Personal digital assistant and program for controlling used for the same

• US 20040164973A1
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Sasaki, Yoshio, Sato, Shinsuke, Watanabe, Akiko, Myoi, Tomoki, Takeuchi, Eiji, Nakazawa, Masao, Nakano, Masao, Kobayashi, Takeo, Ishikawa, Hajime, Miho, Yosuke, Kasakawa, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US10/609,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20040164973A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/184
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A side controller supported so as to be capable of oscillating within a predetermined range and capable of pushing is disposed on the side face of a PDA, a current page displayed on a display part is controlled to scrolled in a first direction by oscillating operation of the side controller, a current page is transferred to a predetermined processing mode to display a screen page corresponding to the processing mode by prolonged pushing operation of the side controller for a time longer than a predetermined time, a current page is transferred to a screen page other than a predetermined screen page, for example, a current page is transferred to a processing mode unrelated to a operating button displayed on the current page, for prolonged pushing operation of the side controller long time, further, a list of reply mail sentences which is input beforehand is displayed as a screen page of a list of reply mail sentences by activation of a sending mode for sending a reply mail to a received mail when a mail screen page showing received mail is displayed, a pointer is moved on a screen page of a list of sending mail sentences by oscillating operation of the control switch part, a sending mail sentence on which a pointer is positioned is transmitted to a mail sending and receiving function as a sending mail, for example, a list of sending mail screen page in a sending mode is displayed by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time longer than a predetermined time when a mail screen page is a mail contents displaying screen page for showing a mail contents.

Claims

1. A personal digital assistant comprising:

a control switch part capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation;

a display part capable of displaying a first screen page for displaying a plurality of items, a second screen page corresponding to each item of a plurality of the items and a third screen page different from the first screen page;

a first selecting control means for selecting an item from a plurality of the items by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part on the first screen page;

a first page transfer means for transferring to the third screen page by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time longer than a predetermined time on the first screen page; and

a second page transfer means for transferring to the second screen page corresponding to the selected item by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time not longer than a predetermined time on the first screen page.

6. A personal digital assistant according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the control switch part is capable of oscillating operation within a predetermined range and capable of pushing operation at an approximately center position of the oscillating range.

7. A personal digital assistant according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the control switch part and an escape switch part are disposed at the side face of the personal digital assistant and a screen page returning control means for returning to one page previous to the current page by operation of the escape switch part is provided.

2. A personal digital assistant comprising

a control switch part capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation;

a display part capable of displaying a menu screen page for displaying a plurality of menu items, a menu item screen page corresponding to each menu item of a plurality of the menu items and an unrelated screen page;

a menu selecting control means for selecting a menu item from a plurality of the menu items by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part on the menu screen page;

an unrelated screen page transfer means for transferring to the unrelated screen page which is not related to the selected menu item by pushing operation of the control switch for a time longer than a predetermined time on the menu screen page; and

a menu item screen page transfer means for transferring to the menu item screen page corresponding to the menu item by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time not longer than a predetermined time on the menu screen page.

3. A personal digital assistant comprises:

a control switch part capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation;

a display part capable of displaying a mail list screen page for displaying a mail list, a mail contents screen page for displaying each mail contents of the mail list screen page and a reply mail screen page for a reply mail to each mail of the mail list screen page;

a mail selecting control means for selecting one mail from the mail list screen page by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part on the mail list screen page;

a reply mail screen page transfer means for transferring to the reply mail screen page corresponding to the selected mail by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time longer than a predetermined time on the mail list screen page; and

a mail contents transfer means for transferring to the mail contents screen page corresponding to the selected mail by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time not longer than a predetermined time on the mail list screen page.

4. A personal digital assistant comprising:

a control switch part capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation;

a display part capable of displaying a file list screen page for displaying a file list, a file activated screen page for displaying each activated file of the file list screen page and a file detailed information screen page for displaying a more detailed file information in comparison to the file list screen page;

a file selecting control means for selecting one file from the file list screen page by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part on the file list screen page;

a file detailed information screen page transfer means for transferring to the file detailed information screen page by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time longer than a predetermined time on the file list screen page; and

a file activated screen page transfer means for transferring to the file activated screen page on which the selected file is activated by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time not longer than a predetermined time on the file list screen page.

5. A personal digital assistant comprises:

a control switch part capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation;

a display part capable of displaying a tab screen page for displaying a plurality of tabs, another tab screen page corresponding to each tab of a plurality of the tabs;

a setting item selecting control means for selecting a setting item of the tab screen page by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part on the tab screen page;

a tab screen page transfer means for transferring to said another tab screen page by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time longer than a predetermined time on the tab screen page; and

a tab selecting control means for selecting sequentially a plurality of the tabs by pushing operation of the control switch part for a time not longer than a predetermined time on the tab screen page.

8. A personal digital assistant having a communicating function therein or a mail sending and receiving function for sending and receiving mails by connecting to an external communicating instrument comprises:

a control switch part capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation;

an illustrative sentences displaying control means for displaying a plurality of predetermined illustrative sentences for a sending mail; and

a sending mail sentence determining means for determining the selected sending mail sentence by pushing operation of the control switch part after selecting a sending mail sentence from a plurality of the illustrative sentences for a sending mail by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part.

9. A personal digital assistant according to claim 8, further comprises:

a mail selecting means for selecting a mail from a plurality of received mails by operation of the control switch part; and

an sending address determining means for determining a sender'"'"'s address of the received mail selected by the mail selecting means as a sending address,

wherein the mail sending and receiving function sends a mail according to a sending address and a sending mail sentence determined by the sending address determining means and the sending mail sentence determining means.

10. A personal digital assistant according to claim 9, further comprises:

a received mail displaying means for displaying a received mail contents on the display part among a plurality of received mails by operation of the control switch part,

wherein the mail selecting means selects a received mail from a plurality of received mails by pushing operation of the control switch part on a screen page on which the display part displays a mail contents by the received mail displaying means and the sending mail address determining means determines a sender'"'"'s address of the selected received mail as a sending address.

11. A personal digital assistant according to claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein the personal digital assistant sends automatically a mail having a sending mail sentence determined by pushing operation of the control switch part when determined by the sending mail sentence determining means.

13. A personal digital assistant according to claim 8, 9, 10 or 12, wherein the control switch part is disposed on a side face of a case of the personal digital assistant and is supported so as to be capable of oscillating or rotating around a predetermined axis and pushing to the direction of approximately orthogonal to the axis.

12. A personal digital assistant having a communicating function therein or a mail sending and receiving function for sending and receiving mails by connecting to an external communicating instrument comprises:

a control switch part capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation, wherein;

a received mail is selected from at least one received mail by operation of the control switch part;

a sender'"'"'s address of the selected received mail is determined as a sending address by pushing operation of the control switch part after selecting the received mail;

a plurality of predetermined illustrative sentences for a sending mail are displayed on a display part;

an illustrative sentence for a sending mail is selected from a plurality of the predetermined illustrative sentences for a sending mail by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part; and

the selected illustrative sentence for a sending mail is determined for sending a mail to the determined sending address as a sending mail sentence by pushing operation of the control switch part.

14. A program for controlling used for a personal digital assistant having a communicating function therein or a mail sending and receiving function for sending and receiving mails by connecting to an external communicating instrument comprising:

an illustrative sentences displaying control step of displaying a plurality of predetermined illustrative sentences for a sending mail on a display part; and

a sending mail sentence determining step of determining the selected illustrative sentence for a sending mail as a sending mail sentence by pushing operation of the control switch part after selecting an illustrative sentence for a sending mail from a plurality of the illustrative sentences for a sending mail by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part which is capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation.

15. A program for controlling used for a personal digital assistant having a communicating function therein or a mail sending and receiving function for sending and receiving mails by connecting to an external communicating instrument comprising:

a selecting step selecting a received mail from at least one received mail by operation of a control switch part which is capable of oscillating or rotating and pushing operation;

a determining and displaying step of determining a sender'"'"'s address of received mail as a sending address by pushing operation of the control switch part after selection and displaying a plurality of predetermined illustrative sentences for a sending mail; and

a sending mail sentence determining step of selecting an illustrative sentence for a sending mail from a plurality of the illustrative sentences for a sending mail by oscillating or rotating operation of the control switch part and determining the selected illustrative sentence for a sending mail as a sending mail sentence for sending to the determined sending address by pushing operation of the control switch part.