Image display processing apparatus, an image display processing method, and an information providing medium

Abstract

To display a window for displaying auxiliary information near a window for displaying main information. When a drag operation is performed to move a multiuser window to a predetermined position and display there, if the distance of the multiuser window to the main window when the drag operation is cleared is within reference value L R and the distance of the top side of the multiuser window to the top side of the main window is within reference value H R , then the multiuser window is automatically moved such that the side of the multiuser window comes in contact with the side of the main window and the top end of the multiuser window comes in alignment with the top end of the main window on a horizontal line.

1 - 12 . (canceled).  
   
   
       13 . An image display processing method for displaying in a single display window a main window for displaying main information and a sub window for displaying accompanying information associated with said main information, comprising the steps of: 
 moving said sub window from a first position, at which said sub window is initially displayed, to a user-specified position; and    automatically moving said sub window to a position adjacent to said main window without altering a height or a width of said sub window when said sub window is separated from said main window by a distance less than a preset predetermined value when in said user-specified position;    said main window and said sub-window each having a size that remains independent of the size of the other after said automatic movement.    
   
   
       14 . An information providing medium for providing a computer program to be executed by an image display processing apparatus for displaying in a single display window a main window for displaying main information and a sub window for displaying accompanying information associated with said main information, said computer program comprising the steps of: 
 moving said sub window from a first position, at which said sub window is initially displayed, to a user-specified position; and    automatically moving said sub window to a position adjacent to said main window when said sub window is separated from said main window by a distance less than a preset predetermined value when in said user specified position;    said main window and said sub-window each having a size that remains independent of the size of the other after said automatic movement.    
   
   
       15 . The image display processing method according to claim  5 , wherein, when said user-specified position is such that a vertical distance between an upper side of said sub window and an upper side of said main window is less than said preset predetermined value said automatic movement step comprises moving said sub window such that an upper side thereof comes into alignment with an upper side of said main window.  
   
   
       16 . The image display processing method according to claim  5 , wherein said main window displays a three-dimensional virtual reality space image corresponding to three-dimensional graphics data, and; 
 said sub window displays content of a chat performed via an avatar, which is an alter ego of a user and movable within said three-dimensional virtual reality space.    
   
   
       17 . The image display processing method according to claim  8 , wherein said three-dimensional graphics data is described in VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language).  
   
   
       18 . The image providing medium according to claim  6 , wherein, when said user-specified position is such that a vertical distance between an upper side of said sub window and an upper side of said main window is less than said preset predetermined value said automatic movement step comprises moving said sub window such that an upper side of said sub window comes into alignment with an upper side of said main window.  
   
   
       19 . The image providing medium according to claim  6 , wherein: 
 said main window displays a three-dimensional virtual reality space image corresponding to three-dimensional graphics data; and    said sub window displays content of a chat performed via an avatar, which is an alter ego of a user and movable within said three-dimensional virtual reality space.    
   
   
       20 . The image providing medium according to claim  11 , wherein said three-dimensional graphics data is described in VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language).