Vehicle-mounted apparatus, information providing method for use with vehicle-mounted apparatus, and recording medium recorded information providing method program for use with vehicle-mounted apparatus therein

An information providing method for use with an apparatus which provides desired information to a user through displaying unit, said information providing method comprising:

• displaying a menu screen on said displaying unit based on input through inputting unit of the apparatus;
• switching displays on said displaying unit based on menus selected on said menu screen;
• and
• switching, as when a specific menu is selected on said menu screen, said displays on said displaying unit in response to a fingertip locus gesture received for detection on a touch-sensitive panel attached to a display screen of said displaying unit,
• wherein, in response to the fingertip locus gesture on a display of a primary map, a smaller secondary map is displayed over a portion of the primary map,
• wherein in response to the received fingertip locus gesture, if the primary map is two-dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in three dimensions, and if the primary map is three dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in two dimensions,
• wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the primary map and extending from the primary map to the secondary map across a border separating the primary map and secondary map, will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map and will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map,
• and wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the secondary map and extending from the secondary map to the primary map across a border separating the secondary map and primary map, will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map and will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map.

A computer readable medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform an information providing method for use with an apparatus therein which provides desired information to a user through a displaying unit, said information providing method comprising:

• displaying a menu screen on said displaying unit based on input through inputting unit of the apparatus;
• switching displays on said displaying unit based on menus selected on said menu screen;
• and
• switching, as when a specific menu is selected on said menu screen, said displays on said displaying unit in response to a fingertip locus gesture received for detection on a touch-sensitive panel attached to a display screen of said displaying unit,
• wherein, in response to the fingertip locus gesture on a display of a primary map, a smaller secondary map is displayed over a portion of the primary map,
• wherein in response to the received fingertip locus gesture, if the primary map is two-dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in three dimensions, and if the primary map is three dimensional, the secondary map is displayed in two dimensions,
• wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the primary map and extending from the primary map to the secondary map across a border separating the primary map and secondary map, will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map and will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map,
• and wherein a fingertip locus gesture originating in the secondary map and extending from the secondary map to the primary map across a border separating the secondary map and primary map, will switch the secondary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the primary map and will switch the primary map display to show a display of what was just previously displayed in the secondary map.