Discernment information input apparatus

• US 20020019947A1
• Filed: 07/30/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Kazuya, Tsuzuki, Kazuhisa, Ebisawa, Jun, Higashimura, Mamoru, Umezawa, Megumi, Misawa, Motohiro
• Application Number:
  US09/917,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019947A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

The identification information input apparatus comprises a rotary encoder group for giving the user a click feel per unit rotation and generating an electric signal, and inputting arbitrary alphanumeric characters forming alphanumeric characters assigned in proportion to rotation angle via rotating operation, a pushbutton switch group for confirming alphanumeric characters input via the dial unit, password conversion unit for converting the electric signal generated by the dial unit to the alphanumeric characters based on a conversion table, and password authentication unit for authenticating the converted alphanumeric characters by checking whether the alphanumeric characters converted by the conversion unit are alphanumeric characters constituting the password.

Claims

1. Identification information input apparatus for inputting identification information, comprising:

a dial unit for inputting arbitrary alphanumeric characters via rotating operation and generating an electric signal, wherein the alphanumeric characters is assigned in proportion to rotation angle of the dial unit via rotating operation, and wherein the dial unit gives the user a click feel per unit rotation;

a confirmation unit for confirming alphanumeric characters input via the dial unit;

a conversion unit for converting the electric signal generated by the dial unit to the alphanumeric characters; and

an authentication unit for authenticating the converted alphanumeric characters by checking whether the alphanumeric characters converted by the conversion unit matches alphanumeric characters forming the identification information.

2. Identification information input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the conversion unit includes a conversion table for specifying a procedure for converting an electric signal generated by the dial unit to corresponding alphanumeric characters, and performs conversion in accordance with the procedure written in the conversion table.

3. Identification information input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the confirmation unit confirms alphanumeric characters input via the dial unit by rotating the dial unit in reversed direction.

4. Identification information input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the confirmation unit confirms alphanumeric characters input via the dial when the rotation direction of the dial unit is reversed and alternately changes the rotation direction of the dial unit and sequentially inputs each digit of the identification information.

5. Identification information input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input cancellation unit for canceling input operation while inputting the digits of the identification information.

6. Identification information input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying the level of the user and performs display corresponding to the user level according to the input password.