Remote controller, remote control system and program

A method for controlling a user interface apparatus comprising:

• displaying a remote controller virtual object in a remote controller virtual object display area, wherein the remote controller virtual object comprises a plurality of control keys associated with different user interface functions for controlling a separate stationary display unit by the user pressing the plurality of control keys on the mobile display unit;
• defining a detection area for each control key of the remote controller virtual object, the detection area including a size and a location within the remote controller virtual object display area;
• detecting a position of a user activation and a drag operation from the position of the user activation;
• and
• after detecting the activation position as being within the detection area of a respective control key of the plurality of control keys:
• changing both the size and the location of the detection area of the respective control key to create a modified detection area, wherein the modified detection area enlarges and redistributes the detection area of the respective control key of the plurality of control keys of the remote controller virtual object such that a user can control the stationary display unit by manipulating the plurality of control keys on the mobile display unit with minimized user input error while the user is concurrently viewing both the remote controller virtual object on the mobile display unit and associated content output on the stationary display unit;
• and
• generating a command signal;
• wherein the at least one of the size and location of the detection area of the respective control key is changed based on a location of the activation position within the detection area of the respective control key and a location at which the drag operation ends outside of the detection area of the respective control key.

A non transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodied in a storage device encoded with instructions which, when executed on a processor, perform a method for controlling a user interface apparatus, the method comprising:

• generating a signal to display a remote controller virtual object in a remote controller virtual object display area of a mobile display unit, wherein the remote controller virtual object comprises a plurality of control keys associated with different user interface functions for controlling a separate stationary display unit by the user pressing the plurality of control keys on the mobile display unit;
• generating a signal to define a detection area for each control key of the remote controller virtual object, the detection area including a size and a location within the remote controller virtual object display area;
• generating a signal to change both the size and the location of the detection area of a respective control key of the plurality of control keys to create a modified detection area, wherein the modified detection area enlarges and redistributes the detection area of the respective control key of the plurality of control keys of the remote controller virtual object such that a user can control the stationary display unit by manipulating the plurality of control keys on the mobile display unit with minimized user input error while the user is concurrently viewing both the remote controller virtual object on the mobile display unit and associated content output on the stationary display unit;
• generating a signal to detect a position of a user activation and a drag operation from the position of the user activation;
• and
• determining from received signals that the activation position is within the detection area of the respective control key;
• wherein the at least one of the size and location of the detection area of the respective control key is changed based on a location of the activation position within the detection area of the respective control key and a location at which the drag operation ends outside of the detection area of the respective control key.