Item selection device

Abstract

To enable a user to easily select a desired item in an item selection list appearing in response to his or her prescribed operation.SOLUTION: An item selection unit comprises a list display unit 11a which displays an item selection list in response to detecting the execution of a first operation, a provisional selection unit 11b which sequentially sets a plurality of items included in the item selection list to a provisional selected state in response to detecting the execution of a second operation in a position where the first operation was executed, and an item selection unit 11c which settles selection of an item provisionally selected at the time of detecting a third operation different from the second operation, in response to detecting the execution of the third operation. The second operation performed in the position where the first operation was performed for displaying the item selection list allows for sequentially setting the plurality of items included in the item selection list to the provisional selected state, so that the need of moving an operation position in order to select a desired item from the item selection list is eliminated to improve operability.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an item selection device, and is particularly suitable for use in an item selection device that allows a user to select a desired item from an item selection list that appears around a position indicated by a mouse or touch on the operation screen of an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in information processing devices, there has been known a user interface that, when a user clicks a mouse on a screen or touches a touch panel, displays a list of multiple items around the position of the operation, allowing the user to select a desired item from the list (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This user interface is called a drop-down list, pull-down menu, or pop-up menu.

[0003] In the instruction input device described in Patent Document 1, when a mouse is dragged from a rectangular instruction switching area displayed next to an instruction display area that displays the function name (instruction information) corresponding to a predetermined function, a list of instruction information is displayed, and when desired instruction information is selected from the list by dragging, the selected instruction information is displayed in the instruction display area. In this state, when the instruction display area is clicked with the mouse, the function corresponding to the selected instruction information is executed.

[0004] However, with this method of selecting an item, it is necessary to move the mouse cursor and place it over the desired item when selecting the desired item, which can lead to problems such as difficulty in selecting the desired item or incorrect operation when the user is operating the mouse on a mobile device while standing or when the user is not accustomed to operating a mouse.

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes that when a mouse click is performed in the instruction switching area instead of a mouse drag operation, the next instruction information is sequentially displayed in the instruction display area with each click. However, with this method of selecting items, it is not possible to know in advance what items are available as options, so it is impossible to predict how many clicks are required until the desired item appears, making the operation less convenient than selecting a desired item from a drop-down list. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-140794 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has as its object to enable a user to easily select a desired item from an item selection list that appears when the user performs a predetermined operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, after detecting that a first operation that triggers the display of an item selection list has been performed on the screen of an information processing device and displaying the item selection list, if it is detected that a second operation has been performed at the position where the first operation was performed, multiple items included in the item selection list are sequentially placed in a provisionally selected state, and further, it is detected that a third operation different from the second operation has been performed, and when the third operation is detected, the selection of the provisionally selected item is confirmed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention configured as described above, by performing a second operation at the same position as the first operation performed to display the item selection list, it is possible to cycle through multiple items included in the item selection list and place them in a provisionally selected state. This eliminates the need to move the operation position to select a desired item from the item selection list, improving operability and allowing the desired item to be easily selected while checking the multiple items included in the item selection list. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing device that implements an item selection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a drop-down list displayed by a list display unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 3A] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of forward display of items temporarily selected by the temporary selection unit of the present embodiment. [Figure 3B] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of forward display of items temporarily selected by the temporary selection unit of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display result obtained when the selection of an item is confirmed by the item selection unit of the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a control unit according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device 1 that implements an item selection device according to this embodiment. The information processing device 1 may be a stationary information processing device such as a desktop PC, or a portable information processing device such as a smartphone, tablet, or notebook PC. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 of this embodiment includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, and a display unit 14.

[0012] Control unit 11 is configured by, for example, a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, RAM, and ROM, and operates in accordance with an operating system and application programs (hereinafter collectively referred to as programs) stored in storage unit 12, and executes information processing using various data stored in storage unit 12. In addition to the microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or the like may also be included. Details of the information processing executed by control unit 11 will be described later.

[0013] The storage unit 12 is configured with a computer-readable storage medium. For example, the storage unit 12 is configured to include a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 12 stores various programs executed by the control unit 11. The storage unit 12 also stores various data including data used in the processing of the control unit 11 and data generated during the processing. The control unit 11 and the storage unit 12 configure the item selection device of this embodiment.

[0014] The input unit 13 is configured with, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel, and supplies data according to user operation input to the control unit 11. When the information processing device 1 is a desktop PC or a notebook PC, the input unit 13 includes a keyboard and a mouse, or an operation pad. A touch panel may be provided instead of or in addition to a mouse. When the information processing device 1 is a smartphone or a tablet, the input unit 13 includes a touch panel. In addition to the touch panel, a connected keyboard and mouse may be provided.

[0015] Display unit 14 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays information (including text and images) according to instructions input from control unit 11. In particular, in this embodiment, display unit 14 displays a predetermined information input screen generated by an application program, and displays a drop-down list (item selection list) around a position on the screen indicated by a user operating input unit 13. Display unit 14 also displays information generated in a series of processes when a user selects a desired item in the drop-down list.

[0016] 1, the control unit 11 has, as its functional configuration, a list display unit 11a, a temporary selection unit 11b, and an item selection unit 11c. The processes of these functional blocks 11a to 11c are executed by the operation of a program stored in the storage unit 12.

[0017] List display unit 11a detects that a first operation that triggers the display of a drop-down list including multiple items has been performed on the display screen of information processing device 1, and displays the drop-down list in the vicinity of the position where the operation was performed. That is, when list display unit 11a detects that a first operation has been performed by input unit 13, it controls display unit 14 to display the drop-down list in the vicinity of the position where the first operation was performed.

[0018] The first operation may be, for example, a left-click operation of a mouse or a control pad on a designation area set for instructing display of a drop-down list, or a touch operation of a screen (touch panel) on a designation area set for instructing display of a drop-down list.

[0019] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a drop-down list displayed by the list display unit 11a. In a predetermined information input screen generated by an application program, in response to a left-click or touch operation performed on the position of button 22 arranged next to information input field 21, drop-down list 23 is displayed around button 22 (specifically, below information input field 21 on the left side of button 22). Here, an example of a user interface is shown in which names of prefectures are displayed as multiple items in drop-down list 23, and the user selects one of the prefectures by operating input unit 13 and inputs it into information input field 21. The rectangular area of ​​button 22 corresponds to a designation area set for designating the display of drop-down list 23.

[0020] Temporary selection unit 11b detects that a second operation has been performed at the position where a first operation that triggers display of drop-down list 23 was performed, and sequentially places a plurality of items included in drop-down list 23 in a provisionally selected state. That is, when temporary selection unit 11b detects that a second operation has been performed by input unit 13, temporary selection unit 11b sequentially places a plurality of items included in drop-down list 23 in a provisionally selected state, and controls display unit 14 to sequentially display the items in a provisionally selected state for identifying them.

[0021] The second operation is, for example, a left-click operation of a mouse or a control pad performed in the same designation area as the position where the first operation was performed. Alternatively, the second operation is a touch operation on the screen performed in the same designation area as the position where the first operation was performed. In this embodiment, the temporary selection unit 11b sets the multiple items included in the drop-down list 23 to a temporary selection state one by one in sequence each time a left-click operation or a touch operation is performed.

[0022] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing examples of sequential display of items temporarily selected by the temporary selection unit 11b. FIG. 3A shows a display state when, on the same information input screen as in FIG. 2, a drop-down list 23 is displayed in response to the first operation of button 22 (performed a first operation), and then the same button 22 is operated once (performed a second operation). Here, a rectangular cursor is displayed at the position of "Hokkaido," the first item from the top of drop-down list 23, indicating that "Hokkaido" is temporarily selected, and the name of "Hokkaido" that has been temporarily selected is temporarily entered in the information input field 21. In a typical user interface, after the drop-down list 23 is displayed by operating button 22, the display of the drop-down list 23 disappears when the same button 22 is operated. However, in this embodiment, processing is performed by the temporary selection unit 11b, which is different from this.

[0023] 3B shows the display state when button 22 is operated twice (the second operation is performed twice) after drop-down list 23 is displayed. Here, a rectangular cursor is displayed at the position of "Aomori Prefecture," which is the second item from the top of drop-down list 23, indicating that "Aomori Prefecture" is in a provisionally selected state, and the provisionally selected name of "Aomori Prefecture" is provisionally entered in information input field 21.

[0024] Thereafter, each time button 22 is operated, the third, fourth, ... items from the top of drop-down list 23 are sequentially set to the provisionally selected state. That is, each time button 22 is operated, temporary selection unit 11b sequentially sets the multiple items included in drop-down list 23 to the provisionally selected state one by one in ascending order.

[0025] If the second operation is a left-click operation, the temporary selection unit 11b may be configured to advance through the multiple items included in the drop-down list 23 one by one in descending order and set them in a temporarily selected state each time a right-click operation is performed. For example, if the button 22 is right-clicked in the state of FIG. 3B, the state returns to the state of FIG. 3A. In this case, the right-click also corresponds to the second operation. Here, if a right-click operation is performed when the temporarily selected item is at the top of the drop-down list 23 (when the first item, "Hokkaido," is in a temporarily selected state), the temporarily selected item may remain as it is, for example. Alternatively, the temporarily selected item may be moved to the last item in the drop-down list 23 and set in a temporarily selected state.

[0026] The first operation may be a left-click operation, whereas the second operation for scrolling through the items in ascending order may be a right-click operation. In this case, the temporary selection unit 11b scrolls through the items in ascending order one by one each time a right-click operation is performed, and scrolls through the items in descending order one by one each time a left-click operation is performed.

[0027] The item selection unit 11c detects that a third operation different from the second operation has been performed, and confirms the selection of the provisionally selected item when the third operation is detected. The third operation may be any operation different from the second operation and may be designed arbitrarily. For example, the third operation may be a click operation or a touch operation performed at a position different from the second operation. Alternatively, the third operation may be a mouse cursor movement operation or a tracing operation on the screen from the position where the second operation was performed to a position different from that position. In the example of FIG. 3B, this is, for example, an operation of moving the mouse cursor from within the display area of ​​the button 22 to outside the display area.

[0028] Alternatively, the third operation may be a long press of a click button on a mouse or an operation pad, or a double click. Also, in a configuration in which the temporarily selected items are only advanced one by one in ascending order in response to a click operation, and not advanced in descending order, a click operation on the opposite side to the click operation assigned to the temporary selection unit 11b may be the third operation (for example, in the case of advancing the temporarily selected items by a left click operation, a right click operation is the third operation). As another example, a key operation on a keyboard may be the third operation. Any key on the keyboard may be used, but it may be, for example, the Tab key or the Enter key.

[0029] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display result when the item selection by the item selection unit 11c of this embodiment is confirmed. The example in FIG. 4 shows a state in which, as a result of the third operation being performed when "Aomori Prefecture" is tentatively selected in the drop-down list 23, the selection state of "Aomori Prefecture" is confirmed and the drop-down list 23 is cleared. The name of the selected "Aomori Prefecture" is entered in the information input field 21.

[0030] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control unit 11 (item selection device) configured as above. Here, an example of processing is shown when a desired item is selected from the drop-down list 23 by operating the mouse on the information input screen shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0031] First, the list display unit 11a determines whether or not a left-click operation (first operation) of the mouse has been performed on the button 22, that is, whether or not a left-click operation has been performed with the mouse cursor over the display area of ​​the button 22 (step S1). Here, when it is detected that a left-click operation has been performed on the button 22, the list display unit 11a displays the drop-down list 23 around the button 22 (step S2).

[0032] Next, the list display unit 11a determines whether the mouse cursor has moved to a position other than the display area of ​​the buttons 22 (step S3). If it detects that the mouse cursor has moved outside the display area of ​​the buttons 22, the list display unit 11a returns the drop-down list 23 to its hidden state (step S4). This ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0033] On the other hand, if the list display unit 11a does not detect that the mouse cursor has moved out of the display area of ​​the button 22, that is, if the mouse cursor continues to be located over the display area of ​​the button 22, the temporary selection unit 11b determines whether or not a left click operation (second operation) has been performed on the button 22 (step S5). Here, if it is detected that a left click operation has been performed on the button 22, the temporary selection unit 11b advances one item in the drop-down list 23 in ascending order and sets the item in a temporarily selected state (step S6).

[0034] After the process of step S6, or if a left-click operation on button 22 is not detected within a predetermined time in step S5, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, temporary selection unit 11b determines whether a right-click operation (second operation) of the mouse has been performed on button 22 (step S7). Here, if a right-click operation on button 22 has been detected, temporary selection unit 11b advances one item in drop-down list 23 in descending order and sets the item in a temporarily selected state (step S8).

[0035] After the process of step S8, or if a right-click operation on button 22 is not detected within a predetermined time in step S7, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, item selection unit 11c determines whether a left-click operation (third operation) of the mouse has been performed in a position other than the display area of ​​button 22. Here, if a left-click operation outside the display area of ​​button 22 is not detected within the predetermined time, the process returns to step S5.

[0036] On the other hand, when it is detected that a left click operation has been performed outside the display area of ​​the button 22, the item selection unit 11c confirms the selection of the item that was provisionally selected when the left click operation was detected, and hides the drop-down list 23 (step S10), thereby completing the processing of the flowchart shown in Figure 5.

[0037] As described above in detail, in this embodiment, after detecting that a first operation that triggers the display of a drop-down list has been performed on the display screen of the information processing device 1 and displaying the drop-down list, if it is detected that a second operation has been performed at the position where the first operation was performed, the items included in the drop-down list are sequentially placed in a provisionally selected state. Furthermore, if a third operation different from the second operation has been performed, the selection of the provisionally selected item is confirmed when the third operation is detected.

[0038] According to this embodiment, a second operation performed at the same position as the first operation performed to display the drop-down list can be used to cycle through the multiple items in the drop-down list and temporarily select them. This eliminates the need to move the operation position from the position where the first operation was performed to select a desired item from the drop-down list, improving operability. This allows the user to easily select a desired item while checking the multiple items in the drop-down list that appears when the first operation is performed.

[0039] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the temporary selection unit 11b sets the items included in the drop-down list to the temporarily selected state one by one in sequence each time it detects that the second operation has been performed, but this is not limiting. For example, when it detects that the second operation has been performed following the first operation, the temporary selection unit 11b may automatically set the items included in the drop-down list to the temporarily selected state one by one in sequence.

[0040] For example, on the information input screen of FIG. 2 , after the list display unit 11a displays the drop-down list 23 in response to an initial left-click operation (first operation) on the button 22, if a left-click operation (second operation) on the button 22 is detected, the temporary selection unit 11b sets the first item included in the drop-down list 23, "Hokkaido," to a provisionally selected state. If a third operation is not detected within a predetermined time after "Hokkaido" is set to a provisionally selected state, the temporary selection unit 11b sets the second item, "Aomori Prefecture," to a provisionally selected state. If a third operation is not detected within a predetermined time after "Aomori Prefecture" is set to a provisionally selected state, the temporary selection unit 11b sets the third item, "Iwate Prefecture," to a provisionally selected state. Similarly, the temporary selection unit 11b automatically sets each of the multiple items to a provisionally selected state one by one. Then, upon detecting that a third operation has been performed, the item selection unit 11c confirms the selection of the item that was provisionally selected when the third operation was detected.

[0041] When the temporary selection unit 11b detects that a right-click operation (second operation) has been performed while the temporary selection unit 11b is automatically setting the items in the temporarily selected state to be forwarded in ascending order, the temporary selection unit 11b may automatically set the items in the temporarily selected state to be forwarded in descending order. Also, the second operation may be a long press of the click button, and the items in the temporarily selected state may be automatically forwarded while the long press operation is being performed.

[0042] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which, when a first operation is performed, a drop-down list is displayed in the vicinity of the position where the first operation is performed, but the position where the drop-down list is displayed does not necessarily have to be in the vicinity of the position where the first operation is performed.

[0043] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the first operation is an operation on the button 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the processing of this embodiment can be applied to a pop-up menu that is displayed by performing a right-click operation at any position on the screen.

[0044] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereby. In other words, the present invention can be carried out in various forms without departing from its spirit or main characteristics. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Information processing equipment 11 Control section 11a List display section 11b Tentative selection section 11c Item selection section 12 Storage section 13 Input section 14 Display section

Claims

1. a list display unit that detects that a first operation that triggers the display of an item selection list including a plurality of items has been performed on a screen of the information processing device, and displays the item selection list; a temporary selection unit that detects that a second operation has been performed at the position where the first operation has been performed and sequentially places the plurality of items included in the item selection list in a temporary selected state; an item selection unit that detects that a third operation different from the second operation has been performed and confirms the selection of the provisionally selected item when the third operation is detected; 1. An item selection device comprising:

2. The item selection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the provisional selection unit sets the plurality of items included in the item selection list to a provisionally selected state one by one in sequence each time it detects that the second operation has been performed.

3. the first operation is a click operation on a designation area set for designating display of the item selection list, The second operation is a click operation performed in the same designation area as the position where the first operation was performed, and the tentative selection unit sets the plurality of items included in the item selection list to a tentatively selected state one by one in sequence each time the click operation of the second operation is performed.

3. The item selection device according to claim 2.

4. the first operation is a left-click operation on the designation area, The second operation is either a left click operation or a right click operation performed in the designation area, and the temporary selection unit advances the plurality of items one by one in ascending order each time either one of the click operations is performed, and advances the plurality of items one by one in descending order each time the other of the click operations is performed.

4. The item selection device according to claim 3.

5. The item selection device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the third operation is a click operation performed at a position different from the second operation, or an operation of moving a cursor from the position where the second operation was performed to a position different from that position.

6. 5. The item selection device according to claim 2, wherein the third operation is a long press of a click button, a double click, or a key operation on a keyboard.

7. the first operation is a touch operation on a screen in a designation area set for designating display of the item selection list, The second operation is a touch operation on the screen performed in the same designation area as the position where the first operation was performed, and the tentative selection unit sets the plurality of items included in the item selection list to a tentatively selected state one by one in sequence every time the touch operation of the second operation is performed.

3. The item selection device according to claim 2.

8. The item selection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the temporary selection unit detects that the second operation has been performed, it automatically sets the plurality of items included in the item selection list one by one in sequential order to a temporary selection state.

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