Portable terminal device and display control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11188207-B2
Application number	US-202016836450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2020
Priority date	Dec 28, 2007
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

A portable terminal device has enclosures with a movable portion, a display section that displays visible information showing an operation target area, and a touch sensor that detects a position on a display screen of the display section touched by a user's finger, or the like. A shape detection section detects a change in the shape of the enclosure; an input operation management section manages a position detected by the touch sensor and an operation target area of each of pieces of visible information displayed on the display section in an associated manner; and a display control section automatically makes a change to at least display positions of the respective pieces of visible information about the operation target displayed on the display section in accordance with a change in shape of the enclosure detected by the shape detection section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable terminal apparatus comprising:
an enclosure;
a display attached to the enclosure; and
a processor that performs operations including:
displaying a plurality of contents on the display, wherein the plurality of contents comprises an application program having an address bar, the address bar including at least part of a communication address, and a Web page that is addressable by the communication address;
when the application program is displayed on the display, the application program is dropped from an original position of the application program in a downward direction, in response to receiving a first predetermined input, the first predetermined input being performed by a hand of the user that grasps the apparatus; and
when the downwardly dropped application program is displayed on the display, the downwardly dropped application program is moved in a direction opposite to the downward direction and the downwardly dropped application program is returned to the original position of the application program, in response to receiving a second predetermined input,

wherein the first and second predetermined inputs are performed by touching a same surface of the display on which the application program is displayed and the first and second predetermined inputs are performed in a predetermined area of a lower portion of the display, the predetermined area being adjacent a bottom of the display,
wherein the first and second predetermined inputs move the application program between the downwardly dropped and the original positions, and
wherein the application program and the predetermined areas, in which the first and second predetermined inputs are performed, make up the entire display, when the application program is positioned at the original position.

2. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the application program is displayed on the display without an array of icons, a size of the application program is maximized.

3. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the application program is dropped in the downward direction, new information, not displayed in the original position of the application program, is not displayed on the display.

4. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein, in response to the first predetermined input being performed by the hand that grasps the apparatus, the application program is dropped from the original position of the application program in a downward direction to a predetermined position, and in response to the second predetermined input being performed by the hand that grasps the apparatus, the downwardly dropped application program is raised from the predetermined position to the original position.

5. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first and second predetermined inputs are performed by a slide operation performed by a thumb of the hand of the user that grasps the apparatus on a same surface of the display on which the application program is displayed, and
wherein the first and second predetermined inputs move the application program between the downwardly dropped and the original positions.

6. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein no intervening content is provided between the bottom of the display and the predetermined area.

7. A display control method for a portable terminal apparatus that includes an enclosure, a display attached to the enclosure and a processor configured to perform operations, the display control method comprising:
displaying a plurality of contents on the display, wherein the plurality of contents comprises an application program having an address bar, the address bar including at least part of a communication address, and a Web page that is addressable by the communication address;
when the application program is displayed on the display, the application program is dropped from an original position of the application program in a downward direction, in response to receiving a first predetermined input, the first predetermined input being performed by a hand of the user that grasps the apparatus; and
when the downwardly dropped application program is displayed on the display, the downwardly dropped application program is moved in a direction opposite to the downward direction and the downwardly dropped application program is returned to the original position of the application program, in response to receiving a second predetermined input,
wherein the first and second predetermined inputs are performed by touching a same surface of the display on which the application program is displayed and the first and second predetermined inputs are performed in a predetermined area of a lower portion of the display, the predetermined area being adjacent a bottom of the display,
wherein the first and second predetermined inputs move the application program between the downwardly dropped and the original positions, and
wherein the application program and the predetermined areas, in which the first and second predetermined inputs are performed, make up the entire display, when the application program is positioned at the original position.

8. The display control method for the portable terminal apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein, when the application program is displayed on the display without an array of icons, a size of the application program is maximized.

9. The display control method for the portable terminal apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein, when the application program is dropped in the downward direction, new information, not displayed in the original position of the application program, is not displayed on the display.

10. The display control method for the portable terminal apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein, in response to the first predetermined input being performed by the hand that grasps the apparatus, the application program is dropped from the original position of the application program in a downward direction to a predetermined position, and in response to the second predetermined input being performed by the hand that grasps the apparatus, the downwardly dropped application program is raised from the predetermined position to the original position.

11. The display control method for the portable terminal apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first and second predetermined inputs are performed by a slide operation performed by a thumb of the hand of the user that grasps the apparatus on a same surface of the display on which the application program is displayed, and
wherein the first and second predetermined inputs move the application program between the downwardly dropped and the original positions.

12. The display control method for the portable terminal apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein no intervening content is provided between the bottom of the display and the predetermined area.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Ishihara Tomohiro
• Gomyo Kazumasa
• Iino Satoshi
• Hashimoto Yuji

Classifications

• G06F3/04886 Primary

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• H04M2250/18

  including more than one keyboard unit · CPC title

• H04M2250/22

  including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector · CPC title

• H04M1/72469

  for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons · CPC title

• G06F3/04845 Primary

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title