Information processing device and program

Abstract

To enable displaying a thumbnail image of a browsing object that a user browses more efficiently than the case of not displaying the thumbnail images that can be referred to when displaying the thumbnail image of the object to be browsed on a screen.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a processor. The processor displays a thumbnail image 410 of a file on a display unit 40 without opening the file in response to a selection, and displays referable thumbnail images to be displayed together with the displayed thumbnail image 410 on the display unit 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device that displays file information such as the update date and time and size of the target file, and a tooltip including a preview showing the contents of the target file when a pointer is pointed to a file icon. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP2007-323346A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, by displaying thumbnail images that aid in the viewing operation so as to be referenced when displaying thumbnail images of objects to be viewed on the screen, the objects can be viewed efficiently. To provide an object of the present invention that enables a user to efficiently view thumbnail images of objects to be viewed, compared to a case where thumbnail images that assist the viewing operation are not displayed so as to be referred to when the thumbnail images of the objects to be viewed are displayed on a screen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 includes a processor, the processor being configured to display a thumbnail image of an object on a screen upon receiving a selection without opening the object, accompaniment to the selection for displaying the thumbnail image of the object on the screen; an information processing apparatus which displays on the screen possible reference candidates to be displayed together with the displayed thumbnail image, the object is one file, and the referable candidates are related to files different from the one file, It is. The invention described in claim 2 is the information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor displays a candidate thumbnail image, which is a thumbnail image of the candidate, on the screen. 。 Claim 3 The invention described in is the information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the candidates are divided into groups of candidates that meet a predetermined condition and displayed on the screen. 。 Claim 4 The invention described in indicating, as the referable candidates, those related to the one file; The screen is About a single file A range showing the above Regarding different files The range showing in , Different Areas The information processing device according to claim 1, 。 Claim 5 The invention described in the is a function of displaying a thumbnail image of an object on a screen upon receiving the selection without opening the object, and accompaniment to said selecting said thumbnail image of said object for display on said screen; A function of displaying on the screen possible reference candidates to be displayed together with the displayed thumbnail image; and a program for realizing the function. a program in which the object is a file, and the referenceable candidates relate to files different from the one file; is 。 Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to claim 1, The object is a file, and the referable candidates are related to files different from the file. In comparison with a case where the thumbnail images are not displayed, the user can efficiently view thumbnail images of the objects to be viewed. According to claim 2, the contents of the candidates can be easily confirmed compared to when the candidates are displayed as images other than thumbnail images. 。 Claim 3 According to the present invention, it is possible to easily select a candidate, compared to a case where candidate thumbnail images are not divided into groups of candidates that meet a predetermined condition and displayed on the screen. 。 Claim 4 According to As the referable candidates, those related to the one file are shown, and the screen shows those related to the one file. The range showing , relating to said different files The range showing in , Different Areas This improves browsing efficiency compared to when the pages are not divided into 。 Claim 5 According to The object is one file, and the referable candidates are related to files different from the one file. Compared to a case where the thumbnail images of the objects to be viewed are displayed more efficiently by the user, 。 [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device to which the present embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operation screen displayed on a display unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an image display device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an image display device. [Diagram 5] 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an extended display area. FIG. [Figure 6] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a transition of an extended display area. [Figure 7] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a transition of an extended display area. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a transition of an extended display area. [Figure 9] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining display modes of candidate areas for the display range of thumbnail images of other pages, in which (a) shows a first display mode example, (b) shows a second display mode example, and (c) shows a third display mode example. [Figure 10] 6A, 6B, and 6C are diagrams for explaining a scene in which a group of other page thumbnail images 651 that are displayed bundled in a candidate area of ​​the other page thumbnail image display range is changed to an unbundled state, and are shown in chronological order. [Figure 11] 13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining display modes of candidate areas for the display range of thumbnail images of other documents, in which (a) shows a fourth display mode example, (b) shows a fifth display mode example, and (c) shows a sixth display mode example. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure according to the present embodiment. [Figure 13] 11A to 11D are diagrams for explaining modified examples of the extended display area, where (a) shows a first modified example, (b) shows a second modified example, (c) shows a third modified example, and (d) shows a fourth modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Hardware configuration of image display device 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an image display device 1 to which the present embodiment is applied. As shown in Fig. 1, the image display device 1 according to the present embodiment 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, and a secondary storage unit 30 realized by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The image display device 1 also includes a display unit 40 consisting of a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display panel that displays images, text information, and the like to the user, and a communication unit 50 that transmits and receives data via a network. The image display device 1 is an example of an information processing device.

[0009] The arithmetic processing unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that controls the entire device as an example of a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 that is used as a working memory for the CPU 11, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 that stores an image display processing program executed by the CPU 11. The arithmetic processing unit 10 also includes 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. Image information such as thumbnail images to be displayed on the display unit 40 is stored in the non-volatile memory 14.

[0010] 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 or clicking a cursor 412 (see FIG. 2). 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.

[0011] 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.

[0012] The display unit 40 displays, for example, office documents created by office software or other application programs, and uses thumbnail images that are highly convenient for managing a plurality of application files, image files, and the like.

[0013] A thumbnail image is a reduced-size image for displaying a list of files, allowing the user to get a rough idea of ​​the contents of the file without opening it. When such a file is composed of multiple pages, in addition to a reduced display mode that allows the contents of only the first or representative page to be roughly grasped, all pages may be separated so that each page can be distinguished and the contents of each page can be roughly grasped. Also, the thumbnail image may be displayed in a mode in which the user operates the display unit 40 to enlarge the image without opening the file. An image in this mode is called an "enlarged thumbnail image", and displaying an enlarged thumbnail image is sometimes called an "enlarged display". A file may be a single page, or may be a collection of multiple pages. A thumbnail image or an enlarged thumbnail image is an example of a thumbnail image of an object.

[0014] Here, the program executed by the CPU 11 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 (e.g., a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, etc.), an optical recording medium (e.g., an 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.

[0015] The image display device 1 may be connected to other devices via a network. This allows documents and the like created by other devices and transferred via the network to be displayed on the image display device 1. For example, when a certain task is composed of multiple documents, such as a development specification and a work order, these multiple documents can be displayed on the image display device 1. In addition, the image display device 1 can be used to send each page to different related departments and finally bundle them together into a single document to complete the task, and further allows tasks such as approval to be performed. Such a network may be a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, but may also be a combination of a LAN and the Internet.

[0016] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operation screen 400 displayed on the display unit 40. The operation screen 400 here is an example of a screen. The display unit 40 displays an operation screen 400, an example of which is shown in Fig. 2. The operation screen 400 is a workspace on the file handling software, and is an area in which images related to files selected by the user, thumbnail images 410, and the like are arranged. File handling software is software that digitizes and manages files such as image data and document data, and has the function of facilitating the centralized management of paper and electronic data.

[0017] The thumbnail image 410 is an image for checking the contents of a file before opening it, and is a display object. More specifically, the thumbnail image 410 is an image for checking at least a part of the contents of a file managed by file handling software. For example, if the corresponding file is image data, it is displayed as an image that is simply a reduced version of the original image. Also, if the corresponding file is document data with multiple pages, it is displayed as an image that is a reduced version of a representative page, such as the first page. In this embodiment, the thumbnail image 410 functions as an icon for opening a corresponding file. For example, by performing a specific operation such as double-clicking on the thumbnail image 410, the corresponding file can be opened.

[0018] In addition to the thumbnail image 410, icons 420 and a toolbar 430 are displayed on the operation screen 400. Also displayed on the operation screen 400 is an extended display area 411 for assisting the user's operation, and a cursor 412 for pointing to a position on the screen. 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.

[0019] The expanded display area 411 is an area where images including enlarged thumbnail images are displayed, and is displayed when a user operation such as a cursor 412 continuing to point at the position of a thumbnail image is detected. Note that the operation of hovering the cursor 412 over the position of a thumbnail image on the operation screen 400 is sometimes called a "mouse over." The enlarged thumbnail image is an image obtained by enlarging the thumbnail image 410 that has been instructed to be enlarged by the user, and is displayed without starting a new program. Note that the enlarged thumbnail image is assumed to be displayed enlarged to a size that allows the user to understand the contents of the thumbnail image 410. More specifically, the image is displayed larger than the size of the corresponding thumbnail image 410.

[0020] More specifically, in addition to the enlarged thumbnail image, the extended display area 411 displays related images, which are images related to the enlarged thumbnail image. The related images are candidates that the user can refer to when checking the enlarged thumbnail image, and in this embodiment, such candidates are displayed as thumbnail images. Note that, in addition to thumbnail display, the candidates that the user can refer to when checking the enlarged thumbnail image may also be displayed, for example, as a list.

[0021] [Functional configuration of image display device 1] Next, the functional configuration of the image display device 1 will be described. 3 and 4 are block diagrams showing examples of the functional configuration of the image display device 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the image display device 1 has an operation determination unit 101, a display control unit 102, an enlarged image output unit 103, a related image output unit 104, a thumbnail image generation unit 105, and a thumbnail image storage unit 106, which are realized by the calculation processing unit 10 (see FIG. 1).

[0022] The operation determination unit 101 determines whether or not a user operation has been performed on the operation screen 400 (see FIG. 2) via the input unit 20. This user operation is, for example, an operation for designating an image, an icon, a position, etc. on the operation screen 400, a scroll operation, a key input operation, etc. The above-mentioned mouse over and a predetermined key operation on the keyboard, for example, an operation of pressing the control key and the shift key simultaneously, etc. are also included in the user operation.

[0023] The display control unit 102 controls the display mode and position of images, icons 420, toolbar 430 (see FIG. 2), 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 106 and display them as icons for opening the corresponding files.

[0024] The enlarged image output unit 103 retrieves the thumbnail image 410 from the thumbnail image storage unit 106 based on the determination of the operation determination unit 101, and outputs an enlarged thumbnail image obtained by enlarging the thumbnail image 410 to the display unit 40 without starting a new program. In this way, the enlarged image output unit 103 performs control to display an enlarged thumbnail image in the expanded display area 411 that appears on the display unit 40 in response to a mouse over, or performs control to display an enlarged thumbnail image in the expanded display area 411 that appears on the display unit 40 in response to a predetermined key operation.

[0025] When displaying the expanded display area 411, the related image output unit 104 outputs the related image to the expanded display area 411. As a result, the expanded display area 411 displays the enlarged thumbnail image and the thumbnail image of the related image.

[0026] The thumbnail image generating unit 105 generates a thumbnail image 410 to be displayed on the operation screen 400 based on a file such as image data stored in the secondary storage unit 30 . The thumbnail image storage unit 106 acquires and stores the thumbnail image 410 generated by the thumbnail image generation unit 105. The thumbnail image storage unit 106 is realized by the non-volatile memory 14.

[0027] To explain further, the display control unit 102 shown in FIG. 3 includes, as shown in FIG. 4, another document search / information acquisition means 2a, an operation history / setting information acquisition means 2b, an intra-page information analysis means 2c, a page division means 2d, and a candidate list generation means 2e. The other document search / information acquisition means 2a searches for other documents other than the document to be displayed and acquires information on the other documents. The operation history / setting information acquisition means 2b acquires the operation history of the input unit 20 by the user and acquires setting information performed by the user. The page information analysis means 2c analyzes information within a page of the document to be displayed or another document. The page division means 2d divides the page of the document to be displayed or another document according to a predetermined condition. The candidate list generating means 2e generates candidate list information of related images to be output by the related image output unit 104.

[0028] [Configuration of extended display area 411] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the extended display area 411. As shown in FIG. 5, the extended display area 411 is divided into a main thumbnail image display area 61 that displays a main thumbnail image 71, which is a thumbnail image for which a cursor operation has been performed to trigger the display of the extended display area 411, and a related thumbnail image display area 62 that displays related thumbnail images that are related to the main thumbnail image 71 displayed in the main thumbnail image display area 61. Note that the main thumbnail image 71 here is an enlarged thumbnail image, but a non-enlarged thumbnail image may also be displayed in the main thumbnail image display area 61.

[0029] The related thumbnail image display area 62 is divided into an other page thumbnail image display area 63 for displaying thumbnail images (other page thumbnail images) 65 of other pages of the file containing the main thumbnail image 71, and an other document thumbnail image display area 64 for displaying thumbnail images (other document thumbnail images) 66 of pages contained in other files other than the file containing the main thumbnail image 71, i.e., other documents.

[0030] Here, the main thumbnail image 71 is an example of a thumbnail image of an object that is displayed on the screen upon selection without opening the object. The other page thumbnail image 65 and the other document thumbnail image 66 are examples of referable candidates that are displayed together with the thumbnail image shown on the screen upon selection without opening the object, and are examples of candidate thumbnail images. The other page thumbnail image 65 is a thumbnail image other than the main thumbnail image 71, and is an example of an other thumbnail image. The file including the main thumbnail image 71 is an example of an object, and a file other than the file including the main thumbnail image 71 is an example of an object other than the object. The other document thumbnail image 66 is an example of a thumbnail image of another object.

[0031] The expanded display area 411 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, and the related thumbnail image display area 62 is arranged on the left and right of the main thumbnail image display area 61. Specifically, the other page thumbnail image display area 63 is arranged on the right side of the main thumbnail image display area 61, and the other document thumbnail image display area 64 is arranged on the left side of the main thumbnail image display area 61. In this way, the main thumbnail image display area 61 is arranged in the center in the horizontal direction, and the other page thumbnail image display area 63 and the other document thumbnail image display area 64 are allocated separately to the left and right. Such a left-right arrangement allows the main thumbnail image 71, the other page thumbnail images 65, and the other document thumbnail images 66 to be displayed efficiently when the operation screen 400 of the display unit 40 is horizontally long.

[0032] To explain further, the other page thumbnail image display range 63 includes a candidate area 63a that displays other page thumbnail images 65 as candidates, and a range 63b that displays an enlarged version of a thumbnail image specified by the user from among the other page thumbnail images 65 displayed in the candidate area 63a. The other document thumbnail image display range 64 includes a candidate area 64a that displays other document thumbnail images 66 as candidates, and a range 64b that displays an enlarged version of a thumbnail image designated by the user from among the other document thumbnail images 66.

[0033] In addition, the main thumbnail image display area 61 displays instruction sections 60a and 60b for page-turning of the main thumbnail images 71 displayed in the main thumbnail image display area 61. By operating the instruction sections 60a and 60b, it is possible to display another enlarged thumbnail image. When an enlarged thumbnail image 72 is displayed in range 63b of other page thumbnail image display range 63, instruction sections 60c and 60d that enable a user to instruct page turning by operation are displayed in this range 63b. When an enlarged thumbnail image 73 is displayed in range 64b of other document thumbnail image display range 64, instruction sections 60e and 60f that enable a user to instruct page turning by operation are displayed in range 64b.

[0034] Here, the main thumbnail image display range 61 is an example of a range showing thumbnail images, the other page thumbnail image display range 63 is an example of a range showing other thumbnail images, and the other document thumbnail image display range 64 is an example of a range showing thumbnail images of other objects. Moreover, the main thumbnail image display range 61 is an example of a first range, and the related thumbnail image display range 62 is an example of a second range. The other page thumbnail image display range 63 is an example of a range that shows other thumbnail images and that shows an enlarged version of one of the other thumbnail images designated by the user. That is, the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63 is an example of a range that shows other thumbnail images, and the range 63b is an example of a range that shows an enlarged version of one of the other thumbnail images designated by the user. The other document thumbnail image display range 64 is an example of a range that shows thumbnail images of other objects and also shows an enlarged version of the thumbnail images of the other objects designated by the user. That is, the candidate area 64a of the other document thumbnail image display range 64 is an example of a range that shows thumbnail images of other objects, and the range 64b is an example of a range that shows an enlarged version of the thumbnail images of the other objects designated by the user.

[0035] [Extended display area 411 transition] Next, the transition of the display in the extended display area 411 of the display unit 40 will be described. 6, 7, and 8 are diagrams for explaining the transition of the extended display area 411. Below, the state in Fig. 6 will be explained, and then the transition from Fig. 6 to Fig. 7 and the transition from Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 will be explained. The state shown in FIG. 6 is a state in which an expanded display area 411 is displayed on the display unit 40 as a result of a user operation being performed on a thumbnail image 410. In the expanded display area 411, a main thumbnail image 71 of the thumbnail image 410 is displayed in the main thumbnail image display range 61. A plurality of other page thumbnail images 65 are displayed in the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63, and a plurality of other document thumbnail images 66 are displayed in the candidate area 64a of the other document thumbnail image display range 64. In the state shown in FIG. 6, the cursor 412 is located in the main thumbnail image display range 61, so the enlarged thumbnail images 72 and 73 (see FIG. 5) are not displayed in either range 63b or 64b.

[0036] The state shown in FIG. 7 is a state in which one of the multiple other page thumbnail images 65 in the candidate area 63a is designated by the user with the cursor 412. By designating such another page thumbnail image 65, the state of FIG. 6 is transitioned to the state of FIG. 7 in which an enlarged thumbnail image 72 of the designated other page thumbnail image 65 is displayed in the area 63b. The enlarged thumbnail image 72 continues to be displayed while the other page thumbnail image 65 is designated by the cursor 412. Furthermore, when the cursor 412 designates another other page thumbnail image 65 (another candidate) in the candidate area 63a, the content of the enlarged thumbnail image 72 displayed in the range 63b is changed.

[0037] In the state shown in FIG. 8, one of the multiple other document thumbnail images 66 in the candidate area 64a is designated by the cursor 412. By designating such another document thumbnail image 66, the state of FIG. 6 is transitioned to the state of FIG. 8 in which an enlarged thumbnail image 73 of the designated another document thumbnail image 66 is displayed in the area 64b.

[0038] Although the transition from FIG. 6 to FIG. 7 and the transition from FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 have been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and modified examples that enable the transition from FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 to FIG. 5 to be executed are also conceivable.

[0039] [Display mode in the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63] Next, a display mode in the option area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the display mode of the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63, where (a) shows a first display mode example, (b) shows a second display mode example, and (c) shows a third display mode example. 9(a) is a page number division display in which all pages constituting a document are divided into a predetermined number of pages in the order of page number. For example, when dividing a document consisting of 7 pages into 3-page intervals, other page thumbnail images 65 are displayed in a format divided into pages 1 to 3, pages 4 to 6, and page 7.

[0040] 9(b), a second display mode example is a section division display that analyzes characters in a document, detects broad divisions in the text structure, and divides and displays other page thumbnail images 65 for each division. Examples of such section division displays include chapter division, which detects the page at the beginning of a chapter and divides the text by chapter, and type division, which detects the type of document when the text is composed of multiple documents put together, and divides the text by document.

[0041] In the case of chapter division, for example, other page thumbnail images 65 are displayed in a format divided into bundles of pages such as chapter 1, chapter 2, etc. In the case of type division, for example, in the case of patent application documents, other page thumbnail images 65 are displayed in a format divided into application form, specification, claims, drawings, and abstract. The other page thumbnail images 65 may be displayed in a format divided by extracting the parts of the specification that the user is likely to want to refer to, such as the "Background Art", "Problems to be Solved by the Invention", "Brief Explanation of the Drawings", and "Form for Carrying Out the Invention" columns. In the case of type division, it is assumed that multiple columns are written on one page. For example, this is the case when "Background Art" and "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" are both displayed on the first page. In such a case, in addition to an example where the first page is displayed as the "Background Art" column and the first page is displayed as the "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" column in a format where each is divided into columns (page overlap display), an example where the "Background Art" and "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" columns are displayed together on the first page and overlapping page display is omitted (omitted display) is conceivable. In addition to a case where such a display is selected by the user, a case where past user selections are stored and, based on the storage, the CPU selects, for example, the most popular or the most recent one.

[0042] The third display mode example shown in Fig. 9(c) is an extraction display that detects whether or not there are figures on all pages that make up the text, and extracts and displays only the pages that contain figures. In other words, this is an example in which only pages that meet predetermined conditions are extracted, and the extracted pages are displayed, while pages that were not extracted are not displayed.

[0043] 9(a) to (c), three tab types, a first tab 80a, a second tab 80b, and a third tab 80c, are displayed in the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63. The tabs 80a to 80c are index tab images for changing the display mode of the candidate area 63a. Selecting any of the tabs 80a to 80c switches the display mode of the candidate area 63a.

[0044] More specifically, the first tab 80a, the second tab 80b, and the third tab 80c correspond to the first display mode example, the second display mode example, and the third display mode example, respectively. That is, when the first tab 80a is selected, the first display mode example is displayed in the candidate area 63a. When the second tab 80b is selected, the second display mode example is displayed in the candidate area 63a, and when the third tab 80c is selected, the third display mode example is displayed.

[0045] The first display mode example is a display condition in which the document is divided into a predetermined number of parts and displayed. The second display mode example is a display condition in which the document is divided into broad sections and displayed. The third display mode example is a display condition in which pages including figures are extracted and displayed. The display conditions are not limited to these, and other display conditions can be set and can be changed by the user.

[0046] Here, the initial display mode when the expanded display area 411 (see FIG. 6) appears on the display unit 40 can be the first display mode example, which is the easiest to control among the first to third display mode examples and can shorten the time until the display is completed. However, it is also possible to remember how the user used it and use the last closed tab type from the next time onwards. In this embodiment, three tab images are displayed, but the number is not limited to this.

[0047] The first tab 80a, the second tab 80b, and the third tab 80c are located on the right end side of the expansion display region 411, on the opposite side of the candidate area 63a from the main thumbnail image display range 61 (FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, of the first tab 80a, the second tab 80b, and the third tab 80c, the first tab 80a is located at the top, the second tab 80b is located below it, and the third tab 80c is located at the bottom, but such relative positions are not fixed and can be changed by the user. In addition, in the above-mentioned Figures 5 to 8, the first tab 80a, the second tab 80b, and the third tab 80c are omitted from the illustration, but without adopting control not to display such tabs 80a to 80c, any one of the first display mode example, the second display mode example, and the third display mode example may be displayed according to the user's settings.

[0048] In the display mode in the candidate area 63a described above, in all of the first, second and third display mode examples, a plurality of other page thumbnail images 65 are displayed in a bundled format. In the bundled state, the other page thumbnail images 65 are displayed so as to partially overlap each other, and therefore the user cannot see all of the other page thumbnail images 65. For this reason, the bundled other page thumbnail images 65 can be changed to a state in which they are separated from each other and not bundled, by the user's operation. This will be described below.

[0049] 10 is a diagram for explaining a scene in which a group of other page thumbnail images 651 displayed in a bundle in the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63 is changed to an unbundled state, and is shown in chronological order of (a), (b), and (c). Note that the group of other page thumbnail images 651, 652, 653, and 654 shown in the diagram are the above-mentioned other page thumbnail images 65 displayed in a bundle in the first display mode example. In the scene shown in (a) of Figure 10, when a group of bundled other page thumbnail images 651 to 654 are displayed in the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63, an operation is performed in which the cursor 412 is continuously pointed to the group of other page thumbnail images 651.

[0050] In response to the user's operation of cursor 412, the scene transitions to that shown in Fig. 10(b). That is, other page thumbnail images 651a, 651b, and 651c constituting other page thumbnail image group 651 change from the state shown in Fig. 10(a) in which they are displayed partially overlapping each other to the state shown in Fig. 10(b) in which they are displayed separately from each other. Specifically, other page thumbnail images 651a to 651c are separated vertically and arranged in a row and displayed as a single page. Other page thumbnail images 652 to 654 located below other page thumbnail image group 651 are displayed by sliding downward. In other words, other page thumbnail image group 652 is displayed below other page thumbnail image 651c.

[0051] In the scene shown in Fig. 10(b), the cursor 412 continues to point to another page thumbnail image 651b of the group of other page thumbnail images 651 scattered in the candidate area 63a. This leads to the scene shown in Fig. 10(c). That is, an enlarged thumbnail image 72 of the other page thumbnail image 651b is displayed in the range 63b of the other page thumbnail image display range 63.

[0052] In this way, the group of other page thumbnail images 651 that are bundled and displayed in the candidate area 63a in the first display mode example are separated into other page thumbnail images 651a to 651c by operating the cursor 412, and then an enlarged thumbnail image 72 of the other page thumbnail image 651b is displayed in the area 63b. To explain further, the other page thumbnail images 651a to 651c of the group of other page thumbnail images 651 that are displayed separately will be bundled again if none of the other page thumbnail images 651a to 651c has an enlarged thumbnail image 72 displayed in the range 63b and if the position of the cursor 412 is in an area other than the candidate area 63a (see (a) of Figure 10).

[0053] In this embodiment, the other page thumbnail image group 651 is a plurality of other page thumbnail images 651a to 651c, which are displayed partially overlapping in the candidate area 63a (see FIG. 10(a)), or are displayed separately from one another in the candidate area 63a (see FIG. 10(b)). Furthermore, among the other page thumbnail images 651a to 651c, the other page thumbnail image 651b designated by the user is displayed in the area 63b as an enlarged thumbnail image 72 (see FIG. 10(c)). The change in time series from (a) to (c) in FIG. 10 is not unidirectional, but also from (c) to (a).

[0054] Here, other page thumbnail images 651a to 651c in FIG. 10 are examples of multiple thumbnail images, and in addition to being displayed partially overlapping on the screen (see other page thumbnail image group 651 in FIG. 10(a)), they are also displayed separately from one another on the screen (see FIG. 10(b)). 10 are an example of a group of candidates that meet a predetermined condition and are displayed on the screen. The display conditions in the first to third display mode examples shown in FIG. 10 are an example of a predetermined condition.

[0055] The other page thumbnail image display area 63 that constitutes a part of the related thumbnail image display area 62 has been described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Below, the other document thumbnail image display area 64 (see FIG. 5) will be described.

[0056] [Display mode in the candidate area 64a of the other document thumbnail image display range 64] 11 is a diagram for explaining the display mode of the candidate area 64a of the other document thumbnail image display range 64, where (a) shows a fourth display mode example, (b) shows a fifth display mode example, and (c) shows a sixth display mode example. Note that this figure corresponds to FIG. 9 which explains the other page thumbnail image display range 63. The fourth display mode example shown in FIG. 11(a) is a history display in which thumbnail images of other documents that have been displayed as enlarged thumbnail images for at least a predetermined time in the past are displayed as history. The history may display the other document thumbnail image on a single page, or may display a group of other document thumbnail images obtained by bundling a plurality of other document thumbnail images.

[0057] The fifth display mode example shown in FIG. 11(b) is a similarity order display in which other document thumbnail images with high similarity to the name of the document containing the main thumbnail image 71 (see FIG. 6, for example) are displayed in order of similarity. It is considered that the similarity is determined based on whether there is a partial match of characters. That is, the similarity increases as the number of partial matches increases, and decreases as the number of partial matches decreases. In the candidate area 64a, files with high similarity are displayed at the top, and files with low similarity are displayed at the bottom. In this way, in the fifth display mode example, similar file names are extracted and displayed as candidates.

[0058] The sixth display mode example shown in FIG. 11(c) is a user-specified display in which thumbnail images of other documents specified by the user are displayed as candidates. The order of the candidates in the candidate area 64a may be such that the most recent candidates are displayed at the top and the oldest candidates are displayed at the bottom, and the candidates displayed in the candidate area 64a may be controlled so that their position can be changed by operating the cursor 412.

[0059] 11(a) to (c), three tab types, a fourth tab 80d, a fifth tab 80e, and a sixth tab 80f, are displayed in the candidate area 64a of the other document thumbnail image display range 64. The tabs 80d to 80f are index tab images for changing the display mode of the candidate area 64a. Selecting any of the tabs 80d to 80f switches the display mode of the candidate area 64a.

[0060] More specifically, the fourth tab 80d, the fifth tab 80e, and the sixth tab 80f correspond to the fourth, fifth, and sixth display mode examples described above, respectively. That is, when the fourth tab 80d is selected, the fourth display mode example described above is displayed in the option area 64a. When the fifth tab 80e is selected, the fifth display mode example is displayed, and when the sixth tab 80f is selected, the sixth display mode example is displayed.

[0061] The fourth tab 80d, the fifth tab 80e, and the sixth tab 80f are located on the left edge side of the expansion display region 411, on the opposite side of the main thumbnail image display range 61 (FIG. 6) with respect to the candidate area 64a. As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, of the fourth tab 80d, the fifth tab 80e, and the sixth tab 80f, the fourth tab 80d is located at the top, the fifth tab 80e is located below it, and the sixth tab 80f is located at the bottom, but such relative positions are not fixed and can be changed by the user. In FIG. 11, the candidates are displayed separately from each other, but this is not limited thereto. The candidates may be displayed partially overlapping each other as shown in FIG. 9, or may be controlled by the user to be displayed separately from each other as shown in FIG. 10.

[0062] Here, the first tab 80a, the second tab 80b, and the third tab 80c shown in FIG. 9, and the fourth tab 80d, the fifth tab 80e, and the sixth tab 80f shown in FIG. 11 are examples of areas for selecting a group of candidates. A group of other page thumbnail images 651, 652, 653, and 654 shown in FIG. 10 is an example of a group of candidates that meet a predetermined condition.

[0063] [Example of processing procedure] The above-mentioned processing procedure will now be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure according to the present embodiment. In the processing procedure example shown in FIG. 12, when the operation determination unit 101 (see FIG. 3) detects that the mouse is placed over a thumbnail image on the operation screen 400 (see FIG. 2) (step 101), the enlarged image output unit 103 (see FIG. 3) enlarges and displays the image in the main thumbnail image display range 61 (see FIG. 6) (step 102). After that, the display control unit 102 (see FIG. 3) acquires display information on the related thumbnail image display range 62 (step 103). The display information here includes information on the candidates displayed in the candidate area 63a of the other page thumbnail image display range 63 and information on the candidates displayed in the candidate area 64a of the other document thumbnail image display range 64. The former is acquired from the secondary storage unit 30, and the latter is acquired by the other document search / information acquisition means 2a (see FIG. 4). The display information includes a candidate list generated by the candidate list generation means 2e (see FIG. 4). This display information is stored and updated sequentially.

[0064] Specifically, for the candidate area 63a, there is information necessary to perform page number split display as a first display mode example, section split display as a second display mode example, and extraction display as a third display mode example, as well as tab information shown in the first tab 80a, the second tab 80b, and the third tab 80c (see Figure 9). In the page number division display, information is generated based on processing by the page division means 2d (see FIG. 4). In the section division display and extraction display, information is generated based on analysis by the page information analysis means 2c (see FIG. 4).

[0065] Further, the candidate area 64a includes information necessary for performing history display as a fourth display mode example, similarity-ordered display as a fifth display mode example, and user-specified display as a sixth display mode example, as well as tab information shown in a fourth tab 80d, a fifth tab 80e, and a sixth tab 80f (see FIG. 11). In the history display and user-specified display, the necessary information is generated based on information from the operation history / setting information acquisition means 2b (see FIG. 4). In the similarity order display, the necessary information is generated based on processing by the other document search / information acquisition means 2a (see FIG. 4).

[0066] Based on the display information obtained as described above, the related image output unit 104 (see FIG. 3) displays the thumbnail image in the other page thumbnail image display area 63 (step 104), and also displays the thumbnail image in the other document thumbnail image display area 64 (step 105). When the operation determination unit 101 (see FIG. 3) detects that the mouse has been placed over the other page thumbnail image display area 63 or the other document thumbnail image display area 64 (step 106), it determines whether the thumbnail image that is placed over is a single page or not (step 107). If it is a single page (Yes in step 107), the enlarged image output unit 103 (see FIG. 3) enlarges and displays it (step 108). If it is not a single page (No in step 107), it breaks it down into single pages (step 109), and if the mouse is placed over it again, it enlarges and displays it (step 110).

[0067] [Modification of the extended display area 411] 6, in the expanded display area 411 according to the present embodiment, the main thumbnail image display area 61 is arranged in the center, the other page thumbnail image display area 63 is arranged on the right side, and the other document thumbnail image display area 64 is arranged on the left side, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modified examples are possible. These will be explained below.

[0068] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining modified examples of the extended display area 411, where (a) shows a first modified example, (b) shows a second modified example, (c) shows a third modified example, and (d) shows a fourth modified example. 13(a), in the expanded display area 411 according to the first modified example, the left and right arrangement is reversed from that of the present embodiment (see FIG. 6). That is, the main thumbnail image display area 61 is arranged in the center, the other page thumbnail image display area 63 is arranged on the left, and the other document thumbnail image display area 64 is arranged on the right. In the present embodiment and the first modified example, the expanded display area 411 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, but a modified example in which the expanded display area 411 has a vertically long shape is also possible.

[0069] The expanded display area 411 in the second modified example is a vertically elongated area 411 as shown in FIG. 13(b), in which the main thumbnail image display area 61 is positioned in the center in the vertical direction, the other page thumbnail image display area 63 is positioned at the top, and the other document thumbnail image display area 64 is positioned at the bottom. It should be noted that such a vertical arrangement may also be such that the other page thumbnail image display area 63 is disposed on the lower side and the other document thumbnail image display area 64 is disposed on the upper side.

[0070] In addition to the above-mentioned left / right distribution and top / bottom distribution, other variations are also possible. In the third modified example, the expanded display area 411 is horizontally long. The expanded display area 411 is divided into two, left and right, one of which is a main thumbnail image display area 61, and the other is divided into two, top and bottom, one of which is a other page thumbnail image display area 63, and the other is a other document thumbnail image display area 64. For example, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the left side of the horizontally elongated expanded display area 411 is the main thumbnail image display area 61, and the right side is divided into two, top and bottom, with the upper side being the other page thumbnail image display area 63 and the lower side being the other document thumbnail image display area 64.

[0071] The fourth modified example is a case where the expanded display area 411 is vertically long. The expanded display area 411 is divided into two, top and bottom, with one side designated as the main thumbnail image display area 61, and the other side divided into two, left and right, with one side designated as the other page thumbnail image display area 63 and the other side designated as the other document thumbnail image display area 64. In other words, when the expanded display area 411 has a long side and a short side, the long side is divided into two, one side designated as the main thumbnail image display area 61, and the other side is further divided in the short side direction and allocated to the other page thumbnail image display area 63 and the other document thumbnail image display area 64. For example, as shown in FIG. 13(d), the upper side of the vertically elongated expanded display area 411 is the main thumbnail image display area 61, and the lower side is divided into two, left and right, with the right side being the other page thumbnail image display area 63 and the left side being the other document thumbnail image display area 64.

[0072] The processes performed by the image processing device 1 in this embodiment are prepared as a program such as application software. This program can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1...image display device, 11...CPU, 61...main thumbnail image display range, 62...related thumbnail image display range, 63...other page thumbnail image display range, 63a, 64a...candidate area, 63b, 64b...range, 64...other document thumbnail image display range, 65...other page thumbnail image, 66...other document thumbnail image, 71...main thumbnail image, 80a...first tab, 80b...second tab, 80c...third tab, 80d...fourth tab, 80e...fifth tab, 80f...sixth tab, 103...enlarged image output section, 104...related image output section, 400...operation screen, 411...extended display area, 651, 652, 653, 654...other page thumbnail image group, 651a, 651b, 651c...other page thumbnail image

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, Displaying a thumbnail image of the selected object on the screen without opening the object; upon said selection of said thumbnail image of said object for display on said screen, indicating on said screen possible candidates for display together with said displayed thumbnail image. An information processing device, comprising:

2. An information processing apparatus comprising: a first object; a second object; a third object; and a reference candidate for the first object.

2. the processor displays a candidate thumbnail image on the screen, the candidate thumbnail image being a thumbnail image of the candidate.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The candidates are displayed on the screen in groups of candidates that meet predetermined conditions.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

4. Indicating, as the referable candidates, those related to the one file; the screen is divided into different areas, a range showing things related to the one file and a range showing things related to the different file; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

5. In the information processing device, A function of displaying a thumbnail image of an object on the screen upon selection without opening the object; a program for realizing a function of displaying, on the screen, referable candidates to be displayed together with the displayed thumbnail image in response to the selection for displaying the thumbnail image of the object on the screen, A program in which the object is a file and the referenceable candidates relate to files different from the one file.

Images