Information processing device, content display method, and content display program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, a content display method, and a content display program, which enable more various expressions for a content displayed on a screen.SOLUTION: A comics display processing displays comics 50 formed by a plurality of consecutive still images 52 on a screen of a portable terminal. The comics display processing displays the comics 50 including the still image 52 of which length in at least one of a vertical direction or a horizontal direction is larger than the length of the screen, and scrolls the comics 50 displayed on the screen in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction according to the length of the still image 52 in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, online services such as websites (web pages, web services), online games, and application software (hereinafter referred to as "apps") that are distributed to information processing devices such as mobile terminals via computer networks have become widespread.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an image display device that enlarges and displays a specified range within a page (for example, one frame drawn within a page) on a display screen to display a manga consisting of one page made up of multiple frames on the screen. For this reason, the image display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 generates a display range switching list in which various parameters for sequentially switching the range to be displayed on the display screen are set, and the frames to be displayed, the coordinates of the display center, and the display magnification are set in association with the display order. As a result, a Web page is displayed on the display screen while sequentially switching the display range according to the generated display range switching list.

[0004] Therefore, with the image display device disclosed in Patent Document 1, even if the web page is large, the user can comfortably view every corner of the web page without having to perform cumbersome controller operations such as scrolling up, down, left, right, or zooming in and out of the image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-164862 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, manga that can be viewed on information processing devices are not just manga that have been imported as image data from paper media, but also manga that have been created as image data from the beginning with the intention of distributing them to information processing devices. Manga created with the intention of distributing them to such information processing devices are expected to be able to express a variety of expressions that could not be expressed on paper media.

[0007] Here, the image display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 scrolls up, down, left, and right. The purpose is to allow users to comfortably view manga that is page-by-page and frame-by-frame, which is captured from paper media as image data, and is not intended to diversify the expression of manga. Therefore, there is a demand for technological development that allows for more diverse expressions for content such as manga displayed on information processing devices.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an information processing device, a content display method, and a content display program that enable more diverse expression of content displayed on a screen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing device, a content display method, and a content display program according to the present invention employ the following means.

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, an "information processing device" which is one aspect of the present invention is an information processing device which displays content formed by a plurality of consecutive still images on a screen, and which comprises a display control means for displaying on the screen the content including still images having at least one of the vertical and horizontal lengths greater than the length of the screen, and a scroll control means for scrolling vertically or horizontally the content displayed on the screen depending on the vertical or horizontal length of the still image.

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, a "content display method" which is one embodiment of the present invention is a content display method for displaying content formed by a plurality of consecutive still images on a screen, and includes a first step of displaying the content on the screen, the content including still images having at least one of a vertical and horizontal length greater than a length of the screen, and a second step of scrolling the content displayed on the screen vertically or horizontally depending on the vertical or horizontal length of the still images.

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, a "content display program" which is one aspect of the present invention causes a computer provided in an information processing device which displays content formed from a plurality of successive still images on a screen to function as a display control means for displaying on the screen the content including still images whose at least one of the vertical and horizontal lengths is greater than the length of the screen, and a scroll control means for vertically or horizontally scrolling the content displayed on the screen depending on the vertical or horizontal length of the still images.

[0013] The "information processing device" may be subject to various technical limitations, as exemplified below. In addition, technical limitations of the same nature may be applied to the processing steps executed by the "content display method" or the functions of the "content display program."

[0014] The scroll control means scrolls the still image which is long in the vertical direction vertically, and scrolls the still image which is long in the horizontal direction horizontally.

[0015] The scroll control means scrolls the content in response to a user's operation using a pointer on the screen, controls the amount of movement of the still image in response to an inertial force based on the movement speed of the pointer, and continues scrolling the content in response to the inertial force even if the scrolling direction of the content changes.

[0016] The scroll control means scrolls the content in response to a user's operation using a pointer on the screen, controls the amount of movement of the still image in response to an inertial force based on the movement speed of the pointer, and stops the scrolling of the content regardless of the magnitude of the inertial force when the scrolling direction of the content changes.

[0017] The scroll control means scrolls the still image at a predetermined speed.

[0018] The speed varies depending on the still image.

[0019] The scroll control means determines at a predetermined timing whether or not a predetermined condition for scrolling the content is satisfied, and scrolls the content when the condition is satisfied.

[0020] The content is a manga with a branching progression, and multiple scroll directions are set for the still image before the branching progression, and the scroll control means scrolls the content in one scroll direction selected from the multiple scroll directions.

[0021] The information processing device further includes a progress branching control means for determining one of the plurality of scroll directions based on information acquired by the information processing device.

[0022] When the scroll control means scrolls the manga in one selected scroll direction, it prohibits scrolling of the manga in other scroll directions that were not selected.

[0023] When a predetermined condition is met, the number of branches of progression in the manga increases or decreases compared to before the condition was met.

[0024] The content information indicating the content displayed on the screen includes a plurality of the still images arranged two-dimensionally in accordance with the scroll direction.

[0025] Content information indicating the content to be displayed on the screen includes a plurality of still images associated with sequence information indicating the sequence in which the still images are to be displayed on the screen and a scroll direction.

[0026] The content information is associated with scroll information that indicates the scroll direction of the content, and the scroll control means scrolls the content displayed on the screen vertically or horizontally in accordance with the scroll information. Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an effect of enabling more diverse expressions for content displayed on a screen. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a manga distribution system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a server according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a mobile terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the concept of a manga according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display state of a screen by multi-scrolling according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing images at timings when the scroll direction changes according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a manga progression branch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram relating to a manga display function of a mobile terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of manga display processing of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of manga data according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 13 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of another manga data related to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An information processing device, a content display method, and a content display program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0030] [1. First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0031] [1-1. Manga distribution system configuration] 1 is a schematic diagram of a manga distribution system 1 according to this embodiment. The manga distribution system 1 includes a communication line 2, a plurality of mobile terminals 3, and a server 4.

[0032] The communication line 2 forms a computer network, and is, for example, a wide area communication line provided by an electric utility company.

[0033] The mobile terminal 3 is, for example, an information processing terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook computer, and is used by a user to utilize online services distributed via the communication line 2. The mobile terminal 3 includes a touch panel display 3a for displaying images, a speaker 3b for outputting sound, a microphone 3c for inputting sound, and a camera 3d for capturing an image of a subject. Here, the touch panel display 3a includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch sensor. The LCD displays various images, and the touch sensor accepts various input operations performed using a pointing object such as a finger, a stylus, or a pen. In the following description, the touch panel display 3a is also referred to as a screen 3a.

[0034] The server 4 is an information processing device that distributes online services to the mobile terminal 3 via the communication line 2.

[0035] The manga distribution system 1 according to this embodiment distributes manga in the form of digital data from a server 4 to a mobile terminal 3 via a communication line 2 as one of the online services. The manga referred to here is an example of content formed of a series of still images, which are composed of pictures and have a story-like quality as a whole. The user views the manga distributed to the mobile terminal 3 using dedicated application software (hereinafter referred to as a "manga viewing app"). The manga viewing app is pre-installed on the mobile terminal 3. Note that the manga viewing app functions even when the mobile terminal 3 and the server 4 are not communicating (offline state) as long as manga data has been downloaded from the server 4 to the mobile terminal 3.

[0036] [1-2. Server configuration] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the server 4 according to the present embodiment.

[0037] The server 4 according to this embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20 which is a main control unit that controls the operation of the entire server 4, a ROM in which various programs and various data are stored in advance, The computer includes a Read Only Memory (RAM) 22, a Random Access Memory (RAM) 24 used as a work area when the CPU 20 executes various programs, and a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) 26 as storage means for storing various programs and various data.

[0038] The HDD 26 stores manga data indicating manga to be distributed to the mobile terminal 3. Note that the storage means is not limited to the HDD 26, and may be, for example, another storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, such as a flash memory.

[0039] Furthermore, the server 4 is equipped with an operation input unit 28 composed of a keyboard, a mouse, etc. and which accepts input of various operations, a monitor 30 such as a liquid crystal display device for displaying various images, and an external interface 32 which is connected to other information processing devices such as a mobile terminal 3 via the communication line 2 and which transmits and receives various data to and from the other information processing devices.

[0040] The CPU 20, ROM 22, RAM 24, HDD 26, operation input unit 28, monitor 30, and external interface 32 are electrically connected to one another via a system bus 34. Therefore, the CPU 20 can access the ROM 22, RAM 24, and HDD 26, grasp the operation state of the operation input unit 28, display images on the monitor 30, and transmit and receive various data to and from other information processing devices, etc. via the external interface 32.

[0041] [1-3. Electrical configuration of mobile terminal] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the mobile terminal 3. As shown in FIG.

[0042] The mobile terminal 3 includes a main control unit 40, a main memory unit 42, an auxiliary memory unit 44, a communication unit 46, and an operation button 48 in addition to the components shown in FIG.

[0043] The main control unit 40 is, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like, and controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 3.

[0044] The main storage unit 42 is configured with, for example, a RAM or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and is used as a work area when the main control unit 40 executes processes based on various programs.

[0045] The auxiliary storage unit 44 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores various data such as images, and programs used for processing by the main control unit 40. The programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 44 are, for example, an OS (Operating System) for implementing basic functions of the mobile terminal 3, drivers for controlling various hardware, and programs for implementing e-mail, web browsing, and various other functions. In addition, the auxiliary storage unit 44 prestores a manga viewing application for displaying manga distributed from the server 4 on the touch panel display 3a.

[0046] The communication unit 46 is, for example, a network interface controller (NIC), and has a function of connecting to the communication line 2. Note that the communication unit 46 may have, instead of or together with the NIC, a function of connecting to a wireless local area network (LAN), a function of connecting to a wireless wide area network (WAN), and a function of enabling short-distance wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, and the like.

[0047] The operation buttons 48 are provided on the side surface of the mobile terminal 3, and include a power button for starting and stopping the mobile terminal 3, a volume adjustment button for the sound output by the speaker 3b, and the like.

[0048] The main control unit 40, main memory unit 42, auxiliary memory unit 44, communication unit 46, touch panel display 3a, speaker 3b, microphone 3c, camera 3d, and operation buttons 48 are electrically connected to one another via a system bus 49. Therefore, the main control unit 40 can access the main memory unit 42 and auxiliary memory unit 44, display images on the touch panel display 3a, grasp the operation state of the touch panel display 3a and the operation buttons 48 by the user, input sound to the microphone 3c, output sound from the speaker 3b, control the camera 3d, and access various communication networks and other information processing devices via the communication unit 46.

[0049] [1-4. Manga display function on mobile devices] The mobile terminal 3 uses a function of the manga viewing app (hereinafter referred to as the "manga display function") to display the manga distributed from the server 4 on the screen 3a, allowing the user to view the manga. The manga according to this embodiment is formed including still images in which at least one of the vertical and horizontal lengths (hereinafter also referred to as "vertical and horizontal lengths") is greater than the length of the screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3. In other words, the manga according to this embodiment is a mixture of still images that are longer in the vertical direction and still images that are longer in the horizontal direction.

[0050] The configuration of the manga 50 according to this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the manga 50 distributed to the mobile terminal 3 by the manga distribution system. In the example of Fig. 4, the manga 50 includes still images 52A and 52B. The still image 52A is a scene in which two people are having a conversation, and is a vertically long still image 52. The still image 52B is a scene in which a character throws a punch, and is a horizontally long still image 52. Note that the manga 50 according to this embodiment does not have the concept of pages or frames, for example, and even in the example of Fig. 4, there are no clear page or frame divisions.

[0051] 4 is equal to the horizontal length of the screen 3a, and the vertical length y is equal to the vertical length of the screen 3a. That is, the horizontal length of the still image 52A is equal to the horizontal length of the screen 3a, while the vertical length of the still image 52A is longer than the vertical length of the screen 3a. Also, the horizontal length of the still image 52B is longer than the horizontal length of the screen 3a, while the vertical length of the still image 52B is equal to the vertical length of the screen 3a.

[0052] The manga 50 may include a still image 52 whose length and width are both longer than those of the screen 3a. The length of the still image 52 in the vertical and horizontal directions is determined arbitrarily by the artist who creates the manga according to the scene of the manga 50.

[0053] [1-4-1. Multi-scroll] The manga display function performs multi-scrolling to scroll the manga 50 vertically or horizontally (either up, down, left or right) of the mobile terminal 3 and display it on the screen 3a according to the vertical or horizontal length of the still image 52. More specifically, the multi-scrolling scrolls, for example, a vertically long still image 52 vertically (the long axis direction of the screen 3a, up and down) and a horizontally long still image 52 horizontally (the short axis direction of the screen 3a, left and right).

[0054] In this way, multi-scrolling does not scroll manga 50 in one direction, vertically (up and down) or horizontally (left and right), but changes the scroll direction vertically or horizontally depending on the scene of manga 50. The timing at which the scroll direction changes in manga 50 is also the timing at which the scene of manga 50 changes, for example.

[0055] In the following description, scrolling in the vertical direction is referred to as “vertical scrolling,” and scrolling in the horizontal direction is referred to as “horizontal scrolling.” Note that if the length and width of the still image 52 are both longer than the length and width of the screen 3a, the manga 50 can be scrolled in a preset direction.

[0056] 4 indicates the scroll direction of the manga 50, and still image 52A scrolls vertically because its vertical length is longer than the vertical length of screen 3a, and still image 52B scrolls horizontally because its horizontal length is longer than the horizontal length of screen 3a.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display state of the screen 3a by multi-scrolling, and shows a case where the still images 52A and 52B in FIG. 4 are displayed on the screen 3a.

[0058] Figures 5(A)-(F) show the change in image displayed on screen 3a of mobile terminal 3 in this order, i.e., the state of scrolling. Figures 5(A)-(C) show the state of manga 50 scrolling vertically from top to bottom. On the other hand, when still image 52 displayed on screen 3a changes from still image 52A to still image 52B as in Figures 5(C) and (D), manga 50 changes to scroll horizontally from left to right as in Figures 5(D)-(F).

[0059] Here, when the scroll direction of the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3 is always in one direction, the image changes displayed on the screen 3a may not be appropriate for each scene. For example, when the scroll direction is only vertical, in a scene in which a punch is thrown horizontally as in still image 52B, still image 52B must be created and displayed to match the horizontal length of screen 3a, resulting in a lack of realism and expressiveness.

[0060] On the other hand, in the manga display function according to the present embodiment, the manga 50 is scrolled and displayed on the screen 3a according to the vertical and horizontal lengths of the still image 52, so that, for example, a scene of a punch being thrown as in still image 52B scrolls horizontally, and the arm and fist are gradually displayed on the screen 3a. This makes it possible for the manga display function to enhance the realism and expressiveness of the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a.

[0061] In this way, the multi-scroll function of the comic display function according to this embodiment enables more diverse expressions for the comic 50 displayed on the screen 3a.

[0062] [1-4-2. Scrolling operation] The manga display function scrolls the manga 50 in response to a user's operation using a pointer on the screen 3a. Note that the pointer according to the present embodiment is, for example, the user's finger.

[0063] When scrolling the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a, the user, for example, moves (swipes or flicks) their finger touching the screen 3a in the scroll direction. The manga display function scrolls the manga 50 when the screen 3a detects that a swipe or flick has been made (hereinafter referred to as a "scroll operation") while the manga 50 is displayed on the screen 3a.

[0064] As an example, the manga display function according to the present embodiment scrolls the manga 50 displayed on the mobile terminal 3 when the moving direction of the user's finger performing the scroll operation coincides with a predetermined scroll direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the manga display function may scroll the manga 50 in a predetermined direction when a scroll operation is performed, regardless of the moving direction of the user's finger. Furthermore, instead of performing the scroll operation by swiping or flicking the user's finger, the manga 50 may be scrolled in a predetermined direction when the tap is performed, for example.

[0065] 6 is a schematic diagram showing still image 52C at the timing when the scroll direction changes. In the manga display function according to the present embodiment, as an example, when the bottom end of still image 52C is displayed on screen 3a and further downward scrolling is not possible, the scroll direction changes to the horizontal direction.

[0066] However, the scroll direction may be changed when the central area of ​​the still image 52C is displayed on the screen 3a. In this case, the coordinates indicating the central area of ​​the still image 52C, which is the timing at which the scroll direction changes, are set in advance in the manga.

[0067] Furthermore, the manga display function according to this embodiment may display an arrow image 54 indicating the scroll direction on the screen 3a. This arrow image 54 is displayed, for example, at the edge of the screen 3a so as not to interfere with the manga displayed on the screen 3a. This allows the user to know the scroll direction of the manga displayed on the screen 3a, and therefore allows the user to perform the scroll operation without making a mistake.

[0068] Furthermore, the cartoon display function changes the scroll speed of the cartoon 50 according to the moving speed of the user's finger performing the scroll operation. That is, the faster the moving speed of the finger, the greater the scroll amount of the still image 52 of the cartoon 50.

[0069] [1-4-3. Inertial scrolling] The manga display function according to this embodiment changes the amount of scrolling of still images 52 constituting the manga 50 according to the inertial force based on the moving speed of the user's finger performing the scrolling operation. Specifically, the faster the moving speed of the user's finger, the more the scrolling of the manga 50 continues even if the finger is removed from the screen 3a. Note that the inertial force referred to here is a pseudo inertial force that is predetermined according to the moving speed of the user's finger, and this inertial force becomes smaller with the passage of time, i.e., with the amount of scrolling after the finger is removed from the screen 3a. In the following description, scrolling due to the inertial force is referred to as inertial scrolling.

[0070] Here, when the manga 50 displayed on the mobile terminal 3 is inertial scrolled and the timing (scene) comes for changing the scroll direction, the manga display function performs first inertial scroll control or second inertial scroll control as scroll control.

[0071] The first inertial scroll control is a control for continuing the scrolling of the manga 50 in response to an inertial force even if the timing for changing the scroll direction of the manga 50 comes and the scroll direction of the manga 50 changes.

[0072] On the other hand, the second inertial scroll control is a control that stops the scrolling of the manga 50 regardless of the magnitude of the inertial force at the timing when the scrolling direction of the manga 50 changes. That is, the second inertial scroll control temporarily stops the scrolling of the manga 50 before the scrolling direction of the manga 50 changes.

[0073] The first inertial scroll control and the second inertial scroll control will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

[0074] In the first inertial scroll control, when the still image 52C is displayed on the screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3 by inertial scrolling, the scrolling does not stop at the timing when the still image 52C is displayed on the screen 3a, but changes the scrolling direction from vertical scrolling to horizontal scrolling and continues the inertial scrolling. Therefore, the first inertial scroll control enables smooth scrolling in response to the user's scroll operation.

[0075] On the other hand, in the second inertial scroll control, when the still image 52C is displayed on the screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3 by the inertial scroll, the scrolling is stopped at the timing when the still image 52C is displayed on the screen 3a. Then, when the user performs a scroll operation, the scrolling of the manga 50 is resumed and the manga 50 is scrolled in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the second inertial scroll control can prevent the user from missing a change in the scene of the manga 50.

[0076] In addition, which of the first inertial scroll control or the second inertial scroll control is used may be determined by a user's setting, for example, or may be set in advance according to the desire of the artist of the manga 50. In addition, the first inertial scroll control and the second inertial scroll control may be mixed in one manga 50. For example, when the still image 52C contains a conversation that is important to the story of the manga 50, the second inertial scroll control is performed to stop the scrolling. On the other hand, in a scene where it is desired to express a sense of speed in the manga 50, the first inertial scroll control is performed to progress the manga 50 without stopping the scrolling.

[0077] [1-4-4. Condition Scroll] The manga display function according to this embodiment may determine whether or not a certain condition for scrolling the manga 50 (hereinafter referred to as the "scroll condition") is met at a predetermined timing (hereinafter referred to as the "condition detection timing"), and may scroll (advance) the manga 50 if the scroll condition is met. Note that the manga display function does not scroll the manga 50 if the scroll condition is not met at the condition detection timing.

[0078] The manga display function scrolls the manga 50 when, for example, an instruction is issued to the user from the mobile terminal 3 as a scroll condition and an input according to the instruction is made to the mobile terminal 3. The instruction to the user from the mobile terminal 3 is displayed, for example, on the screen 3a. That is, the condition detection timing is after the instruction is displayed on the screen 3a. In addition, the timing at which the condition detection timing occurs may be displayed on the screen 3a together with the instruction.

[0079] As an example, the instruction to the user from the mobile terminal 3 is associated with the story of the manga 50. For example, a scene in which the main character of the manga 50 turns around is set as a predetermined timing, and when the user actually holds the mobile terminal 3 and turns around together with the mobile terminal 3 in this scene, the manga 50 is scrolled. The scroll condition in this case is that the acceleration sensor included in the mobile terminal 3 detects an acceleration of a predetermined value or more. That is, the manga 50 is scrolled when the user turns around together with the mobile terminal 3 held at the condition detection timing, and the acceleration sensor included in the mobile terminal 3 detects an acceleration of a predetermined value or more that satisfies the scroll condition.

[0080] In addition, in a configuration in which the mobile terminal 3 is a head mounted display device (HMD) and the manga 50 is displayed on the display, when the user turns around at the condition detection timing, it may be determined that the scrolling condition is satisfied and the manga display function may scroll the manga 50.

[0081] In this way, the manga display function that performs conditional scrolling requires a new user operation or the like to scroll the manga 50, and therefore allows the manga 50 to be presented in a highly interactive manner for the user.

[0082] [1-4-5. Progression Branch] The manga 50 according to this embodiment may have a branch in its progression (hereinafter referred to as a "progression branch"). In the manga 50 having a progression branch, multiple scroll directions are set for the still image before the progression branch (hereinafter referred to as a "pre-branch still image"). The manga display function scrolls the manga 50 in one scroll direction selected from the multiple scroll directions. Note that a progression branch is, in other words, a branch in the story, and the final ending may be the same or may change if only a part of the manga story branches.

[0083] 7 is an example of a pre-branch still image 52D displayed on the mobile terminal 3, and a scroll direction is set to both the left and right in the pre-branch still image 52D. That is, when the pre-branch still image 52D is displayed on the mobile terminal 3, the user selects the scroll direction by performing a scroll operation in either the left or right direction.

[0084] 7 is a simplified illustration, and in reality, for example, information is displayed on the pre-branch still image 52D that prompts the user to scroll left or right for a forward branch. The multiple scroll directions are not limited to left and right, and may be up and down, left and down, right and down, etc., and the number of selectable scroll directions may be three.

[0085] In this way, the manga display function according to this embodiment determines one of a plurality of scroll directions based on information acquired by the mobile terminal 3, such as a scroll operation on the screen 3a.

[0086] The manga display function may determine the scroll direction based on not only information on the user's scroll operation acquired on the screen 3a, but also information acquired by other sensors included in the mobile terminal 3 and the time. More specifically, for example, when an acceleration sensor included in the mobile terminal 3 acquires a predetermined value, the scroll direction may be determined according to the acquired value. When a position information acquisition sensor included in the mobile terminal 3, a so-called GPS (Global Positioning System), acquires predetermined position information, a new manga 50 may be acquired and the scroll direction may be determined so that the user can view the acquired manga 50. When the time measured by the mobile terminal 3 reaches a predetermined time, a new manga 50 may be acquired and the scroll direction may be determined so that the user can view the acquired manga 50.

[0087] Furthermore, when the manga display function scrolls the manga in one selected scroll direction, it may prohibit scrolling the manga in other scroll directions that were not selected. For example, even if the user selects progress A shown in Fig. 7 and the manga scrolls in this direction, and then the user returns the manga to pre-branch still image 52D, the user is prohibited (hereinafter referred to as "locked") from selecting progress B.

[0088] This lock may be released when a predetermined unlocking condition is met, such as when the user has read the manga to the end, when the user has paid a fee, when the user has posted a review of the manga, etc.

[0089] By having such a lock on progression branches, the manga display function can encourage the user to view the manga multiple times.

[0090] In this way, the manga display function with branching progression can provide multiple stories for one manga 50, allowing for a variety of expressions for the manga 50.

[0091] Furthermore, when a certain condition for increasing progression branches is satisfied, the number of progression branches in the manga may increase compared to before the condition was satisfied. For example, an increase in the number of progression branches means that pre-branch still image 52D, which had two progression branches as shown in Fig. 7, may have three progression branches, or a new progression branch may appear in a scene where there was no progression branch.

[0092] The condition for increasing the number of progress branches may be, for example, the number of times the user has viewed the manga, a specified period of time that has elapsed since the manga was released, a specified time period, execution of another associated service (e.g., a specified quest in an online game), or payment, etc. Another condition for increasing the number of progress branches may be that, after reading further in the manga, a user returns to a specified part that was previously read, and a progress branch that was not displayed before is displayed in that specified part.

[0093] In addition, when a condition for increasing the number of progression branches is satisfied, the above-mentioned lock may be released. Furthermore, a predetermined condition for decreasing the number of progression branches may be set, and when the condition is satisfied, the number of progression branches of the manga may be reduced compared to before the condition was satisfied. The condition for decreasing the number of progression branches may be, for example, a predetermined period of time that has passed since the publication of the manga or a predetermined time period.

[0094] Also, the user may be allowed to view only a predetermined amount of manga scrolled after the progression branch, and may be allowed to preview the story after the progression branch. More specifically, when the progression of the manga is split into two by a progression branch, the user may view one progression without restriction, but the other progression may be restricted to be viewed only if a predetermined condition is met. In this case, the user may view only a predetermined amount of scrolled content for the other progression even if the predetermined condition is not met, and may view more than the predetermined amount of scrolled content if the predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition is, for example, the same condition as the progression branch increase condition.

[0095] Furthermore, when a user views a progression branch with viewing restrictions, the display on the screen 3a may be returned to the progression branch when the finger performing scrolling touches off the screen 3a. In other words, for a user who does not satisfy a predetermined condition and can view only a predetermined amount of scrolling, a pseudo inertial force is imparted that returns to the progression branch when the finger touches off the screen 3a.

[0096] [1-4-6. Effects] Various effects (image effects) may be applied to the manga 50 according to this embodiment. The effects are applied to a part of the manga 50, and for example, a part of a scene of the manga 50 (a part of the still images 52 constituting the manga 50) changes dynamically due to the effects.

[0097] The scene (still image 52) to which the effect is applied is set in advance together with the contents of the effect. The cartoon display function executes the effect set for the scene at the timing when the scene to which the effect is set is displayed on the screen 3a.

[0098] More specifically, some of the images constituting manga 50 may be moving images, and the manga display function may, as an effect, start playing the moving image when it is displayed by scrolling, and scroll to the next still image 52 when playback of the moving image ends. In other words, manga 50 may include moving images between still images 52.

[0099] Furthermore, as an effect of the cartoon display function, a predetermined still image 52 may be enlarged or reduced, slightly vibrated up and down and left and right, or rotated, etc. As an effect of the cartoon display function, a predetermined still image 52 displayed on the screen 3a may be faded out and the next still image 52 may be faded in, so that the still image is displayed on the screen 3a.

[0100] Furthermore, as an effect, the cartoon display function may display another still image superimposed on a predetermined still image 52. For example, after a still image 52 including a person is displayed, a still image showing a speech bubble may be displayed superimposed on the still image 52, or a still image showing another person may be displayed.

[0101] Also, among the still images 52 constituting the cartoon 50, different still images 52 may be arranged in a pseudo-depth direction (or forward direction) with respect to the screen 3a, and the cartoon display function may display, as an effect, the multiple still images 52 arranged in a pseudo-depth direction of the screen 3a in sequence on the screen 3a. In other words, this effect displays the multiple still images 52 in sequence on the screen 3a as if they were a picture-story show.

[0102] In this way, the manga display function that applies effects allows for more diverse expressions for the manga 50.

[0103] [1-5. Functional block of manga display function] 8 is a functional block diagram relating to the manga display function of a manga viewing application installed in the mobile terminal 3 according to this embodiment. The main control unit 40 provided in the mobile terminal 3 includes a manga display control unit 60, a scroll control unit 62, a progress branch control unit 64, and an effect control unit 66. The processes executed by each function provided in the main control unit 40 are realized by programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 44.

[0104] The cartoon display control unit 60 causes the screen 3a to display a cartoon 50 including a still image 52 in which at least one of the vertical and horizontal lengths is greater than the length of the screen 3a.

[0105] The scroll control unit 62 scrolls the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a vertically or horizontally depending on the vertical or horizontal length of the still image 52. More specifically, the scroll control unit 62 scrolls the vertically long still image 52 vertically, and scrolls the horizontally long still image 52 horizontally. The scroll control unit 62 also performs first inertial scroll control and second inertial scroll control.

[0106] The progress branch control unit 64 determines one of multiple scroll directions for the manga 50 having a progress branch by setting multiple scroll directions in the pre-branch still image 52D, based on information acquired by the mobile terminal 3.

[0107] When a scene (still image 52) for which an effect has been set is displayed on the screen 3a, the effect control unit 66 executes the effect on the scene.

[0108] [1-6. Manga display processing flowchart] 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of manga display processing executed by the main control unit 40 included in the mobile terminal 3. A program (manga viewing application) for executing the manga display processing is stored in a predetermined area of ​​the auxiliary storage unit 44 in advance.

[0109] First, in step 100, the comic display control unit 60 causes the comic 50 distributed from the server 4 to be displayed on the screen 3a.

[0110] In the next step 102, the scroll control unit 62 detects whether or not a scroll operation has been performed on the screen 3a by the user.

[0111] In step 104, the scroll control unit 62 determines whether or not the direction of the scroll operation is the same as the scroll direction of the cartoon 50. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 106, and if the determination is negative, the process returns to step 102.

[0112] In step 106, the scroll control unit 62 scrolls the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a.

[0113] In the next step 108, the progress branch control unit 64 determines whether the still image 52 displayed on the screen 3a is a pre-branch still image 52D or not, and if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 110, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 112.

[0114] In step 110, based on the information acquired by the mobile terminal 3, the progress branch control unit 64 determines one of the multiple scroll directions set in the pre-branch still image 52D, and the scroll control unit 62 scrolls the manga 50 in the determined scroll direction.

[0115] In the next step 112, the effect control unit 66 determines whether or not an effect has been set for the scene of the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 114; if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 116.

[0116] In step 114, the effect control section 66 executes the effect set for the scene of the cartoon 50 displayed on the screen 3a.

[0117] In step 116, the manga display control unit 60 determines whether or not the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a has ended, and if the determination is affirmative, ends this manga display process, and if the determination is negative, proceeds to step 102 and continues displaying the manga 50. Note that, as an example, the manga display control unit 60 determines that the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a has ended when the manga 50 cannot be scrolled any further.

[0118] As described above, the manga display process according to this embodiment displays a manga 50 formed of a series of multiple still images 52 on the screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3. The manga display process then displays on the screen 3a a manga 50 including still images 52 whose length in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions is greater than the length of the screen 3a, and scrolls (multi-scrolls) the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a vertically or horizontally according to the vertical or horizontal length of the still images 52. This allows the manga display process according to this embodiment to have a greater variety of expressions for the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a.

[0119] [1-7. Manga data structure] Next, the structure (also called format or authoring) of manga data representing the manga 50 displayed on the mobile terminal 3 will be described.

[0120] In this embodiment, the manga data showing the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3 includes a plurality of still images (still image data) arranged two-dimensionally in accordance with the scroll direction.

[0121] Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of manga data 70 according to this embodiment. As an example, manga data 70 according to this embodiment is formed using a data format 74 in which a plurality of cells 72 (areas indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 10) are arranged in a grid pattern. For example, one side of each of cells 72 constituting data format 74 approximately corresponds to the horizontal length of screen 3a of mobile terminal 3, and two consecutive sides approximately correspond to the horizontal length of screen 3a.

[0122] Then, still images 52 are arranged (written) into adjacent squares 72 that share a common side, thereby forming manga data 70. As an example, the area indicated by solid lines and hatching in Fig. 10 is manga data 70 formed by arranging still images 52.

[0123] Therefore, an artist who creates manga 50 using data format 74 shown in FIG. 10 can create manga 50 while directly sensing (imagining) the state in which manga 50 will be displayed on screen 3a.

[0124] The manga data 70 is associated with scroll information indicating the scroll direction of the manga 50, and the scroll control unit 62 scrolls the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a vertically or horizontally in accordance with the scroll information. As an example, the scroll information is associated with each square 72, but this is not limiting, and the scroll information may be associated with each group of a plurality of consecutive squares 72, each still image 52, or each group of a plurality of consecutive still images 52.

[0125] In this way, since scroll information is associated with the manga data 70, the manga display function can easily determine the scroll direction of the manga 50 and scroll the manga 50 displayed on the screen 3a in the direction intended by the artist of the manga 50.

[0126] Furthermore, an effect may be set for each still image 52 or each square 72, and multiple still images 52 are arranged in a square 72 corresponding to a scene in which the still image 52 is to be superimposed or the like.

[0127] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the manga data 70. As shown in FIG.

[0128] 11 is a data table 76 including a plurality of still images 52 associated with a scroll direction and order information indicating the order (scroll order) in which the still images are displayed on the screen 3a of the mobile terminal 3. The scroll direction described in the data table 76 includes a scroll start position and a scroll end position for each still image 52.

[0129] The still images 52 included in the data table 76 may include the still image data itself, or may describe the link destination of the still image data. Note that the data table 76 according to the present embodiment is, as an example, a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file, and describes the link destination of the still image data.

[0130] Therefore, by using the data table 76 shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to easily create manga data 70 that allows multi-scrolling, without creating a new data format 74 described above.

[0131] By reading the data table 76, the scroll control unit 62 displays the still images 52 on the screen 3a in the scroll order, and scrolls the manga 50 in the scroll direction associated with the still images 52. In the data table shown in Fig. 11, a scroll direction is associated with each piece of still image data, but a scroll direction may be associated with each group consisting of a plurality of consecutive still image data. In addition to this, the scroll control unit 62 also performs various processes related to scrolling the manga displayed on the screen 3a.

[0132] When distributing manga, the server 4 distributes the manga data 70 (data table 76) to the mobile terminal 3 by streaming distribution, for example.

[0133] [2. Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0134] The configurations of the manga distribution system 1, server 4, and mobile terminal 3 according to this embodiment are similar to those of the manga distribution system 1, server 4, and mobile terminal 3 according to the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described.

[0135] The comic display function according to this embodiment scrolls the still image 52 at a predetermined speed (hereinafter referred to as the "scroll speed"). That is, the comic display function according to this embodiment automatically scrolls the comic 50 displayed on the screen 3a based on the scroll speed. (Hereinafter referred to as "automatic scrolling"). The scrolling speed is set in manga data 70, for example, for each still image 52. Scroll control unit 62 then reads the scrolling speed set in manga data 70, and scrolls still images 52 displayed on screen 3a at the read scrolling speed.

[0136] The scroll speed may vary depending on the scene (still image 52) of the manga 50. For example, the scroll speed may be relatively fast in a scene where a sense of speed is desired to be expressed, and the scroll speed may be relatively slow in a scene showing the grandeur of nature.

[0137] Furthermore, the manga display function according to this embodiment may perform automatic scrolling in some scenes (still images 52), and perform scrolling by a user's scrolling operation (hereinafter referred to as "manual scrolling") in other scenes. In this case, the manga display function may, for example, display a countdown on screen 3a to indicate the timing for automatic scrolling or manual scrolling, or may display on screen 3a that the scroll state of manga 50 displayed on screen 3a is automatic scrolling or manual scrolling.

[0138] 3. Other embodiments The present invention has been described above using the above-mentioned embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention, and the forms in which such modifications or improvements are made are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0139] For example, in the above embodiment, the content is described as a manga 50, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the still images 52 constituting the content may be a novel composed of text.

[0140] In addition, in the above embodiment, the functions of multi-scrolling, scroll operation, inertial scrolling, conditional scrolling, progress branching, and effects were described as manga display functions, but as long as the manga display function has the functions of multi-scrolling and scroll operation, it does not need to have other functions or may have only some of the other functions.

[0141] Furthermore, the flow of the manga display process described in the above embodiment is also one example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 3. Mobile terminals (information processing devices) 3a screen 50 Manga (content) 52 Still Images 60 Manga display control unit (display control means) 62 Scroll control unit (scroll control means) 64 Progress branch control unit (progress branch control means) 70 Manga data (content information)

Claims

1. A processor is included. The processor displays manga content composed of a plurality of successive images on a screen; The processor sets a first scroll direction and a second scroll direction for progressing through the manga content; the processor receives an operation from a user in either the first scroll direction or the second scroll direction while displaying a predetermined image included in the plurality of images, and progresses a story of the manga content in the scroll direction selected in response to the operation; the processor allows the manga content to progress in the first scroll direction by a first progress amount when a predetermined condition is not satisfied, and allows progress greater than the first progress amount when the predetermined condition is satisfied; At least a part of a story of the manga content is different between the first scroll direction and the second scroll direction. Information processing device.

2. the predetermined condition includes the number of times the user has viewed the manga content; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The predetermined conditions include the time elapsed since the publication of the manga content. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The processor displays manga content, which is made up of a series of multiple images, on a screen; a processor setting a first scroll direction and a second scroll direction for progressing through the manga content; a processor, while displaying a predetermined image included in the plurality of images, receives an operation from a user in either the first scroll direction or the second scroll direction, and progresses a story of the manga content in the scroll direction selected in response to the operation; a processor for allowing progression of the manga content in the first scroll direction by a first progression amount when a predetermined condition is not satisfied, and allowing progression greater than the first progression amount when the predetermined condition is satisfied; At least a part of a story of the manga content is different between the first scroll direction and the second scroll direction. Information processing methods.

5. A processor displays manga content composed of a plurality of successive images on a screen; causing a processor to set a first scroll direction and a second scroll direction for progressing through the manga content; a processor that receives an operation from a user in either the first scroll direction or the second scroll direction while displaying a predetermined image included in the plurality of images, and progresses a story of the manga content in the scroll direction selected in response to the operation; a processor configured to allow the manga content to progress in the first scroll direction by a first progress amount when a predetermined condition is not satisfied, and to allow progress greater than the first progress amount when the predetermined condition is satisfied; At least a part of a story of the manga content is different between the first scroll direction and the second scroll direction. A program that executes a process.

6. A server and a terminal device are provided, The server, Manga content consisting of multiple consecutive images is displayed on the screen. setting a first scroll direction and a second scroll direction for progressing through the manga content; receiving an operation in either the first scroll direction or the second scroll direction from the terminal device while displaying a predetermined image included in the plurality of images, and progressing a story of the manga content in the scroll direction selected in response to the operation; allowing the manga content to progress a first amount in the first scroll direction when a predetermined condition is not met, and allowing a greater amount of progress than the first amount when the predetermined condition is met; At least a part of a story of the manga content is different between the first scroll direction and the second scroll direction. system.

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