JP7733334B2 - Information processing device, content display method, and content display program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a content display method, and a content display program.

In recent years, online services such as websites (web pages, web services), online games, and application software (hereinafter referred to as "apps") that are distributed to information processing devices such as mobile terminals via computer networks have become widespread.

Patent Document 1 discloses an image display device that displays a manga page made up of multiple frames on the screen by switching between specified ranges within the page (for example, one frame drawn within the page) and enlarging and displaying the range on the display screen. To this end, the image display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 generates a display range switching list containing various parameters for sequentially switching the range displayed on the display screen, and sets the frame to be displayed, the coordinates of the display center, and the display magnification in association with the display order. This allows the web page to be displayed on the display screen by sequentially switching the display range according to the generated display range switching list.

Therefore, with the image display device disclosed in Patent Document 1, even for large web pages, users can comfortably view every corner of the web page without having to perform cumbersome controller operations such as scrolling up, down, left, and right or zooming in and out of the image.

JP 2010-164862 A

In recent years, manga that can be viewed on information processing devices are not just manga that have been imported as image data from paper media; in some cases, manga are created as image data with the intention of being distributed to information processing devices from the start. Manga created with the intention of being distributed to such information processing devices are expected to be able to express a variety of expressions that were not possible on paper media.

The image display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs scrolling up, down, left, and right. Its purpose is to allow users to comfortably view manga that is page-by-page and frame-by-frame, captured from paper media as image data, and not to allow for a greater variety of manga expressions. Therefore, there is a need for technological development that enables a greater variety of expressions for content such as manga displayed on information processing devices.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an information processing device, a content display method, and a content display program that enable a wider variety of representations of content displayed on a screen.

To solve the above problems, the information processing device, content display method, and content display program of the present invention employ the following means.

To solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is an "information processing device" that displays content formed from a series of multiple still images on a screen, and includes: a scroll control means that scrolls the content displayed on the screen in one direction; and a rotation notification means that issues a rotation notification at a predetermined notification timing according to the progress of the content, prompting the user to perform a horizontal rotation by a predetermined angle with the screen as a reference plane.

To solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention, a "content display method," is a content display method for displaying content formed from a series of multiple still images on a screen, and includes a first step of scrolling the content displayed on the screen in one direction, and a second step of issuing a rotation notification at a predetermined notification timing corresponding to the progress of the content, to prompt the user to perform a horizontal rotation by a predetermined angle with the screen as a reference plane.

To solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention, a "content display program," causes a computer included in an information processing device that displays content formed from a series of multiple still images on a screen, to function as a scroll control means that scrolls the content displayed on the screen in one direction, and a rotation notification means that issues a rotation notification at a predetermined notification timing according to the progress of the content, prompting the user to perform a horizontal rotation by a predetermined angle with the screen as a reference plane.

The above-mentioned "information processing device" may be subject to various technical limitations, as exemplified below. Furthermore, similar technical limitations may be applied to the processing steps executed by the "content display method" or the functions of the "content display program."

The rotation notification means displays a rotation notification image on the screen together with the content to prompt the user to rotate the screen as the rotation notification.

The content is provided with rotation information indicating the timing for rotating the screen and the angle of rotation of the screen, and the rotation notification means issues the rotation notification based on the rotation information.

When the content displayed on the screen reaches the rotation timing for rotating the screen, the scroll control means does not display the still image on the screen after the rotation timing until it detects the screen rotation.

The scroll control means stops scrolling the content when the content displayed on the screen reaches the rotation timing for rotating the screen.

The scroll control means scrolls the content in response to a user's operation on the screen using a pointer, controls the amount of movement of the still image in response to an inertial force based on the movement speed of the pointer, and continues scrolling the content in response to the inertial force even when the content displayed on the screen reaches the rotation timing for rotating the screen.

The scroll control means scrolls the still image at a predetermined speed.

The speed varies depending on the still image.

The scroll control means determines at a predetermined timing whether a predetermined condition for scrolling the content is met, and scrolls the content if the condition is met.

This invention has the effect of enabling a wider variety of expressions for content displayed on the screen.

1 is a configuration diagram of a manga distribution system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a mobile terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a schematic diagram showing manga data showing a manga according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the state of an image displayed on a screen from a user's viewpoint when the user performs a screen rotation operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a rotation notification image according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram relating to a manga display function of a mobile terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a manga display process of a mobile terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of an information processing device, content display method, and content display program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1. First embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[1-1. Configuration of manga distribution system]
1 is a schematic diagram of a manga distribution system 1 according to this embodiment. The manga distribution system 1 includes a communication line 2, a plurality of mobile terminals 3, and a server 4.

Communication line 2 forms a computer network and is, for example, a wide-area communication line provided by an electric utility company.

The mobile terminal 3 is an information processing terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer, and is used by the user to access online services delivered via the communication line 2. The mobile terminal 3 includes a touch panel display 3a that displays images, a speaker 3b that outputs sound, a microphone 3c that inputs sound, and a camera 3d that captures images of a subject. Here, the touch panel display 3a includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch sensor. The LCD displays various images, and the touch sensor accepts various input operations performed using a pointing device such as a finger, stylus, or pen. In the following description, the touch panel display 3a is also referred to as the screen 3a.

The server 4 is an information processing device that distributes online services to the mobile terminal 3 via the communication line 2.

The manga distribution system 1 according to this embodiment distributes manga in the form of digital data from a server 4 via a communication line 2 to a mobile device 3 as one of its online services. The term "manga" used here refers to an example of content made up of a series of still images, which are composed of pictures and have a storyline as a whole. The user views the manga distributed to the mobile device 3 using dedicated application software (hereinafter referred to as the "manga viewing app"). The manga viewing app is pre-installed on the mobile device 3. Note that the manga viewing app functions even when the mobile device 3 and the server 4 are not communicating (offline state), as long as the manga data has been downloaded from the server 4 to the mobile device 3.

[1-2. Server configuration]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the server 4 according to this embodiment.

The server 4 according to this embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20, which is a main control unit that controls the overall operation of the server 4, a ROM in which various programs and various data are stored in advance,
(Read Only Memory) 22, RAM (Random Access Memory) 24 used as a work area when the CPU 20 executes various programs, and HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 26 as storage means for storing various programs and various data.

The HDD 26 stores manga data representing the manga to be distributed to the mobile terminal 3. Note that the storage means is not limited to the HDD 26, and may be other storage media, such as semiconductor memory such as flash memory.

Furthermore, the server 4 is equipped with an operation input unit 28, which is composed of a keyboard, mouse, etc. and accepts input for various operations, a monitor 30, such as a liquid crystal display device, that displays various images, and an external interface 32, which is connected to other information processing devices such as a mobile terminal 3 via a communication line 2 and sends and receives various data to and from other information processing devices, etc.

The CPU 20, ROM 22, RAM 24, HDD 26, operation input unit 28, monitor 30, and external interface 32 are electrically connected to one another via a system bus 34. Therefore, the CPU 20 can access the ROM 22, RAM 24, and HDD 26, grasp the operation status of the operation input unit 28, display images on the monitor 30, and send and receive various data to and from other information processing devices via the external interface 32.

[1-3. Electrical configuration of mobile terminal]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the mobile terminal 3.

In addition to the components shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 3 includes a main control unit 40, a main memory unit 42, an auxiliary memory unit 44, a communication unit 46, and operation buttons 48.

The main control unit 40 is, for example, a CPU, microprocessor, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., and controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 3.

The main memory unit 42 is composed of, for example, RAM or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and is used as a work area when the main control unit 40 executes processes based on various programs.

The auxiliary memory unit 44 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores various data such as images, as well as programs used in processing by the main control unit 40. The programs stored in the auxiliary memory unit 44 include, for example, an operating system (OS) for implementing the basic functions of the mobile terminal 3, drivers for controlling various hardware, and programs for implementing email, web browsing, and various other functions. The auxiliary memory unit 44 also pre-stores a manga viewing app for displaying manga distributed from the server 4 on the touch panel display 3a.

The communication unit 46 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Controller) and has the function of connecting to the communication line 2. Note that instead of or in addition to the NIC, the communication unit 46 may have the function of connecting to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), the function of connecting to a wireless WAN (Wide Area Network), and the function of enabling short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, etc.

Operation buttons 48 are provided on the side of the mobile terminal 3 and include a power button for starting or stopping the mobile terminal 3 and a button for adjusting the volume of the sound output by the speaker 3b.

The main control unit 40, main memory unit 42, auxiliary memory unit 44, communication unit 46, touch panel display 3a, speaker 3b, microphone 3c, camera 3d, and operation buttons 48 are electrically connected to one another via a system bus 49. Therefore, the main control unit 40 can access the main memory unit 42 and auxiliary memory unit 44, display images on the touch panel display 3a, grasp the user's operation status on the touch panel display 3a and operation buttons 48, input sound to the microphone 3c, output sound from the speaker 3b, control the camera 3d, and access various communication networks and other information processing devices via the communication unit 46.

[1-4. Manga display function on mobile devices]
The mobile device 3 uses a function of the manga viewing app (hereinafter referred to as the "manga display function") to display the manga distributed from the server 4 on the screen 3a, allowing the user to view the manga. Note that the manga display function according to this embodiment scrolls the manga displayed on the screen 3a in only one of the vertical or horizontal directions of the screen 3a (the long or short axis direction of the screen 3a). In other words, the manga scrolls in one direction based on the screen 3a.

[1-4-1. Screen rotation operation]
The manga display function according to this embodiment issues a rotation notification at a predetermined notification timing corresponding to the progress of the manga, to prompt the user to perform a horizontal rotation by a predetermined angle with the screen 3a as the reference plane. When the rotation notification is issued, the user performs a screen rotation operation to horizontally rotate the screen 3a while reading the manga on the mobile terminal 3. Note that in the mobile terminal 3 according to this embodiment, the screen 3a is provided integrally and inseparably with the main body of the mobile terminal 3, and therefore in the following description, rotation of the screen 3a and rotation of the mobile terminal 3 are synonymous.

As a result, even if the scrolling direction of the manga displayed on screen 3a is one-way, the manga display function allows the user to rotate screen 3a horizontally, thereby changing the scrolling direction of the manga in various directions, such as up/down, left/right, or diagonally, based on the user's viewpoint. In other words, the manga displayed on screen 3a is scrolled in a pseudo-vertical or horizontal direction. Therefore, the manga display function enables a greater variety of expressions for the manga displayed on screen 3a, such as making the manga displayed on screen 3a appear to move like a video.

The screen rotation operation according to this embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of manga data 50 representing a manga to be displayed on screen 3a. Manga data 50 is created on the assumption that the manga will be scrolled in only one direction and that screen rotation operations will also be performed. The example in Figure 4 shows a form in which the manga is scrolled in the vertical direction (long axis direction) of screen 3a. Manga data 50 is made up of multiple still images 52. The size of still images 52 is such that the horizontal length (corresponding to the short axis direction of screen 3a) is constant, but the vertical length (corresponding to the long axis direction of screen 3a) can be determined freely by the manga artist.

Figure 5 shows the state of the image displayed on screen 3a from the user's viewpoint when the user performs a screen rotation operation. Note that arrow S in Figure 5 indicates the scrolling direction of the manga displayed on screen 3a. Furthermore, the manga display function according to this embodiment turns off the function that automatically rotates the image displayed on screen 3a in response to the horizontal rotation of screen 3a (the so-called automatic rotation function of screen 3a).

Figure 5(A) shows a state in which the user is holding the mobile device 3 with the top end 3t facing up from the user's perspective; in the following explanation, this state is referred to as the forward holding state. In the forward holding state, the manga scrolls from top to bottom from the user's perspective. Figure 5(B) shows a state in which the mobile device 3 is rotated 90 degrees to the right from the forward holding state, so that the top end 3t of the mobile device 3 is located to the right of the user's perspective; in the following explanation, this state is referred to as the right-rotation holding state. In the right-rotation holding state, the manga scrolls from right to left from the user's perspective. Figure 5(C) shows a state in which the mobile device 3 is rotated 90 degrees to the right from the right-rotation holding state (180 degrees from the forward holding state), so that the top end 3t of the mobile device 3 is located below from the user's perspective; in the following explanation, this state is referred to as the reverse holding state. In the reverse holding state, the manga scrolls from bottom to top from the user's perspective.

In other words, still image 52A in FIG. 4 is created assuming that the user will be holding the mobile device 3 in the normal position and viewing the manga, as shown in FIG. 5(A). Still image 52B in FIG. 4 is created assuming that the user will be holding the mobile device 3 in a clockwise position and viewing the manga, as shown in FIG. 5(B). Still image 52C in FIG. 4 is created assuming that the user will be holding the mobile device 3 in a reverse position and viewing the manga, as shown in FIG. 5(C). In other words, still images 52 constituting manga data 50 are arranged in an orientation that corresponds to the rotation of screen 3a (mobile device 3), assuming that the user will perform a screen rotation operation.

Note that the rotation angle of the mobile terminal 3 shown in FIG. 5 is one example. For example, an image created assuming that the user rotates the mobile terminal 3 45° from the normal holding state and holds it diagonally, and scrolling diagonally, may be displayed on the screen 3a.

[1-4-2. Rotation notification]
The manga display function issues a rotation notification at a predetermined notification timing to prompt the user to rotate the screen 3a. As an example, the manga display function according to this embodiment displays a rotation notification image 54 on the screen 3a together with a manga to prompt the user to rotate the screen 3a, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 . When the rotation notification image 54 is displayed on the screen 3a, the user rotates the mobile terminal 3 in response to the display of the rotation notification image 54 and continues viewing the manga. The rotation angle is expressed, for example, by combining a range from 0 to 180° with the rotation direction.

As shown in FIG. 6(A), the rotation notification image 54 according to this embodiment is composed of an arrow image 54A indicating the rotation direction of the screen 3a (mobile terminal 3) and a number image 54B indicating the rotation angle, and is displayed superimposed on the manga at one of the four corners of the screen 3a. The display position of the rotation notification image 54 according to this embodiment is the top edge of the screen 3a in the scrolling direction of the manga. Because the user's line of sight is directed in the scrolling direction of the manga, displaying the rotation notification image 54 at the top edge of the scrolling direction of the manga allows the user to recognize the rotation notification image 54 naturally and without any sense of discomfort.

The configuration and display position of the rotation notification image 54 are not limited to this, and other configurations and display positions are possible as long as the user can recognize the rotation notification. For example, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the rotation notification image 54 may be composed of a terminal schematic image 54C and an arrow image 54A indicating the mobile terminal 3. The terminal schematic image 54C is displayed so that the user can recognize the rotation state that the user should maintain. The rotation notification image 54 may also be highlighted, such as by flashing, to make it easier for the user to recognize.

The manga data 50 is provided with rotation information indicating the timing and angle of rotation of the screen 3a. The manga display function then issues a rotation notification based on the rotation information added to the manga (manga data 50) distributed from the server 4. This allows the manga display function to prompt the user to rotate the screen 3a through simple processing. The timing and angle of rotation of the screen 3a are determined in accordance with the intentions of the manga artist.

The rotation information will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Arrows A1 and A2 in Figure 4 indicate the rotation timing. As an example, the rotation timing is between still images 52A and 52B, and between still images 52B and 52C, but this is not limited to this, and the rotation timing may be midway through one still image 52. Note that, as an example, the rotation timing is represented by coordinates based on the beginning of the manga data 50.

The notification timing in this embodiment is the same as the rotation timing when the user rotates the screen 3a, but is not limited to this. The notification timing may be set to a timing before the rotation timing, for example, a predetermined number of pages or frames before the rotation timing.

If the notification timing is set to a timing before the rotation timing, the manga display function will, for example, display a countdown until the rotation timing is reached so that the user can clearly recognize the rotation timing, and after the rotation timing is reached, will highlight the rotation notification image 54 until the screen 3a rotates. The countdown display, for example, displays the number of pages or frames remaining until the rotation timing is reached. The rotation notification image 54 may be highlighted, for example, by changing the color of the rotation notification image 54, enlarging the rotation notification image 54, or flashing the rotation notification image 54.

In addition, if the user rotates the screen 3a by a rotation angle greater than the rotation angle notified by the rotation notification image 54, the rotation notification image 54 may be updated so that the rotation state of the screen 3a is appropriate for the scrolling direction of the manga.

In addition, when the rotation timing of the manga displayed on screen 3a is reached, the manga display function may perform processing (hereinafter referred to as "rotation detection processing") to not display still images 52 (manga scenes) on screen 3a after that rotation timing until rotation of screen 3a is detected.

In other words, the manga display function transitions the manga scene displayed on screen 3a to the next scene only when it detects rotation of screen 3a after the manga reaches its rotation timing, but the next scene is not displayed if it does not detect rotation of screen 3a. In other words, since the next scene is a still image 52 created in accordance with the rotation of screen 3a, by performing the rotation detection process, the user can view the manga at an appropriate rotation angle of screen 3a according to the manga scene.

The rotation detection process may transition the manga scene displayed on screen 3a to the next scene if the detected actual rotation angle of screen 3a matches the rotation angle indicated by the rotation information, or may transition the manga scene displayed on screen 3a to the next scene if rotation of screen 3a is detected, regardless of the detected rotation angle.

[1-4-3. Scrolling operation]
The manga display function scrolls the manga in response to a user's operation using a pointer on the screen 3a. Note that the pointer according to this embodiment is, for example, the user's finger.

When scrolling a manga displayed on screen 3a, the user moves (swipes or flicks) their finger touching screen 3a in the scrolling direction. As described above, the scrolling direction in this embodiment is from the top edge 3t to the bottom edge 3u of the mobile device 3, but is not limited to this and may be from right to left. The manga display function scrolls the manga when screen 3a (touch panel display 3a) detects a swipe or flick (hereinafter referred to as a "scrolling operation") while a manga is displayed on screen 3a.

The manga display function also changes the scrolling speed of the manga according to the speed at which the user's finger moves when performing the scrolling operation. In other words, the faster the finger movement speed, the greater the amount of scrolling of the manga still image 52.

The manga display function according to this embodiment performs scroll stop control, which stops the scrolling of the manga when the rotation timing of the manga displayed on screen 3a is reached. In other words, the manga display function according to this embodiment will not scroll the manga any further unless the manga is rotated at the rotation timing. Therefore, the user can view the manga in a scroll state that is in line with the manga artist's intentions.

In addition, the user may perform a scrolling operation in the opposite direction (hereinafter referred to as a "backward scrolling operation") to return the manga to its original progress. When a backward scrolling operation is performed and the manga displayed on screen 3a reaches the rotation notification timing, the rotation notification image 54 may be displayed in a different position than in a normal scrolling operation (hereinafter referred to as a "forward scrolling operation").

For example, as shown in Figure 5(B), if a rotation notification image 54 is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen 3a during a forward scroll operation, the rotation notification image 54 is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen 3a during a backward scroll operation. In other words, when a backward scroll operation is performed, the rotation notification image 54 is displayed in the left-right reverse position compared to when a forward scroll operation is performed. Note that rotation information indicating the rotation timing and rotation angle corresponding to the backward scroll operation is added to the manga data 50, and the manga display function may display the rotation notification image 54 on the screen 3a based on the rotation information when a backward scroll operation is performed.

[1-4-4. Inertial Scrolling]
The manga display function according to this embodiment changes the amount of scrolling of the still images 52 that make up the manga in response to inertial force based on the moving speed of the user's finger performing the scrolling operation. Specifically, the faster the moving speed of the user's finger, the more the manga continues to scroll even after the finger is removed from the screen 3a. Note that the inertial force referred to here is a pseudo-inertial force that is predetermined according to the moving speed of the user's finger, and this inertial force decreases over time, i.e., with the amount of scrolling after the finger is removed from the screen 3a. In the following description, scrolling due to inertial force is referred to as inertial scrolling.

Here, the manga display function may perform scroll continuation control, which continues scrolling the manga in response to inertial force, even when the rotation timing of the manga displayed on screen 3a is reached. In other words, scroll continuation control does not prevent the manga from scrolling any further unless screen 3a is rotated at the rotation timing, but rather continues scrolling when inertial force is occurring, even when the rotation timing is reached. Therefore, scroll continuation control enables smooth scrolling in response to the user's scrolling operation.

If the user is unable to rotate the screen 3a in time with the rotation timing, the scrolling direction that the user perceives may differ from the scrolling direction of the manga, which may cause a sense of discomfort. For this reason, if the rotation timing is reached but the screen 3a has not been rotated and the manga continues to scroll due to the scroll continuation control, the manga display function will highlight the rotation notification image 54 by flashing it, enlarging it, or otherwise displaying it, to more strongly urge the user to rotate the screen 3a.

Whether to use scroll stop control or scroll continue control may be determined by user settings, for example, or may be set in advance according to the manga artist's wishes. A single manga may also use a combination of scroll stop control and scroll continue control. For example, if still image 52C contains a conversation that is important to the manga's story, scroll stop control is used to stop the scrolling. On the other hand, in a scene where it is desired to express the sense of speed in the manga, scroll continue control is used to allow the manga to progress without stopping the scrolling.

[1-4-5. Conditional Scrolling]
The manga display function according to this embodiment may determine at a predetermined timing (hereinafter referred to as "condition detection timing") whether a predetermined condition for scrolling the manga (hereinafter referred to as "scroll condition") is met, and may scroll (progress) the manga if the scroll condition is met. Note that the manga display function does not scroll the manga if the scroll condition is not met at the condition detection timing.

The manga display function scrolls the manga when, for example, instructions are issued to the user from the mobile device 3 as a scrolling condition and input in accordance with the instructions is made to the mobile device 3. The instructions to the user from the mobile device 3 are displayed, for example, on the screen 3a. In other words, the condition detection timing occurs after the instructions are displayed on the screen 3a. The timing at which the condition detection timing occurs may also be displayed on the screen 3a along with the instructions.

As an example, instructions to the user from the mobile device 3 are associated with the story of a manga. For example, a scene in which the main character of the manga turns around is set as a predetermined timing, and the manga is scrolled when the user actually holds the mobile device 3 and turns around while holding the mobile device 3 during this scene. The scrolling condition in this case is that the acceleration sensor included in the mobile device 3 detects acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In other words, the manga is scrolled when the user turns around while holding the mobile device 3 at the condition detection timing, and the acceleration sensor included in the mobile device 3 detects acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value that satisfies the scrolling condition.

Furthermore, in a configuration in which the mobile terminal 3 is a head mounted display (HMD) and manga is displayed on the display, if the user turns around at the condition detection timing, it may be determined that the scrolling condition is met and the manga display function may scroll the manga.

In this way, the manga display function that performs conditional scrolling requires new user operations to scroll the manga, allowing for highly interactive manga presentations for the user.

[1-4-6. Effects]
The manga according to this embodiment may be given various effects (image effects). The effects are given to parts of the manga, and for example, parts of scenes in the manga (parts of the still images 52 that make up the manga) are dynamically changed by the effects.

The scenes (still images 52) to which effects are applied are set in advance, along with the content of the effects. The manga display function executes the effects set for a scene when the scene to which the effect is applied is displayed on screen 3a.

More specifically, some of the images that make up the manga may be moving images, and the manga display function may have an effect in which, when the moving image is displayed by scrolling, it starts playing the moving image, and when the playing of the moving image ends, it scrolls to the next still image 52. In other words, the manga may include moving images between still images 52.

The manga display function may also perform effects such as zooming in and out, slightly vibrating up and down and left and right, or rotating a specified still image 52. The manga display function may also perform effects such as fading out a specified still image 52 displayed on screen 3a and fading in the next still image 52 to display the still image on screen 3a.

In addition, as an effect, the manga display function may superimpose other still images on a specified still image 52. For example, after a still image 52 containing a person is displayed, a still image showing a speech bubble may be displayed superimposed on the still image 52, or a still image showing another person may be displayed.

Furthermore, as part of the still images 52 that make up the manga, different still images 52 may be arranged in a pseudo-depth direction (or forward direction) relative to the screen 3a, and the manga display function may display the multiple still images 52 arranged in a pseudo-depth direction of the screen 3a in sequence on the screen 3a as an effect. In other words, this effect displays the multiple still images 52 in sequence on the screen 3a as if they were a picture-story show.

In this way, the manga display function with effects allows for more diverse expression of manga.

[1-5. Functional block of manga display function]
7 is a functional block diagram relating to the manga display function of the manga viewing application installed on the mobile device 3 according to this embodiment. The main control unit 40 provided in the mobile device 3 includes a manga display control unit 60, a scroll control unit 62, a rotation notification unit 64, a rotation determination unit 66, and an effect control unit 68. The processes executed by each function provided in the main control unit 40 are realized by programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 44.

The manga display control unit 60 displays the manga distributed from the server 4 on the screen 3a.

The scroll control unit 62 scrolls the manga displayed on the screen 3a in one direction in response to an operation on the screen 3a using a pointer. The scroll control unit 62 also performs scroll stop control, scroll continuation control, rotation detection processing, etc.

The rotation notification unit 64 displays the rotation notification image 54 on the screen 3a at notification timing according to the progress of the manga. The rotation notification unit 64 also issues rotation notifications based on rotation information added to the manga (manga data) distributed from the server 4. Note that if the screen 3a rotates after displaying the rotation notification image 54 on the screen 3a, the rotation notification unit 64 stops displaying the rotation notification image 54.

The rotation determination unit 66 determines whether the screen 3a, i.e., the mobile terminal 3, has been rotated. The rotation of the mobile terminal 3 is detected by various sensors provided in the mobile terminal 3, such as an acceleration sensor and gyro.

When a scene (still image 52) for which an effect has been set is displayed on screen 3a, the effect control unit 68 applies the effect to that scene.

[1-6. Flowchart of Manga Display Processing]
8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the manga display process executed by the main control unit 40 provided in the mobile terminal 3. A program (manga viewing application) for executing the manga display process is stored in advance in a predetermined area of the auxiliary storage unit 44.

First, in step 100, the manga display control unit 60 displays the manga distributed from the server 4 on the screen 3a.

In the next step 102, the scroll control unit 62 detects whether the user has performed a scroll operation on the screen 3a, and if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 104.

In step 104, the scroll control unit 62 scrolls the manga displayed on screen 3a.

In the next step 106, the rotation notification unit 64 determines whether the cartoon displayed on screen 3a has reached the notification timing for the rotation notification image 54; if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 108; if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 114.

In step 108, the rotation notification unit 64 displays the rotation notification image 54 on the screen 3a.

In the next step 110, the rotation determination unit 66 determines whether the screen 3a (mobile terminal 3) has rotated, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 112. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, the process returns to step 108, and the rotation notification unit 64 continues to display the rotation notification image 54.

In step 112, the rotation notification unit 64 stops displaying the rotation notification image 54 on the screen 3a, thereby hiding the rotation notification image 54.

In the next step 114, the effect control unit 68 determines whether or not an effect has been set for the manga scene displayed on screen 3a, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 116, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 118.

In step 116, the effect control unit 68 executes the effects set for the manga scene displayed on screen 3a.

In step 118, the manga display control unit 60 determines whether the manga displayed on screen 3a has ended. If the determination is affirmative, the manga display process ends. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 102, where the manga display continues. As an example, the manga display control unit 60 determines that the manga has ended when the manga displayed on screen 3a cannot be scrolled any further.

As described above, the mobile device 3 according to this embodiment displays a manga formed from a series of multiple still images 52 on the screen 3a. The manga display process scrolls the manga displayed on the screen 3a in one direction and issues a rotation notification at a predetermined notification timing according to the progress of the manga, prompting the user to perform a horizontal rotation by a predetermined angle with the screen 3a as the reference plane.

As a result, even if the scrolling direction of the manga displayed on the screen 3a of the mobile device 3 is one-way, the user can rotate the screen 3a horizontally to change the scrolling direction of the manga in various directions, such as up, down, left, right, or diagonally, based on the user's viewpoint. Therefore, the mobile device 3 can, for example, express the manga displayed on the screen 3a in a way that gives the impression of movement, like a moving image, and as a result, enable a greater variety of expressions for the manga displayed on the screen 3a.

[2. Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

The configurations of the manga distribution system 1, server 4, and mobile terminal 3 according to this embodiment are the same as those of the manga distribution system 1, server 4, and mobile terminal 3 according to the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The manga display function according to this embodiment scrolls still images 52 at a predetermined speed (hereinafter referred to as the "scroll speed"). That is, the manga display function according to this embodiment automatically scrolls (hereinafter referred to as "automatic scrolling") the manga displayed on screen 3a based on the scroll speed. The scroll speed is set in the manga data 50, for example, for each still image 52. The scroll control unit 62 then reads the scroll speed set in the manga data 50 and scrolls the still images 52 displayed on screen 3a at the read scroll speed. However, this is not limited to this, and a fixed scroll speed may be set for the entire manga data 50, or multiple consecutive still images 52 may be grouped together and a scroll speed may be set for each group.

In addition, the manga display function according to this embodiment performs either scroll stop control or scroll continuation control.

The scroll stop control according to this embodiment stops automatic scrolling of the manga displayed on screen 3a when it is time to rotate the manga until screen 3a rotates, and resumes automatic scrolling of the manga after screen 3a has rotated. The scroll continuation control according to this embodiment continues automatic scrolling even when it is time to rotate the manga displayed on screen 3a, regardless of whether the user rotates screen 3a.

Note that the manga display function according to this embodiment sets the notification timing for the rotation notification image 54 to a timing prior to the rotation timing. To ensure that the user can clearly recognize the rotation timing, the manga display function displays a countdown together with the rotation notification image 54 until the rotation timing is reached, and after the rotation timing is reached, highlights the rotation notification image 54 until the screen 3a is rotated. The countdown display may, for example, display the number of pages, number of frames, or time remaining until the rotation timing is reached. Highlighting the rotation notification image 54 may, for example, involve changing the color of the rotation notification image 54, enlarging the rotation notification image 54, or flashing the rotation notification image 54.

In this way, the manga display function according to this embodiment displays a countdown along with the rotation notification image 54, allowing the user to recognize the rotation timing in advance, so the user can smoothly rotate the screen 3a in accordance with the rotation timing even with automatic scrolling.

The scrolling speed may vary depending on the scene (still image 52) in the manga. For example, the scrolling speed may be relatively fast in scenes where a sense of speed is desired, and relatively slow in scenes depicting magnificent nature. This allows for greater diversity in the expression of manga.

The manga display function according to this embodiment may also perform automatic scrolling in some scenes (still images 52), and perform scrolling by user scrolling operation (hereinafter referred to as "manual scrolling") in other scenes. In this case, the manga display function may, for example, display a countdown on screen 3a indicating the timing for automatic scrolling or manual scrolling, or may display on screen 3a whether the scrolling status of the manga displayed on screen 3a is automatic scrolling or manual scrolling.

3. Other Embodiments
Although the present invention has been described above using the above-mentioned embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention, and such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

For example, in the above embodiment, the content was described as a manga, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the still images 52 that make up the content may be a novel or the like made up of text.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the rotation notification is described as a rotation notification image 54 displayed on the screen 3a, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rotation notification may be audio. In this case, the rotation angle, rotation direction, and rotation timing may be notified by audio, or audio and the rotation notification image 54 may be combined.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the manga display functions were described as including inertial scrolling, conditional scrolling, and effect functions, but the manga display function may not have these functions, or may have only some of these functions.

Furthermore, the flow of the manga display process described in the above embodiment is just one example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

3. Mobile terminal (information processing device)
3a Screen 52 Still image 54 Rotation notification image 62 Scroll control unit (scroll control means)
64 Rotation notification unit (rotation notification means)

Claims (4)

a processor, based on a user's operation, causes the display to display at least a portion of content including a plurality of images, the content including a first image intended to be viewed with an upper end of the display facing a first direction with respect to a viewpoint of the user, and a second image intended to be viewed with an upper end of the display facing a second direction different from the first direction with respect to a viewpoint of the user;
When the processor causes the second image to be displayed from the first image, the processor issues a notification to prompt the user to rotate the display until it detects that an upper end of the display has rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, and when it detects that an upper end of the display has rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, it causes the processor to display the second image.
program. the operation is a scroll operation,
2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the content is scrolled based on the scroll operation. a processor, the processor comprising:
displaying, based on a user's operation, at least a portion of content including a plurality of images, the content including a first image intended to be viewed with an upper end of the display facing a first direction relative to a viewpoint of the user, and a second image intended to be viewed with an upper end of the display facing a second direction different from the first direction relative to the viewpoint of the user, on the display;
When the second image is displayed from the first image, a notification for urging the user to rotate the display is executed until it is detected that an upper end of the display has rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, and when it is detected that an upper end of the display has rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, the second image is displayed.
Information processing device. a processor, based on a user's operation, causes the display to display at least a portion of content including a plurality of images, the content including a first image intended to be viewed with an upper end of the display facing a first direction with respect to a viewpoint of the user, and a second image intended to be viewed with an upper end of the display facing a second direction different from the first direction with respect to a viewpoint of the user;
When the processor causes the second image to be displayed from the first image, the processor issues a notification to prompt the user to rotate the display until it detects that an upper end of the display has rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, and when it detects that an upper end of the display has rotated from the first orientation to the second orientation, it causes the processor to display the second image.
method.