Portable radio terminal and method of setting indicatable direction of direction indicator key

• US 20040192255A1
• Filed: 03/23/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Satoshi
• Application Number:
  US10/806,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20040192255A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/041 having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls

Abstract

A direction indicator key 19 outputs directional indication indicating one direction out of predetermined plural directions and a controller 6 validates or invalidates the directional indication output by the direction indicator key 19.

Claims

1. A portable radio terminal, comprising:

a direction indicator key that outputs directional indication indicating one direction out of predetermined plural directions; and

a controller that validates or invalidates the directional indication output by the direction indicator key.

2. The portable radio terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operator console that outputs the specification of a valid direction specifying whether the directional indication is validated based upon a direction indicated by the directional indication or not, wherein;

the controller validates or invalidates the directional indication according to the specification of the valid direction output by the operator console.

3. The portable radio terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display that displays plural areas for displaying items showing the contents of operation and the contents of processing and displays the area corresponding to a currently selected item out of the plural areas as an active area based upon an instruction from the controller, wherein;

the controller shifts the position of active display currently displayed on the display to a direction indicated by the directional indication when the directional indication is validated.

4. The portable radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined plural directions are at least four directions.

5. The portable radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein:

the direction indicator key indicates one direction out of eight longitudinal, lateral and diagonal directions; and

the controller divides the eight directions into plural directional groups and validates or invalidates the directional indication collectively every directional group.

6. The portable radio terminal according to claim 5, wherein:

the plural directional groups are two types of directional groups of four basic directions showing four longitudinal and lateral directions and four extended directions showing four diagonal directions.

7. The portable radio terminal according to claim 5, further comprising:

an operator console that outputs the specification of a valid direction specifying whether the directional indication is validated based upon a direction indicated by the directional indication collectively every directional group out of the plural directional groups or not, wherein;

the controller validates or invalidates the directional indication according to the specification of the valid direction output by the operator console.

8. The portable radio terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display that displays a figure of valid directions showing all directions in which the directional indication is valid.

9. The portable radio terminal according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller changes a part corresponding to a direction indicated by the directional indication in the figure of valid directions and instructs the display to display the changed figure when the directional indication is validated.

10. The portable radio terminal according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller changes the display color of a part corresponding to a direction indicated by the directional indication in the figure of valid directions and instructs the display to display the changed figure when the directional indication is validated.

11. The portable radio terminal according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller changes the display form of a part corresponding to a direction indicated by the directional indication in the figure of valid directions and instructs the display to display the changed figure when the directional indication is validated.

12. The portable radio terminal according to claim 8, wherein:

the display displays a screen that is provided with plural areas for displaying items showing the contents of operation and the contents of processing and the figure of valid directions; and

the controller instructs the display to display the figure of valid directions showing all directions indicated by the directional indication and validated on the following switched screen when the screen displayed on the display is switched to another screen.

13. A method of setting an indicatable direction of a preset direction indicator key in a portable radio terminal, comprising:

a first step for specifying a direction in which directional indication output by the direction indicator key is validated; and

a second step for setting the valid direction specified in the first step.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

for the valid direction, there are two types of eight longitudinal, lateral and diagonal directions and four longitudinal and lateral directions.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

a step for displaying a figure designating all directions included in the currently set valid directions.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

a step for changing a part corresponding to a direction indicated by the direction indicator key in the figure designating directions and displaying the changed figure.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

a step for changing the display color of a part corresponding to a direction indicated by the direction indicator key in the figure designating directions and displaying the changed figure.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

a step for changing the display form of a part corresponding to a direction indicated by the direction indicator key in the figure designating directions and displaying the changed figure.

19. A method of setting an indicatable direction of a preset direction indicator key in a portable radio terminal, wherein:

a valid direction showing a direction in which directional indication according to the following switched screen output by the direction indicator key is judged valid when the currently displayed screen is switched to another screen is set.