unit 27 is a digital camera unit having an optical system and an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and images a subject to generate image data of a still image or a moving image and outputs it to the CPU 21.

[0030] <2. Operation of the learning support system> Next, the operation of the learning support system 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the learning support system 1, a case where a user who is a student uses the learning support function on the terminal device 20 and uses the notebook function therein will be described. First, in the terminal device 20, triggered by the input of an instruction to execute a browser from the user via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 executes the browser according to the browser program P3. Then, in the terminal device 20 while the browser is being executed, triggered by the input of the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the WEB page providing the learning support function of the server 10 from the user via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 uses the input URL to transmit a login request of the user to the server 10 via the communication unit 26.

[0031] In server 10, when the CPU 11 receives a login request from the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 16, it executes learning support provision processing according to the learning support provision program P1 stored in the storage unit 15. First, the CPU 11 generates login screen data and transmits it to the terminal device 20 that is the request source. Then, in the terminal device 20, the CPU 21 receives the login screen data from the server 10 via the communication unit 26 and displays it on the display unit 24. Then, the CPU 21 receives the input of the ID and password from the user via the operation unit 22 and transmits the input ID and password to the server 10 via the communication unit 26.

[0032] In server 10, when the CPU 11 receives the ID and password from the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 16, it performs user login authentication using the received ID and password. When the user login authentication by the CPU 11 is successful, it reads out the learning support program P2 from the storage unit 15 and transmits the learning support program P2 to the terminal device 20 that has passed the login authentication via the communication unit 16.

[0033] In the terminal device 20, the CPU 21 receives the learning support program P2 from the server 10 via the communication unit 26, executes the learning support program P2 on the browser, and executes learning support processing. In this way, the terminal device 20 realizes learning support processing on the browser. In the learning support processing, the CPU 21 receives the input of operation information from the user via the operation unit 22 and provides functions such as a notebook function and a class support function according to the input operation information. Also, in the learning support processing, the CPU 21 appropriately transmits and receives various kinds of information necessary for the learning support processing to and from the server 10 via the communication unit 26.

[0034] Hereinafter, the main body executing the learning support process is the CPU 21. When the CPU 21 reads information stored in the storage unit 15 of the server 10, it sends a request for the information to the server 10 via the communication unit 26. When the CPU 11 of the server 10 receives a request for information from the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 26, it reads the information from the storage unit 15 and returns it to the terminal device 20. These series of processes are simply described as the CPU 21 acquiring the information stored in the storage unit 15.

[0035] In the terminal device 20 during the execution of the learning support process, triggered by the input of a request to execute a notebook process that realizes a notebook function from the user via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 executes the notebook process according to the notebook program P21 in the learning support program P2 received from the server 10. Thus, the main body of the notebook process is the CPU 21.

[0036] (Notebook Process) The notebook process will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 5. First, the CPU 21 acquires the notebook management information and sticker management information of the logged-in user stored in the storage unit 15 of the server 10 (step S1). Next, based on the notebook management information and sticker management information acquired in step S1, the CPU 21 displays a notebook screen 100 for displaying a notebook on the display unit 24 (step S2).

[0037] FIG. 6 shows an example of a notebook screen 100 with stickers 101e to 101n arranged. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the stickers 101e to 101n are not connected to any other stickers. The notebook screen 100 has a storage icon 102, a submission icon 103, a transmission / reception icon 104, a gesture button 105a, a button group 106, and an end button 107. When a new notebook screen 100 is displayed in step S2, no stickers are displayed on the initial notebook screen 100.

[0038] The save icon 102 is an icon for saving a sticky note placed on the notebook screen 100 in a predetermined folder when the user drags the sticky note onto the save icon 102. The submit icon 103 is an icon for submitting a sticky note placed on the notebook screen 100 to a predetermined destination when the user drags the sticky note onto the submit icon 103. The send / receive icon 104 is an icon for sending a sticky note placed on the notebook screen 100 to a terminal device 20 used by another user when the user drags the sticky note onto the send / receive icon 104. The send / receive icon 104 is also an icon for receiving a sticky note sent from another user when the user clicks the icon. The gesture button 105a is an icon for accepting the selection of multiple sticky notes to be connected by a connecting line and the specification of the connection order of the sticky notes when the user clicks the icon.

[0039] The button group 106 is a plurality of buttons that accept a start instruction to transition to a process of creating a sticky note to be placed on the notebook screen 100. The button group 106 includes a text button 106a, a camera button 106b, a link button 106c, a file button 106d, a dictionary button 106e, and a tool button 106f.

[0040] The text button 106a is a button for transitioning to a screen for creating a text sticker on which text input via the operation unit 22 (for example, a keyboard) is displayed. The camera button 106b is a button for transitioning to a screen for creating a camera sticker on which a captured image captured by the imaging unit 27 is displayed. The link button 106c is a button for transitioning to a screen for creating a link sticker with a link destination URL on the WEB. The file button 106d is a button for acquiring files such as image files, video files, and PDF files, and transitioning to a screen for creating a file sticker on which an image of the acquired file is displayed. The dictionary button 106e is a button for transitioning to a screen for creating a dictionary sticker on which a headword registered in the dictionary database and explanatory information corresponding to the headword are displayed. The tool button 106f is a button for transitioning to a screen for creating information included in various tools as a tool sticker. The end button 107 is a button for instructing the end of the notebook process.

[0041] Returning to FIG. 5, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the gesture button 105a has been click-input-operated by the user via the operation unit 22 (step S3). If the gesture button 105a has not been click-input-operated by the user (step S3; NO), the CPU 21 returns the notebook process to step S3.

[0042] On the other hand, when the user clicks the gesture button 105a (step S3; YES), as shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 21 displays the confirmation button 105b and the cancel button 105c on the notebook screen 100 instead of the gesture button 105a (step S4). The confirmation button 105b is an icon for determining the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation by the user when clicked by the user. The cancel button 105c is an icon for deleting the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation by the user and accepting the drag-and-drop operation again when clicked by the user. Next, the CPU 21 accepts the drag-and-drop operation via the operation unit 22 by the user on the notebook screen 100 and displays the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation (step S5). FIG. 7 shows an example of the trajectory B1 of the drag-and-drop operation displayed in step S5.

[0043] Next, the CPU 21 determines whether the cancel button 105c has been clicked by the user via the operation unit 22 (step S6). When the cancel button 105c has been clicked by the user (step S6; YES), the CPU 21 deletes the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation displayed in step S5 (step S7) and shifts the notebook process to step S5.

[0044] On the other hand, when the cancel button 105c has not been clicked by the user (step S6; NO), the CPU 21 determines whether the confirmation button 105b has been clicked by the user via the operation unit 22 (step S8). When the confirmation button 105b has not been clicked by the user (step S8; NO), the CPU 21 shifts the notebook process to step S6.

[0045] On the other hand, when the confirmation button 105b is click-input-operated by the user (step S8; YES), the CPU 21 determines whether there are a plurality of sticky notes whose trajectories and areas of the drag-and-drop operation displayed in step S5 overlap and which are not linked to other sticky notes (step S9). When there are a plurality of sticky notes whose trajectories and areas of the drag-and-drop operation overlap and which are not linked to other sticky notes (step S9; YES), the CPU 21 sets the plurality of sticky notes as linked sticky notes to be linked by a connection line in the following process (step S10). In the example shown in FIG. 7, the linked sticky notes are sticky notes 101e to 101n. That is, the CPU 21 selects, as linked sticky notes, the electronic sticky notes whose part of the operation trajectory (the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation) from the first specified position (the start position of the drag-and-drop operation) to the second specified position (the end position of the drag-and-drop operation) overlaps within the area. The CPU 21 functions as a selection unit. Steps S9 and S10 are selection steps. Also, the CPU 21 excludes the electronic sticky notes that have been linked by a visual association (connection line) and selects a plurality of electronic sticky notes as linked sticky notes.

[0046] Next, the CPU 21 determines the connection order in the linked sticky notes based on the chronological extension direction of the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation displayed in step S5 (step S11). Specifically, the CPU 11 sets the order in which the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation and the area of the sticky note overlap as the connection order in the linked sticky notes. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the start position of the drag-and-drop operation is position B2, and the end position is position B3. Therefore, the connection order in the linked sticky notes based on the chronological extension direction of the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation is, from the beginning, sticky note 101e, sticky note 101f, sticky note 101g, sticky note 101h, sticky note 101i, sticky note 101j, sticky note 101k, sticky note 101l, sticky note 101m, sticky note 101n.

[0047] FIG. 8 shows an example in which the trajectory B1 of a drag-and-drop operation overlaps the area of one sticker (sticker 101i) twice. Thus, when the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation overlaps the area of one sticker a plurality of times, the CPU 21 determines the connection order in the connected stickers based on the trajectory that last overlapped the area of the sticker. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 21 determines the connection order in the connected stickers as sticker 101e, sticker 101f, sticker 101g, sticker 101h, sticker 101j, sticker 101k, sticker 101l, sticker 101m, sticker 101n, and sticker 101i from the beginning. Note that when the trajectory of the drag-and-drop operation overlaps the area of one sticker a plurality of times, the CPU 21 may determine the connection order in the connected stickers based on the trajectory that first overlapped the area of the sticker.

[0048] Next, the CPU 21 connects the connection slips to each other one-to-one with connection lines and displays them based on the connection order determined in step S11. Further, the CPU 21 displays a gesture button 105a on the notebook screen 100 instead of the OK button 105b and the cancel button 105c (step S12). That is, when the CPU 21 selects a plurality of electronic slips as connection slips, the CPU 21 serially associates the plurality of slips with each other in a manner that enables the connection order among the plurality of electronic slips to be identified by a visual association (connection line). The CPU 21 functions as a connection unit. Step S12 is a connection step. FIG. 9 shows an example in which connection slips (slips 101e to 101n) are connected by connection lines A4 to A12 and displayed based on the locus B1 of the drag-and-drop operation shown in FIG. 7. In step S12, the CPU 21 connects, with a connection line, from the midpoint of any side constituting the source slip to the midpoint of any side constituting the destination slip so that the length of each connection line is minimized. When the CPU 21 receives a drag-and-drop operation on any of the connected slips by the user, the CPU 21 moves only the slip on which the drag-and-drop operation has been performed among the plurality of connected slips on the notebook screen 100. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 21 displays a connection mark C1 on the terminal slip (slip 101n) among the connected slips. Further, the CPU 21 displays a connected mark C2 on the first slip (slip 101e) among the connected slips.

[0049] Also, when the locus and area of the drag-and-drop operation displayed in step S5 overlap and there are no multiple slips that are not connected to other slips (step S9; NO), the CPU 21 proceeds with the notebook process to step S13.

[0050] Next, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the end button 107 has been clicked and input by the user via the operation unit 22 (step S13). If the end button 107 has been clicked and input by the user (step S13; YES), the CPU 21 ends the notebook process. On the other hand, if the end button 107 has not been clicked and input by the user (step S13; NO), the CPU 21 proceeds to step S3 of the notebook process.

[0051] In the above notebook process, the CPU 21 may receive a selection operation of the type of sticky note (text sticky note, camera sticky note, link sticky note, file sticky note, dictionary sticky note, tool sticky note, etc.) via the operation unit 22 by the user, exclude concatenated sticky notes of a type different from the type selected by the user, and display the concatenated sticky notes connected by a connection line. That is, in this case, the CPU 21 connects and displays the concatenated sticky notes of the type selected by the user to each other by a connection line. The CPU 21 functions as a reception unit.

[0052] Also, in the above notebook process, the CPU 21 may connect the concatenated sticky notes for each type of sticky note. For example, when the concatenated sticky notes include a plurality of text sticky notes and a plurality of camera sticky notes, the CPU 21 connects and displays the text sticky notes to each other by a connection line, and connects and displays the camera sticky notes to each other by a connection line. In this case, the CPU 21 does not connect the text sticky notes and the camera sticky notes.

[0053] <3. Effects> As described above, the information processing apparatus (terminal device 20) according to the present embodiment includes a selection unit (CPU 21) that selects an electronic sticky note in which a part of an operation locus from a first designated position to a second designated position overlaps within a region, and when a plurality of electronic sticky notes are selected by the selection unit, a connection unit (CPU 21) that serially links the plurality of electronic sticky notes so that the connection order between the plurality of electronic sticky notes can be identified by visual association. Thereby, it is possible to omit the work of connecting the connection lines one by one by a drag-and-drop operation from the source sticky note to the destination sticky note. Therefore, a plurality of sticky notes can be easily visually associated.

[0054] Also, in the information processing apparatus (terminal device 20) of the present embodiment, the connecting unit (CPU 21) determines the connection order based on the time-series stretching direction of the operation locus. Thereby, the connection order among a plurality of sticky notes can be easily determined.

[0055] Also, in the information processing apparatus (terminal device 20) of the present embodiment, the selection unit (CPU 21) selects a plurality of electronic sticky notes excluding the electronic sticky notes that have been connected by visual association. Thereby, only the unconnected sticky notes can be connected by a connection line.

[0056] Also, the information processing apparatus (terminal device 20) of the present embodiment includes a reception unit (CPU 21) that receives an operation for selecting the type of an electronic sticky note, and the connecting unit (CPU 21) excludes electronic sticky notes of a type different from the type selected by the reception unit and associates a plurality of electronic sticky notes. Thereby, the user can associate electronic sticky notes of a desired type with each other.

[0057] Also, in the information processing apparatus (terminal device 20) of the present embodiment, the connecting unit (CPU 21) associates a plurality of electronic sticky notes for each type of electronic sticky note. Thereby, electronic sticky notes of the same type can be associated with each other.

[0058] Also, in the information processing apparatus (terminal device 20) of the present embodiment, when a part of the operation locus overlaps a plurality of times within the area of one electronic sticky note, the connecting unit (CPU 21) determines the connection order based on a part of the operation locus that overlaps within the area of the electronic sticky note last. Thereby, for a sticky note that has been accidentally dropped, by performing a drop operation again, the sticky notes can be connected in a desired connection order.

[0059] In the above description, an example in which the storage units 15 and 25 (HDD, SSD) are used as the computer-readable medium of the program according to the present invention has been disclosed, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As other computer-readable media, it is possible to apply flash memory or portable recording media such as CD-ROMs. Further, a carrier wave is also applied to the present invention as a medium for providing the data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0060] Note that the description in the above embodiment is an example of the information processing apparatus and the program according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the execution subject of the notebook process is the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the CPU 11 of the server 10 may execute the notebook process. In this case, the CPU 11 of the server 10 corresponds to the "selection unit", the "connection unit", and the "reception unit", and the server 10 corresponds to the "information processing apparatus". Further, regarding the notebook process, a part of the process may be executed by the CPU 11 of the server 10 and the remaining process may be executed by the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20.

[0061] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0062] 1... Learning support system, 10... Server, 20... Terminal device (information processing apparatus), 11... CPU, 21... CPU (selection unit, connection unit, reception unit), 12, 22... Operation unit, 13, 23... RAM, 14, 24... Display unit, 15, 25... Storage unit, 16, 26... Communication unit, 17, 28... Bus, 27... Photographing unit, 30... Communication network

Claims

1. A selection unit that selects an electronic sticky note in which a part of the operation locus from the first specified position to the second specified position overlaps within the area, A connection unit that, when a plurality of electronic sticky notes are selected by the selection unit, serially connects the plurality of electronic sticky notes in a manner that enables identification of the connection order between the plurality of electronic sticky notes by visual association; An information processing apparatus comprising the above.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit determines the connection order based on the chronological extension direction of the operation locus.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects the plurality of electronic sticky notes while excluding the electronic sticky notes that have already been connected by the visual association.

4. Comprising a reception unit that receives an operation for selecting the type of the electronic sticky note, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit connects the plurality of electronic sticky notes while excluding the electronic sticky notes of a type different from the type selected by the reception unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit connects the plurality of electronic sticky notes for each type of the electronic sticky note.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when a part of the operation locus overlaps a plurality of times within the area of one electronic sticky note, the connection unit determines the connection order based on the part of the operation locus that last overlaps within the area of the electronic sticky note.

7. A program that causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to function as A selection unit that selects an electronic sticky note in which a part of the operation locus from the first specified position to the second specified position overlaps within the area, A connection unit that, when a plurality of electronic sticky notes are selected by the selection unit, serially connects the plurality of electronic sticky notes in a manner that enables identification of the connection order between the plurality of electronic sticky notes by visual association;

8. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising: A selection step of selecting an electronic sticky note in which a part of the operation locus from the first specified position to the second specified position overlaps within the area; A connection step of, when a plurality of electronic sticky notes are selected in the selection step, serially connecting the plurality of electronic sticky notes in a manner that enables identification of the connection order between the plurality of electronic sticky notes by visual association; An information processing method including the above. ​

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