Patent ID: 7587683
Filing Date: 2009-09-08
Classification: G06F,H04M

Abstract:
1. A display method comprising: displaying step that displays a plurality of icons in list form on a display device by list-form displaying unit; an enlarging step that enlarges to a predetermined size step by step, a first icon selected by a user from the plurality of icons displayed on the display device; when a second icon is selected by the user, reducing the first icon to a size equal to the size of icons that are not selected step by step; and a controlling step that controls the enlarging step and the reducing step so that, when the second icon is selected by the user while the first icon is being enlarged, the first icon is first enlarged to the predetermined size step by step, and then is reduced to a size equal to the size of icons that are not selected step by step, wherein the controlling step controls the reducing of the first icon to be performed simultaneously with the enlarging of the second icon, wherein the plurality of icons are used as upper menus corresponding to menu groups which are each formed by grouping a plurality of lower menus displayed in list form along an arrangement direction of the upper menus; wherein: the lower menus are grouped correspondingly to each of the upper menus, and the lower menus have a ring structure having virtual connection of groups so that a lower menu at the end of one group is followed by a lower menu at the start of the next group when the lower menus are displayed; when one of the upper menus is selected with a cursor, lower menus corresponding to the selected upper menu is displayed with such transparency that the displayed lower menus are viewable by the user, and when a moving operation on the cursor from a presently selected upper menu to a different upper menu is detected, the lower menus of the group corresponding to the presently selected upper menu which are displayed with the transparency is hided in a form scrolled out of a display area of the display device, and, instead of the hidden lower menus, lower menus of a group corresponding to the different upper menu is displayed by scrolling, into the display area of the display device, the lower menus of the group corresponding to the different upper menu subsequent to the hidden lower menus.