Information processing device and program

Abstract

To improve operability of a user as compared with a case where a display position of an instruction image of a document displayed on a screen is not considered in a case of displaying a menu image for accepting an operation or editing of the document.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus displays a document icon 410 for accepting an instruction of a user for a document by an operation screen 400 for accepting an operation by the user, displays an enlarged thumbnail image 420 related to the document according to an instruction of the user on the document icon 410, and displays a menu image 430 for accepting an operation of the user on the enlarged thumbnail image 420 at a position determined by a display position of the document icon 410 in the operation screen 400.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a configuration in which the display magnification for enlarging an image is determined based on the user's operation information on a thumbnail image on a screen that displays an image based on document data and a thumbnail image, and a menu is provided above the image that is enlarged and displayed according to the determined display magnification. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4821529 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some cases, when a document pointer image on a screen is selected, a document image related to the selected document is displayed. In this case, a menu image that accepts operations and edits on the document is displayed fixedly, for example, on one side of the upper part of the document image area. However, if the document pointer image is displayed in the lower part of the screen, the distance from the document pointer image in this lower part to the menu image in the upper part becomes long, which reduces user operability. The object of the present invention is to improve user operability when displaying a menu image that accepts operations and editing of a document, compared to when the display position of the instruction image of the document displayed on the screen is not taken into consideration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 includes a processor, wherein the processor displays an instruction image for receiving a user's instruction for a document on an operation screen for receiving a user's operation, displays a document image related to the document in response to the user's instruction on the instruction image, and displays a menu image for receiving the user's operation for the document image at a position determined by the display position of the instruction image on the operation screen. The display of the menu image is changed based on the size of the operation screen, and when the operation screen is smaller than a predetermined value and a part of the area of ​​the menu image is displayed, the area where the menu image is displayed is transitioned. The information processing device is characterized by: The invention described in claim 2 is the information processing device described in claim 1, wherein the processor starts displaying the document image when a cursor is positioned on the indication image. The invention of claim 3 is the information processing device of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the processor displays the menu image in an area where the document image is displayed. The invention described in claim 4 is an information processing device described in claim 3, characterized in that the processor displays the document image in the center of the area displaying the document image, and displays the menu image in an area at the edge of the area displaying the document image. The invention described in claim 5 is an information processing device described in claim 3, characterized in that the processor displays the menu image above the area displaying the document image when the display position of the instruction image is above the area displaying the document image, and displays the menu image below the area displaying the document image when the display position of the instruction image is below the area displaying the document image. The invention described in claim 6 is an information processing device described in claim 3, characterized in that the processor displays the menu image to the left of the area displaying the document image when the display position of the instruction image is to the left of the area displaying the document image, and displays the menu image to the right of the area displaying the document image when the display position of the instruction image is to the right of the area displaying the document image. The invention of claim 7 is the information processing device of any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the processor displays the menu image at a position close to the instruction image. An eighth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the processor changes the display of the menu image based on the position of a cursor operated by a user. The invention described in claim 9 is an information processing device described in claim 8, characterized in that the processor displays the menu image in the area displaying the document image, and does not display the menu image if the cursor position is not in the area displaying the document image. The invention described in claim 10 is the information processing device described in claim 8, characterized in that the processor displays the menu image in the area displaying the document image, and changes the transparency of the menu image based on whether the cursor is positioned on the menu image or not. The invention described in claim 11 is the information processing device described in claim 10, characterized in that the processor displays the menu image transparently when the cursor position is not on the menu image. The invention described in claim 12 is the information processing device described in claim 10, characterized in that when the cursor is positioned on the menu image, the processor displays the menu image with a lower transparency than the transparency of the menu image when the cursor is not positioned on the menu image. Claim 13 In the invention described in the item (1), the processor changes the shape of the menu image when the operation screen is smaller than a predetermined value. Claim 1 or claim 2 The information processing device is described. Claim 14 The invention described in is an information processing device described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that when the document has multiple pages, the processor does not change the display position of the menu image even if the page displayed in the document image is changed. Claim 15The invention described in claim 1 further includes a step of displaying a change button image in the area of ​​the menu image, the change button image being an image that receives an operation from a user to change a page to be displayed in the document image. 14 The information processing device is described. Claim 16 The invention described in the item (1) has a function of displaying an instruction image for receiving a user's instruction for a document on an operation screen for receiving a user's operation, a function of displaying a document image related to the document in response to a user's instruction on the instruction image, and a function of displaying a menu image for receiving a user's instruction for the document image at a position determined by the display position of the instruction image on the operation screen. The display of the menu image is changed based on the size of the operation screen, and when the operation screen is smaller than a predetermined value and a part of the area of ​​the menu image is displayed, the area where the menu image is displayed is transitioned. It is a program that realizes the functions described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] Claim 1 and Claim 16 According to the invention, when displaying a menu image that accepts operations and editing of a document, user operability can be improved compared to when the display position of the instruction image of the document displayed on the screen is not taken into consideration. In addition, the user's operability can be improved compared to when a uniform display mode is used regardless of the size of the operation screen, and the user can operate the menu image more easily compared to when the area where the menu image is displayed is not changed. According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to improve the operability for the user compared to a case where the document image is not displayed even when the cursor is positioned on the pointing image. According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to reduce the space on the operation screen compared to when the menu image is displayed in an area different from the area where the document image is displayed. According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to reduce the area where the image and the menu image overlap. According to the inventions of claims 5 and 6, the moving distance of the cursor can be reduced. According to the invention of claim 7, the cursor movement distance can be reduced compared to when the distance between the menu image and the display position of the pointed image of the document displayed on the screen is not taken into consideration when displaying the menu image. According to the invention of claim 8, it is possible to improve the operability for the user compared to when a uniform display mode is used without considering the user's intention. According to the invention of claim 9, it is possible to improve the operability for the user compared to the case where an image that is predicted not to be required by the user is displayed. According to the invention of claim 10, the menu image and the document image overlapping the menu image can be visually recognized. According to the invention of claim 11, it is possible to obtain information displayed in an area overlapping the menu image. According to the invention of claim 12, the user can easily operate the menu image. Claim 13 According to the invention, it is easier to secure an area for displaying a menu image compared to when the operation screen is small but the menu image is displayed in a uniform shape. Claim 14 According to the invention, the user's effort to search for a menu image can be reduced compared to when the display position of the menu image is changed with a change in page. Claim 15 According to the invention, the operability for the user when changing pages can be improved compared to when the display position of the menu image is changed in conjunction with the change of page. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display on an operation screen. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image display device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for displaying a menu image related to an enlarged thumbnail image. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of display of an operation screen, in which (A) shows a state before a document icon 410a is specified, and (B) shows a state in which an enlarged thumbnail image 420a is displayed. [Figure 6]10A and 10B show an example of the display of an operation screen, in which (A) shows the state in which an enlarged thumbnail image 420a is selected and the menu image 430 is displayed transparently, and (B) shows the state in which the menu image 430 is selected and the menu image 430 is displayed. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B show an example of the display position on the operation screen, in which (A) shows a state in which the display position of the document icon 410 is above the display area 421 of the enlarged thumbnail image, and (B) shows a state in which the display position of the document icon 410 is below the display area 421 of the enlarged thumbnail image. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B show an example of the display position on the operation screen, in which (A) shows a state in which the display position of the document icon 410 is on the left side of the display area 421 of the enlarged thumbnail image, and (B) shows a state in which the display position of the document icon 410 is on the right side of the display area 421 of the enlarged thumbnail image. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of a display position on an operation screen. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of a displayed menu image. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. <Hardware configuration of image display device 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image display device 1 according to this embodiment functions as an example of an information processing device, and includes an arithmetic processing unit 10 that executes digital arithmetic processing in accordance with a predetermined processing program when displaying on the screen, an input unit 20 that accepts input operations from a user, a secondary memory unit 30 realized by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a display unit 40 consisting of a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel, or the like that displays images, text information, etc. to the user, and a communication unit 50 that transmits and receives data via a network.

[0009] The arithmetic processing unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 as an example of a processor that controls the entire device, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 used as a working memory for the CPU 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 that stores an image display processing program executed by the CPU 11, a non-volatile memory 14 such as a battery-backed SRAM (Static RAM) or flash memory that is rewritable and can retain data even when the power supply is interrupted, and an interface unit 15 that controls each unit such as an input unit 20 connected to the arithmetic processing unit 10. Image information such as thumbnail images (described later) displayed on the display unit 40 is stored in the non-volatile memory 14. In addition to storing image data, etc., the secondary storage unit 30 also stores an image display processing program executed by the calculation processing unit 10, and the calculation processing unit 10 reads this image display processing program to execute each process of the image display device 1 of this embodiment.

[0010] Here, the program executed by CPU 11, which is an example of a processor, is provided to the arithmetic processing unit 10 in a state where it is stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium (such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic disk), an optical recording medium (such as an optical disk), a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The program executed by CPU 11 may also be downloaded to the image display device 1 using a communication means such as the Internet. In this embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). Furthermore, the operations of the processors may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in this embodiment, and may be changed.

[0011] The input unit 20 is a device such as a pointing device through which a user inputs operations. For example, if the input unit 20 is a mouse or the like, the user can specify a position on the screen of the display unit 40, a displayed image, or the like by moving the cursor or clicking. Furthermore, when the input unit 20 is a touch panel or the like, the user can specify a position on the screen or a displayed image by touching the touch panel with a finger or the like or by maintaining the touch state of the finger or the like for a predetermined period of time. In this case, the input unit 20 is provided integrally with the display unit 40. In addition to the above-mentioned pointing device and other devices, the input unit 20 may also include a keyboard for key input operations.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen to which this embodiment is applied. The display unit 40 displays an operation screen 400, which is a screen for accepting operations by a user, as shown in Fig. 2. In other words, the operation screen 400 is an area in which instruction images and the like for accepting user instructions for a document are arranged. Note that the document may include images in addition to characters, or may be composed of only images without including characters.

[0013] In addition to a document icon 410, the operation screen 400 displays an enlargement instruction image 411, an enlarged thumbnail image 420, a menu image 430, a toolbar 440, and the like. The document icon 410 is an example of an instruction image that accepts a user's instruction regarding a document. The enlargement instruction image 411 is an image for issuing an instruction regarding the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420. The enlarged thumbnail image 420 is a document image related to a document that is displayed in response to a user's instruction regarding the document icon 410. The menu image 430 is an image that accepts a user's operation regarding the document image related to the document. The toolbar 440 is a collection of instruction sections that are provided to simplify user operations regarding electronic documents. Operations regarding these electronic documents include operations to save, print, rotate, search, and encrypt an electronic document, and operations to bundle two or more electronic documents.

[0014] The document icon 410 is a pictorial symbol representing various functions such as program functions, and is an instruction image for receiving user instructions regarding a document. The document icon 410 may be a thumbnail image for confirming at least a portion of the document contents. For example, if the corresponding file is image data, this thumbnail image is displayed as a reduced image of the original image. Also, if the corresponding file is multi-page document data, it is displayed as a reduced image of a representative page, such as the first page. The document icon 410 displayed as a thumbnail image functions as an icon for opening the corresponding file. Furthermore, if the document displayed as a thumbnail image consists of multiple pages, an image (not shown) that allows the user to change the displayed page may be displayed in association with the document icon 410. In this embodiment, a "page" refers to a collection of data that is displayed on the operation screen 400 as one surface at a time. The document icon 410 may be a tray used by the user to transfer electronic documents to a third party, a folder used to store electronic documents, or a pictorial symbol representing an electronic document.

[0015] Enlargement instruction image 411 is an image for accepting a user's operation and issuing an instruction relating to the display of enlarged thumbnail image 420, and is displayed in association with document icon 410. Instead of enlargement instruction image 411 exemplified in Fig. 2, there is also a mode in which a maintenance instruction image 412 (described later in Fig. 6) corresponding to the content of the instruction is displayed. In this embodiment, the enlargement instruction image 411 and the maintenance instruction image 412 are displayed superimposed on the upper right corner of the document icon 410. In this case, it is preferable that the enlargement instruction image 411 and the maintenance instruction image 412 are displayed so as not to reduce the visibility of the document icon 410. For example, the enlargement instruction image 411 is displayed smaller than the document icon 410. Furthermore, the enlargement instruction image 411 is displayed semi-transparently so that the overlapping portion of the document icon 410 can be seen through it.

[0016] The enlarged thumbnail image 420 is an example of a document image related to a document, and is an enlarged image of the thumbnail image related to the document icon 410 that has been instructed to be enlarged by the user, and is displayed without launching a new program. Here, the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is enlarged and displayed to a size that allows the user to understand the content of the document corresponding to the document icon 410. The enlarged thumbnail image 420 is generally displayed larger than the corresponding document icon 410. In addition, the resolution of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 may be set higher than the resolution of the thumbnail image displayed as the document icon 410.

[0017] The menu image 430 is an image that accepts a user's operation on a document or a document image related to a document, and is displayed at a position determined by the display position of the document icon 410 designated by the user on the operation screen 400. This determined position is a position that does not interfere with the display of document images such as the enlarged thumbnail image 420. The menu image 430 is displayed, for example, at an edge region of the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420, close to the document icon 410 designated by the user. If the display position of the document icon 410 designated by the user is at the top of the operation screen 400, the upper edge region of the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is closer to the display position of the document icon 410 designated by the user than the lower edge region of the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420. Furthermore, if the display position of the document icon 410 designated by the user is to the left of the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420, the left edge region of the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is closer to the display position of the document icon 410 designated by the user than the right edge region of the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420.

[0018] In addition to the number of pages of the document, the menu image 430 also displays button images 431 related to various menus. The button images 431 include, for example, a change button image 431a that is a button image for accepting a change of the displayed page, and an edit button image 431b that is a button image for accepting execution of document editing. Examples of document editing include inputting text, adding sticky note images and stamp images, etc. Also, for example, there is a history button image 431c that is a button image for accepting display of the history of editing of the document, and an omission button image 431d that is a button image for accepting display of a screen related to processing in which the display of various button images is omitted. In addition to these, buttons for accepting other operations (not shown) may be displayed. An example of other operations is sending the document to another user, etc.

[0019] Additionally, as shown in the figure, text 450 such as the name of a file or function corresponding to the document icon 410 may be displayed in association with each image on the operation screen 400. Also, text 450 may be displayed in association with an enlarged thumbnail image 420.

[0020] <Functional configuration of image display device 1> Next, the functional configuration of the image display device 1 will be described. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image display device 1. As shown in the figure, the image display device 1 has an operation determination unit 101, a display control unit 102, an instruction image output unit 103, an enlarged image output unit 104, a menu image output unit 105, a thumbnail image generation unit 106, and a thumbnail image storage unit 107, which are realized by the calculation processing unit 10 (see FIG. 1).

[0021] The operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not a user operation has been performed on the operation screen 400 (see FIG. 2) via the input unit 20. This user operation is, for example, an operation to specify an image, various icons, a position, etc. on the operation screen 400, a scrolling operation, a key input operation, etc.

[0022] The display control unit 102 controls the display mode and position of the document icon 410, enlarged thumbnail image 420, menu image 430, toolbar 440 (see FIG. 2), etc. based on the content determined by the operation determination unit 101. The display control unit 102 also controls to retrieve thumbnail images from the thumbnail image storage unit 107 (described later) and display them as document icons 410 for opening corresponding files.

[0023] When the user issues an instruction to enlarge or maintain the enlargement, the instruction image output unit 103 outputs an instruction image such as an enlargement instruction image 411 to assist the user's operation to the display unit 40. This instruction image is displayed in association with the document icon 410.

[0024] Based on the determination by operation determination unit 101 that enlargement instruction image 411 has been designated, enlarged image output unit 104 retrieves a thumbnail image from thumbnail image storage unit 107. Enlarged image output unit 104 outputs enlarged thumbnail image 420, which is an enlarged version of the thumbnail image corresponding to document icon 410 designated by the user, to display unit 40, without starting a new program.

[0025] Based on the determination by the operation determination unit 101 that the enlarged thumbnail image 420 has been specified, the menu image output unit 105 outputs the menu image 430 to the display unit 40. The menu image 430 is displayed at a position determined by the display position of the document icon 410 specified by the user. Preferably, the menu image 430 is displayed within the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420 in order to secure an area for displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420. More preferably, the menu image 430 is displayed at a position within the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420 that is close to the document icon 410 specified by the user. A position within the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420 that is close to the document icon 410 specified by the user is a position that is closer to the document icon 410 than the distance between the document icon 410 and the center of the area displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420.

[0026] The thumbnail image generating unit 106 generates thumbnail images to be displayed on the operation screen 400 based on files such as image data stored in the secondary storage unit 30. The thumbnail image storage unit 107 acquires and stores the thumbnail images generated by the thumbnail image generation unit 106. The thumbnail image storage unit 107 is realized by the nonvolatile memory 14.

[0027] <Displaying menu images using mouse operations> Next, the user operation and display process when the menu image 430 is displayed will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 8. Here, the case where the user uses the input unit 20 such as a mouse will be taken as an example. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for displaying the menu image 430. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of the display of operation screen 400. Fig. 5(A) shows the state before document icon 410a is specified, and Fig. 5(B) shows the state when enlarged thumbnail image 420a is displayed. Fig. 6(A) shows the state when enlarged thumbnail image 420a is specified and menu image 430 is displayed transparently, and Fig. 6(B) shows the state when menu image 430 is specified and menu image 430 is displayed. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing examples of display positions on operation screen 400. Fig. 7(A) shows a state in which document icon 410 is displayed above enlarged thumbnail image display area 421, and Fig. 7(B) shows a state in which document icon 410 is displayed below enlarged thumbnail image display area 421. Fig. 8(A) shows a state in which document icon 410 is displayed to the left of enlarged thumbnail image display area 421, and Fig. 7(B) shows a state in which document icon 410 is displayed to the right of enlarged thumbnail image display area 421.

[0028] 5 and 6, display unit 40 in this embodiment displays cursor 200, which indicates a position, image, etc. on the screen, on operation screen 400. Cursor 200 moves in response to a user operation input via input unit 20, and is displayed so as to indicate a position, image, etc. on the screen designated by the user. On the operation screen 400, document icons 410 (410a, 410b, 410c) and a toolbar 440 are displayed.

[0029] The enlargement instruction image 411a shown in FIG. 5(B) is an image for receiving a user's instruction to display the enlarged thumbnail image 420a. 6(A) and (B) is an image for receiving a user's instruction to maintain the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420a. When the enlargement instruction image 411a is specified and the enlarged thumbnail image 420a is displayed, the maintenance instruction image 412a is displayed, for example, at the position where the enlargement instruction image 411a was displayed. The display of the menu image 430 shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) changes depending on the position of the cursor 200 operated by the user.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, on the operation screen 400, a menu image 430 is displayed at a position determined by the display position of a document icon 410 designated by the user. 8(A) and 8(B) are areas for displaying enlarged thumbnail images 420, and are distinguished by the orientation of the document image, such as the enlarged thumbnail image 420. For example, display area 421a displays a portrait-oriented enlarged thumbnail image 420 whose vertical length is longer than its horizontal length, and display area 421b displays a landscape-oriented enlarged thumbnail image 420 whose horizontal length is longer than its vertical length. Display area 421 is provided in an area of ​​operation screen 400 that does not overlap with at least a portion of the specified document icon 410.

[0031] Next, a description will be given with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the operation determination unit 101 shown in Fig. 3 determines whether any of the document icons 410 has been designated based on an operation via the input unit 20 (step 501). In this embodiment, the operation determination unit 101 determines an operation of moving the cursor 200 so as to point to any of the document icons 410 as designation of the document icon 410. For example, a mouse-over operation or the like that positions the cursor 200 on the document icon 410 is determined as designation of the document icon 410. In the example of Fig. 5(A), the cursor 200 is not positioned on any of the document icons 410, so it is determined that the document icon 410 has not been designated.

[0032] In step 501, if the document icon 410 has not been designated (NO in step 501), the process waits until a document icon is designated. If the document icon 410 has been designated (YES in step 501), the instruction image output unit 103 outputs and displays an enlargement instruction image 411 (step 502). For example, if a mouse-over operation is performed to position the cursor 200 on the document icon 410a shown in Fig. 5(A), an enlargement instruction image 411a is displayed as shown in Fig. 5(B).

[0033] Next, the operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not the enlargement instruction image 411 is designated based on the operation via the input unit 20 (step 503). In this embodiment, the operation determination unit 101 determines, for example, a mouse-over operation on the enlargement instruction image 411 as a designation of the enlargement instruction image 411. In step 503, if enlargement instruction image 411a has not been specified (NO in step 503), the process waits until enlargement instruction image 411a is specified. If enlargement instruction image 411a has been specified (YES in step 503), enlarged image output unit 104 retrieves a thumbnail image from thumbnail image storage unit 107, and outputs and displays enlarged thumbnail image 420, which is an enlarged version of the thumbnail image corresponding to the specified document icon 410, on display unit 40 (step 504). In the example of Fig. 5(B), enlargement instruction image 411a on document icon 410a is specified by hovering cursor 200 over it, and enlarged thumbnail image 420a, which is an enlarged version of the thumbnail image corresponding to document icon 410a, is displayed.

[0034] The instruction image output unit 103 outputs and displays the maintenance instruction image 412 on the display unit 40 (step 505). This maintenance instruction image 412 accepts that the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is maintained. For example, when the enlargement instruction image 411a shown in Fig. 5(B) is specified and the enlarged thumbnail image 420a is displayed, the enlargement instruction image 411a is changed to the maintenance instruction image 412a shown in Fig. 6(A) and displayed.

[0035] Next, the operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not the maintain instruction image 412 has been designated (step 506). In this embodiment, the operation determination unit 101 determines, for example, a click operation on the maintain instruction image 412 as the designation of the maintain instruction image 412. In the example shown in Fig. 6(A), after the maintain instruction image 412a is designated by a click operation, the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420a is maintained. In step 506, if the maintenance instruction image 412 is not designated (NO in step 506), the process waits until the maintenance instruction image 412 is designated. If the maintenance instruction image 412 is designated (YES in step 506), the operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not the cursor 200 is on the enlarged thumbnail image 420 whose display is maintained (step 507).

[0036] In step 507, if the cursor 200 is not on the enlarged thumbnail image 420 (NO in step 507), the process waits until the cursor 200 moves to the enlarged thumbnail image 420, and the menu image 430 is hidden. If the cursor 200 is not on the enlarged thumbnail image 420, it is predicted that the user does not need the menu image 430. In step 507, if cursor 200 is located on enlarged thumbnail image 420 (YES in step 507), display control unit 102 determines the display position of menu image 430 based on the display position of specified document icon 410 (step 508). The display position of menu image 430 is determined to be close to specified document icon 410. This distance may be the distance between the center point of specified document icon 410 and the center point of menu image 430, the distance between a predetermined point on specified document icon 410 and a predetermined point on menu image 430, the distance between the closest points on specified document icon 410 and menu image 430, or the like.

[0037] Here, a specific example of the display position of the menu image 430 determined by the display position of the document icon 410 will be given. 7(A), the display position of document icon 410 is at the top of operation screen 400, and is above display area 421 that displays enlarged thumbnail image 420, so menu image 430 is displayed at the top of display area 421. In the example of FIG. 7(B), the display position of document icon 410 is below display area 421, so menu image 430 is displayed at the bottom of display area 421. 8(A), the display position of document icon 410 is above operation screen 400 and to the left of display areas 421a and 421b, so that menu image 430 is displayed above and to the left of display areas 421a and 421b. In the example of Fig. 8(B), the display position of document icon 410 is below operation screen 400 and to the right of display areas 421a and 421b, so that menu image 430 is displayed below and to the right of display areas 421a and 421b.

[0038] Next, menu image output unit 105 outputs menu image 430 to display unit 40 at a position determined by the display position of specified document icon 410, and displays it transparently (step 509). In the example of Fig. 6(A), cursor 200 is on enlarged thumbnail image 420a, but is not in the area where menu image 430 is displayed. Therefore, the transparency of menu image 430 is increased to make it semi-transparent, and the overlapping portion of enlarged thumbnail image 420a is displayed so that it can be seen through.

[0039] The operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not the cursor 200 is on the menu image 430 (step 510). If the cursor 200 is not on the menu image 430 (NO in step 510), the operation waits until the cursor 200 moves onto the menu image 430. If the cursor 200 is on the menu image 430 (YES in step 510), the menu image output unit 105 outputs the menu image 430 to the display unit 40 and displays it with a lower transparency than when the cursor 200 is not on the menu image 430 (step 511). The menu image may be displayed without transparency. In the example of FIG. 6(B), because the cursor 200 is on the menu image 430, the transparency of the menu image 430 is lowered and the button image 431 related to the menu is displayed so that it can be seen more clearly.

[0040] The operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not the button image 431 relating to one menu has been selected among the button images 431 relating to the menus included in the menu image 430 (step 512). If the button image 431 relating to one menu has not been selected (NO in step 512), the operation determination unit 101 waits until the button image 431 relating to one menu is selected. If the button image 431 relating to one menu has been selected (YES in step 512), the display control unit 102 performs control to display the enlarged thumbnail image 420 in which the processing of the menu corresponding to the selected button image 431 is reflected in the document (step 513). Here, even if the page to be displayed is changed to reflect the processing of the selected menu, the display position and size of the menu image 430 are not changed.

[0041] Next, the operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not an operation to release the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 has been performed (step 514). In this embodiment, the operation determination unit 101 determines, for example, a click operation at a position other than the display area 421 or another click operation on the maintenance instruction image 412 as an operation to release the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420. If a release operation has not been performed in step 514 (NO in step 514), the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 continues to be maintained. If a release operation has been performed (YES in step 514), the display control unit 102 releases the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 (step 515). If a release operation has been performed, the cursor 200 is located in a position other than the display area 421 that displays the enlarged thumbnail image 420, as shown in FIG. 5(B), and therefore the menu image 430 is not displayed. With the above processing procedure, the processing for displaying the menu image 430 is completed.

[0042] In the above example, the display position of the menu image 430 is determined after the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is displayed, but this is not limited to this. When any document icon 410 is specified, the display position of the menu image 430 may be determined based on the distance from the specified document icon 410, without waiting for the enlarged thumbnail image 420 to be displayed.

[0043] In addition, the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is displayed and the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is maintained by an operation of specifying the enlargement instruction image 411 or the maintenance instruction image 412, but this may also be performed by a predetermined operation such as positioning the cursor 200 on the document icon 410 without displaying the enlargement instruction image 411 or the maintenance instruction image 412. Furthermore, the operation of displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 420 and maintaining the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 may also be performed by a predetermined operation such as a key operation. When the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is maintained, the maintenance instruction image 412 may be hidden, or the enlargement instruction image 411 and the maintenance instruction image 412 may be displayed independently in different positions. By changing the enlargement instruction image 411 to the maintenance instruction image 412 and displaying it as in this embodiment, the user does not need to move the cursor during the operation from when the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is displayed to when the display of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is maintained.

[0044] Furthermore, enlarged thumbnail image 420 and menu image 430 are displayed with cursor 200 positioned on document icon 410 based on the user's operation of input unit 20 such as a mouse, but this is not limited to this. In the case of a touch panel or the like, input unit 20 is provided integrally with display unit 40. In this embodiment, the user may cause enlarged thumbnail image 420 and menu image 430 to be displayed by touching a finger or the like to a display position of document icon 410 or the like on display unit 40, which is a touch panel, or by maintaining this touch state with a finger or the like for a predetermined period of time.

[0045] <Display position of enlarged thumbnail images and menu images> In the above example, the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is displayed using the entire area of ​​the display area 421, but this is not limited to this. The enlarged thumbnail image 420 may not be displayed using the entire area of ​​the display area 421. As an example, a display in which at least a part of the menu image 430 does not overlap with the enlarged thumbnail image 420 will be described with reference to FIG. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing an example of a display position on the operation screen.

[0046] For convenience, in the document icon 410 shown in FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B), the area for displaying the thumbnail image is indicated by a solid line, and the shape of the displayed thumbnail image is indicated by a dotted line. As shown in FIG. 9(A), when the horizontal width of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is narrower than the horizontal width of the display area 421, the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is displayed in the horizontal center of the display area 421, and a menu image 430 is displayed in the edge area of ​​the display area 421. As shown in FIG. 9(B), when the vertical width of the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is narrower than the vertical width of the display area 421, the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is displayed in the vertical center of the display area 421, and the menu image 430 is displayed in the edge area of ​​the display area 421. Furthermore, if the document corresponding to document icon 410 has multiple pages, even if the size and orientation of enlarged thumbnail image 420 changes in accordance with a change in the page displayed in enlarged thumbnail image 420, the display position and size of menu image 430 do not change.

[0047] In the above example, the enlarged thumbnail image 420 is displayed in the center of the display area 421 in the horizontal or vertical direction, but the enlarged thumbnail image 420 may be displayed in the center of the display area 421, and the menu image 430 may be displayed in an area on the edge of the display area 421. This makes it possible to accommodate enlarged thumbnail images 420 of various shapes, while reducing the area where the enlarged thumbnail image 420 and the menu image 430 overlap.

[0048] <Displaying menu images based on the size of the operation screen> Furthermore, in the above example, the menu image 430 is displayed in a uniform shape based on the user's operation, but the display mode of the menu image 430 may be based on the size of the operation screen 400. As an example, a case where the size of operation screen 400 is smaller than a predetermined value will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the display of the menu image 430. FIG.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, when the size of operation screen 400 is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, menu image 430 displays menu-related button images 431 in a single row. The entire area of ​​menu image 430 is displayed on operation screen 400 at once. The size of menu-related button image 431 is set to a size that is easy for the user to operate. Here, the predetermined value is the minimum size of operation screen 400 that displays all areas of menu image 430 having menu-related button images 431 of a size that is easy for the user to operate at once. Furthermore, the predetermined value may be set to the minimum size of operation screen 400 that does not obstruct the display of document images such as enlarged thumbnail images 420 in display area 421, the size of which changes depending on the size of operation screen 400.

[0050] On the other hand, if the size of operation screen 400 is smaller than a predetermined value, in the example of Fig. 10(A), the size of menu-related button image 431 is not changed, and menu image 430 is displayed in two rows within display area 421. Although menu-related button image 431 is displayed in two rows, the number of rows is not limited to this. However, if a display mode of three or more rows is used, the area in which enlarged thumbnail image 420 can be viewed when menu image 430 is specified may become smaller, and so a two-row menu image 430 is used here.

[0051] 10(B), when the size of operation screen 400 is smaller than a predetermined value, the shape of menu image 430 is not changed, and a portion of menu image 430 is displayed within display area 421. In this manner, scroll image 432 is displayed to receive an operation from the user to transition the area where menu image 430 is displayed, but this configuration is not limiting. An operation to transition the area where menu image 430 is displayed may be received from the user without displaying scroll image 432. Examples of the operation to transition the area where menu image 430 is displayed include a scrolling operation via input unit 20 such as a mouse, or an operation of sliding a finger or the like while keeping it in contact with display unit 40 such as a touch panel. Furthermore, scroll image 432 may be temporarily displayed as an auxiliary image indicating which area of ​​menu image 430 is displayed.

[0052] In the above example, when the size of operation screen 400 is smaller than a predetermined value, the number of button images 431 related to the displayed menu is not changed, but it is also possible to reduce the number of displayed button images 431. Processes for which display as button images 431 is omitted are displayed on the screen corresponding to omitted button image 431d. Furthermore, the button images 431 relating to the menu may be reduced in size and displayed in a single row. The size of the reduced button images 431 relating to the menu is set to a size that allows the user to visually recognize and select each of the button images 431. Furthermore, although the button images 431 relating to the menu are arranged horizontally, they may also be arranged vertically to display the menu images 430. When displaying the enlarged thumbnail images 420 as shown in Fig. 9(A), arranging the button images 431 relating to the menu vertically reduces the area where the enlarged thumbnail images 420 and the menu images 430 overlap, compared to when they are arranged in multiple rows horizontally.

[0053] In the example described above, the display of menu image 430 is changed when the size of operation screen 400 is smaller than a predetermined value, but the display of menu image 430 may also be changed when the size of operation screen 400 is equal to or larger than a predetermined value. As shown in Fig. 2, when the size of menu image 430 relative to the size of display area 421 is smaller than a predetermined value, for example, a process displayed on the screen corresponding to omit button image 431d is additionally displayed as button image 431. This eliminates the need to select omit button image 431d and then select a process again on the screen.

[0054] The processing performed by the image display device 1 in this embodiment is prepared as a program such as application software, etc. This program can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1...image display device, 10...arithmetic processing unit, 11...CPU, 20...input unit, 30...secondary storage unit, 40...display unit, 50...communication unit, 101...operation determination unit, 102...display control unit, 104...enlarged image output unit, 105...menu image output unit, 400...operation screen, 410...document icon, 420...enlarged thumbnail image, 430...menu image

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, displaying an instruction image for receiving an instruction from a user regarding the document on an operation screen for receiving an operation by the user; displaying a document image relating to the document in response to a user's instruction on the instruction image; displaying a menu image for receiving a user's operation on the document image at a position determined by a display position of the instruction image on the operation screen; changing the display of the menu image based on the size of the operation screen; When the operation screen displays a part of the menu image in an area smaller than a predetermined value, the area in which the menu image is displayed is shifted.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. The processor, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a cursor is positioned on the indication image, display of the document image is started.

3. The processor, 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the menu image is displayed in an area where the document image is displayed.

4. The processor, 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the document image is displayed in a central portion of an area in which the document image is displayed, and the menu image is displayed in an edge portion of the area in which the document image is displayed.

5. The processor, When the display position of the instruction image is above the area where the document image is displayed, the menu image is displayed above the area where the document image is displayed; 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the display position of the instruction image is below the area in which the document image is displayed, the menu image is displayed below the area in which the document image is displayed.

6. The processor, When the display position of the instruction image is on the left side of the area displaying the document image, the menu image is displayed to the left of the area displaying the document image, 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the display position of the instruction image is on the right side of the area displaying the document image, the menu image is displayed to the right of the area displaying the document image.

7. The processor, 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the menu image is displayed at a position close to the instruction image.

8. The processor, 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display of the menu image is changed based on the position of a cursor operated by a user.

9. The processor, The menu image is displayed in an area where the document image is displayed, 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the menu image is not displayed when the cursor is not positioned in an area where the document image is displayed.

10. The processor, The menu image is displayed in an area where the document image is displayed, 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transparency of the menu image is changed based on whether the cursor is located on the menu image or not.

11. The processor, 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the cursor is not positioned on the menu image, the menu image is displayed transparently.

12. The processor, 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, when the cursor is located on the menu image, the menu image is displayed with a transparency lower than the transparency of the menu image when the cursor is not located on the menu image.

13. The processor, 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the operation screen is smaller than a predetermined size, the menu image is displayed in a different shape.

14. The processor, 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the document has a plurality of pages, the display position of the menu image is not changed even if the page displayed in the document image is changed.

15. The processor, The information processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein a change button image is displayed in the area of ​​the menu image, and receives an operation from a user to change a page to be displayed in the document image.

16. On the computer, A function of displaying an instruction image for receiving user's instructions regarding a document on an operation screen for receiving user's operations; a function of displaying a document image related to the document in response to a user's instruction on the instruction image; a function of displaying a menu image for accepting user instructions for the document image at a position determined by the display position of the instruction image on the operation screen, changing the display of the menu image based on the size of the operation screen, and transitioning the display area of ​​the menu image when the operation screen is smaller than a predetermined value and displays a partial area of ​​the menu image; A program to achieve this.

Images