Input unit and electronic apparatus including same

• US 20080068227A1
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US11/901,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068227A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/23
• 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

The present invention provides an input unit wherein a password is hardly presumable even in the case where input keys or characters related to the input keys are peeped at by a third party. The input unit includes an operation panel 2, a display unit 9, an operating section 8 and a control section 7. The operating section 8 is a touch panel. The operating section 8 includes multiple input keys 10. The input key 10 has display sections 11 corresponding to codes formed thereon. The control section 7 displays the input keys 10 on a screen section 9a of the display unit 9, and displays the display sections 11 in the input keys 10. The control section 7 varies a status of the input keys 10 such as a color, a shape or a pattern according to an input mode.

Claims

1. An input unit comprising:

an input section including input keys having multiple codes; and

a variable section for varying a status of the input keys in order to identify one code out of the multiple codes.

2. The input unit according to claim 1, wherein the variable section varies the entire input key.

3. The input unit according to claim 2, wherein the variable section varies a color of the input key.

4. The input unit according to claim 2, wherein the variable section varies a pattern of the input key.

5. The input unit according to claim 2, wherein the variable section varies a shape of the input key.

6. The input unit according to claim 1, wherein the variable section varies a part of the input key.

7. The input unit according to claim 6, wherein:

there is a display section corresponding to each code formed on the input key; and

the variable section varies the color of the display section of the code.

8. The input unit according to claim 6, wherein:

there is a display section corresponding to each code formed on the input key; and

the variable section varies the shape of the display section of the code.

9. The input unit according to claim 1, wherein the variable section varies each of the multiple input keys to a different status.

10. The input unit according to claim 1, wherein the variable section varies the status of the input key in predetermined timing.

11. The input unit according to claim 10, comprising:

a switching key for switching the status of the input key,

wherein the variable section varies the status of the input key based on an input from the switching key.

12. The input unit according to claim 10, wherein the variable section varies the status of the input key according to an input from the input key.

13. The input unit according to claim 1, comprising a notification section for giving a notice of an inputted code based on the status of the input key.

25. An electronic apparatus comprising the input unit according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. The electronic apparatus according to claim 25, wherein:

the electronic apparatus is a copier, a printer, a facsimile, a scanner or a complex apparatus combining two or more of those.

14. An input unit comprising:

a first input section;

a second input section for inputting through operation by a user;

a determination section for, upon a first input from the first input section, determining contents of the first input; and

a variable section for varying a status of the second input section based on a determination result of the determination section.

15. The input unit according to claim 14, wherein:

the determination section detects the first input from the first input section, and predicts the input from the second input section based on the input contents.

16. The input unit according to claim 15, wherein:

first authentication information is inputted from the first input section; and

second authentication information is inputted from the second input section.

17. The input unit according to claim 14, wherein:

the second input section is an input key whose status varies; and

the first input section inputs information from outside.

18. The input unit according to claim 14, wherein:

the first input section is an input key whose status varies; and

the second input section shares the input key.

19. The input unit according to claim 14, wherein:

the second input section is an input key of which status varies;

the input key includes multiple codes;

the input key has a display section corresponding to each of the codes formed thereon; and

the variable section varies the code and also varies the display section corresponding to the varied code.

20. The input unit according to claim 19, wherein:

the variable section varies the codes of adjacent input keys.

21. The input unit according to claim 14, wherein:

the second input section is an input key whose status varies; and

the variable section varies the status of the input key in predetermined timing after the first input from the first input section.

22. The input unit according to claim 21, comprising:

a switching key for switching the status of the input key,

wherein the variable section varies the status of the input key according to operation of the switching key.

23. The input unit according to claim 21, wherein:

the variable section varies the status of the input key when the input key is operated.

24. The input unit according to claim 14, wherein:

the second input section is an input key whose status varies; and

the variable section varies each of the multiple input keys to a different status.