Terminal apparatus, and character input method for such terminal apparatus

• US 20030201972A1
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Usuda, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US10/420,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20030201972A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A terminal apparatus is configured to carry out a scroll operation of a picture image by detecting a movement of the apparatus body, and to display on a display screen a virtual keyboard having a size larger than the size of the display screen. The virtual keyboard includes a plurality of key areas dividing the keyboard in the vertical and horizontal directions. A key area at a predetermined position on the display screen is highlighted so as to be identified as a key area capable of carrying out a key input, and a highlighted key area is moved by moving the virtual keyboard using the scroll operation. Then, when a desired key area is highlighted, a corresponding key code is input by depressing an OK button.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus, comprising:

a display unit operable to display a picture image, said picture image including a keyboard having a plurality of key areas each of which is assigned a function for a character input;

a display screen for displaying at least a part of said picture image;

scroll means for moving a position of said picture image relative to said display screen so that one of said key areas is displayed at a predetermined position on said display screen; and

an input unit operable to execute a function corresponding to said one of said key areas when said one of said key areas is displayed at said predetermined position on said display screen.

2. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting means for detecting movement of said terminal apparatus, whereby said scroll means moves said position of said picture image relative to said display screen based on said movement of said terminal apparatus.

3. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said display screen has a predetermined size in at least one axis direction of said display screen, and said picture image has a size in said at least one axis direction which is larger than said predetermined size.

4. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said scroll means moves said picture image in increments based on a size of said key areas.

5. The terminal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said display screen includes a first display area operable to display a scrolling image, and a second display area not operable to display a scrolling image;

and

characters input by said input unit are displayed in said second display area.

6. A method of inputting characters for display on a display screen, comprising:

displaying a picture image on the display screen, the picture image including a keyboard having a plurality of key areas each of which is assigned a function for a character input;

moving a position of the picture image relative to the display screen so that one of the key areas is displayed at a predetermined position on the display screen; and

executing a function corresponding to the one of the key areas when the one of the key areas is displayed at the predetermined position on the display screen.

7. The character input method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

detecting movement of the terminal apparatus;

wherein the moving step includes moving the position of the picture image relative to the display screen based on the movement of the terminal apparatus.

8. The character input method as claimed in claim 6, wherein

the display screen has a predetermined size in at least one axis direction of the display screen, and the picture image has a size in the at least one axis direction which is larger than the predetermined size.

9. The character input method as claimed in claim 6, wherein

the moving step includes moving the picture image in increments based on a size of the key areas.

10. The character input method as claimed in claim 6, wherein

the display screen includes a first display area operable to display a scrolling image, and a second display area not operable to display a scrolling image;

wherein the function executing step includes displaying input characters in the second display area.