Information displaying apparatus, method of displaying information, information displaying system, and server apparatus and terminal device

A method of displaying information in an information displaying apparatus provided with a computer and a display unit having a touch-panel, the method for controlling the computer, comprising:

• obtaining explanation information of a direction word specified by user's operations;
• displaying the obtained explanation information of the direction word on the touch-panel displaying unit;
• detecting touch positions on the touch-panel display unit touched by user's operations;
• judging whether a distance between the detected touch positions has increased or decreased when the touch positions are shifted on the touch-panel displaying unit;
• and
• controlling the touch-panel display unit so as to display detailed explanation information of the direction word, when the distance between the detected touch positions has increased and to display simplified explanation information of the direction word obtained explanation information, when the distance between the detected touch positions has decreased.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with a information displaying program stored thereon, wherein a computer is mounted on an electronic apparatus having a touch-panel display unit for displaying data and the program instructs the computer to function as a unit comprising:

• an obtaining unit which obtains explanation information of a direction word specified by user's operations;
• an explanation display controlling unit which displays the explanation information obtained by the obtaining unit on the touch-panel displaying unit;
• a multi-touch detecting unit which detects touch positions on the touch-panel display unit touched by user's operations;
• a shift judging unit which judges whether a distance between the touch positions detected by the multi-touch detecting unit is increased or decreased when the touch positions are shifted on the touch-panel display unit;
• and
• a display-information controlling unit which displays on the touch-panel display unit detailed explanation information of the direction word obtained by the obtaining unit, when the shift judging unit judges that the distance between the touch positions is increased, and displays simplified explanation information of the direction word, when the shift judging unit judges that the distance between the touch positions is decreased.

An information displaying system comprising a server apparatus having a communication function through a network, and a terminal device, wherein

• the server apparatus comprises:
• a dictionary storing unit which stores dictionary data containing direction words and explanation information associated with the direction words;
• a retrieval-word receiving unit which receives from the terminal device a retrieval word entered in response to user's operation;
• an explanation-information sending unit which reads from the dictionary data a direction word corresponding to the retrieval word received by the retrieval-word receiving unit and explanation information of the direction word, and sends the terminal device the direction word and the explanation information of the direction word;
• a touch-position receiving unit which receives detected touch positions where a user operates on a touch-panel displaying unit of the terminal device;
• a multi-touch detecting unit which detects multi-touch operation by the user based on the touch-positions received by the touch-position receiving unit;
• a shift judging unit which judges whether touch positions of the multi-touch operation of the user detected by the multi-touch detecting unit is increased or decreased when the touch positions are shifted on the touch-panel display unit;
• and
• a sending-information controlling unit which sends the terminal device the explanation information as detailed information or as simplified information, depending on the judgment made by the shift judging unit, wherein said explanation information is read from the dictionary data by the explanation-information sending unit, and
• the terminal device comprises:
• a touch-panel display unit which displays data;
• a retrieval-word sending unit which sends a retrieval word entered in response to user's operation to the server apparatus;
• an explanation-information display controlling unit which receives the direction word and the explanation information of the direction word sent from the explanation-information sending unit of the server apparatus in response to sending of the retrieval word by the retrieval-word sending unit and displays the received direction word and explanation information of the direction word on the touch-panel display unit;
• a touch-position sending unit which sends the server apparatus detected touch positions on the touch-panel display unit where the user operates;
• and
• a display-information controlling unit which receives the detailed or simplified explanation information sent from the sending-information controlling unit of the server apparatus in response to sending of the touch positions by the touch-position sending unit, and displays the explanation information displayed on the touch-panel display unit by the explanation-information display controlling unit as detailed information or simplified information.