Patent ID: 7921373
Filing Date: 2011-04-05
Classification: G09G

Abstract:
1. A display screen management apparatus for controlling a screen resource that is required to display a screen on a display, the display screen management apparatus comprising: a screen information saving section including a memory for saving attribute information of the screen, the attribute information including a size of the screen and residence information indicating whether the screen is in a resident state or a non-resident state; a screen resource saving section for saving the screen resource; a screen control section for generating, using the attribute information of the screen saved in the screen information saving section, a screen resource to be used for generating a screen to be displayed on the display, and for saving the generated screen resource in the screen resource saving section; an instruction section receiving an instruction to switch a screen currently displayed on the display to another screen; and a screen discard determination section for determining whether or not to discard the screen resource of the currently displayed screen when the currently displayed screen is switched to the another screen, wherein, when the instruction section receives the instruction to switch the screen currently displayed on the display to the another screen, the screen control section saves, in the screen information saving section, attribute information corresponding to the another screen and saves, in the screen resource saving section, a screen resource of the another screen generated using the attribute information corresponding to the another screen, wherein, when the screen discard determination section determines, based on attribute information of the currently displayed screen and the attribute information corresponding to the another screen, that (i) the currently displayed screen is completely hidden by the another screen, and (ii) the attribute information of the currently displayed screen indicates that the currently displayed screen is in the resident state indicating that the screen resource of the currently displayed screen is to invariably remain in a generated state, the screen control section displays, using the screen resource of the another screen, the another screen on the display without discarding the screen resource of the currently displayed screen from the screen resource saving section, and wherein, when the screen discard determination section determines, based on the attribute information of the currently displayed screen and the attribute information corresponding to the another screen, that (iii) the currently displayed screen is completely hidden by the another screen, and (iv) the attribute information of the currently displayed screen indicates that the currently displayed screen is in the non-resident state, the screen control section displays, using the screen resource of the another screen, the another screen on the display and discards the screen resource of the currently displayed screen from the screen resource saving section.