Input device and computer-readable recording medium containing program executed by the input device

• US 10,095,407 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Urakawa, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUPTA, PARUL H
• Application Number:
  US13/433,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20120326964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,386 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

A character input device, including: a display control section to display, in a first region, an operational-element group composed of operational elements corresponding to characters and to display, in a second region, another operational-element group composed of operational elements corresponding to characters, the characters corresponding to the respective operational-element groups displayed in the first and the second regions being different in type; a first input processing section to perform, upon detection of an operation on the first region, input processing of a character specified by the operation, among the characters to which the operational elements of the operational-element group displayed in the first region correspond; and a second input processing section to perform, upon detection of an operation on the second region, input processing of a character specified by the operation, among the characters to which the operational elements of the operational-element group displayed in the second region correspond.

Claims

1. An input device for inputting characters, comprising:

a touch panel unit having a first touch detecting region and a second touch detecting region each of which is capable of detecting a touch operation;

a first display control section configured to display, only a first operational-element group in the first touch detecting region and not to display a second operational-element group that is different from the first operational-element group in type, in the first touch detecting region, wherein the first display control section is configured to display only the second operational-element group in the second touch detecting region and not to display the first operation-element group in the second touch detecting region, each of the first operational-element group and the second operational-element group being composed of operational elements corresponding to one of letters, numerals and symbols as a type of a character,

wherein the first display control section is configured such that, when input of the characters for a certain input item is accepted in an instance where a plurality of types of the character for the certain input item exist each as a candidate of the type of the character for the certain input item which is displayable in one of the first touch detecting region and the second touch detecting region, one of the plurality of types of the character for the certain input item is displayed in the one of the first touch detecting region and the second touch detecting region,

wherein the input device further comprises a count section configured to count numbers of characters constituting a character string for each of the letters, the numerals, and the symbols which have been already inputted into an input box that is displayed on the touch panel unit together with the first operational-element group and the second operational-element group, and

wherein the first display control section is configured to display, in the one of the first touch detecting region and the second touch detecting region, one of the plurality of types of the character for the certain input item whose number counted by the count section is the largest.

2. The input device according to claim 1, configured such that the characters can be inputted for each of a plurality of input items and further comprising an input-acceptance-state establishing section configured to establish a state in which input of characters for any of the plurality of input items is acceptable,

wherein the first display control section is configured to display, in the first touch detecting region, a type of the character corresponding to the state to be established by the input-acceptance-state establishing section.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a type of a character of the first operational-element group displayed in the first touch detecting region is displayed in a first arrangement pattern while a type of a character of the second operational-element group displayed in the second touch detecting region is displayed in a second arrangement pattern different from the first arrangement pattern.

4. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium containing a program executed by an input device for inputting characters, the input device comprising a touch panel unit having a first touch detecting region and a second touch detecting region, each of which is capable of detecting a touch operation, wherein the program includes:

a first display control section configured to display, only a first operational-element group in the first touch detecting region and not to display a second operational-element group that is different from the first operational-element group in type, in the first touch detecting region, wherein the first display control section is configured to display only the second operational-element group in the second touch detecting region and not to display the first operational-element group in the second touch detecting region, each of the first operational-element group and the second operational-element group being composed of operational elements corresponding to one of letters, numerals and symbols as a type of a character,

wherein the first display control section is configured such that, when input of the characters for a certain input item is accepted in an instance where a plurality of types of the character for the certain input item exist each as a candidate of the type of the character for the certain input item which is displayable in one of the first touch detecting region and the second touch detecting region, one of the plurality of types of the character for the certain input item is displayed in the one of the first touch detecting region and the second touch detecting region,

wherein the input device further comprises a count section configured to count numbers of characters constituting a character string for each of the letters, the numerals, and the symbols which have been already inputted into an input box that is displayed on the touch panel unit together with the first operational-element group and the second operational-element group, and

wherein the first display control section is configured to display, in the one of the first touch detecting region and the second touch detecting region, one of the plurality of types of the character for the certain input item whose number counted by the count section is the largest.

5. The computer-readable non-transitory recording medium according to claim 4, wherein a type of a character of the first operational-element group displayed in the first touch detecting region is displayed in a first arrangement pattern while a type of a character of the second operational-element group displayed in the second touch detecting region is displayed in a second arrangement pattern different from the first arrangement pattern.