Abstract:
An apparatus, method and computer program product cooperate to prepare frame information that causes a frame to be displayed on a display unit at an operation target position that is an offset of a predetermined distance on said display from an operation detection position. The frame information is then sent to the display unit for displaying the frame. A recognition unit detects the operation detection position in response to a contact made with the display. The display may be a touch panel or a proximity detection display, and the frame has a shape with an interior portion, a border portion and an exterior portion.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a computer program product, and a display control method. 
         [0002]    In recent years, various devices with touch screens have been widely used. A touch screen is also called a touch panel, and implements two functionalities that are displaying data and receiving data input on a single screen. The performance of touch screens is progressing year by year. Thus, it is expected that touch screens, which are capable of representing image quality with an equal level to the resolution of the human visual perception, will be commercialized in the near future. 
         [0003]    As the display resolution of touch screens has increased, a discrepancy between the display resolution and the input resolution of the touch screens has also become noticeable. An increase in the discrepancy between the display resolution and the input resolution can make a so-called “fat finger” problem more serious. “Fat finger” is a term used in association with a problem attributable to the width of a finger of a user who is handling the device. For example, the term “fat finger” can be used in contexts in which input errors occur not only when a touch screen is used but also when a keyboard, a keypad, or a button is used. However, a touch screen where data is displayed and input on a single screen has, in addition to the problem of input errors, a peculiar problem that an object (e.g., a button, an icon, or text) on the screen would be covered with a finger (or a stylus used instead of a finger). Such problem is also true for a proximity detection screen that implements two functionalities including displaying data and receiving data input on a single screen like a touch screen (the term “proximity detection screen” refers to a screen that recognizes data input by a user upon detecting that an input object has been placed in proximity to the screen, without the need for direct contact of the input object with the screen). 
         [0004]    As a technology that can be used to avoid the “fat finger” problem, some of the existing products are providing a function called loupe (or a magnifying glass). The loupe function is typically a function of displaying an area, which is specified by a user, within a screen by magnifying it. However, even when the loupe function is used, it is unavoidable that a finger would at least partially cover an object when operating the magnified area. In addition, a movement of a line of sight of the user along with the magnification display of the area can impair the intuitive interface and increase the burden on the user. 
         [0005]    In response to such problems, JP 3744116B proposes providing special areas for moving a cursor and for selecting an object on the shaft portion of an arrow-like cursor whose arrow head indicates the operation target position on a screen. Accordingly, the operation target position and the touch position are separated. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    However, as recognized by the present inventors, in the method disclosed in JP 3744116B, areas that can be touched by a user for operation purposes are limited to special small areas. Therefore, versatility of the user interface could be lost, and thus it would be difficult to provide a wide variety of user interfaces in accordance with different purposes. 
         [0007]    In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a novel and improved information processing device, computer program product, and display control method that can implement a wide variety of user interfaces on a screen without an operation target being covered. 
         [0008]    In particular, a display controller according to an embodiment includes
       an interface configured to send frame information that causes a display unit to display a frame, and   a controller that is connected to the interface and sends the frame information to the display so the frame is positioned on the display at an operation target position that is offset by a predetermined distance on the display from an operation detection position.       
 
         [0011]    In one aspect, a recognition unit is included that detects the operation detection position in response to a contact made with the display at the operation detection position. 
         [0012]    In another aspect, the recognition unit detects the operation detection position based on proximity of a selection device to the display unit without directly contacting the display unit. 
         [0013]    In another aspect the recognition unit detects an abstracted touch event. 
         [0014]    In another aspect, a computer readable storage device is included that stores at least a part of the frame information as cursor definition data that defines a shape and a size of the frame. 
         [0015]    In another aspect, the computer readable storage device also stores an initial value and a current value of the offset. 
         [0016]    In another aspect, the frame has a border in a ring shape, wherein the ring shape being at least one of a continuous ring shape and a ring shape with gaps. 
         [0017]    In another aspect, the frame has a border in a box shape. 
         [0018]    In another aspect, the recognition unit detects a touch event, wherein
       the controller sends the frame information to the display in response to the touch event.       
 
         [0020]    In another aspect, the frame remains displayed after a conclusion of the touch event. 
         [0021]    In another aspect, the recognition unit detects when the touch event includes moving a contact point along a surface of the display unit, and
       the controller causes the frame to move along with the contact point on the display unit while maintaining the offset at the predetermined distance.       
 
         [0023]    In another aspect, the controller maintains the offset in response to the contact point being dragged side-to-side on the display unit. 
         [0024]    In another aspect the recognition unit recognizes a second touch event that follows the touch event, and
       the controller moves the frame at a rate that varies according to a gap between the operation detection position and the operation target position at a start of frame movement.       
 
         [0026]    In another aspect, the recognition unit recognizes a second touch event that comes after the touch event, and
       the controller moves the frame at a rate that is a function of a gap relative to a threshold.       
 
         [0028]    In another aspect the recognition unit recognizes a second touch event that comes after the touch event, and
       the controller moves the frame on the display unit at a rate that is different for respective contact points at
           an interior of the frame,   on the frame, and   an exterior of the frame.   
               
 
         [0033]    In another aspect the recognition unit successively recognizes a second touch event, and a third touch event that both follow the touch event, and
       in response to the third touch event, the controller moves the frame over or around a contact position of the third touch event regardless of the offset.       
 
         [0035]    In another aspect, the third touch event being one of a multi-tap, a change in pressure, and a flick. 
         [0036]    In another aspect the controller locks a display position about a displayed object. 
         [0037]    According to a display control method embodiment, the method includes preparing at a display controller frame information that causes a frame to be displayed on a display unit at an operation target position that is offset at a predetermined distance on the display unit from an operation detection position, and
       sending the frame information to the display unit that displays the frame.       
 
         [0039]    According to a computer readable storage device embodiment having computer readable instructions that when executed by a computer processor cause the computer processor to perform a method including
       preparing at a display controller frame information that causes a frame to be displayed on a display unit at an operation target position that is offset at a predetermined distance on the display unit from an operation detection position, and   sending the frame information to the display unit that displays the frame.       
 
         [0042]    As described above, the information processing device, the program, and the display control method in accordance with the present disclosure can implement a wide variety of user interfaces on a screen without an operation target being covered. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0043]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing an exemplary hardware configuration of an information processing device in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0044]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing an exemplary logical configuration of an information processing device in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0045]      FIG. 3  is an explanatory diagram illustrating an exemplary shape of a cursor in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0046]      FIG. 4  is an explanatory diagram illustrating another exemplary shape of a cursor in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0047]      FIG. 5  is a first explanatory diagram illustrating the offset of a cursor; 
           [0048]      FIG. 6  is a second explanatory diagram illustrating the offset of a cursor; 
           [0049]      FIG. 7  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first example of a GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0050]      FIG. 8A  is a first explanatory diagram illustrating a second example of a GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0051]      FIG. 8B  is a second explanatory diagram illustrating the second example of the GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0052]      FIG. 8C  is a third explanatory diagram illustrating the second example of the GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0053]      FIG. 9A  is a first explanatory diagram illustrating a third example of a GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0054]      FIG. 9B  is a second explanatory diagram illustrating the third example of the GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0055]      FIG. 10  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a fourth example of a GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0056]      FIG. 11A  is a first explanatory diagram illustrating a fifth example of a GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0057]      FIG. 11B  is a second explanatory diagram illustrating the fifth example of the GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0058]      FIG. 12  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a sixth example of a GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0059]      FIG. 13  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a seventh example of a GUI in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0060]      FIG. 14  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a correction of the operation target position; 
           [0061]      FIG. 15A  is a schematic diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of an information processing device in accordance with one variation; 
           [0062]      FIG. 15B  is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary hardware configuration of an information processing device in accordance with one variation; 
           [0063]      FIG. 16  is a block diagram showing an exemplary logical configuration of an information processing device in accordance with one variation; 
           [0064]      FIG. 17A  is a first explanatory diagram illustrating an exemplary GUI in accordance with one variation; 
           [0065]      FIG. 17B  is a second explanatory diagram illustrating an exemplary GUI in accordance with another variation; 
           [0066]      FIG. 18  is a flowchart showing an exemplary schematic flow of a display control process in accordance with the aforementioned embodiment; and 
           [0067]      FIG. 19  is a flowchart showing an exemplary detailed flow of a display control process when a touch/movement-related event is recognized. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0068]    Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that, in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elements that have substantially the same function and structure are denoted with the same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of these structural elements is omitted. 
         [0069]    “DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS” will be described in the following order. 
         [0070]    1. Exemplary Configuration of One Embodiment
       1-1. Device Configuration   1-2. Cursor Shape   1-3. Cursor Display Position       
 
         [0074]    2. Examples of Various GUIs
       2-1. Fine Adjustment of Cursor Position   2-2. Movement of Cursor to Absolute Position   2-3. Object Locking   2-4. Magnification Display within Cursor   2-5. Operation in Depth Direction   2-6. Zoom of Selected Range   2-7. Deformation of Cursor   2-8. Correction of Operation Target Position       
 
         [0083]    3. Description of Variations
       3-1. Device Configuration   3-2. Examples of GUI       
 
         [0086]    4. Exemplary Process Flow 
         [0087]    5. Conclusion 
       1. EXEMPLARY CONFIGURATION OF ONE EMBODIMENT 
       [0088]    An information processing device described in this specification is typically a device with a touch screen or a proximity detection screen. Examples of the information processing device include a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a portable information terminal (Personal Digital Assistant), a music player, a game terminal, and a digital information home appliance. Alternatively, the information processing device can be a peripheral device that is connected, physically or wirelessly such as via BLUETOOTH, to the aforementioned devices. 
       [1-1. Device Configuration] 
       [0089]    First, the configuration of an information processing device  100  in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . This embodiment will mainly describe an example of the information processing device  100  with a touch screen. However, as will be apparent from the description that follows, many of the features of this embodiment are equally applicable to a case in which the information processing device  100  has a proximity detection screen instead of a touch screen. 
       (1) Hardware Configuration 
       [0090]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing an exemplary hardware configuration of the information processing device  100  in accordance with this embodiment. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the information processing device  100  includes a touch screen  20 , a bus  30 , a CPU (Central Processing Unit)  32 , ROM (Read Only Memory)  34 , and RAM (Random Access Memory)  36 . 
         [0091]    The touch screen  20  includes a touch detection surface  22  and a display surface  24 . The touch detection surface  22  senses a touch of a user on the touch screen  20 , and generates an electrical signal corresponding to the operation detection position (i.e., a touch position). The touch detection surface  22  can be formed in accordance with any touch detection scheme such as a resistive film scheme, a surface acoustic wave scheme, or a capacitance scheme. Further, the touch detection surface  22  can also sense the pressure of a touch. When a proximity detection screen is used instead of the touch screen  20 , the proximity detection screen senses an input object that is placed in proximity to the screen using, for example, an optical or capacitive proximity sensor. In this case, the proximity detection screen also generates an electrical signal corresponding to the operation detection position (a proximity detection position). The display surface  24  displays an output image from the information processing device  100 . The display surface  24  can be implemented using, for example, liquid crystals, organic EL (Organic Light-Emitting Diode: OLED), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like. 
         [0092]    The bus  30  mutually connects the touch detection surface  22 , the display surface  24 , the CPU  32 , the ROM  34 , and the RAM  36 . 
         [0093]    The CPU  32  controls the overall operation of the information processing device  100 . The ROM  34  stores programs and data that constitute software executed by the CPU  32 . The RAM  36  temporarily stores programs and data while the CPU  32  is executing a process. 
         [0094]    Note that the information processing device  100  can also include components other than those shown in  FIG. 1 , though not described herein for the sake of clarity of the description. 
       (2) Logical Configuration 
       [0095]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing an exemplary logical configuration of the information processing device  100  in accordance with this embodiment. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the information processing device  100  includes a touch detection unit  110 , a display unit  120 , a recognition unit  140 , a display controller  150 , a storage unit  160 , and an application unit  170 . 
         [0096]    The touch detection unit  110  detects a touch that is sensed by the touch detection surface  22  of the touch screen  20 . Then, the touch detection unit  110  outputs information including the operation detection position (which is identical to a touch position in this embodiment, but can be a proximity detection position in other embodiments) that has been detected to the recognition unit  140  in time series order. In addition, the touch detection unit  110  can further output additional information such as the pressure of a touch to the recognition unit  140 . 
         [0097]    The display unit  120 , under the control of the display controller  150 , displays the output image from the information processing device  100  using the display surface  24  of the touch screen  20 . For example, the output image displayed by the display unit  120  can include an application screen generated by the application unit  170  (described below). In addition, the output image displayed by the display unit  120  can also include a screen of an operating system (not shown) of the information processing device  100 . Further, an image of a cursor that is controlled by the display controller  150  can also be superimposed on the output images. 
         [0098]    The recognition unit  140 , on the basis of the information such as the touch position input from the touch detection unit  110 , recognizes various operation events in accordance with a touch of a user on the touch screen  20  (which correspond to touch events in this embodiment, but can be proximity events in other embodiments). In this embodiment, touch events that are recognized by the recognition unit  140  can include, for example, the following three primitive events: a touch start, a touch movement, and a touch end. Each of the three events is associated with its corresponding touch position. When the touch screen  20  has a multi-touch detection function, a plurality of touch positions are associated with each event. Further, the recognition unit  140  can, on the basis of a combination of the primitive touch events, a path of the touch position, or the like, recognize a more abstracted touch event. Examples of abstracted touch events that are recognized by the recognition unit  140  can include a tap, drag, twist, multi-tap, pinch-in, and pinch-out. Further, when the touch detection surface  22  has a function of sensing the pressure of a touch, the recognition unit  140  can recognize a predetermined change in the pressure of a touch as a single touch event. The recognition unit  140  outputs the thus recognized touch event to the display controller  150 . 
         [0099]    The display controller  150  controls the content of the output image displayed by the display unit  120 . For example, the display controller  150  causes the display unit  120  to display an application screen generated by the application unit  170  or a screen of an operating system. In addition, in this embodiment, the display controller  150  causes the display unit  120  to display a specific cursor (described later). Further, the display controller  150 , in response to a touch event recognized by the recognition unit  140 , controls display of the cursor and the associated object. 
         [0100]    The storage unit  160  stores data used for the display controller  150  to control display. For example, the storage unit  160  stores cursor definition data that defines the shape and the size of a cursor displayed by the display controller  150 . In addition, for example, the storage unit  160  also stores the initial value and the current value of the offset between an operation target position, which is a position where an operation is intended to be performed via a cursor, and a touch position. Further, for example, the storage unit  160  also stores a setting value related to the amount of a movement of a cursor for when the cursor is moved in response to a touch event (e.g., a drag) that is associated with a movement of a touch position. Exemplary user interfaces that are implemented using such data will be described in detail below. 
         [0101]    The application unit  170  provides a user of the information processing device  100  with an application function. For example, the application unit  170  can include one or more of a Web browser, a digital album, a text editor, an e-mail client, a content player, and a game application. The user can utilize such application function(s) via a user interface that uses a specific cursor (described below). 
       [1-2. Cursor Shape] 
       [0102]    Described next is the basic structure of a cursor used for a user interface that is provided by the information processing device  100  in accordance with this embodiment. 
         [0103]      FIG. 3  is an explanatory diagram illustrating an exemplary shape of a cursor. The touch screen  20  of the information processing device  100  is shown to the left in  FIG. 3 . The touch screen  20  displays an exemplary cursor  10 . The cursor  10  has a ring shape with a frame that surrounds the operation target position with a border that separates an inner area from an outer area. The width of the frame may be adjusted (i.e., width of D 2  in  FIG. 3 ). In the example of  FIG. 3 , the frame has an annular two dimensional (2D) shape. Optionally the frame may be presented in 3-D (such as on a 3D display) by having an added dimension, such as a torroidal shape, a sphere or a cube that is perceived as having a frame that separates an inner volume from an outer volume. 
         [0104]    The frame  14  of the enlarged cursor  10  is shown to the right in  FIG. 3 . The frame  14  is formed by an inner circumference with a radius D 1  and an outer circumference with a radius D 2  each having an operation target position  15  as the center. The values of the radii of the inner circumference and the outer circumference of the frame  14  can be defined by the definition data that is stored in the storage unit  160 , for example. The value of the radius D 1  can be user-selected from values that allow the average thickness of the fingertips of users to be surely put within the frame  14 . The frame  14  can be displayed semi-transparent so that an object on the screen that overlaps the frame  14  is visible. Alternatively, several user selectable two-dimensional frame-shapes may be presented to a user (e.g., racetrack, 4-sided, or n-sided). When presented with the various frame-shapes, a user may selected one. Alternatively, a user may specify the shape by name, or by adjusting (numerically or via a GUI by clicking and dragging a cursor), where D 1  and D 2  are adjustable parameters, in addition to frame color and transparency level. 
         [0105]    An operation directed to the cursor  10  can be performed by, for example, touching inside a rectangular area  18  that has the operation target position  15  as the center. That is, the display controller  150 , when the recognition unit  140  has recognized a touch event, and if the touch position of the touch event is within the rectangular area  18 , for example, executes control of the user interface in response to the touch event, using the cursor  10 . 
         [0106]    As shown to the right in  FIG. 3 , an area inside the rectangular area  18  can be divided into three areas in accordance with the positional relationship with the frame  14  of the cursor  10 . A first area is an area inside the frame (ring). For example, when the gap between a touch position detected by the touch detection unit  110  and the operation target position  15  is less than the radius D 1 , a touch event can be recognized as having taken place inside the frame. A second area is an area on the frame. For example, when the gap between a touch position and the operation target position  15  is greater than or equal to the radius D 1  and less than or equal to the radius D 2 , a touch event can be recognized as having taken place on the frame. A third area is an area outside the frame (ring). For example, when the gap between a touch position and the operation target position  15  is greater than the radius D 2 , a touch event can be recognized as having taken place outside the frame. 
         [0107]      FIG. 4  is an explanatory diagram illustrating another exemplary shape of a cursor. A cursor  10   a  with a frame  14   a  that surrounds an operation target position  15   a  is shown to the left in  FIG. 4 . The frame  14   a  of the cursor  10   a  has a box shape. Meanwhile, a cursor  10   b  with a frame  14   b  that surrounds an operation target position  15   b  is shown to the right in  FIG. 4 . The frame  14   b  of the cursor  10   b  has a ring shape with partial gaps on the top, bottom, right, and left. As described above, a frame of a cursor that is displayed on the touch screen  20  of the information processing device  100  can take various shapes surrounding the operation target position. In addition, the frame of the cursor need not completely surround the operation target position. Even in such cases, the display controller  150  can divide a touch position into three areas that are inside, on, and outside the frame in accordance with the gap between the touch position and the operation target position. 
         [0108]    In the following description related to this embodiment, it is assumed that the ring-shape cursor  10  that is exemplarily shown in  FIG. 3  is displayed on the touch screen  20 . 
       [1-3. Cursor Display Position] 
       [0109]    The display controller  150  can, when a given touch event has been recognized, display the aforementioned cursor on the touch screen  20 . 
         [0110]    For example, the display controller  150 , when the recognition unit  14  has recognized a given touch event (an event Ev 1 ), determines an operation target position that has a predetermined offset with respect to the touch position of the touch event. Then, the display controller  150  can, when the determined operation target position is located over a target object to be displayed with a cursor, display the cursor  10  surrounding the operation target position. 
         [0111]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are explanatory diagrams illustrating the offset of the aforementioned cursor. 
         [0112]    On the touch screen  20  shown to the left in  FIG. 5 , the operation target position  15  is displayed above a touch position  16 . In this case, the offset between the touch position  16  and the operation target position  15  is given by a distance L in the vertical direction. On the touch screen  20  shown in the center of  FIG. 5 , the operation target position  15  above the touch position  16  is located on text that is a target object to be displayed with a cursor. Thus, the display controller  150  displays the cursor  10  surrounding the operation target position  15 . The cursor  10  displayed in this manner can remain on the touch screen  20  even after a user has lifted his finger (or another input object such as a stylus) off the screen. The touch screen  20  shown to the right in  FIG. 5  is a view in which the cursor  10  is displayed on the touch screen  20  with the finger lifted off the screen. 
         [0113]    Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the example of  FIG. 5 , and the display controller  150  can display the cursor  10  upon detecting any other events such as a touch with a pressure level that is higher than a predetermined threshold, a specific menu being selected, or a button being pressed. 
         [0114]    The offset shown in the example of  FIG. 5  is an offset with the initial value when the cursor  10 , which has not been displayed so far, starts to be displayed. Meanwhile, when a user touches around the cursor  10  again after the cursor  10  starts to be displayed, the offset between the new touch position and the operation target position will be stored. 
         [0115]    For example, on the touch screen  20  shown in the upper center in  FIG. 6 , a user is touching a frame below the operation target position  15 . Then, when the user drags his finger to the right, the offset at the start of the drag will be maintained, and thus the cursor  10  will move along with the movement of the finger. The touch screen  20  shown to the upper right in  FIG. 6  also shows the cursor  10  that has as the operation target position  15  an area above the touch position  16  at the end of the drag. 
         [0116]    Meanwhile, on the touch screen  20  shown in the lower center in  FIG. 6 , for example, a user is touching a frame on the right side of the operation target position  15 . Then, when the user drags his finger to the left, the offset at the start of the drag will be maintained, and thus the cursor  10  will move along with the movement of the finger. The touch screen  20  shown to the lower right in  FIG. 6  also shows the cursor  10  that has as the operation target position  15  an area on the left side of the touch position  16  at the end of the drag. 
         [0117]    Using the aforementioned cursor  10 , the information processing device  100  implements a wide variety of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) such as those described in the next section. 
       2. EXAMPLES OF VARIOUS GUIs 
       [0118]      FIG. 7  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first example of a GUI in accordance with this embodiment. In the scenario of  FIG. 7 , the display controller  150 , when the recognition unit  140  has recognized a second touch event (an event Ev 2 ) associated with a movement of the touch position, moves the cursor at a rate that varies according to the gap between the touch position and the operation target position at the start of the movement. The event Ev 2  can be, for example, a drag or a flick. 
         [0119]    In the following description, a proportion of the amount of the movement of the cursor to the amount of the movement of the touch position will be referred to as a movement rate. In typical GUIs, the amount of the movement of a cursor is equal to the amount of the movement of a touch position, that is, the movement rate is 100%. In this embodiment, the movement rate can be defined in accordance with the gap between the touch position and the operation target position at the start of the movement, as a setting value to be stored in the storage unit  160 . For example, the movement rate can be defined using a threshold to be compared with the aforementioned gap such that when the gap is greater than the threshold, the movement rate is defined as X 1 %, and when the gap is less than the threshold, the movement rate is defined as X 2 %. At this time, if the threshold is set equal to the value of the radius D 1  of the inner circumference (or the radius D 2  of the outer circumference) of the frame  14  of the cursor  10 , the movement rate can be defined differently depending on whether the touch position is inside the frame or not (or outside the frame or not). Alternatively, the movement rate can be defined using a function that takes the aforementioned gap as an argument, for example. As a further alternative, the movement rate can be defined as Y1% if the touch position is inside the frame, Y2% if the touch position is on the frame, and Y3% if the touch position is outside the frame, for example. 
         [0120]    In the scenario of  FIG. 7 , if the aforementioned gap is less than or equal to a threshold that is equal to the radius D 2  of the outer circumference of the frame  14  of the cursor  10 , the movement rate is 100%, and if the aforementioned gap is greater than the threshold, the movement rate is 50%. Such definition of the movement rate is advantageous in a situation where the cursor position should be finely adjusted. 
         [0121]    Referring to the upper views in  FIG. 7 , when a user touches inside the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it, the amount of the movement of the cursor  10  will be equal to the amount of the movement of the touch position  16 . That is, the movement rate is 100%. Meanwhile, referring to the lower views in  FIG. 7 , when a user touches outside the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it, the amount of the movement of the cursor  10  will be half that of the touch position  16 . That is, the movement rate is 50%. 
         [0122]    Such fine adjustment of the cursor position can be utilized in various scenes such as when text with small characters that is displayed on a screen with high display resolution is selected, a screen is scrolled through with a scroll bar or a slider, or when a photograph is selected from among thumbnails of photographs that are displayed in large numbers. 
       [2-2. Movement of Cursor to Absolute Position] 
       [0123]      FIGS. 8A to 8C  are explanatory diagrams illustrating a second example of a GUI in accordance with this embodiment. In this scenario, the display controller  150 , when the recognition unit  140  has recognized a touch event (an event Ev 3 ), displays the cursor  10  over or around the touch position of the event Ev 3  regardless of the aforementioned offset. The event Ev 3  can be, for example, multi-tap, a change in the pressure of the touch, or a vertical flick that is performed while the aforementioned event Ev 2  is still continuing. A vertical flick refers a rapid change in direction toward a direction that is roughly perpendicular to the moving direction of the touch position of the event Ev 2 . The user interface in this scenario is advantageous in a situation where, for example, a user wants to immediately pull a cursor, which has once moved away from his fingertip for the reason that the movement rate is not 100%, toward the fingertip. That is, the aforementioned event Ev 3  is an event that can trigger a movement of the cursor to an absolute touch position. 
         [0124]    For example, in the example of  FIG. 8A , when a user touches outside the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it, the cursor  10  will move at a movement rate of 50% and thus be located away from the fingertip of the user (see the left and center views in  FIG. 8A ). Next, when an event Ev 3  such as multi-tap, a change in the pressure of the touch, or a vertical flick is recognized, the cursor  10  will move to a position over around the touch position  16  regardless of the movement rate (see the right view in  FIG. 8 ). An operation such as multi-tap, a change in the pressure of the touch, or a vertical flick is an operation that a user is likely to perform continuously from a drag operation or the like. Thus, using the event Ev 3  as a trigger to pull the cursor position can contribute to improving the operability of the user interface. 
         [0125]    It is also conceivable that the user may want to immediately pull not only a cursor that is moving due to a drag operation or the like but also a cursor that is not in motion. In such a case, double-tap (successive taps within a short period of time) can be used as a trigger event for the operation, for example. 
         [0126]      FIG. 8B  is an example of another scene where the event Ev 3  can be used. In the example of  FIG. 8B , a slider  41  is displayed on the touch screen  20  for scrolling through the displayed content (see the left view in  FIG. 8B ). A user places the operation target position of the cursor  10  over the knob of the slider  41 , for example, and then touches outside the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it to the right. Accordingly, the knob moves to the right with the cursor  10  at a movement rate of 50%, and accordingly, the content displayed on the touch screen  20  is scrolled through (see the center view in  FIG. 8B ). Further, when an event Ev 3  is recognized, the knob and the cursor  10  will move to a portion over or around the touch position  16  regardless of the movement rate (see the right view in  FIG. 8B ). 
         [0127]      FIG. 8C  shows still another scene where the event Ev 3  can be used. In the example of  FIG. 8C , the cursor  10  and text are displayed on the touch screen  20 . A user can select a part of the text by dragging the cursor  10 . The center view in  FIG. 8C  shows a selected range  42  that is selected by dragging the cursor  10 . However, as the offset between the operation target position and the touch position is maintained, if the movement rate is 100%, for example, a user may not be able to select the edge of the touch screen  20 . In such a case, however, if the user inputs an event Ev 3 , the cursor  10  will move to a position over or around the touch position  16  regardless of the movement rate, whereby selection of the text displayed on the edge of the touch screen  20  becomes possible (see the right view in  FIG. 8C ). 
       [2-3. Object Locking] 
       [0128]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  are explanatory diagrams illustrating a third example of a GUI in accordance with this embodiment. In the scenario herein, the display controller  150 , when the operation target position overlaps an operable object displayed on the touch screen  20 , locks the object, and also changes the color, the shape, or the size of the frame of the cursor  10 . Examples of operable objects herein include a hyperlink on a Web browser, a thumbnail in a digital album, a function icon on a desktop screen, and a button on an application screen. The display controller  150 , even when the cursor position has moved after the operable object was locked once, keeps on handling the object as the operation target until a given condition (e.g., generation of a predetermined event for unlocking the object, or movement of the cursor over a distance that is greater than a predetermined distance) is satisfied. 
         [0129]    For example, in the example of  FIG. 9A , text displayed on the touch screen  20  includes three double-underlined hyperlinks (see the left view in  FIG. 9A ). Herein, when a user drags the cursor  10  and places the operation target position over a hyperlink  43 , the display controller  150  will lock the hyperlink  43  (see the center view in  FIG. 9A ). Then, when the user taps (or double-taps, for example) the frame of the cursor  10 , for example (see the right view in  FIG. 9A ), the hyperlink will be executed, so that the displayed content will move to the link destination. 
         [0130]    Locking an object as described above is particularly advantageous when operating a small object displayed on the touch screen  20  with high display resolution. For example, there are not a few cases in which a finger tap operation fails to tap a desired touch position. Therefore, even when a user taps on the touch screen  20  for operating an object, he may not be able to operate the intended object as a result of failing to tap the operation target position. In this scenario, however, the object is locked as described above. Thus, the user is surely able to operate the operation target object. In this case, the ring-shape cursor  10  also serves as an aiming field for locking the object. 
         [0131]    The locked object can also be configured to be movable with the cursor  10 . The display controller  150  can determine whether or not to move the object along with a touch event such as a drag or a flick in accordance with the gap between the touch position and the operation target position, for example. 
         [0132]    For example, in the example of  FIG. 9B , three movable icons are displayed on the touch screen  20 . Among them, the operation target position of the cursor  10  overlaps the icon  44 , and the icon  44  is locked (see the left view in  FIG. 9B ). Then, when a user touches inside the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it, the cursor  10  alone will move away from the icon  44  (see the upper views in  FIG. 9B ). Meanwhile, when a user touches the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it, the cursor  10  will move with the icon  44  (see the lower views in  FIG. 9B ). 
         [0000]    [2-4. Magnification Display within Cursor] 
         [0133]      FIG. 10  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a fourth example of a GUI in accordance with this embodiment. In the scenario of  FIG. 10 , the display controller  150 , when the recognition unit  140  has recognized a fourth touch event (an event Ev 4 ) within the frame of the cursor  10 , enlarges (zooms in) or shrinks (zooms out) a display inside the frame of the cursor  10 . The event Ev 4  can be, for example, pinch-out or pinch-in. In this case, “pinch-out” can correspond to enlarging the display, and “pinch-in” can correspond to shrinking the display. Note that “pinch-out” refers to an operation of widening the gap between two fingers touching the screen, and “pinch-in” refers to an operation of narrowing the gap between two fingers touching the screen. 
         [0134]    In the example of  FIG. 10 , four thumbnails are displayed on the touch screen  20 . Among them, the operation target position of the cursor  10  overlaps the thumbnail  45   a . Then, when a user pinches out within the frame of the cursor  10 , for example, a display inside the frame of the cursor  10  will be enlarged. Though not shown, if the user further pinches in within the frame of the cursor  10 , the display inside the frame of the cursor  10  can be shrunk or restored to the original state. 
         [0135]    As described above, with the cursor having a frame surrounding the operation target position, it is possible to implement a function, which is equivalent to the loupe function, through a more intuitive operation. 
       [2-5. Operation in Depth Direction] 
       [0136]      FIGS. 11A and 11B  are explanatory diagrams each illustrating a fifth example of a GUI in accordance with this embodiment. In this scenario, the display controller  150 , when the operation target position overlaps a plurality of operable objects, selects one of the plurality of objects as the operation target in response to a fifth touch event (an event Ev 5 ) that is associated with a rotation of the cursor recognized by the recognition unit  140 . The event Ev 5  can be, for example, a twist (an operation of twisting two fingers against the screen while touching the same position) or a twin rotation (an operation of, in a multi-touch state, drawing an arc with the second finger while fixing the position of the first finger). 
         [0137]    For example, in the example of  FIG. 11A , three thumbnails  45   a ,  45   b , and  45   c  that overlap one another are displayed on the touch screen  20 . In addition, the cursor  10  overlaps the three thumbnails  45   a ,  45   b , and  45   c . Among them, a focus is set on the thumbnail  45   c  at a moment shown in the left view in  FIG. 11A  (i.e., the thumbnail  45   c  is the operation target). In such a state, when a user performs a twist or twin rotation operation within the cursor  10 , for example, the aforementioned event Ev 5  is recognized. Consequently, the display controller  150  shifts the focus in the Z direction (the depth direction of the touch screen  20 ). For example, in the example shown in the upper right view in  FIG. 11A , the focus has shifted to the thumbnail  45   b . In addition, in the example shown in the lower right view in  FIG. 11A , the focus has shifted to the thumbnail  45   a.    
         [0138]    Referring to  FIG. 11B , a handle  46  is added to the frame of the cursor  10  on the touch screen  20 . The handle  46  is a user interface to be operated by a user to rotate the cursor  10 . Dragging such handle  46  will also be handled as the aforementioned event Ev 5 . In the example of  FIG. 11B , a user drags the handle  46  of the cursor  10  so that the focus shifts to the thumbnail  45   a.    
         [0139]    Such operation in the depth direction (e.g., a focus shift) is advantageous in a situation where objects that are displayed on a screen with high display resolution overlap one another and an individual object is thus difficult to be selected. 
       [2-6. Zoom of Selected Range] 
       [0140]      FIG. 12  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a sixth example of a GUI in accordance with this embodiment. In the scenario of  FIG. 12 , the display controller  150 , when the recognition unit  140  has recognized a sixth event (an event Ev 6 ) that involves a touch within the frame of the cursor  10 , shrinks the display on the touch screen  20  so that both a reference position, which has been set in advance of the sixth touch event, and the operation target position are displayed on the touch screen  20 . Herein, a reference point that is set in advance can be, for example, the start position of a selection range in selecting an area, or the position of a bookmark set within long text. The sixth touch event can be, for example, pinch-in on the frame of the cursor under the circumstance that a reference position has been set. 
         [0141]    For example, referring to the left view in  FIG. 12 , the start position of a selected range  42  is outside the screen as a result of the touch screen  20  having been scrolled through down. In such a state, when a user performs a pinch-in operation while holding the frame of the cursor  10 , for example, the display on the touch screen  20  will shrink so that both the reference position and the latest operation target position of the cursor  10  are displayed (see the right view in  FIG. 12 ). Consequently, the user is able to easily see the whole selected range  42  on the touch screen  20 . Meanwhile, when the user performs a pinch-out operation while holding the frame of the cursor  10 , for example, the content displayed on the touch screen  20  can be restored to the original state as shown in the left view in  FIG. 12 . 
       [2-7. Deformation of Cursor] 
       [0142]      FIG. 13  is an explanatory diagram illustrating a seventh example of a GUI in accordance with this embodiment. In the scenario of  FIG. 13 , when the movement path of the cursor in accordance with the aforementioned second touch event Ev 2  collides with a non-display area of the cursor, the display controller  150  does not move the cursor  10 , but instead, deforms the frame of the cursor  10 . The non-display area of the cursor can be, for example, the edge of the touch screen  20  or any other area within the screen when the screen cannot be scrolled through any further. 
         [0143]    For example, referring to the left view in  FIG. 13 , text described on a given page is displayed on the touch screen  20 . The cursor  10  is located on the uppermost portion of the page. In such a state, when a user further drags the cursor  10  upward, for example, the cursor  10  will not move, but instead, the frame of the cursor  10  will deform such that it is squashed (see the right view in  FIG. 12 ). The direction in which the frame of the cursor  10  is squashed coincides with the direction of the drag. Accordingly, the user can intuitively understand that the cursor  10  cannot be moved any further. 
       [2-8. Correction of Operation Target Position] 
       [0144]    As described above, there are not a few cases in which, when a user touches the touch screen  20  with his finger as an input object, for example, a slight discrepancy will occur between the intended touch position and the actual touch position. It is also possible that the touch position may slightly move in a short time immediately after the touch. Thus, the display controller  150  can absorb small fluctuation in the touch position, which is not intended by the user, by correcting the operation target position taking hysteresis into consideration, not by always or precisely locating the operation target position of the cursor  10  at the center of the frame. 
         [0145]      FIG. 14  is an explanatory diagram illustrating the aforementioned correction of the operation target position. The left view in  FIG. 14  shows two adjacent characters “e” and “c” in a character string, which makes up text displayed on the screen, and the cursor  10 . The operation target position  15  of the cursor  10  overlaps the character “e.” Herein, suppose that at a moment when a user touched the cursor  10  in an attempt to operate the cursor  10 , the touch position slightly moves rightward. At this time, if the operation target position is not corrected, the operation target position  15  would slightly move rightward, whereby the operation target can become the letter “c,” not “e” (see the upper views in  FIG. 14 ). However, this operation is not intended by the user. Thus, for example, the display controller  150  corrects the operation target position  15  for a predetermined period of time (e.g., several tenths of seconds) from the start of the touch so that hysteresis is generated. Referring to the lower views in  FIG. 14 , the operation target position of the cursor  10  is corrected from the position  15   a  to the position  15   b , which means that the operation target remains to be the letter “e,” not shifting to the letter “c.” Note that the amount of the correction applied to the operation target position  15  can be determined from, for example, the amount of the movement of the touch position from the start of the touch. Alternatively, the amount of the correction applied to the operation target position  15  can be determined from, for example, the difference between the operation target position  15  and the center of the operation target (e.g., the center  19  of the character “e” in  FIG. 14 ) at the start of the touch. 
       3. DESCRIPTION OF VARIATIONS 
       [0146]    Heretofore, description has been made mainly of an example of the information processing device  100  having a single screen. However, this embodiment can also exert the unique advantageous effect on a device that handles a plurality of screens. Thus, this section will describe an example in which the aforementioned cursor is used in a device that handles a plurality of screens as one variation of this embodiment. 
       [3-1. Device Configuration] 
     (1) Overview of Hardware Configuration 
       [0147]      FIGS. 15A and 15B  are schematic diagrams each illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device  200  in accordance with this variation. 
         [0148]    Referring to  FIG. 15A , an information processing device  200   a  held by a user and a display device  50  are shown. The information processing device  200   a  can include the same hardware configuration as the information processing device  100  that is exemplarily shown in  FIG. 1 . Further, the information processing device  200   a  can communicate with the display device  50 . The display device  50  can be, for example, a digital information home appliance such as a digital television or a content player. Alternatively, the display device  50  can be an additional monitor for the information processing device  200   a  or the like. The information processing device  200   a  includes a touch screen  220 . Meanwhile, the display device  50  includes a screen  222 . 
         [0149]    Referring to  FIG. 15B , an information processing device  200   b  is shown. The information processing device  200   b  can include the same hardware configuration as the information processing device  100  that is exemplarily shown in  FIG. 1 . Further, the information processing device  200   b  includes a touch screen  220  and a screen  222 . The screen  222  can be either a touch screen or a screen with only a display function. 
         [0150]    The information processing device  200   a  exemplarily shown in  FIG. 15A  provides, in addition to the application function of the information processing device  200   a , a GUI for a user to indirectly (or remotely) operate content displayed on the display device  50 . Meanwhile, the information processing device  200   b  exemplarily shown in  FIG. 15B  provides a GUI for a user to operate content, which is displayed on the screen  222 , via the touch screen  220 . These GUIs can also be implemented using the aforementioned cursor. In the following description, the information processing devices  200   a  and  200   b  will be collectively referred to as the information processing device  200  unless there is a need to distinguish between the information processing devices  200   a  and  200   b.    
       (2) Logical Configuration 
       [0151]      FIG. 16  is a block diagram showing an exemplary logical configuration of the information processing device  200  in accordance with this variation. Referring to  FIG. 16 , the information processing device  200  includes a touch detection unit  110 , a display unit  120 , a communication unit  232 , a recognition unit  140 , a display controller  250 , a storage unit  160 , and an application unit  170 . The communication unit  232  is connected to a sub-display unit  230 . 
         [0152]    The sub-display unit  230  is a logical block corresponding to the screen  222  exemplarily shown in  FIG. 15A  and  FIG. 15B . The sub-display unit  230 , under the control of the display controller  250 , displays an image using the screen  222 . 
         [0153]    The communication unit  232  serves as a communication means via which the display controller  250  communicates with the sub-display unit  230 , for example. The communication unit  232  can be implemented using a communication interface that compiles with a wireless communication protocol such as, for example, Bluetooth®, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). In addition, when the screen  222  is physically a part of the information processing device  200  as in the example of  FIG. 15B , the communication unit  232  can be implemented using simpler signal lines. 
         [0154]    The display controller  250  controls the content of output images displayed by the display unit  120  and the sub-display unit  230 . In addition, in this variation, the display controller  250  causes the display unit  120  and the sub-display unit  230  to display a specific cursor. Then, the display controller  250 , in response to a touch event recognized by the recognition unit  140 , controls display of the cursor and the associated object, whereby a wide variety of user interfaces are implemented. The basic structure of the cursor displayed by the display controller  250  can be similar to any of the structures described with reference to  FIG. 3  to  FIG. 6 . 
       [3-2. Examples of GUI] 
       [0155]    In this variation, the information processing device  200  can provide a user with a wide variety of GUIs that have been described hereinabove, using the touch screen  220 . Further, the information processing device  200  provides GUIs such as those described below. 
         [0156]      FIG. 17A  and  FIG. 17B  are explanatory diagrams each illustrating an exemplary GUI in accordance with this variation. In the scenario herein, the display controller  250 , when the recognition unit  140  has recognized the aforementioned second touch event (the event Ev 2 ) associated with a movement of the touch position, moves the cursor at a rate that varies according to the gap between the touch position and the operation target position at the start of the movement. As described above, the event Ev 2  can be, for example, a drag or a flick. That is, this scenario is similar to the scenario described with reference to  FIG. 7 . 
         [0157]    For example, in the example of  FIG. 17A , it is assumed that when the aforementioned gap is less than or equal to a threshold that is equal to the radius D 2  of the outer circumference of the frame  14  of the cursor  10 , the movement rate is 100%, and when the aforementioned gap is greater than the threshold, the movement rate is 300%. Such definition of the movement rate is advantageous in a situation where the cursor position should be moved to the outside of the touch screen  220 . 
         [0158]    Referring to the upper views in  FIG. 17A , when a user touches inside the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it, the amount of the movement of the cursor  10  is equal to the amount of the movement of the touch position. That is, the movement rate is 100%. Meanwhile, referring to the lower views in  FIG. 17A , when a user touches outside the frame of the cursor  10  and drags it, the amount of the movement of the cursor  10  is three times that of the touch position. Consequently, the cursor  10  moves from the touch screen  220  to the screen  222  in response to the drag taking place within the touch screen  220 . 
         [0159]    In addition, in this embodiment, the display controller  250 , when the cursor  10  has moved to the screen  222  in response to the event Ev 2 , further displays an auxiliary cursor on the touch screen  220  for allowing the user to operate the cursor  10 . For example, in the lower views in  FIG. 17A , an auxiliary cursor  12  for operating the cursor  10 , which has moved to the screen  222 , is displayed on the touch screen  220 . Operating this auxiliary cursor  12 , the user can indirectly control the content displayed on the screen  222  as in the case of a user interface on which the cursor  10  is directly operated. 
         [0160]    When the movement rate is over 100% as in the example of  FIG. 17A , it is possible that the destination of the cursor  10  may be an area that is not displayed on the screen at that point in time. In such a case, the display controller  250 , instead of moving the cursor  10  to the outside of the screen, causes the cursor to remain on the edge of the screen and automatically scrolls through the screen, so that the cursor is moved to the target destination. If an operable object is found to exist on the movement path of the cursor, for example, while the cursor is moving and the screen is automatically scrolled through as described above, the display controller  250  can stop the cursor over the operable object. 
         [0161]    For example, in the example of  FIG. 17B , as a user has dragged outside the frame of the cursor  10 , the cursor  10  moves from the touch screen  220  to the screen  222  at a movement rate of 500%. Further, as the destination of the cursor  10  associated with the drag is outside the screen  222 , the cursor  10  stops at the upper edge of the screen  222 , and instead, the screen  222  is automatically scrolled through (see the center view in  FIG. 17B ). Then, when an icon  44 , which is an operable icon, has overlapped the cursor  10  during the scroll, the automatic scrolling terminates, and thus the cursor  10  stops over the icon  44 . Further, the icon  44  is locked by the cursor  10  (see the right view in  FIG. 17B ). In this case, the auxiliary cursor  12  is also displayed on the touch screen  220  so that the user can immediately operate the locked icon  44  using the auxiliary cursor  12 . 
         [0162]    Note that it would be also advantageous to, under the circumstance that a large number of operable objects exist, disable the cursor stopping function such as the one shown in  FIG. 17B  in order to prevent an object, which is not intended by the user, from being locked. In such a case, the display controller  250  can switch between enabling and disabling the cursor stopping function in response to a given touch event. 
       4. EXEMPLARY PROCESS FLOW 
       [0163]    Next, a flow of the display control process in accordance with the aforementioned embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 18 and 19 .  FIG. 18  is a flowchart showing an exemplary schematic flow of the display control process. Although the description will be made from the perspective of the information processing device  100 , the process of the information processing device  200  can be similarly performed. 
         [0164]    First, referring to  FIG. 18 , a touch is detected by the touch detection unit  110  of the information processing device  100  (step S 102 ). Then, the recognition unit  140  determines if a cursor is already displayed on the touch screen  20  (step S 104 ). Herein, if a cursor is already displayed on the touch screen  20 , the process proceeds to step S 106 . Meanwhile, if a cursor is not displayed on the touch screen  20 , the process proceeds to step S 116 . 
         [0165]    In step S 106 , the recognition unit  104  determines if the touch position detected by the touch detection unit  110  is within a cursor operation area of the cursor  10  (step S 106 ). The cursor operation area corresponds to, for example, an area inside the rectangular area  18  that has the operation target position  15  as the center as exemplarily shown in  FIG. 3 . Herein, if the touch position is within the cursor operation area, the process proceeds to step S 108 . Meanwhile, if the touch position is outside the cursor operation area, the process proceeds to step S 112 . 
         [0166]    In step S 108 , the recognition unit  140  recognizes a touch event related to a cursor control (step S 108 ). Examples of the touch event related to a cursor control recognized herein can include any of the aforementioned events Ev 2  to Ev 6 . Then, an operation related to the cursor  10  is executed by the display controller  150  in response to the recognized touch event (step S 110 ). The operation executed herein can include a variety of GUI operations described in this specification. 
         [0167]    Meanwhile, in step S 112 , the recognition unit  140  recognizes a general touch event that is similar to the existing technologies (step S 112 ). Then, a process corresponding to the generated touch event is executed by the display controller  150  or the application unit  170  (step S 114 ). 
         [0168]    In step S 116 , the recognition unit  140  determines the operation target position having an offset with respect to the touch position, and determines if the determined operation target position is located over a target object to be displayed with a cursor (step S 116 ). The value of the offset herein is the initial value. If the operation target position is located over a target object to be displayed with a cursor, the cursor  10  with a frame that surrounds the operation target position is newly displayed on the touch screen  20  by the display controller  150  (step S 118 ). Meanwhile, if the operation target position is not located over the target object to be displayed with the cursor, the recognition unit  140  recognizes a general touch event that is similar to the existing technologies (step S 112 ). Thereafter, a process corresponding to the recognized touch event is executed by the display controller  150  or the application unit  170  (step S 114 ). 
         [0169]      FIG. 19  is a flowchart showing an exemplary detailed flow of the display control process when a touch/movement-related event (i.e., the aforementioned event E 2 ) is recognized. The process shown in  FIG. 19  can be executed as a part of step S 110  in  FIG. 18 . 
         [0170]    Referring to  FIG. 19 , the display controller  150  moves the cursor  10  at a movement rate corresponding to the gap between the operation target position and the touch position at the start of the touch (step S 202 ). Herein, the display controller  150 , upon determining that the movement path of the cursor  10  is passing over an operable object (step S 204 ), stops the cursor  10  over the object (step S 206 ). In addition, the display controller  150 , if the recognition unit  140  has recognized the event Ev 3  while the cursor  10  is moving (step S 208 ), moves the cursor  10  to a position over or around the touch position of the event Ev 3  (step S 210 ). 
         [0171]    Next, the display controller  150  determines if the cursor has reached a position over the operable object (step S 212 ). When the cursor has reached the position over the operable object, the display controller  150  locks the object (step S 214 ). Note that when the operable object is already locked at the start of the touch, the object can also be moved with the cursor  10 . Then, the display control process of the display controller  150  in accordance with the touch/movement-related event terminates. 
       5. CONCLUSION 
       [0172]    One embodiment and variations of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 19 . According to the aforementioned configuration, a cursor with a frame that surrounds the operation target position is displayed on the screen of the information processing device in response to an operation event (e.g., a touch event or a proximity event) on the screen. The operation target position of the cursor is a position that has an offset with respect to the operation detection position (e.g., a touch position or a proximity detection position) of the operation event. Thus, even when the cursor is displayed, there is no possibility that an object that is located at the operation target position will be covered with an input object such as a finger or a stylus. Further, by using a ring-shape cursor with a frame that surrounds the operation target position, it becomes possible to provide a user with a wide variety of intuitive user interfaces in accordance with the positional relationship between the frame and the operation detection position. 
         [0173]    For example, when an operation event associated with a movement of the operation detection position, such as a drag or a flick is recognized, the cursor can be moved at a movement rate that varies according to the gap between the operation detection position and the operation target position at the start of the movement. Such movement rate can be defined for different applications for different purposes, for example. For example, the aforementioned cursor can be used to finely adjust the operation target position on a touch screen or a proximity detection screen with high display resolution. Further, it is also possible to move the cursor to another screen and operate an object that is displayed on the other screen, using the aforementioned cursor. 
         [0174]    Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the appended drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or variations are possible insofar as they are within the technical scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. It should be understood that such modifications or variations are also within the technical scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0175]    The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosed in Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2010-185070 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Aug. 20, 2010, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.