Information processing device and program

Abstract

To display an enlarged thumbnail image in a larger size in comparison with a configuration where a plurality of enlarged thumbnail images is simultaneously displayed without overlapping each other.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises a processor performs the steps of: displaying thumbnail images of files on a screen and accepting, for each of the files, an enlargement instruction for displaying an enlarged thumbnail image resulting from enlarging the thumbnail image; upon accepting the enlargement instruction for the plurality of files, displaying an enlarged thumbnail image of one file of the plurality of files and accepts a change instruction for changing display from the displayed enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of another file of the plurality of files; and changing display from the enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to the enlarged thumbnail image of the another file.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a preview image display device that includes a document storage means for storing document data, an object document data generation means for dividing the document data into regions by object and generating document data for each object, a preview image generation means for generating only an entire document preview image or at least a preview image for each object from either or both of the document data and the document data for each object, a display means for displaying the preview image, and a preview image control means for causing the preview image generation means to generate only an entire document preview image or at least a preview image for each object based on the display size of the display means and for displaying the preview image on the display means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-110488 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In file management systems, there is a technique for displaying thumbnail images, which are reduced images, so that the contents of image files or document files can be checked before opening them. There is also a technique for enlarging and displaying thumbnail images so that the contents of the files can be checked in detail. However, when multiple thumbnail images are enlarged and displayed simultaneously without overlapping, the area in which each thumbnail image is enlarged and displayed is smaller than the area in which a single thumbnail image is enlarged and displayed. In this case, the area in which the thumbnail images are enlarged and displayed is smaller, making it difficult for the user to check the thumbnail images. An object of the present invention is to display enlarged thumbnail images larger than a configuration in which a plurality of enlarged thumbnail images are simultaneously displayed without overlapping. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 includes a processor, the processor displays thumbnail images of files on a screen, receives an enlargement instruction for each file to display an enlarged thumbnail image that is an enlarged image of the thumbnail image, and executes the enlargement instruction for a plurality of files. For each file When the file is accepted, an enlarged thumbnail image of one of the files is displayed. attitude a change instruction to change the display from an enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of another file among the plurality of files; From the user and changing the display from an enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of the other file. The invention described in claim 2 is the information processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the processor receives the enlargement instruction for the multiple files, it displays an enlarged thumbnail image of the one of the multiple files if predetermined conditions are satisfied. The invention described in claim 3 is the information processing device described in claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined condition is a condition determined based on the area in which enlarged thumbnail images of each of the multiple files are displayed. The invention described in claim 4 is the information processing device described in claim 3, characterized in that the condition determined based on the area is that when each of the enlarged thumbnail images is displayed, the areas displaying the enlarged thumbnail images overlap with each other. The invention according to claim 5 is the information processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the area is determined in accordance with the amount of data of an image that is the source of each of the enlarged thumbnail images. The invention described in claim 6 is the information processing device described in claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined condition is when an instruction is received from a user to display an enlarged thumbnail image of one of the multiple files. The invention described in claim 7 is the information processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the order in which the display of the other files is changed is determined based on the order defined for the multiple files for which the enlargement instruction was accepted. The invention described in claim 8 is the information processing device described in claim 7, characterized in that the determined order is determined by an instruction from a user. The invention described in claim 9 is the information processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the processor displays information indicating the file that has the enlarged thumbnail image being displayed, together with the enlarged thumbnail image. The invention according to claim 10 further comprises a processor, the processor displaying thumbnail images of the plurality of files on a screen, Among the multiple files For two or more files, an enlargement instruction is issued to display an enlarged thumbnail image obtained by enlarging the thumbnail image. For each file If you accept, The expansion instruction was accepted. Bundle each of the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files mosquitoand upon receiving a user's selection of bundling the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files, the information processing device bundles the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files. The invention described in claim 11 is an information processing device described in claim 10, characterized in that the processor displays information for specifying the order in which the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files are displayed when a user selects to bundle the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files. The invention described in claim 12 provides a computer having a function of displaying thumbnail images of files on a screen, a function of receiving an enlargement instruction for each file to display an enlarged thumbnail image that is an enlarged image of the thumbnail image, and a function of receiving the enlargement instruction for each file to display an enlarged thumbnail image of the thumbnail image. For each file When a file is accepted, it has the function of displaying an enlarged thumbnail image of one of the files, and the function of displaying the enlarged thumbnail image of the file. attitude a change instruction to change the display from an enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of another file among the plurality of files; From the user and a display change control function for changing the display from an enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of the other file. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, the enlarged thumbnail images can be displayed larger than in a configuration in which a plurality of enlarged thumbnail images are simultaneously displayed without overlapping. According to the invention of claim 2, the user can easily compare a plurality of thumbnail images, as compared with a configuration in which one of a plurality of enlarged thumbnail images is always displayed. According to the invention of claim 3, the enlarged thumbnail image is prevented from being displayed small. According to the invention of claim 4, the visibility of the enlarged thumbnail image can be improved. According to the invention of claim 5, an image containing a lot of information can be easily confirmed. According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to perform control in accordance with the user's intention, as compared to a case in which enlarged thumbnail images are grouped together regardless of a user's instruction. According to the invention of claim 7, it is possible to grasp the file corresponding to the enlarged thumbnail image being displayed. According to the invention of claim 8, enlarged thumbnail images can be displayed in the order that the user wants to check, as compared to a configuration in which the order of files for which enlarged thumbnail images are displayed is not determined according to a user instruction. According to the invention of claim 9, the user can easily know the file name corresponding to the displayed enlarged thumbnail image. According to the invention of claim 10, the enlarged thumbnail images can be displayed larger than in a configuration in which a plurality of enlarged thumbnail images are simultaneously displayed without overlapping. According to the invention of claim 11, it is possible to reduce the complexity of operations performed by the user. According to the invention of claim 12, the enlarged thumbnail images can be displayed larger than in a configuration in which a plurality of enlarged thumbnail images are simultaneously displayed without overlapping. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of an operation screen. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device to which the present embodiment is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image display device. [Figure 4] 11 is a flowchart when the image display device accepts an instruction to enlarge and display thumbnail images of a plurality of files and displays the enlarged thumbnail images. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a bundling display determining unit when determining whether or not to display enlarged thumbnail images in a bundling display format. [Figure 6-1] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a state in which the first enlarged thumbnail image is displayed. [Figure 6-2]FIG. 1C is a diagram showing an image that requests the user to give an instruction as to whether or not to bundle the preview images, and FIG. 1D is a diagram showing a state in which enlarged thumbnail images are displayed in a bundled display format. [Figure 6-3] FIG. 10E is a diagram showing another example of an image for requesting a user's instruction as to whether or not to bundle the preview images. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing other examples of the display of the operation screen. [Figure 8] 13A is a diagram showing a case where multiple files are selected as files for which enlarged thumbnail images are to be displayed, and FIG. 13B is a table showing the relationship between the order in which the files are specified and the order in which they are displayed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] <Outline of information processing device> First, an overview of an image display device 1 to which the present embodiment is applied will be described. 1(a) and (b) are diagrams showing an example of an operation screen. 1, the display unit 40 displays an operation screen 400. The operation screen 400 is a workspace on the file handling software, and is an area in which images related to files selected by a user and thumbnail images 410 (described later) are arranged. The file handling software is software that digitizes and manages files such as image data and document data, and has a function of promoting the unified management of paper and electronic data.

[0009] On the operation screen 400, thumbnail images 410a and 410b, an icon 420, a toolbar 430, and enlarged thumbnail images 411a and 411b are displayed. The icons 420 are pictorial symbols representing various functions such as program functions, etc. The toolbar 430 is a collection of instruction sections that accept instructions from the user. The thumbnail images 410a and 410b are images for checking the contents of a file before opening it, and the enlarged thumbnail images 411a and 411b are enlarged versions of the thumbnail images 410a and 410b.

[0010] The thumbnail images 410a and 410b are images for confirming at least a part of the contents of a file managed by the file handling software. For example, if the corresponding file is image data, the thumbnail images 410a and 410b are simply displayed as reduced images of the original image. Also, if the corresponding file is multi-page document data, the thumbnail images 410a and 410b are displayed as reduced images of a representative page such as the first page. In this embodiment, the thumbnail images 410a and 410b function as icons for opening the corresponding files. For example, the corresponding files can be opened by performing a specific operation such as double-clicking on the thumbnail images 410a and 410b.

[0011] The enlarged thumbnail images 411a, 411b are images obtained by enlarging the thumbnail images 410a, 410b instructed to be enlarged by the user, and are displayed without starting a new program. The enlarged thumbnail image 411 is enlarged and displayed to a size that allows the user to understand the contents of the thumbnail image 410. More specifically, it is displayed larger than the corresponding thumbnail image 410. Hereinafter, an image obtained by enlarging and displaying a thumbnail image may be referred to as an enlarged thumbnail image. The size at which the enlarged thumbnail image is displayed can be determined, for example, according to the amount of data of the image that is the source of the thumbnail image.

[0012] Furthermore, when thumbnail images 410 of a plurality of files are enlarged and displayed, there are two display forms for the enlarged thumbnail images: an individual display form and a bundled display form. Here, the individual display mode refers to a display mode in which, when enlarged thumbnail images of multiple files are displayed, an enlarged thumbnail image is displayed for each file individually. That is, enlarged thumbnail images of multiple files are displayed for each file on the UI screen. The display mode of enlarged thumbnail images 411a and 411b displayed in FIG. 1(a) is the individual display mode.

[0013] The bundled display mode is a display mode in which enlarged thumbnail images of multiple files are displayed as if they were one file. In other words, when an instruction to display enlarged thumbnail images of multiple files is received, the enlarged thumbnail images of the multiple files are bundled and displayed, and one enlarged thumbnail image from among the enlarged thumbnail images of the multiple files is displayed in a bundled display mode. FIG. 1(b) shows an example of an enlarged thumbnail image displayed in the bundled display mode. In FIG. 1(b), the enlarged thumbnail images 411a and 411b displayed in the individual display mode in FIG. 1(a) are displayed in the bundled display mode. The enlarged thumbnail image 411b is displayed, and the enlarged thumbnail image 411a is not displayed. A page turn button 301 is displayed to the right of the enlarged thumbnail image 411b. The page turn button 301 is a display for changing the display of the enlarged thumbnail images displayed in the bundled display mode. When the page turn button 301 is pressed, the displayed enlarged thumbnail image is changed from the enlarged thumbnail image 411b to an enlarged thumbnail image 411a of another file.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. <Hardware configuration of image display device 1> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device 1 to which this embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 2, the image display device 1 according to this embodiment functions as an example of an information processing device, and includes an arithmetic processing unit 10 that executes digital arithmetic processing 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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 as appropriate.

[0017] 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.

[0018] <Functional configuration of image display device 1> Next, the functional configuration of the image display device 1 will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image display device 1. The image display device 1 is realized by a calculation processing unit 10 (see Fig. 1), and has an operation determination unit 101, a display control unit 102, a bundling display determination unit 103, a file order determination unit 104, an enlarged image output unit 105, a selected image output unit 106, a thumbnail image generation unit 107, and a thumbnail image storage unit 108.

[0019] The operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not a user operation has been performed on the operation screen 400 (see FIG. 1) 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, or a key input operation.

[0020] The display control unit 102 controls the display mode and position of images, icons 410, toolbar 430 (see FIG. 1), etc., based on the contents determined by the operation determination unit 101. Also, it controls to import thumbnail images 410 from the thumbnail image storage unit 108 and display them as icons for opening the corresponding files.

[0021] When the operation determination unit 101 receives an instruction to display enlarged thumbnail images of a plurality of files, the bundling display determination unit 103 determines a display form of the enlarged thumbnails, ie, whether or not to display the enlarged thumbnail images together.

[0022] The file order determination unit 104 determines the order of files to be displayed when enlarged thumbnail images are displayed in a bundled display format. The order of files may be received from a user, or may be determined based on a predetermined order. Examples of the predetermined order include an order in which the file that received the instruction to enlarge and display thumbnail images is the last file among a plurality of files, an order determined based on the position where the thumbnail images of the files are displayed, an order determined based on the names of the files, and the like.

[0023] The enlarged image output unit 105 displays an enlarged thumbnail image on the UI screen based on an instruction from the display control unit 102. The enlarged image output unit 105 enlarges and displays a thumbnail image stored in the thumbnail image storage unit 108 without starting a new program. Furthermore, when an enlarged thumbnail image is displayed in the bound display form, upon receiving an instruction to change the enlarged thumbnail image, the enlarged thumbnail image is displayed on the display unit 40 (see FIG. 2) based on the file order determined by the file order determination unit 104.

[0024] When an instruction is given to enlarge and display thumbnail images of a plurality of files, the selected image output unit 106 displays on the display unit 40 an image for selecting a display format of the enlarged thumbnail images.

[0025] The thumbnail image generating unit 107 generates thumbnail images 410 to be displayed on the operation screen 400, based on files such as image data stored in the secondary storage unit 30. Furthermore, if a file has multiple pages, the thumbnail image generating unit 107 generates a thumbnail image for each page.

[0026] The thumbnail image storage unit 108 acquires and stores the thumbnail image 410 generated by the thumbnail image generation unit 107. This thumbnail image storage unit 108 is realized by the non-volatile memory 14 (see FIG. 2).

[0027] <Processing of information processing device> Next, the process performed by the image display device 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart when the image display device 1 receives an instruction to enlarge and display thumbnail images of a plurality of files and displays the enlarged thumbnail images. First, the operation determination unit 101 accepts an instruction to enlarge and display thumbnail images of multiple files (step 1001). One example of an instruction to enlarge and display thumbnail images of multiple files is an instruction to enlarge and display thumbnail images of another file when a thumbnail image of one file has already been enlarged and displayed.

[0028] Next, the bundling display determination unit 103 determines whether or not to display in the bundling display form (step 1002). The display form determination process of step 1002 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 5. If the bundling display determination unit 103 determines that the display is not in the bundling display form (NO in step 1003), the enlarged image output unit 105 enlarges and displays the multiple thumbnail images in the individual display form (step 1008), and the process ends. If the bundling display determination unit 103 determines that the display is in the bundling display form (YES in step 1003) in step 1003, the display control unit 102 controls to display an image for specifying the order of the files (step 1004). Then, when the operation determination unit 101 accepts a designation of the order of the files from the user (step 1005), the file order determination unit 104 decides the file order of the enlarged thumbnail images to be displayed in the bundling display form based on the accepted file order (step 1006). Thereafter, the enlarged image output unit 105 displays the enlarged thumbnail images in a bound display format based on the determined file order (step 1007), and the process ends.

[0029] In this embodiment, as described above, the file order determination unit 104 determines the order of files of enlarged thumbnail images to be displayed based on the order of files accepted from the user by the operation determination unit 101. However, the order of files may be determined not only based on an instruction from the user but also based on, for example, the display positions of multiple files on the UI screen or the order of the names of multiple files.

[0030] Next, the display form determination process performed by the bundling display determination unit 103 in step 1002 in FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the bundling display determining unit 103 to determine whether or not to display enlarged thumbnail images in a bundling display format. The end display determination unit 103 calculates the ratio of the area of the enlarged thumbnail image that is already being displayed to the UI screen (step 2001). It determines whether the calculated ratio exceeds a predetermined ratio (step 2002). If it is determined that the calculated ratio exceeds the predetermined ratio (YES in step 2002), it decides to display in the end display form (step 2003). Then, as the determination result, it sends "display in the end display form" to the display control unit 102 (step 2004), and the process ends.

[0031] In step 2002, if the end display determination unit 103 determines that the calculated ratio does not exceed the predetermined ratio (NO in step 2002), it decides to display in the individual display form (step 2005). Then, as the determination result, it sends "display in the individual display form" to the display control unit 102 (step 2004), and the process ends.

[0032] In this embodiment, the ratio of the enlarged thumbnail image that is already being displayed to the UI screen is used as the condition for determining whether to display in the end display form. However, as the condition for determining whether to display in the end display form, conditions such as when the enlarged thumbnail images of multiple files overlap when displayed in the individual display form, display in the end display form, etc. can be used. Also, the user can be allowed to select the display form.

[0033] <First display example of the UI screen> Next, an example of the operation screen will be described with reference to FIGS. 6-1, 6-2, and 6-3. FIGS. 6-1(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the state of displaying the first enlarged thumbnail image. FIG. 6-2(c) is a diagram when an image for requesting an instruction from the user on whether to bundle the preview images is displayed, and (d) is a diagram showing the state of displaying the enlarged thumbnail image in the end display form. Also, FIG. 6-3(e) is a diagram showing another example of the image for requesting an instruction from the user on whether to bundle the preview images.

[0034] FIG. 6-1(a) shows a state before thumbnail images 410a, 410b, and 410c are specified. In FIG. 6-1(a), a cursor 200, thumbnail images 410a, 410b, and 410c, and a toolbar 430 are displayed. Hereinafter, thumbnail images 410a, 410b, and 410c may be collectively referred to as thumbnail images 410. Below the thumbnail image 410, there is a field that displays the name of the file corresponding to the thumbnail image 410. Furthermore, if the file has multiple pages, a mark 401 that resembles a clip is displayed in the upper left of the thumbnail image, and a page display 403 that indicates the total number of pages and the page number is displayed in the upper right. For example, the file name "File B" is displayed below the thumbnail image 410b. Also, a mark that resembles the shape of a clip is displayed in the upper left to indicate that the file has multiple pages. Furthermore, the total number of pages, "10," and the page number "1" corresponding to the displayed thumbnail image 410b are displayed as "1 / 10" in the upper right corner of the thumbnail image 410b.

[0035] Note that triangular thumbnail-turning icons 402a, 402b are displayed on the left and right of the mark 401 that resembles the shape of a clip, and when the page-turning icons 402a or 402b are operated, the operation determination unit 101 (see FIG. 3) determines that this is an instruction to change the page of the displayed thumbnail image 410, and the display control unit 102 (see FIG. 3) performs control to change the page of the thumbnail image 410. Specifically, when the triangular icon 402a on the right side of the mark that resembles the shape of a clip is clicked, the displayed thumbnail image is changed to the thumbnail image of the next page. When the triangular page-turning icon 402b on the left side is clicked, the displayed thumbnail image is changed to the thumbnail image 410 of the previous page.

[0036] FIG. 6-1(b) shows a state in which a thumbnail image is specified and an enlarged thumbnail image is displayed. In addition to Fig. 6-1(a), Fig. 6-1(b) displays an enlarged thumbnail image 411a obtained by enlarging the thumbnail image 410a. Furthermore, in Fig. 6-1(b), a sequence symbol 601a having a 1 in a circle is displayed superimposed on the thumbnail image 410a as a marker for displaying the enlarged thumbnail image 411a obtained by enlarging the thumbnail image 410a.

[0037] FIG. 6-2(c) shows a state in which an instruction to enlarge and display the thumbnail image 410b is given on the screen of FIG. 6-1(b), and a selection is displayed as to whether or not to display the enlarged thumbnail image in a bound display format. In addition to the display in FIG. 6-1(b), FIG. 6-2(c) displays an image 500 for requesting a user's instruction as to whether or not to display enlarged thumbnail images in a bundled display mode. The image 500 for requesting an instruction displays "<Aggregate enlarged thumbnail images>" in a title field 501 in the upper center, and displays a message "Do you want to combine enlarged thumbnail images into one?" in a message field 502 below. Further below that, two buttons are displayed for the user to give an instruction. A button 503 for instructing to bundle enlarged thumbnail images displays "Yes," and a button 504 for instructing to display enlarged thumbnail images individually displays "No." The user can easily give an instruction as to whether or not to display enlarged thumbnail images in a bundled display mode by selecting the displayed buttons 503 and 504.

[0038] FIG. 6-2(d) shows a state in which thumbnail images 410a and 410b are displayed in a bound display format. An order symbol 601a having a 1 in a circle is displayed over thumbnail image 410a, and an order symbol 601b having a 2 in a circle is displayed over thumbnail image 410b. The numbers in the circles indicate the order of the files in the enlarged thumbnail images displayed in the bound display format. In addition, a page turn button 301a for turning the page forward and a page turn button 301b for turning the page backward are displayed on the left and right of enlarged thumbnail image 411b. The page and file on which the enlarged thumbnail image is displayed can be changed by using the page turn buttons 301a and 301b. At the bottom right of the enlarged thumbnail images displayed in the bundled display form are displayed a button 303 labeled "Select Order" and a button 304 labeled "Cancel." When button 303 is pressed, the order of the files in the enlarged thumbnail images displayed in the bundled display form can be changed. For example, the symbols superimposed on thumbnail images 410a and 410b disappear. The user then selects a new order of the files. When button 304 is pressed, the display of the enlarged thumbnail images disappears.

[0039] FIG. 6-3(e) is an image for requesting a user's instruction as to whether or not to bundle the preview images when an instruction to display enlarged thumbnail images of three or more files has been given. In Fig. 6-3(e), an image 500 for requesting an instruction from the user on whether to bundle preview images is displayed. On button 505 for giving an instruction to bundle enlarged thumbnail images, "Yes (Append to the end)" is displayed. On button 506 for giving an instruction to bundle enlarged thumbnail images, "Yes (Edit the order)" is displayed. On button 507 for giving an instruction to display enlarged thumbnail images individually, "No" is displayed. When button 505 displayed with "Yes (Append to the end)" is pressed, the file that last gave an instruction to display an enlarged thumbnail image is used to display the enlarged thumbnail images in a bundled display form with the file order at the end. Thereby, the user can instruct the process of appending a new enlarged thumbnail image to the end without specifying the file order. Also, when button 506 displayed with "Yes (Edit the order)" is pressed, the user can specify the file order and display the enlarged thumbnail images of different files in a bundled manner. <Second display example of the UI screen> Next, another example of the operation screen will be described with reference to Figs. 7(a), (b), 8(a), and (b). Figs. 7(a) and (b) are diagrams showing another example of the display of the operation screen. Fig. 7(a) is a diagram of a state where a thumbnail image is selected. Fig. 7(b) is a diagram of a state where the selected thumbnail image is enlarged and displayed. Fig. 8(a) is a diagram when a plurality of files are selected as files for displaying enlarged thumbnail images, and (b) is a table showing the relationship between the specified order of the files and the display order.

[0040] In Fig. 7(a), the display unit 40 in the present embodiment is displaying an operation screen 700. In the second display example, for the same components as in the first display example, the same reference numerals are used and their detailed descriptions are omitted. On the operation screen 700, a cursor 200 for indicating a position or an image on the screen, thumbnail images 410, and a toolbar 430 are displayed.

[0041] In Fig. 7(b), display unit 40 in this embodiment displays enlarged thumbnail image 411c of thumbnail image 410c in Fig. 7(a), page turn button 301a for moving forward to the next page of the enlarged thumbnail image being displayed, and page turn button 301b for moving back to the previous page. Page turn buttons 301a and 301b allow the page and file on which the enlarged thumbnail image is displayed to be changed. Also displayed are "multiple selection" button 305 for enlarging and displaying thumbnail images of multiple files, and "cancel" button 304 for ending the display of the enlarged thumbnail image. In the second display example, the enlarged thumbnail image 411 is controlled so as to be displayed over the entire display screen.

[0042] <Screen for selecting multiple files to display enlarged thumbnail images> FIG. 8(a) is a screen that is displayed when multiple selection button 305 is pressed in FIG. 7(b) and is used to select files in order for displaying thumbnail images, and FIG. 8(b) is a table showing the display order of enlarged thumbnail images when the file order is specified. In FIG. 8(a), the user instructs that the order of files to display preview images is to be the file names "File A", "File B", and "File C". Here, thumbnail images 410 are displayed as in FIG. 7(a), and a button 306 labeled "Display" and a button 304 labeled "Cancel" are displayed in the lower right. Then, order symbols 601a, 601b, and 601c are displayed above the thumbnail images in the order in which the user selected the files. When the button 306 labeled "Display" is clicked, the file order is determined, and enlarged thumbnail images of multiple files are displayed in a bound display format. When the button 304 labeled "Cancel" is pressed, the screen transitions to a screen displaying the thumbnail images of FIG. 7(a).

[0043] <Example of determining display order> The table on the right of Fig. 8(b) shows "designated order", "file name", "page number" and "display order". Here, "designated order" refers to the order of files designated by the user. The "file name" corresponding to the designated order is shown in the same row as the designated order. "Page number" is the page number defined for each file. "Display order" is the order determined through multiple files displayed in a bound display format.

[0044] Here, an example of the correspondence between the order in which a plurality of files are specified and the order in which they are displayed in the bound display format will be described. The first page of the first file specified in the file order will be displayed as 1 in the display order, and the next page after the first file will be displayed as 2 in the display order. When the display orders are associated up to the last page of the file, the next display order will be associated with the first page of the next file specified in the file order. In this way, the display orders are associated for the pages of all the specified files. Specifically, in the table of FIG. 8(b), page number 1 of file name "File A" is assigned as display order number 1. And since "File A" has only one page, page 1 of "File B", which is the file specified as number 2, is assigned as display order number 2. Furthermore, pages 2 to 10 of "File B" are assigned as display order numbers 3 to 11, respectively. And pages 1 to 5 of "File C" are assigned as display order numbers 12 to 16, respectively.

[0045] Here, an operation will be described when an instruction is given to change the page of the preview image displayed in the bound display form in which such a display order has been determined. For example, when the image in display order 1, i.e., the first page of "File A", is displayed as a preview image, if the page turn button 301a is selected, an enlarged thumbnail image of the image in display order 2, i.e., the first page of "File B", is displayed. When the image in display order 1, i.e., the first page of "File A", is displayed, if the page turn button 301b is selected, a preview image of the fifth page of "File C", which is in display order 16, the last display order, is displayed. Here, the last display order 16 is adopted as the display order immediately before display order 1.

[0046] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the enlarged thumbnail image is changed by clicking the page turn button, and the enlarged thumbnail image is changed one page at a time. However, two buttons, a "page turn" button and a "file turn" button, may be displayed, and the enlarged thumbnail image of the next file may be displayed by clicking the "file turn button." [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1... image display device, 10... arithmetic processing unit, 11... CPU, 12... RAM, 13... ROM, 14... non-volatile memory, 15... interface unit, 20... input unit, 30... secondary storage unit, 40... display unit, 50... communication unit, 101... operation determination unit, 102... display control unit, 103... bundling display determination unit, 104... file order determination unit, 105... enlarged image output unit, 106... selection screen output unit, 107... thumbnail image generation unit, 108... thumbnail image storage unit, 301, 301a, 301b... page turn button, 410, 410a, 410b, 410c... thumbnail image, 411, 411a, 411b, 411c... enlarged thumbnail image, 500... image for requesting instruction

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, Display thumbnail images of files on the screen, receiving an enlargement instruction for each file to display an enlarged thumbnail image which is an enlarged image of the thumbnail image; When the enlargement instruction is received for each of the plurality of files, an enlarged thumbnail image of one of the plurality of files is displayed; receiving, from a user, an instruction to change the display from the enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of another file among the plurality of files; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising: a display unit that changes from displaying an enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to displaying an enlarged thumbnail image of the other file.

2. The processor, 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the enlargement instruction is received for the plurality of files, if a predetermined condition is satisfied, an enlarged thumbnail image of the one of the plurality of files is displayed.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is determined based on an area for displaying an enlarged thumbnail image of each of the plurality of files.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the condition determined based on the area is a case where, when the enlarged thumbnail images are displayed, the areas in which the enlarged thumbnail images are displayed overlap each other.

5. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the area is determined in accordance with the amount of data of an image that is the source of each of the enlarged thumbnail images.

6. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is a case where an instruction to display an enlarged thumbnail image of the one of the plurality of files is received from a user.

7. 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the order of the other files to be changed in display is determined based on an order defined for the plurality of files for which the enlargement instruction has been accepted.

8. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determined order is determined by an instruction from a user.

9. The processor, 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: displaying information indicating a file having the enlarged thumbnail image being displayed together with the enlarged thumbnail image.

10. A processor is provided. The processor, Displaying thumbnail images of each of the multiple files on a screen; when an enlargement instruction for displaying an enlarged thumbnail image obtained by enlarging the thumbnail image for two or more files among the plurality of files is received for each file, information is displayed for a user to select whether or not to bundle the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files for which the enlargement instruction is received; When a user's selection to bundle enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files is accepted, the information processing apparatus bundles the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files.

11. The processor, 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when a user selects bundling the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files, information for designating an order in which the enlarged thumbnail images of the two or more files are to be displayed is displayed.

12. On the computer, The function to display thumbnail images of files on the screen, a function of receiving an enlargement instruction for each file to display an enlarged thumbnail image which is an enlarged image of the thumbnail image; a function of displaying an enlarged thumbnail image of one of the plurality of files when the enlargement instruction is received for each of the plurality of files; a function of receiving, from a user, an instruction to change the display from the enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of another file among the plurality of files; and a display change control function for changing the display from an enlarged thumbnail image of the one file to an enlarged thumbnail image of the other file.

Images