Information processing device and program

Abstract

To suppress a decrease in visibility of a user for a confirmation image, as compared with a case where the confirmation image is always displayed in the same direction with respect to an image.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes a processor. The processor displays an instruction image for accepting an instruction of a user on an operation screen for accepting an operation of the user, and in a case where the user performs an operation of instructing to display a confirmation image for confirming information related to the instruction image, determines one direction from the instruction image based on a distance from the instruction image to ends of the operation screen in an up-down direction and a right-left direction, and performs control so that the confirmation image is displayed in the one direction from a predetermined specific area on the instruction image.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 an imaging device that has a control unit that controls the display of thumbnails of a moving image in a list and a selection unit that selects the displayed thumbnails, and when a moving image corresponding to a thumbnail selected by the selection unit is displayed on the list display screen at a size larger than the thumbnail, the control unit controls the display position of the moving image so as not to interfere with the display of the thumbnail selected by the selection unit and multiple thumbnails that can be selected by moving a cursor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4595807 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There are cases where it is desired to display a confirmation image for the user to confirm an image displayed on the screen. One possible confirmation image is an enlarged thumbnail image obtained by enlarging a thumbnail image, which allows the user to confirm the contents of the file corresponding to the thumbnail image. Another possible confirmation image is an image that displays the contents of a document corresponding to an icon image, which allows the user to confirm the contents of a function corresponding to the icon image. When displaying confirmation images for these images, for example, if the confirmation image is always displayed in the same direction relative to these images, depending on the position of the image, the area in which the confirmation image is displayed may become small, reducing visibility for the user and making it difficult to perform the confirmation task. The present invention suppresses a decrease in the user's visibility of the confirmation image compared to a case in which the confirmation image is always displayed in the same direction relative to the image. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention according to claim 1 includes a processor, and the processor displays an instruction image for accepting a user's instruction on an operation screen for accepting a user's operation, and when a user performs an operation to instruct the display of a confirmation image for confirming information related to the instruction image, determines a direction based on the distance from the instruction image to the ends of the operation screen in the vertical and horizontal directions, and controls the display of the confirmation image in the one direction from a predetermined specific area on the instruction image. a position for displaying the confirmation image is determined based on the position of the specific area on the operation screen, and the confirmation image is displayed at an end of the operation screen in a direction perpendicular to the one direction that is closer to the specific area. The present invention is an information processing device characterized by the above. The invention according to claim 2 is as follows: an information processing apparatus comprising: a processor, the processor displays an instruction image for accepting a user's instruction on an operation screen that accepts a user's operation; when a user performs an operation to instruct display of a confirmation image for confirming information related to the instruction image, the processor determines a direction based on distances from the instruction image to vertical and horizontal edges of the operation screen, and controls the confirmation image to be displayed in the one direction from a predetermined specific area on the instruction image; when a predetermined operation is performed by the user, the processor controls the information processing apparatus to enter a display maintenance state in which display of the confirmation image is maintained; and in the display maintenance state, the processor controls so as not to change a size and a position of the confirmation image even if a position of the instruction image is changed. It is. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, degradation of the user's visibility of the confirmation image is suppressed, compared to a case where the confirmation image is always displayed in the same direction relative to the image. According to the invention of claim 2, To suppress the display on the screen from becoming complicated, compared with a case where the direction in which a confirmation image is displayed is changed when the position of an instruction image is changed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device to which the present embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image display device. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for displaying a confirmation image. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of a display of an operation screen 400, in which FIG. 5A shows a state before a document icon is specified, and FIG. 5B shows a state after a display instruction button is specified. [Figure 6]This figure explains the procedure for determining the size at which a confirmation image is displayed, and FIG. 6(A) is an example of a case in which a display area is reserved to the right of a specific area, and FIG. 6(B) is an example of a case in which a display area is reserved below a specific area. [Figure 7] This figure explains the procedure for determining the position to display the confirmation image when margins occur in a direction parallel to one direction for the confirmation image. Figure 7(A) is an example when one direction is to the right and margins occur to the left and right of the confirmation image, and Figure 7(B) is an example when one direction is downward and margins occur to the top and bottom of the confirmation image. [Figure 8] This figure explains the procedure for determining the position to display the confirmation image when there is margin in a direction perpendicular to one direction for the confirmation image. Figure 8(A) is an example where one direction is to the right and margin occurs above and below the confirmation image, and Figure 8(B) is an example where one direction is to the bottom and margin occurs to the left and right of the confirmation image. [Figure 9] This is an example of a case where the confirmation image is displayed superimposed on a part of the document icon. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a display maintaining state. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for determining one direction. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for determining one direction. [Figure 13] 13 is a diagram for explaining a first modification of the procedure for determining one direction. FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram for explaining a second modified example of the procedure for determining one direction. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Hardware configuration of image display device 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device 1 to which the present embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, an 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 according to a predetermined processing program when displaying a 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 in which an image display processing program executed by the CPU 11 is stored, a non-volatile memory 14 such as a battery-backed static RAM (SRAM) 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. The non-volatile memory 14 stores image information such as thumbnail images (described later) displayed on a display unit 40. In addition to storing image data and the like, 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 the 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 (magnetic tape, magnetic disk, etc.), an optical recording medium (optical disk, etc.), a magneto-optical recording medium, a semiconductor memory, etc. In addition, the program executed by the CPU 11 may be downloaded to the image display device 1 using a communication means such as the Internet. In addition, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors such as CPUs, as well as dedicated processors such as GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), and programmable logic devices. In addition, the operations of the processor may not only be performed by one processor, but may be performed by multiple processors in physically separate locations working together. The order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described above 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, when 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, etc. by moving a 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 of the image display device 1 to which the present 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 operations by a user are arranged. Note that a 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, an operation screen 400 displays a display instruction button 411, a confirmation image 420, a toolbar 430, and the like. The document icon 410 is an example of an instruction image that accepts an instruction from a user. The user's instruction includes selecting a document, viewing, moving a storage location, moving a display location of an instruction image, and the like. The display instruction button 411 is an image for giving an instruction related to displaying a confirmation image 420. The confirmation image 420 is an image for allowing the user to confirm the contents of a document related to an instruction image such as the document icon 410. The toolbar 430 is a collection of instruction parts prepared to simplify operations on electronic documents by the user. The operations on electronic documents include operations to save, print, rotate, search, and encrypt electronic documents, and operations to bundle two or more electronic documents. In this embodiment, the size of operation screen 400 on display unit 40 can be changed by a user operation. Furthermore, the shape of operation screen 400 can be changed by a user operation to a rectangular shape with an aspect ratio different from that of FIG.

[0014] The document icon 410 is an instruction image that accepts a user's instruction for a document. The document icon 410 may be a thumbnail image for confirming at least a part of the contents of a file managed by file handling software. 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, for example, as an icon for opening the corresponding file. Furthermore, when a 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 document icon 410. In this embodiment, a "page" refers to a collection of data that is displayed as one surface on operation screen 400 at one 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 or the like.

[0015] Display instruction button 411 is an image that accepts an operation by a user to instruct display of confirmation image 420, and is an example of an instruction button that is an image that accepts an instruction related to displaying confirmation image 420. This instruction button is displayed in a state associated with document icon 410. Also, instead of display instruction button 411 exemplified in Fig. 2, there is also a mode in which a maintenance instruction button (described later using Fig. 10) corresponding to an instruction to maintain the display of confirmation image 420 is displayed. In this embodiment, the display instruction button 411 and the maintenance instruction button 412 are displayed overlapping the upper right corner of the document icon 410. In this case, it is preferable that the display instruction button 411 and the maintenance instruction button 412 are displayed so as not to reduce the visibility of the document icon 410. For example, the display instruction button 411 is displayed smaller than the document icon 410. In addition, the display instruction button 411 is displayed semi-transparently so that the overlapping portion of the document icon 410 can be seen through it.

[0016] Confirmation image 420 is an image for allowing the user to confirm the contents of the designated image. Note that this confirmation image 420 is displayed without starting a new program when the user performs an operation to instruct display. In the example of FIG. 2, an image obtained by enlarging a thumbnail image of a document is displayed as confirmation image 420 for allowing the user to confirm the contents of the document corresponding to document icon 410. Note that the resolution of the thumbnail image displayed as confirmation image 420 may be set to be higher than the resolution of the thumbnail image displayed as document icon 410.

[0017] In addition, as shown in the figure, text 440 such as the name of a file or function corresponding to document icon 410 may be displayed in association with each image on operation screen 400. Text 440 may also be displayed in association with confirmation image 420.

[0018] [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 a functional configuration of the image display device 1. As shown in the figure, the image display device 1 has an operation determination unit 101 that determines whether or not an operation has been performed by a user, a distance determination unit 102 that determines the distance between two points on the screen of the display unit 40, a display control unit 103 that controls the contents to be displayed on the display unit 40, an instruction button output unit 104 that outputs an instruction button to the display unit 40, a confirmation image output unit 105 that outputs a confirmation image 420 corresponding to the instruction image to the display unit 40, and an image acquisition unit 106 that acquires an image to be output to the display unit 40.

[0019] 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 for designating an image, an icon, a position, or the like on the operation screen 400, a scroll operation, a key input operation, or the like.

[0020] Distance determination unit 102 determines the distance from an instruction image (see FIG. 2) such as document icon 410 displayed on operation screen 400 to the top, bottom, left, and right ends of operation screen 400. More specifically, it determines the distance from each side of the instruction image in the top, bottom, left, and right directions, a specific area predetermined on the instruction image, a reference position predetermined on the instruction image, etc. to the top, bottom, left, and right ends of operation screen 400. Details of the specific area and the reference position will be described later with reference to FIG. 11. Further, distance determination section 102 in this embodiment determines the position of the instruction image on operation screen 400 based on the distance from the instruction image to the ends in the up / down and left / right directions.

[0021] The display control unit 103 controls the display mode of the document icon 410, the confirmation image 420, the toolbar 430 (see FIG. 2), etc., based on the contents determined by the operation determination unit 101 and the distance determination unit 102. The display control unit 103 controls the position at which the document icon 410 is displayed, for example, based on the contents determined by the operation determination unit 101. Also, the display control unit 103 controls the position and size at which the confirmation image 420 is displayed, for example, based on the contents determined by the distance determination unit 102. Furthermore, the display control unit 103 controls so that the image captured by the image acquisition unit 106 is displayed as an instruction image. For example, the display control unit 103 controls so that a thumbnail image is captured from the image acquisition unit 106 and displayed as a document icon 410 for opening a corresponding file.

[0022] The instruction button output unit 104 outputs, to the display unit 40, instruction buttons for issuing instructions relating to the display of the confirmation image 420, such as a display instruction button 411 for issuing an instruction to display the confirmation image 420 and a maintain instruction button 412 for issuing an instruction to maintain the display of the confirmation image 420. These instruction buttons are displayed in a state associated with an instruction image such as a document icon 410.

[0023] Based on the determination by operation determination unit 101 that an instruction to display confirmation image 420 has been given, confirmation image output unit 105 extracts confirmation image 420 acquired by image acquisition unit 106. Confirmation image output unit 105 outputs confirmation image 420 corresponding to document icon 410 designated by the user to display unit 40 without starting a new program.

[0024] Image acquisition unit 106 acquires images to be displayed on display unit 40, such as instruction images such as document icon 410 and other icons, instruction buttons output by instruction button output unit 104, and confirmation image 420 output by confirmation image output unit 105. For example, a thumbnail image is generated and acquired as document icon 410 based on a document stored in secondary storage unit 30. Also, for example, an image already stored in secondary storage unit 30 is extracted and acquired as confirmation image 420. The images acquired by the image acquisition unit 106 are stored in a state in which they can be extracted as an instruction image, an instruction button, or a confirmation image 420. The function of storing these images is realized by the non-volatile memory 14 (see FIG. 1).

[0025] [View confirmation image] The process of displaying confirmation image 420 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for displaying the confirmation image 420a. FIG. 5 shows an example of a display of operation screen 400, where FIG. 5(A) shows the state before document icon 410a is specified, and FIG. 5(B) shows the state after display instruction button 411a is specified. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for determining the size at which to display confirmation image 420a, where FIG. 6(A) is an example of allocating display area 421 to the right of specific area 416, and FIG. 6(B) is an example of allocating display area 421 below specific area 416.

[0026] Furthermore, Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for determining the position to display confirmation image 420a when a margin occurs in a direction parallel to one direction for confirmation image 420a, where Figure 7(A) is an example when one direction is the right direction and a margin occurs to the left and right of confirmation image 420a, and Figure 7(B) is an example when one direction is the downward direction and a margin occurs to the top and bottom of confirmation image 420a. Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for determining the position to display confirmation image 420a when margins occur in a direction perpendicular to one direction for confirmation image 420a. Figure 8(A) is an example of a case where one direction is downward and margins occur to the left and right of confirmation image, and Figure 8(B) is an example of a case where one direction is right and margins occur above and below confirmation image 420a. FIG. 9 shows an example in which confirmation image 420a is displayed overlapping a portion of document icon 410a. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the display maintenance state in which the display of confirmation image 420a is maintained.

[0027] 5(A) and (B), 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's 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 430 are displayed.

[0028] Display instruction button 411a shown in Fig. 5(B) is an image for receiving an instruction from a user to display confirmation image 420a. Also, specific area 416 shown in Figs. 5 to 10 is a predetermined area on document icon 410a, and is an area smaller than the area in which document icon 410a is displayed. In this embodiment, display instruction button 411a or maintain instruction button 412a is an example of a specific image displayed in correspondence with specific area 416. Note that display instruction button 411a and maintain instruction button 412a do not completely cover document icon 410a because they correspond to specific area 416, which is smaller than document icon 410a.

[0029] 6 to 9 is an area reserved for displaying the confirmation image 420a, and is located in one of the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the specific area 416. By displaying the confirmation image 420a in the reserved display area 421, the confirmation image 420a is displayed in one of the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the specific area 416. The confirmation image 420a does not have to be displayed over the entire display area 421. Here, the confirmation image 420a being displayed in one direction with respect to the specific area 416 means that at least a part of the specific area 416 is located in a direction opposite to the one direction with respect to the confirmation image 420a without overlapping with the confirmation image 420a. For example, when the confirmation image 420a is displayed to the right of the specific area 416, at least a part of the specific area 416 is located to the left of the confirmation image 420a without overlapping with the confirmation image 420a. Since specific area 416 is a predetermined area on document icon 410a, at least a portion of document icon 410a is displayed without overlapping with confirmation image 420a.

[0030] 10 is an image for receiving a user's instruction to maintain the display of confirmation image 420a. When display instruction button 411a is specified and confirmation image 420a is displayed, this maintenance instruction button 412a is displayed, for example, at the position where display instruction button 411a was displayed. A state in which the display of confirmation image 420a is maintained by a user operation, such as an instruction to maintenance instruction button 412a, is referred to as a display maintenance state.

[0031] Next, a description will be given with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, the operation determination unit 101 shown in Fig. 3 determines whether or not 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 of positioning 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 this step 501, if the document icon 410 has not been specified (NO in step 501), the process waits until a document icon is specified. If the document icon 410 has been specified (YES in step 501), the instruction button output unit 104 outputs and displays the display instruction button 411 (step 502). For example, when a mouse-over operation is performed to position the cursor 200 on the document icon 410a shown in Fig. 5(A), the display instruction button 411a is displayed as shown in Fig. 5(B) (step 502).

[0033] Next, the operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not the display instruction button 411a is designated based on an operation via the input unit 20 (step 503). For example, the operation determination unit 101 in this embodiment determines a mouse over operation on the display instruction button 411a as a designation of the display instruction button 411a. If the display instruction button 411a has not been designated (NO in step 503), the process waits until the display instruction button 411a is designated. If the display instruction button 411a has been designated (YES in step 503), the display control unit 103 determines one direction in which to display the confirmation image 420 based on the distance from the document icon 410a to the vertical and horizontal edges of the operation screen 400 determined by the distance determination unit 102 (step 504). The procedure for determining one direction in which to display the confirmation image 420 based on the determination by the distance determination unit 102 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0034] Next, display control unit 103 secures an area from predetermined specific area 416 on document icon 410a to one end of operation screen 400 as display area 421 for displaying confirmation image 420 (step 505). 6(A) shows an example of display area 421 when the right direction is determined as the one direction in step 504. In this embodiment, display instruction button 411a is displayed in association with the specific area, and the area from display instruction button 411a to the end of operation screen 400 in one direction becomes display area 421. More specifically, a rectangular area determined by distance X from display instruction button 411a to the end of operation screen 400 in the right direction and width Y of operation screen 400 in the vertical direction is secured as display area 421. In addition, in FIGS. 6 to 9, this display area 421 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0035] 6(B) shows an example of the display area 421 when the downward direction is determined as one direction in step 504. In this case, the display control unit 103 secures, as the display area 421, a rectangular area determined by the distance Y from the display instruction button 411a to the downward end of the operation screen 400 and the width X of the operation screen 400 in the horizontal direction. In this way, the display control unit 103 secures a rectangular area defined by the distance from the specific area to the edge of the operation screen 400 in one direction and the width of the operation screen 400 in a direction intersecting with the one direction as the display area 421.

[0036] Next, display control unit 103 determines the size at which confirmation image 420a is to be displayed based on the size of secured display area 421 (step 506). More specifically, the display magnification of confirmation image 420a is determined so that confirmation image 420a is displayed in its entirety at its largest size in display area 421, which is the area from the specific area to one end of operation screen 400 in one direction. In this embodiment, the display magnification of confirmation image 420a is determined so that confirmation image 420a can be displayed in its entirety, taking into consideration margins Ma, Mb in the top-bottom and left-right directions for display area 421. These margins are blank spaces provided along the four sides inside display area 421, and confirmation image 420a is displayed in the portion of display area 421 excluding the margins. As shown in Fig. 9, which will be described later, in other embodiments, it is also possible to perform control so that confirmation image 420a can be displayed in the entire display area 421 without providing these margins. 6 to 8, the portion excluding the margins from the display area 421 is indicated by a dashed line.

[0037] For example, when displaying a vertically long confirmation image 420a in display area 421, display control unit 103 calculates a display magnification at which the vertical width of confirmation image 420a coincides with width Y-2Ma, which is the vertical width Y of display area 421 minus a top-bottom margin Ma, as a provisional display magnification. Then, the width of confirmation image 420a at this provisional display magnification is compared with width X-2Mb, which is the horizontal width X of display area 421 minus a left-right margin Mb. If the width of confirmation image 420a at the provisional display magnification is equal to or smaller than X-2Mb, the entire confirmation image 420a can be displayed, and therefore the calculated provisional display magnification is determined as the size at which confirmation image 420a is displayed. Furthermore, if the width of confirmation image 420a at the provisional display magnification is larger than X-2Mb, at least a part of confirmation image 420a will extend beyond the limit, so a display magnification at which the width of confirmation image 420a matches X-2Mb is recalculated and determined as the size at which confirmation image 420a is displayed.

[0038] For example, when displaying a landscape-oriented confirmation image 420a in the display area 421, the display control unit 103 calculates a display magnification at which the width X-2Mb obtained by subtracting the left-right margin Mb from the width X of the display area 421 matches the width of the confirmation image 420a as a provisional display magnification. Then, the display control unit 103 compares the width of the confirmation image 420a at this provisional display magnification with the width Y-2Ma obtained by subtracting the top-bottom margin Ma from the height Y of the display area 421. If the height of the confirmation image 420a at the provisional display magnification is equal to or smaller than Y-2Ma, the display control unit 103 determines the size at which the confirmation image 420a is displayed. If the height of the confirmation image 420a at the provisional display magnification is larger than Y-2Ma, the display control unit 103 recalculates a display magnification at which the width of the confirmation image 420a matches X-2Mb, and determines the size at which the confirmation image 420a is displayed.

[0039] Furthermore, in step 507, display control unit 103 determines the position at which confirmation image 420a is to be displayed based on the position of specific area 416. For example, when the first direction is the right direction, and the width of confirmation image 420a is smaller than X-2Mb at a display magnification where Y-2Ma and the width of confirmation image 420a match as shown in FIG. 7A, a blank space is generated in the left and right directions of confirmation image 420a. In this case, display control unit 103 determines a position close to specific region 416 as the position where confirmation image 420a is displayed. That is, control is performed so that confirmation image 420a is displayed left-justified in the region shown by the dashed line in FIG. 7A. Also, when the first direction is the downward direction, and the height of confirmation image 420a is smaller than Y-2Mb at a display magnification where X-2Mb and the width of confirmation image 420a match as shown in FIG. 7B, a blank space is generated in the up and down directions of confirmation image 420a. In this case, display control unit 103 determines a position close to specific region 416 as the position where confirmation image 420a is displayed. That is, in the area shown by the dashed line in FIG. 7B, control is performed so that confirmation image 420a is displayed aligned from the top. In this way, when a blank space occurs in a direction parallel to the one direction, display control unit 103 performs control so that confirmation image 420a is displayed closer to specific area 416.

[0040] Also, for example, if the one direction is the right direction and the vertical width of confirmation image 420a is smaller than Y-2Ma at a display magnification where X-2Mb and the horizontal width of confirmation image 420a match as shown in Fig. 8(A), a blank space is generated in the vertical direction. In this case, display control unit 103 determines the position of confirmation image 420a to be the top end of operation screen 400 that is closer to specific area 416 among the vertical ends. That is, control is performed so that confirmation image 420a is displayed aligned to the top in the area shown by the dashed line in Fig. 8(A). In this way, when a margin occurs in a direction perpendicular to one direction, the display control unit 103 controls the display of the confirmation image 420a to be closer to the edge of the operation screen 400 in this perpendicular direction than the edge that is closer to the specific area.

[0041] As described above, by controlling the position at which confirmation image 420a is displayed based on the position of the specific region, the correspondence between an instruction image such as document icon 410a and the displayed confirmation image 420a becomes easy to understand. Also, for example, if one direction is the up-down direction and the width of confirmation image 420a is smaller than Y-2Ma as shown in Fig. 8(B), a blank space will be generated in the left-right direction. In this case, display control unit 103 may be configured to determine the position for displaying confirmation image 420a to be the center in the left-right direction.

[0042] Next, confirmation image output unit 105 extracts confirmation image 420a from image acquisition unit 106, outputs it to display unit 40, and displays it in the orientation, size, and position determined in steps 504, 506, and 507 (step 508). In the example of Fig. 5(B), confirmation image 420a is displayed to the right of document icon 410a, with a size that is equal to the vertical width of confirmation image 420a and Y-2Ma, and at a position close to the specific area (display instruction button 411a).

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5B, confirmation image 420a may be displayed so as to overlap at least a portion of other document icons 410b and 410c and toolbar 430 displayed on operation screen 400. Furthermore, confirmation image 420a may be displayed overlapping at least a part of document icon 410a depending on the direction, size, and position at which confirmation image 420a is displayed, the presence or absence of a margin, and the size of display area 421. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, when specific area 416 (display instruction button 411a) is located in the upper right corner of document icon 410a and one direction is the leftward direction, display control unit 103 displays confirmation image 420a overlapping a part of document icon 410a but not overlapping display instruction button 411a. 9 shows a display example in which no margin is provided in display area 421. Therefore, confirmation image 420a is displayed with a size such that the vertical width of confirmation image 420a matches width Y of display area 421 in the up-down direction.

[0044] In this manner, confirmation image 420a may be displayed in a position that overlaps at least a portion of document icon 410a. By configuring in this manner, it is possible to make display area 421 reserved for displaying confirmation image 420a larger than when the confirmation image is displayed in a position that does not overlap document icon 410a. Furthermore, whether the display instruction button 411a is displayed in association with the specific region 416 as in this embodiment or not in association with the specific region 416, the confirmation image 420a may be displayed at a position on the document icon 410a that does not overlap with the display instruction button 411a. This configuration makes it easier for the user to recognize the document for which the user operated the display instruction button. When the display instruction button 411a is changed to the maintain instruction button 412a, the maintain instruction button 412a becomes easier to operate.

[0045] Next, the instruction button output unit 104 outputs and displays the maintain instruction button 412 on the display unit 40 (step 509). This maintain instruction button 412 accepts a command to maintain the display of the confirmation image 420. For example, when the display instruction button 411a shown in Fig. 5(B) is specified and the confirmation image 420a is displayed, the display instruction button 411a is changed to the maintain instruction button 412a shown in Fig. 10 and displayed.

[0046] Next, the operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not the maintain instruction button 412 is designated (step 510). In this embodiment, the operation determination unit 101 determines, for example, a click operation on the maintain instruction button 412 as the designation of the maintain instruction button 412. In this step 510, if the maintain instruction button 412a has not been designated (NO in step 510), the display control unit 103 waits until the maintain instruction button 412a is designated. If the maintain instruction button 412a has been designated (YES in step 510), the display control unit 103 transitions to a display maintenance state (step 511). In the example shown in Fig. 10, after the maintain instruction button 412a is designated by a click operation, the display of the confirmation image 420a is in a display maintenance state, and the display of the confirmation image 420a is maintained even in a state in which the cursor 200 is not positioned on the display instruction button 411a or the maintain instruction button 412a.

[0047] Here, in the display maintenance state, a scroll operation or the like is performed on operation screen 400, and document icon 410a may move. In this embodiment, even if document icon 410a moves, the size and position of confirmation image 420a maintain the settings at the time of transition to the display maintenance state. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, if the state transitions to the display maintenance state while document icon 410a is at position A, the size and position of confirmation image 420a do not change even if document icon 410a subsequently moves to position B.

[0048] Next, operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not an operation to release the display maintaining state has been performed (step 512). In this embodiment, operation determination unit 101 determines, for example, a click operation at a position other than display area 421 or a second click operation on maintain instruction button 412a as an operation to release the display maintaining state. If a release operation has not been performed (NO in step 512), the display maintaining state is continued. If a release operation has been performed (YES in step 512), display control unit 103 releases the display maintaining state of confirmation image 420a (step 513). Through the above processing steps, the process of displaying confirmation image 420a is completed.

[0049] In this manner, when the image display device 1 in this embodiment is instructed by a user operation to display confirmation image 420a, it determines one direction based on the distance from document icon 410a to the vertical and horizontal edges of operation screen 400, and controls to display confirmation image 420a in one direction from specific area 416 on document icon 410a.

[0050] 2, 5 to 10, etc. show examples in which confirmation image 420a is displayed larger than corresponding document icon 410a, but if operation screen 400 is small, confirmation image 420a may be displayed smaller than document icon 410a.

[0051] [Procedure for determining one direction] Next, the procedure for determining one direction will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Fig. 11 is an example of an operation screen 400 for explaining a procedure for determining one direction, and Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for determining one direction.

[0052] 11, the distance from reference position 415a of the upper left corner of document icon 410a to the left edge of operation screen 400 is designated as Xa, and the distance to the upper edge is designated as Ya. Also, the distance from reference position 415b of the lower right corner of document icon 410a to the right edge of operation screen 400 is designated as Xb, and the distance to the lower edge is designated as Yb. Also, the distance from a predetermined specific area 416 on the document icon 410a to the left end of the operation screen 400 is Xa', the distance to the right end is Xb', the distance to the top end is Ya', and the distance to the bottom end is Yb'. In this embodiment, a display instruction button 411a is displayed in association with the specific area 416. As shown in Fig. 11, the distances from the display instruction button 411a to the left / right and top / bottom ends of the operation screen 400 are Xa', Xb', Ya', and Yb'.

[0053] Furthermore, in the following description, for convenience, the operation screen 400 may be divided into four areas, "upper left", "lower left", "upper right", and "lower right". Note that these "upper left", "lower left", "upper right", and "lower right" correspond to areas divided by a dashed line that divides the operation screen 400 in half horizontally and in half vertically, respectively, as shown in FIG.

[0054] First, the distance determination unit 102 obtains the distances Xa, Ya, Xb, and Yb from the reference positions 415a and 415b of the document icon 410a to the ends of the operation screen 400 (step 601). Next, the distance determination unit 102 determines whether or not Xa≦Xb in step 602. If Xa≦Xb is satisfied (YES in step 602), the process proceeds to step 603, where it is determined whether or not Ya≦Yb is satisfied. If Ya≦Yb is satisfied (YES in step 603), it is determined that the document icon 410a is in the "upper left" of the operation screen 400 (step 604).

[0055] Furthermore, in step 605, the distance determination unit 102 determines whether or not Yb'≦Xb', which is a distance Xb' from the specific region 416 to the right end of the operation screen 400 and a distance Yb' to the bottom end, is satisfied. If Yb'≦Xb' is satisfied (YES in step 605), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "right" direction (step 606). If Yb'≦Xb' is not satisfied (Yb'>Xb' is satisfied) (NO in step 605), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "down" direction (step 613).

[0056] If Ya≦Yb is not satisfied in step 603 (Ya>Yb) (NO in step 603), the distance determination unit 102 determines that the document icon 410a is at the "bottom left" of the operation screen 400 (step 607). Next, in step 608, it is determined whether or not Xb' ≦ Ya'. If Xb' ≦ Ya' is true (YES in step 608), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "up" direction (step 609). If Xb' ≦ Ya' is not true (Xb'>Ya') (NO in step 608), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "right" direction (step 606).

[0057] Furthermore, if Xa≦Xb is not satisfied (Xa>Xb is satisfied) (NO in step 602), the process proceeds to step 610, where it is determined whether Ya≦Yb is satisfied. If Ya≦Yb is satisfied (YES in step 610), it is determined that the document icon 410a is in the "upper right" of the operation screen 400 (step 611). Then, in step 612, it is determined whether or not Xa'≦Yb'. If Xa'≦Yb' is true (YES in step 612), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "down" direction (step 613). If Xa'≦Yb' is not true (Xa'>Yb') (NO in step 612), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "left" direction (step 616).

[0058] If Ya≦Yb is not satisfied (Ya>Yb) (NO in step 610), the distance determination unit 102 determines that the document icon 410a is at the "bottom right" of the operation screen 400 (step 614). Then, in step 615, it is determined whether Ya'≦Xa'. If Ya'≦Xa' is true (YES in step 615), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "left" direction (step 616). If Ya'≦Xa' is not true (Ya'>Xa') (NO in step 615), the display control unit 103 determines the one direction to be the "up" direction (step 609).

[0059] Through the above steps, the process of determining one direction is completed. In this embodiment, the position of the document icon 410a is determined from the distances Xa, Xb, Ya, and Yb from the reference positions 415a and 415b to the edge of the operation screen 400, and any two of the distances Xa', Xb', Ya', and Yb' from the specific area 416 to the edge of the operation screen 400 are compared to determine the first direction. In another embodiment, the distances Xa, Xb, Ya, and Yb may simply be compared to determine the direction corresponding to the largest distance as the first direction. Also, for example, the distances Xa', Xb', Ya', and Yb' may simply be compared to determine the direction corresponding to the largest distance as the first direction.

[0060] [Variation 1 of the procedure for determining one direction] In the above-described embodiment, a predetermined specific area 416 and two reference positions 415a, 415b different from the specific area 416 are provided on the document icon 410a. Then, one direction for displaying the confirmation image 420a is determined based on the distance from the specific area 416 to the edge of the operation screen 400 and the distance from the reference positions 415a, 415b to the edge of the operation screen 400. In a first variation of the procedure for determining the one direction, a reference position 415c is provided within the specific area 416, and the one direction is determined based on the distance from this reference position 415c to the edge of the operation screen 400. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a first modification of the procedure for determining one direction.

[0061] In FIG. 13, the display instruction button 411a is displayed in association with the specific area 416, and furthermore, the reference position 415c exists within the specific area 416. In this case as well, it is determined in which area of ​​the "upper left", "lower left", "upper right" or "lower right" of the operation screen 400 the document icon 410a is located, based on the distances Xc, Xd, Yc, and Yd from the reference position 415c to the ends of the operation screen 400 in the up-down and left-right directions. Then, the distances from the specific area 416 to the ends of the operation screen 400 are compared for two directions determined from the position of the document icon 410a, and the direction with the greater distance can be determined as the first direction. Alternatively, the distances Xc, Xd, Yc, and Yd can simply be compared, and the direction corresponding to the greatest distance can be determined as the first direction. As shown in FIG. 13, reference position 415c is present within specific area 416, and display instruction button 411a is displayed in association with specific area 416, making it easier for the user to predict the position and size at which confirmation image 420a will be displayed.

[0062] [Variation 2 of procedure for determining one direction] Next, in a second variation of the procedure for determining the one direction, a reference position is not provided, and the one direction is determined based on the distance from the specific area 416 to the edge of the operation screen 400. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a second modification of the procedure for determining one direction. In this modification 2, the specific area 416 is determined to correspond to the area in which the document icon 410a is displayed. In this case, for example, the distances Xc', Xd', Yc', and Yd' from the ends of the document icon 410a in the up, down, left, and right directions to the ends of the operation screen 400 in the same directions can be compared, and the direction corresponding to the largest distance can be determined as one distance.

[0063] In this way, various modes can be taken as the distance from an instruction image such as document icon 410a to the edge of operation screen 400, which is used to determine one direction. More specifically, the distance from each side of the instruction image in the up, down, left, and right directions, a specific area predetermined on the instruction image, a reference position predetermined on the instruction image, or the like to the edge of operation screen 400 in the up, down, left, and right directions can be taken.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which confirmation image 420a is displayed in its entirety at a maximum size determined by the distance from reference position 415 or specific area 416 to the edge of operation screen 400. Here, for example, there are cases in which the original image that is the original form of confirmation image 420a is a small image such as data obtained by scanning a business card, and the vertical and horizontal widths of display area 421 are larger than this original image. In this case, confirmation image 420a is displayed at a size that exceeds a size suitable for checking document icon 410a, and there is a risk that the user's operation on operation screen 400 will be hindered. Therefore, the size of confirmation image 420a to be displayed may be determined based on the size of an original image that is the original form of confirmation image 420a. For example, in the process of determining the size at which confirmation image 420a is to be displayed, the size (length, width) of the original image may be obtained using pixel information or the like, and set as the upper limit of the size (length, width) of confirmation image 420a to be displayed.

[0065] In the present embodiment, the display instruction button 411a and the maintenance instruction button 412a are designated to display the confirmation image 420a or to transition to the display maintenance state, but this is not limiting. The instruction to display the confirmation image 420a or to transition to the display maintenance state may be given by other user operations, such as other operations using a pointing device such as a mouse, or key input operations.

[0066] The processes performed by the image display device 1 in this embodiment are prepared as a program such as application software. This program can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...image display device, 10...arithmetic processing unit, 20...input unit, 30...secondary storage unit, 40...display unit, 50...communication unit, 101...operation determination unit, 102...distance determination unit, 103...display control unit, 104...instruction button output unit, 105...confirmation image output unit, 106...image acquisition unit, 410, 410a, 410b, 410c...document icon, 411, 411a...display instruction button, 412, 412a...maintenance instruction button, 416...specific area, 421...display area

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, An instruction image for receiving an instruction from a user is displayed on an operation screen for receiving an operation from a user; when a user performs an operation to instruct the display of a confirmation image for confirming information related to the instruction image, a certain direction is determined based on the distance from the instruction image to the ends of the operation screen in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the confirmation image is displayed in the certain direction from a predetermined specific area on the instruction image; determining a position where the confirmation image is to be displayed based on a position of the specific area on the operation screen; The confirmation image is displayed at an end of the operation screen in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, the end being closer to the specific area.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. A processor comprising: The processor, An instruction image for receiving an instruction from a user is displayed on an operation screen for receiving an operation from a user; when a user performs an operation to instruct the display of a confirmation image for confirming information related to the instruction image, a certain direction is determined based on the distance from the instruction image to the ends of the operation screen in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the confirmation image is displayed in the certain direction from a predetermined specific area on the instruction image; When a predetermined operation is performed by a user, the display is maintained in a display maintaining state in which the confirmation image is maintained; In the display maintaining state, even if the position of the instruction image is changed, the size and position of the confirmation image are not changed.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

Images