Information processing device, notification display control method, and program

Abstract

To prevent a decline in user experience caused by the display of notification windows. [Solution] The information processing device includes a notification detection unit 21 that detects when a notification has occurred, an overlap determination unit 22 that determines whether or not there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application, a notification evaluation unit 23 that calculates a notification evaluation value indicating the importance of the notification based on the content of the notification, a button evaluation unit 24 that calculates a button evaluation value indicating the importance of the operation buttons using the frequency of use of the operation buttons of the front application, and a display change unit 25 that, when there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons, changes the display of the notification window or the front application based on the button evaluation value of the overlapping operation buttons and the notification evaluation value so that the notification window and the operation buttons do not overlap.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] An information processing apparatus such as a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone has a notification function for displaying a notification window on a display screen when an application or service operating in the background wishes to give some notification to the user (see, 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] When a notification window is displayed at the position where the operation button of the front application is displayed, the operation button becomes inoperable, which may reduce the user experience.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus, a notification display control method, and a program that can prevent a reduction in user experience associated with the display of a notification window.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device comprising: a notification detection unit that detects when a notification has occurred; an overlap determination unit that determines whether or not there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application based on the size and position of the notification window and the position and size of the operation buttons of the front application; a notification evaluation unit that calculates a notification evaluation value indicating the importance of the notification based on the content of the notification; a button evaluation unit that calculates a button evaluation value indicating the importance of the operation buttons using the frequency of use of the operation buttons of the front application; and a display change unit that, when there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application, changes the display of the notification window or the front application based on the button evaluation value of the overlapping operation buttons and the notification evaluation value so that the notification window and the operation buttons do not overlap.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a notification display control method in which a computer performs the following steps: a notification detection step of detecting that a notification has occurred; an overlap determination step of determining whether or not there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application based on the size and position of the notification window and the position and size of the operation buttons of the front application; a notification evaluation step of calculating a notification evaluation value indicating the importance of the notification based on the content of the notification; a button evaluation step of calculating a button evaluation value indicating the importance of the operation buttons using the frequency of use of the operation buttons of the front application; and a display change step of changing the display of the notification window or the front application so that there is no overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons, based on the button evaluation value of the overlapping operation buttons and the notification evaluation value.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described notification display control method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a decrease in user experience associated with the display of a notification window. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic external view of an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of the functions provided by an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example screen where the control buttons on the front window and the notification window overlap. [Figure 5] This diagram shows an example screen when the size and position of the front window are changed. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the processing procedure for notification display control processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Below, an information processing device, a notification display control method, and a program according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Examples of information processing devices include notebook PCs, desktop PCs, tablet terminals, and smartphones. For the sake of convenience, a notebook PC will be used as an example of information processing device 1 below.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic external view of an information processing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 1 includes, for example, a main unit housing 2 and a display housing 3. The main unit housing 2 and the display housing 3 can be opened and closed by, for example, a plurality of connecting members. The main unit housing 2 is equipped with an input device 4. The input device 4 is a user interface for the user to perform input operations. Examples of input devices 4 include a keyboard, touchpad, and pointing device. Examples of pointing devices include a mouse, trackpad, and trackball.

[0013] The display-side housing 3 includes a display 5. Examples of the display 5 include touch panel displays such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and OLED (Electroluminescence) displays.

[0014] Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, in addition to the input device 4 and display 5 described above, the information processing device 1 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 11, main memory 12, secondary storage (memory) 13, an external interface 14, a communication interface 15, etc. These parts are connected to each other directly or indirectly via the bus 18 and work together to perform various processes.

[0015] The CPU 11 controls the entire information processing device 1 using an OS (Operating System) 30 (see Figure 3) stored in a secondary storage device 13 connected via a bus 18, and performs various processes by executing various programs stored in the secondary storage device 13. One or more CPUs 11 may be provided and may cooperate with each other to achieve processing.

[0016] The main memory device 12 is composed of a writable memory such as a cache memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and is used as a working area for reading the execution program of the CPU 11, writing processing data by the execution program, etc.

[0017] The secondary storage device 13 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The secondary storage device 13 is, for example, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, etc. Examples of the secondary storage device 13 include a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a SSD (Solid State Drive) flash memory, etc. The secondary storage device 13 stores, for example, an OS for controlling the entire information processing device such as Windows (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), various device drivers for hardware operation of peripheral devices, various application software, and various data and files, etc. Also, the secondary storage device 13 stores programs for realizing various processes and various data required for realizing various processes. A plurality of secondary storage devices 13 may be provided, and the programs and data as described above may be divided and stored in each secondary storage device 13.

[0018] The external interface 14 is an interface for connecting to an external device. Examples of the external device include an external monitor, a USB memory, an external HDD, an external camera, etc. In the example shown in FIG. 2, only one external interface is illustrated, but a plurality of external interfaces may be provided.

[0019] The communication interface 15 functions as an interface for connecting to a network, communicating with other devices, and transmitting and receiving information. For example, the communication interface 15 communicates with other devices by wire or wirelessly. Examples of wireless communication include communication through lines such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, mobile communication systems (3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, LTE, etc.), and wireless LAN. As an example of wired communication, communication through a line such as wired LAN (Local Area Network) can be mentioned.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of the functions provided in the information processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a notification display control system 20. The notification display control system 20 includes, for example, a notification detection unit 21, an overlap determination unit 22, a notification evaluation unit 23, a button evaluation unit 24, and a display change unit 25. Further, the notification display control system 20 may include a user operation acquisition unit 26 and a button learning unit 27.

[0021] A series of processes for realizing various functions provided in the notification display control system 20 are stored, as an example, in a secondary storage device 13 or the like in the form of a program. The CPU (processor) 11 reads this program into the main storage device 12 and executes information processing and arithmetic processing, thereby realizing various functions. Note that the program may be in a form pre-installed in the secondary storage device 13, in a form provided in a state stored in a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium, or in a form distributed via wired or wireless communication means. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable storage media include magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, semiconductor memories, and the like.

[0022] The notification detection unit 21 detects when a notification has been generated. For example, the notification detection unit 21 detects when a notification has been generated from the OS 30 via the Windows API or the like. Alternatively, the notification detection unit 21 may also detect when a notification has been generated by determining, for example, whether a new window launched on the display 5 is a notification window Twn.

[0023] When a notification is detected, the overlap detection unit 22 determines whether there is an overlap between the notification window Twn and the operation buttons on the front window FAPwn, based on the size and position of the notification window Twn and the position and size of the operation buttons on the application window of the front application FAP (hereinafter referred to as "front window FAPwn"). If the front window FAPwn has multiple operation buttons, the overlap detection unit 22 determines whether there is an overlap between each operation button and the notification window Twn.

[0024] The overlap detection unit 22 obtains, for example, the position and size of the notification window Twn on the display screen of the display 5. The overlap detection unit 22 also determines the position and size of each operation button on the display 5 from the position and size of the front window FAPwn on the display 5, and the position and size of each operation button on the front window FAPwn. Then, it compares the position and size of each operation button on the display screen with the position and size of the notification window Twn to determine whether or not there are operation buttons that overlap with the notification window Twn.

[0025] The overlap detection unit 22 may determine that an overlap has occurred, for example, when the entire area of ​​the operation button overlaps with the notification window Twn. Alternatively, the overlap detection unit 22 may determine that an overlap has occurred when only a portion of the operation button overlaps with the notification window Twn. Furthermore, it may determine that an overlap has occurred when the overlapping area between the operation button and the notification window exceeds a predetermined percentage of the entire area of ​​the operation button. The criteria for determining overlap can be set as appropriate depending on the operation.

[0026] The notification evaluation unit 23 calculates a notification evaluation value indicating the importance of a notification based on the notification content. For example, each notification has an importance level assigned to it. This importance level can, for example, be set by the user. The notification evaluation unit 23 may calculate a notification evaluation value corresponding to the importance of a notification using notification evaluation information that associates the importance of a notification with the notification evaluation value. The notification evaluation information may be, for example, a table that associates the importance of a notification with the notification evaluation value, or it may be a calculation formula for the notification evaluation value that includes the importance of the notification as a parameter. In addition, the notification evaluation unit 23 may calculate the notification evaluation value based on information about the notification source, either in lieu of or in addition to the notification importance level described above. Information about the notification source may include the sender of the email. The notification evaluation value may be changed depending on whether the email sender is an individual or a company, and the notification evaluation value may be calculated so that individuals receive a higher evaluation value than companies.

[0027] The button evaluation unit 24 calculates a button evaluation value indicating the importance of an operation button using the frequency of use of the operation buttons of the front application FAP. For example, when the input device 4 is operated by a user and operation information is input, the user operation acquisition unit 26 outputs the input user operation information to the front application FAP and the button learning unit 27.

[0028] The front application FAP executes processing based on the operation information input from the user operation acquisition unit 26. The button learning unit 27 receives location information and operation information for operation buttons entered by the user from both the front application FAP and the user operation acquisition unit 26. Based on this input information, the button learning unit 27 creates button operation information for each application, associating the location information of operation buttons in the application window with their usage frequency. In this way, the location information of operation buttons can be used as identification information to identify operation buttons.

[0029] The button evaluation unit 24 calculates a button evaluation value based on the button operation information created by the button learning unit 27. The method for calculating the button evaluation value can be, for example, by preparing an algorithm for calculating the button evaluation value in advance and using that. The button evaluation value is set to a larger value for buttons that are used more frequently. For example, the button evaluation unit 24 calculates a notification evaluation value indicating the importance of an operation button using button evaluation information that associates usage frequency with button evaluation value. The button evaluation information may be, for example, a table that associates usage frequency with button evaluation value, or it may be a calculation formula for the button evaluation value that includes an evaluation value related to usage frequency as a parameter. In this way, the button evaluation unit 24 calculates a button evaluation value for each operation button (button position) in the application, according to its frequency of use.

[0030] The display modification unit 25, for example as illustrated in Figure 4, changes the display of the notification window Twn or the front window FAPwn so that the notification window Twn and the operation button BT of the front window FAPwn do not overlap, based on the button evaluation value and notification evaluation value of the overlapping operation button BT.

[0031] For example, the display modification unit 25 changes at least one of the size and position of the front window FAPwn when the difference between the notification evaluation value and the button evaluation value is within a predetermined range. For example, Figure 5 shows an example screen when both the size and position of the front window FAPwn are changed.

[0032] For example, the display modification unit 25 may reduce the size of the front window FAPwn by a predetermined percentage (e.g., 80%), and if there is still overlap between the operation button BT and the notification window Twn after reduction, it may move the front window FAPwn.

[0033] The display modification unit 25 hides the notification window Twn, for example, when the button evaluation value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than the notification evaluation value.

[0034] The display modification unit 25, for example, does not modify the display if the notification evaluation value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than the button evaluation value. As a result, the notification window Twn is displayed overlapping the operation button BT for a predetermined period of time.

[0035] Next, the notification display control process (notification display control method) executed by the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure for the notification display control process according to one embodiment of the present invention. This process starts, for example, when the information processing device 1 is started up, or when the application software that manages the notification display control system 20 starts, and ends when the information processing device 1 is shut down, or when the application software that manages the notification display control system 20 terminates.

[0036] The notification display control system 20 performs the process of creating button operation information (SA1). Specifically, when the input device 4 is operated by the user and any of the operation buttons BT displayed on the front window FAPwn are operated, the notification display control system 20 creates button operation information based on that operation information. Next, the notification display control system 20 determines whether or not a notification has been detected (SA2). If no notification has been detected (SA2:NO), the system returns to step SA1 and performs the button operation information creation process described above.

[0037] On the other hand, if a notification is detected (SA2:YES), it is determined whether there is an overlap between the notification window Twn and the operation button BT of the front window FAPwn, based on the size and position of the notification window Twn and the position and size of the operation button BT of the front window FAPwn (SA3). If there is no overlap between the two (SA3:NO), return to step SA1. On the other hand, if there is an overlap between the two (SA3:YES), calculate the button evaluation value BJ of the operation button BT that overlaps with the notification window Twn (SA4). Next, calculate the notification evaluation value TJ of the notification window Twn (SA5).

[0038] Next, the calculated button evaluation value BJ and notification evaluation value TJ are compared. Specifically, it is determined whether the absolute value of the difference between the button evaluation value BJ and the notification evaluation value TJ is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold K (SA6). In other words, it is determined whether the difference between the button evaluation value BJ and the notification evaluation value TJ is within a predetermined range. If the result is within the predetermined range (SA6: YES), the display of the front window FAPwn is changed. Specifically, at least one of the size and position of the front window FAPwn is changed (SA7), and the process returns to step SA1.

[0039] On the other hand, in step SA6, if the difference between the button evaluation value BJ and the notification evaluation value TJ is not within a predetermined range (SA6:NO), it is determined whether the button evaluation value BJ is greater than the notification evaluation value TJ (SA8). As a result, if the button evaluation value BJ is greater than the notification evaluation value TJ (SA8: YES), the notification window Twn is hidden (SA9), and the process returns to step SA1. On the other hand, if the button evaluation value BJ is less than the notification evaluation value TJ (SA8: NO), no changes are made to the display, and the process returns to step SA1.

[0040] As described above, the information processing device 1, notification display control method, and program according to this embodiment provide the following effects. If a notification occurs and there is an overlap between the notification window Twn and the operation buttons in the front window FAPwn, the display of either the notification window Twn or the front window FAPwn will be changed to prevent the two from overlapping, based on a comparison between the notification evaluation value TJ, which indicates the importance of the notification content, and the button evaluation value BJ, which indicates the importance of the operation buttons. This eliminates the overlap between the notification window Twn and the operation buttons in the front window FAPwn, thus preventing a decrease in user experience associated with the display of the notification window Twn.

[0041] Furthermore, if the difference between the notification evaluation value TJ of the notification window Twn and the button evaluation value BJ of the operation button BT is within a predetermined range, the size and position of at least one of the front window FAPwn are changed without hiding the notification window Twn. This makes it possible to display the notification window Twn while also making the operation button BT of the front window FAPwn operable. This allows the user to check notifications and operate the operation buttons smoothly as needed.

[0042] Furthermore, if the button evaluation value BJ is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than the notification evaluation value TJ, the notification window Twn will be hidden. In this way, the notification window Twn is hidden when the importance of the notification is low, thus avoiding problems such as the operation button BT being unable to be pressed due to the notification window Twn. This prevents a decrease in the user experience associated with the display of the notification window Twn.

[0043] Although the present invention has been described above using the above embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention, and such modified or improved forms are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, the processing procedure according to the above embodiment is merely an example, and unnecessary processing steps may be deleted, new processing steps added, or processing steps rearranged without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1: Information Processing Device 2: Main unit casing 3: Display-side enclosure 4: Input devices 5: Display 11: CPU 12: Main memory 13:Secondary storage device 14: External Interface 15: Communication Interface 18: Bus 20: Notification display control system 21: Notification detection unit 22: Overlap detection unit 23: Notification and Evaluation Department 24: Button Evaluation Section 25: Display change section 26: User operation acquisition unit 27: Button Learning Section

Claims

1. A notification detection unit that detects when a notification has occurred, An overlap determination unit that determines whether or not there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application, based on the size and position of the notification window and the position and size of the operation buttons of the front application, A notification evaluation unit calculates a notification evaluation value indicating the importance of the notification based on the content of the notification, A button evaluation unit calculates a button evaluation value indicating the importance of the operation buttons using the frequency of use of the operation buttons of the front application, When the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application overlap, a display modification unit modifies the display of the notification window or the front application so that the notification window and the operation buttons do not overlap, based on the button evaluation value of the overlapping operation buttons and the notification evaluation value. An information processing device equipped with the following.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display changing unit changes at least one of the size and position of the front application window when the difference between the notification evaluation value and the button evaluation value is within a predetermined range.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display changing unit hides the notification window when the button evaluation value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than the notification evaluation value.

4. For each application, it includes a button learning unit that creates button operation information that associates the position information and frequency of use of operation buttons in the application window. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the button evaluation unit calculates the button evaluation value based on the button operation information created by the button learning unit.

5. A notification detection process that detects when a notification has occurred, An overlap determination step that determines whether or not there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application, based on the size and position of the notification window and the position and size of the operation buttons of the front application, A notification evaluation process that calculates a notification evaluation value indicating the importance of the notification based on the content of the notification, A button evaluation step that calculates a button evaluation value indicating the importance of the operation button using the frequency of use of the operation button of the front application, If there is an overlap between the notification window and the operation buttons of the front application, a display modification step is performed to change the display of the notification window or the front application so that the notification window and the operation buttons do not overlap, based on the button evaluation value of the overlapping operation buttons and the notification evaluation value. A notification display control method executed by a computer.

6. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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