Touch-type key input apparatus

• US 20040108994A1
• Filed: 12/24/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Misawa Homes Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Syunji
• Granted Patent: US 7,088,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

Abstract

A touch press key inputting device includes: a plurality of character keys 21—32 with at least 2 characters displayed on the surface of each key; an input judging means 72 for sensing the character keys touched and the first touched points in the area of the character keys, performing a movement longer than a specified length originally touched, and judging a moving direction in touch press inputting; a character selecting and outputting means 73 for selecting and outputting the characters displayed in the moving direction, corresponding to the moving direction judged by the input judging means, relative to the reference positions of the character keys. Since the characters on the positions are selected and output corresponding to the touch press inputting operations of the characters displayed on the key surfaces of respective character keys 21˜32, the inputting operations can be directly sensed and easily assured, and the inputting operability is improved.

Claims

1. A touch press key inputting device, characterized in that said device includes many character keys, on each of which at least two characters are set, input judging means being capable of detecting touch actions of said character keys and judging a moving direction of a draw-line touch input action which maintains the touch state to move longer than a specific length since the first touch point in said character key area, and character selecting and outputting means being capable of selecting and outputting characters displayed in said moving direction relative to a center position of said character key, corresponding to said moving direction judged by the input judging means.

2. A touch press key inputting device according to claim 1, characterized in that said input judging means can judge moving directions of 8 draw-line touch input actions of a left-down direction, a down direction, a right-down direction, a left-up direction, a up direction, a right-up direction, a left direction and a right-up direction, and that when said input judging means judges that there are characters displayed in the moving directions of the draw-line touch input actions relative to the reference position of said character keys, said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs the characters.

3. A touch press key inputting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that total 12 character keys in 4 up and down rows and 3 right and left columns or in 3 up and down rows and 4 right and left columns are set.

4. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

3, characterized in that the reference position of said character keys is the center position of surfaces of the character keys, said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs the characters displayed in the moving directions of the draw-line touch input actions relative to the reference position of said character keys judged by said input judging means.

5. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

4, characterized in that at least 2 types among 3 types of characters including number, English alphabets and symbols are marked on each of said character keys;

said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs the characters displayed in the moving directions relative to the reference position of said character keys judged by said input judging means.

6. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

4, characterized in that at least 2 types among 4 types of characters including number, English alphabets, kana characters and symbols are marked on each of said character keys;

said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs the characters displayed in the moving directions relative to the reference position of said character keys judged by said input judging means.

7. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

6, characterized in that English alphabets are marked on left-down portion or down portion or right-down portion of the surface of said character keys;

symbols are marked on left-up portion or up portion or right-up portion of the surface of said character keys;

numbers are marked on left portion or right portion of the surface of said character keys;

said input judging means can judge moving directions of said 8 draw-line touch input actions of the left-down direction, the down direction, the right-down direction, the left-up direction, the up direction, the right-up direction, the left direction and the right-up direction;

said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs the characters displayed in the moving directions relative to the reference position of said character keys judged by said input judging means.

8. A touch press key inputting device according to claim 1, characterized in that English alphabets are marked on left-down portion or down portion or right-down portion of the surface of said character keys;

symbols are marked on left-up portion or up portion or right-up portion of the surface of said character keys;

numbers are marked on left portion or right portion of the surface of said character keys;

said input judging means at least can judge moving directions of these 3 draw-line touch input actions of the up direction, the down direction and the left direction;

said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs said characters when performing said draw-line touch input in a direction in which the numbers in said right direction or left direction are displayed;

said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs said characters set on said character keys in the order of the left-down portion, the down portion and right-down portion according to the times of the draw-line touch input actions, when performing said draw-line touch input in the down direction.

9. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

8, characterized in that at least 12 said character keys are set, in which 5 keys are used to set these vowel alphabets ┌

A, ┌

I, ┌

U, ┌

E and ┌

O, and the other 7 keys are used to set the other 21 consonant alphabets in a manner of each key with 3 alphabets.

10. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

8, characterized in that at least 9 said character keys are set, on which ┌

QWE, ┌

RTY, ┌

UIOP, ┌

ASD, ┌

FGH, ┌

JKL, ┌

ZXC, ┌

WXYZ and ┌

M are set respectively to distribute respective English alphabets.

11. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

8, characterized in that at least 9 said character keys are set, on which ┌

ABC, ┌

DEF, ┌

GHI, ┌

JKL, ┌

MON, ┌

PQRS, ┌

TUV and ┌

WXYZ are set respectively to distribute respective English alphabets.

12. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

11, characterized in that if characters are preset in the direction of the surfaces of the character keys marked no characters, said character selecting and outputting means selects and outputs the preset characters.

13. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

12, characterized in that said input judging means is capable of judging a reciprocating draw-line touch input action which, after maintaining the touch state movement for a specific length since the first touch point in said character key area, moves towards the original position in reverse direction for a specific length, and the moving direction thereof;

when performing reciprocating draw-line touch input, said character selecting and outputting means is capable of selecting and outputting characters preset in the moving direction.

14. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

13, characterized in that said input judging means is capable of judging a right-curved draw-line touch input action which, after maintaining the touch state movement for a specific length since the first touch point in said character key area, curves rightwards to move for a specific length, a left-curved draw-line touch input action which curves leftwards to move for a specific length, and the moving directions from touch points to right-curved and left-curved points in said right-curved and left-curved draw-line touch input actions;

said character selecting and outputting means, when performing the right-curved and left-curved draw-line touch input actions, is also capable of selecting and outputting characters preset in the moving directions according to the right-curved and left-curved draw-line touch input actions and the moving directions from touch points to right-curved and left-curved points.

15. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

14, characterized in that on said symbol keys are the characters representing English alphabets and the characters representing “

”

column in each rows of kana characters;

an input mode converting means is provided to achieve the switch between a direct input mode, in which English alphabets at least displayed on symbol keys are input, and a kana input mode, in which kana characters displayed only in “

”

column are input;

said character selecting and outputting means is also provided to, when being set into the direct input mode by the input mode converting means, corresponding to said moving direction judged by the input judging means, relative to the reference position of said characters, select the English alphabets displayed in said moving direction and output them, and when being set into the kana input mode, relative to the reference position of said position keys, select the kana characters presumed to be set in said moving direction and output them.

16. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

15, characterized in that an input region setting means is provided to set presumably said many keys into the input regions collected;

said input judging means is constructed to judge the moving direction of the touch press key input performed in said input region when it is set presumably to be composed of many keys by said input region setting means;

said position selecting and outputting means, corresponding to said moving direction judged by the input judging means, relative to the reference position of said input region, selects and outputs the characters configured in said moving direction and set in the first column of the position keys, and following said touch press input, when performing specified input operations in the input region, selects and outputs in the characters selected by said touch press input the characters corresponding to the input operations.

17. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

15, characterized in that said input region setting means for setting presumably said many keys into the input regions collected, on character keys selected by said draw-line touch input actions, selects and outputs the characters corresponding to the input operations;

in the case of said input judging means being the input region composed of many keys according to the setting presumed by said input region setting means, it is possible for its structure to judge the moving directions of the first and second draw-line touch input actions performed consecutively in the input region;

according to the moving directions of the first draw-line touch input actions judged by the input judging means, said character selecting and outputting means selects character keys configured in said moving direction relative to the input region reference position, and selects and outputs respective characters according to the moving directions of the second draw-line touch input actions on the selected character keys.

18. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

17, characterized in that said character key system is marked on a keyboard piece;

the keyboard piece is pasted on a touch input sensing area, which can sense the touching of the touch input means;

said input judging means can judge an area in which each character key pasted on the keyboard piece exists, and can judge the moving direction at the time of said draw-line touch inputting on the area corresponding to respective character keys.

19. A touch press key inputting device according to any one of claims 1˜

17, characterized in that said character key system is displayed in writing manner;

said input judging means can judge an area in which said character keys displayed in writing manner exist, and can judge the moving direction at the time of said draw-line touch inputting on the area corresponding to respective character keys.