Information terminal device, operation supporting method, and operation supporting program

• US 20040070591A1
• Filed: 10/08/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Kazuomi
• Granted Patent: US 7,478,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/709
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use

Abstract

An information terminal device and an operation supporting method for enhancing operability by anticipating, based on a history of previous operations performed by a user, a next operation to be subsequently performed after a specific operation input by the user, and supporting a user'"'"'s operation input based on the anticipation. An operation history storing section 12 stores, as operation history information, information about an operation input by the user to an input section 11. Based on the operation history information, an operation anticipating section 13 anticipates a next operation likely to be executed by the user. An operation supporting section 14 supports execution of a function corresponding to the operation anticipated by the operation anticipating section 13. In the operation supporting section 14, an anticipated operation executing section 15 automatically executes the anticipated operation, or a user notification section 16 notifies the user if an operation subsequently input to the input section 11 does not coincide with the anticipated operation.

Claims

1. An information terminal device for executing, based on an operation input by a user, a function corresponding to the operation, comprising:

an input section for inputting an operation required by the user;

an operation history storing section for storing information about the operation input to the input section, as an operation history;

an operation anticipating section for anticipating, when the operation is input to the input section, a next operation to be subsequently input by the user, based on operation history information stored in the operation history information storing section; and

an anticipated operation supporting section for supporting execution of a function corresponding to the next operation anticipated by the operation anticipating section.

2. The information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the anticipated operation supporting section automatically executes the function corresponding to the next operation anticipated by the operation anticipating section, and stores information about the executed next operation in the operation history storing section as an operation history.

3. The information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein, when a new operation is input to the input section, the anticipated operation supporting section compares the new operation with the next operation anticipated by the operation anticipating section based on the operation input before the new operation, and notifies the user if the anticipated next operation is different from the new operation.

4. The information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the operation history storing section stores the operation history information, which is operation information described in order of operations consecutively performed by the user.

5. The information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the operation history storing section stores the operation history information, which is operation information classified and statistically described in accordance with an item of operations consecutively performed by the user.

6. The information terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the operation anticipating section calculates a frequency about a next operation subsequently operated after the operation previously input to the input section, based on the operation history information, and anticipates, based on the calculated frequency, a next operation having a highest probability of being subsequently executed, as a next operation to be input by the user.

7. The information terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the operation anticipating section calculates a frequency about a next operation subsequently operated after the operation previously input to the input section, based on the operation history information, and anticipates, based on the calculated frequency, a next operation having a highest probability of being subsequently executed, as a next operation to be input by the user.

8. The information terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the operation anticipating section calculates the frequency in consideration of at least one operation subsequently executed before the operation input to the input section.

9. The information terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the operation anticipating section calculates the frequency in consideration of at least one operation subsequently executed before the operation input to the input section.

10. The information terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the operation anticipating section calculates the frequency based on the operation history information every time an operation is input to the input section.

11. The information terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the operation anticipating section calculates the frequency based on the operation history information every time an operation is input to the input section.

12. The information terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the user is allowed to select whether a frequency calculated based on latest operation history information is used or a previously calculated frequency is used for anticipating a next operation.

13. The information terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the user is allowed to select whether a frequency calculated based on latest operation history information is used or a previously calculated frequency is used for anticipating a next operation.

14. The information terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the operation anticipating section does not anticipate a next operation if the operation history information stored in the operation history storing section is statistically insufficient for anticipating a next operation.

15. The information terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the operation anticipating section does not anticipate a next operation if the operation history information stored in the operation history storing section is statistically insufficient for anticipating a next operation.

16. The information terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the function automatically executed by the anticipated operation supporting section previously corresponds to each next operation to be anticipated by the operation anticipating section.

17. The information terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the operation anticipating section causes a next operation, which is opposite or contradictory to the operation input to the input section and included in next operations subsequently executed after the operation input to the input section, to be ruled out as a next operation to be anticipated.

18. The information terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the operation anticipating section causes a next operation, which is opposite or contradictory to the operation input to the input section and included in next operations subsequently executed after the operation input to the input section, to be ruled out as a next operation to be anticipated.

19. The information terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the operation anticipating section compares the automatically executed next operation with a new operation subsequently input to the input section, and reduces likelihood that the next operation is to be anticipated if the automatically executed next operation and the new operation are opposite or contradictory to each other.

20. The information terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation detecting section for determining whether or not the operation input to the input section is a predetermined operation, wherein

the operation anticipating section anticipates a next operation to be input by the user with respect only to an operation determined by the operation detecting section as a predetermined operation.

21. The information terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising an information managing section for managing special information about the operation input to the input section, wherein

the operation history storing section stores, as operation history information, information about the operation input to the input section along with the special information supplied from the information managing section, and

the operation anticipating section anticipates a next operation to be input by the user, based on the operation history information, which includes the special information, stored in the operation history storing section.

22. The information terminal device according to claim 21, wherein the special information includes at least any one of a date, a time, and a day of a week when the operation was input to the input section, a user type, an area, and a traveling status.

23. An information terminal device for executing, based on an operation input by a user, a function corresponding to the operation, comprising:

an input section for inputting an operation required by the user;

a transmitting section for transmitting information about the operation input to the input section to a server as an operation history;

a receiving section for receiving, from the server, information about a next operation anticipated by the server to be subsequently input by the user after the operation input to the input section, and

an anticipated operation supporting section for supporting execution of a function corresponding to the next operation received by the receiving section.

24. An information terminal device for executing, based on an operation input by a user, a function corresponding to the operation, comprising:

an input section for inputting an operation required by the user;

a storing section for storing, in a storage medium, information about the operation input to the input section, as an operation history;

an obtaining section for obtaining operation history information stored in the storage medium when the operation is input to the input section;

an operation anticipating section for anticipating a next operation to be subsequently input by the user after the operation input to the input section, based on the operation history information obtained by the obtaining section; and

an anticipated operation supporting section for supporting execution of a function corresponding to the next operation anticipated by the operation anticipating section.

25. An operation supporting method performed by an information terminal device executing, based on an operation input by a user, a function corresponding to the operation, comprising the steps of:

inputting an operation required by the user;

storing information about the operation input at the inputting step, as an operation history, in a predetermined storing section;

when the operation is input at the inputting step, anticipating a next operation to be subsequently input by the user after the input operation, based on operation history information stored in the storing section; and

supporting execution of a function corresponding to the next operation anticipated at the anticipating step.

26. A program executed by an information terminal device executing, based on an operation input by a user, a function corresponding to the operation, the program causing the information terminal device to execute the steps of:

inputting an operation required by the user;

storing information about the operation input at the inputting step, as an operation history, in a predetermined storing section;

when the operation is input at the inputting step, anticipating a next operation to be subsequently input by the user after the input operation, based on operation history information stored in the storing section; and

supporting execution of a function corresponding to the next operation anticipated at the anticipating step.