# US 12,008,229 B2 · Varying icons to improve operability

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- Number: US 12,008,229 B2
- Document ID: US12008229B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/611,242
- Filed: 2012-09-12
- Published: 2013-05-23
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2011-11-22
- Assignees: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
- Applicants: Masaaki Takayasu; Shinya Taniguchi; Hiroyuki Goto
- Inventors: Masaaki Takayasu; Shinya Taniguchi; Hiroyuki Goto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008229B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
- A63F 13/2145: the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
- A63F 13/67: adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
- G06F 3/04186: {Touch location disambiguation}
- G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

In an image displayed on a display under a normal condition, the locations where items to choose from are located are indicated by icons. When a user touches a contact point, icons located within a predetermined range from the contact point are detected from among the icons. Then the locations of the detected icons are varied such that they are located on a circle, with the circle's center at the contact point, at equal spaces between the detected icons. A pointer graphic that indicates the original position of each icon in the original image is added to each icon.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for varying icons on an information processing device, the method comprising:
displaying, on a display of the information processing device, a plurality of icons in a display image at initial positions,
wherein each icon is assigned a decision region surrounding the icon,
wherein a size of a decision region of a first icon is larger than a size of a decision region of a second icon, and
wherein each decision region is a circle centered at a corresponding icon;
acquiring, by an operation information acquiring circuit, a touch point inputted by a user on the display;
determining a subset of the plurality of icons to vary by determining if the decision region of each icon intersects with the touch point;
moving all icons in the subset of the plurality of icons from their initial positions to selection positions on a selection circle centered at the touch point, wherein the subset of the plurality of icons are positioned at equal intervals around the selection circle;
acquiring, by the operation information acquiring circuit, a subsequent touch point on the display from the user for selecting an icon from the subset of the plurality of icons,
wherein the decision region of each icon of the subset is not used to determine when an icon is selected;
causing an action associated with the selected icon to be performed in response to the subsequent touch point; and
repeatedly increasing a size of the decision region of each of the subset of the plurality of icons based on:
an importance level, and
an increase in a selection frequency of each of the plurality of icons.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the importance level varies according to the progress degree of a game.