# US 10,503,316 B1 · Information processor, information processing method, and computer program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,503,316 B1 - Document ID: US10503316B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/383,691 - Filed: 2019-04-15 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2010-09-07 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Shunichi Kasahara; Kazuyuki Yamamoto; Ritsuko Kano; Tomoya Narita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10503316B1 ## CPC - G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers} - G06F 3/044: by capacitive means - G06F 3/0484: for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range - G06F 3/04845: for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour - G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text - G06F 3/041: Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means - G06F 2203/04108: Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An information processing apparatus including a detector that detects movement of a manipulation body in a vertical direction in relation to a display, and a processor that determines a speed of movement of the manipulation body based on an output of the detector, and determines a process to be executed based on the determined speed of movement. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information processing apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to identify a position of a manipulation body in relation to a detector and a distance between the detector and the manipulation body based on an output of the detector; identify a first object of a plurality of objects to be selected by the user and displayed on a display; determine a change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector based on the output of the detector after the first object has been identified on the display; cause the display to indicate that the first object is placed in a selected state by modifying a visual appearance of the first object by causing the display to change the visual depth of the first object based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector; and initiate a function related to the first object based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector, wherein modifying the visual appearance of the first object includes modifying the visual appearance of the first object so that a visual depth of the first object is changed, while a visual depth of the other of the plurality of objects is unchanged. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of objects are initially displayed on the display to visually appear on a same parallel surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein modifying the visual appearance of the first object includes modifying the visual appearance of the first object such that a visual depth of the first object appears to sink into the display, while the visual depth of the other of the plurality of objects is unchanged. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to change a form or shape of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is greater than a threshold value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to: cause the display to change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is greater than a threshold value; and cause the display to not change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is less than the threshold value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The information processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the circuitry is configured to compare the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector to the threshold value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to initiate the function related to the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is greater than a threshold value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to display information related to the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is greater than a threshold value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to identify the first object of the plurality of objects displayed on the display to be in the selected state based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The information processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to indicate that the first object is placed in the selected state when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is greater than a threshold value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the circuitry is configured to cause the first object to not be placed in the selected state when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is less than the threshold value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector is configured to detect movement of a manipulation body in an oblique direction in relation to the detector, and the circuitry is configured to determine a process to be executed based on whether the detected movement of the manipulation body is in a vertical or oblique direction in relation to the detector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to: cause the display to change the information displayed by the display from displaying the plurality of objects to displaying a new object that is different from the plurality of objects after the visual appearance of the first object has been modified. ### Claim 14 An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising: identifying a position of a manipulation body in relation to a detector and a distance between the detector and the manipulation body based on an output of the detector; identifying a first object of a plurality of objects to be selected by the user and displayed on a display; determining a change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector based on the output of the detector after the first object has been identified on the display; causing the display to indicate that the first object is placed in the selected state by modifying a visual appearance of the first object by causing the display to change the visual depth of the first object based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector; and initiating a function related to the first object based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector, wherein modifying the visual appearance of the first object includes modifying the visual appearance of the first object so that a visual depth of the first object is changed, while a visual depth of the other of the plurality of objects is unchanged. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of objects are initially displayed on the display to visually appear on a same parallel surface. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the visual appearance of the first object includes modifying the visual appearance of the first object such that a visual depth of the first object appears to sink into the display, while the visual depth of the other of the plurality of objects is unchanged. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the causing includes: causing the display to change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is greater than a threshold value; and causing the display to not change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is less than the threshold value. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by an information processing apparatus, cause the information processing apparatus to: identify a position of a manipulation body in relation to a detector and a distance between the detector and the manipulation body based on an output of the detector; identify a first object of a plurality of objects to be selected by the user and displayed on a display; determine a change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector based on the output of the detector after the first object has been identified on the display; cause the display to indicate that the first object is placed in the selected state by modifying a visual appearance of the first object by causing the display to change the visual depth of the first object based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector; and initiate a function related to the first object based on the determined change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector, wherein modifying the visual appearance of the first object includes modifying the visual appearance of the first object so that a visual depth of the first object is changed, while a visual depth of the other of the plurality of objects is unchanged. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of objects are initially displayed on the display to visually appear on a same parallel surface, and modifying the visual appearance of the first object includes modifying the visual appearance of the first object such that a visual depth of the first object appears to sink into the display, while the visual depth of the other of the plurality of objects is unchanged. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the causing includes: causing the display to change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is greater than a threshold value; and causing the display to not change the visual depth of the first object when the change in distance between the manipulation body and the detector is less than the threshold value.