Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and information processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494786-B2
Application number	US-201113085638-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2011
Priority date	Apr 16, 2010
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a connection unit, a processing execution unit, a setting unit, and a controller. The connection unit is capable of connecting input apparatuses that output operation information for executing an operation for an image displayed on a screen. The processing execution unit is capable of executing processing corresponding to the operation information on the image. The setting unit sets one of the input apparatuses as a main input apparatus, and sets the other input apparatuses as secondary input apparatuses. The controller performs control such that execution of the processing for the image by the processing execution unit based on the operation information from the input apparatus set as the main input apparatus is validated, and execution of the processing for the image by the processing execution unit based on the operation information from the input apparatuses set as the secondary input apparatuses is invalidated.

First claim

The application is claimed as follows:

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
a connection unit configured to be capable of connecting a plurality of input apparatuses that output operation information for executing an operation for an image displayed on a screen;
a processing execution unit configured to be capable of executing processing corresponding to the operation information on the image displayed on the screen;
a setting unit configured to set one of the plurality of input apparatuses connected by the connection unit, as a main input apparatus, and set the other input apparatuses as secondary input apparatuses; and
a controller configured to:
determine whether the operation information is received from the main input apparatus or the secondary input apparatuses,
determine whether the operation information includes position indication information,
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the main input apparatus, perform control such that execution of the processing for the image by the processing execution unit based on the operation information from the input apparatus set as the main input apparatus is validated,
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the secondary input apparatuses and the operation information includes position indication information, perform control such that execution of the processing for pointers related to the image by the processing execution unit based on the position indication information from the input apparatuses set as the secondary input apparatuses is validated, and
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the secondary input apparatuses and the operation information does not include position indication information, perform control such that execution of the processing for the image by the processing execution unit based on the operation information from the input apparatuses set as the secondary input apparatuses is discarded.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a pointer display means for displaying the pointers that indicate positions designated by the plurality of input apparatuses on the screen such that correspondences between the pointers and the plurality of input apparatuses can be distinguished from one another.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to validate the position indication information regardless of input apparatus designation so that the pointer display means moves the corresponding pointer on the screen based on the position indication information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein based on a setting change request that is input from one of the input apparatuses set as the secondary input apparatuses, the setting unit changes a setting such that the input apparatus is set as the main input apparatus.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the operation for the image is an operation of changing a display position of image data on the screen, the image data having a larger resolution as that of the screen,
the information processing apparatus further comprising a storage configured to store information of the display position of the image data,
wherein when a setting of one of the plurality of input apparatuses is changed from the main input apparatus to the secondary input apparatus by the setting unit, the controller stores, in the storage, the information of the display position of the image data that has been displayed on the screen before a setting change, and when the input apparatus is then set as the main input apparatus, the controller restores display of the image data before the setting change based on the information of the display position of the image data stored in the storage.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the image data having the larger resolution includes image data of the image.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein discarding the operation information includes invalidating the operating information such that the processing execution unit operates as though the operating information was not provided by the secondary input apparatuses.

8. An information processing method, comprising:
setting, by a setting unit, as a main input apparatus, one of a plurality of input apparatuses connected to a connection unit to output operation information for executing an operation for an image displayed on a screen, and setting the other input apparatuses as secondary input apparatuses;
determining, by a controller, whether the operation information is received from the main input apparatus or the secondary input apparatuses;
determining, by the controller, whether the operation information includes position indication information,
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the main input apparatus, exclusively validating, by the controller, execution of processing for the image based on the operation information from the input apparatus set as the main input apparatus;
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the secondary input apparatuses and the operation information does not include the position indication information, exclusively invalidating, by the controller, execution of processing for the image based on the operation information from the secondary input apparatuses;
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the secondary input apparatuses and the operation information includes the position indication information, exclusively validating, by the controller, execution of processing pointers related to the image based on the position indication information from the secondary input apparatuses; and
executing, by a processing execution unit, the processing for the image based on the operation information.

9. A non-transitory machine-accessible device having program instructions stored thereon that are configured, when executed, to cause a computer to operate as:
a connection unit configured to be capable of connecting a plurality of input apparatuses that output operation information for executing an operation for an image displayed on a screen;
a processing execution unit configured to be capable of executing processing corresponding to the operation information on the image displayed on the screen;
a setting unit configured to set one of the plurality of input apparatuses connected by the connection unit, as a main input apparatus, and set the other input apparatuses as secondary input apparatuses; and
a controller configured to:
determine whether the operation information is received from the main input apparatus or the secondary input apparatuses,
determine whether the operation information includes position indication information,
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the main input apparatus, perform control such that execution of the processing for the image by the processing execution unit based on the operation information from the input apparatus set as the main input apparatus is exclusively validated,
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the secondary input apparatuses and the operation information includes the position indication information, perform control such that the position indication information from the secondary input apparatuses is validated, and
responsive to determining that the operation information is received from the secondary input apparatuses and the operation information does not include

Assignees

• Kimoto Masashi
• Yoshioka Shigeatsu
• Hasegawa Yutaka
• Kondo Masao
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kimoto Masashi
• Yoshioka Shigeatsu
• Hasegawa Yutaka
• Kondo Masao

Classifications

• G02B21/367 Primary

  providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison · CPC title

• H04N23/633

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• G06F3/04845 Primary

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

• G06F3/14

  Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} · CPC title

• G06F2203/0382

  Plural input, i.e. interface arrangements in which a plurality of input device of the same type are in communication with a PC · CPC title