Input control system with the ability of setting arbitrary switch functions of the switch input section

• US 20010030641A1
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 7,106,299 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

An input control system is operative to set functions of four switches of a switch input section, thereby resolving the problem of intricate operation, particularly the screen scroll operation, which has been encountered by the conventional input scheme based on an input pad and click keys.

Claims

1. An input control system including input means which has a coordinate input section for entering coordinate data and a switch input section for entering switch on/off data, a controller which formats and transmits the data entered through said input means, a control section which implements processes for the coordinate data and/or switch on/off data based on the formatted data provided by said controller,

wherein said switch input section includes four switches, and the data generated by said controller includes fields of coordinate data entered through said coordinate input section and fields of switch on/off data produced in response to the operation of said four switches.

2. An input control system according to

claim 1

, wherein said controller generates commands which correspond to on/off data of said four switches, and said control section assigns the commands to the on/off data of said four switches in a manner of allowing the alteration of assignment based on input information entered through said input means and/or input information entered from input means other than said input means.

3. An input control system including input means which has a coordinate input section for entering coordinate data and a switch input section for entering switch on/off data, a controller which formats and transmits the data entered through said input means, a control section which implements processes for the coordinate data and/or switch on/off data based on the formatted data provided by said controller thereby to form a picture to be displayed on a display section,

wherein the data generated by said controller includes fields of coordinate data entered through said coordinate input section and fields of switch on/off data produced in response to the operation of switches of said switch input section, and

wherein said control section operates based on the switch on/off data to scroll the picture displayed on said display section.

4. An input control system according to

claim 3

, wherein said control section implements the scroll operation for the picture by a certain amount upon detecting certain switch on/off data in the formatted data becoming “

on”

, and thereafter continues the scroll operation so far as the switch on/off data is “

on”

while checking the formatted data at a certain time interval, and stops the scroll operation upon detecting the switch on/off data becoming “

off”

.

5. An input control system according to

claim 3

, wherein said switch input section includes four switches, of which two switches located at a lengthwise direction, that is, a far and near positions seen from the operator are used to produce on/off data, based on which the scroll operation in the upward direction and downward direction is implemented for the picture.

6. An input control system according to

claim 3

, wherein said switch input section includes four switches, of which two switches located at a right and left positions seen from the operator are used to produce on/off data, based on which the scroll operation in the rightward direction and leftward direction is implemented for the picture.

7. An input control system according to

claim 3

, wherein said switches of said switch input section are located in close vicinity to said coordinate input section.

8. An input control system according to

claim 3

, wherein said switch input section is constituted by arbitrary switches among switches of a keyboard input device which is attached to said coordinate input section.