DEVICE AND METHOD OF INPUTTING CHARACTERS

• US 20100001958A1
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony China Ltd (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Leiping, LU, Chengjia
• Granted Patent: US 8,922,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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

Abstract

A method of inputting characters includes: generating a character display area, displaying characters in a first direction sub-region or a second direction sub-region of the character browsing region according to a direction indicating action in a first direction or a second direction, upon detecting a change in directions indicated by two successive direction indicating actions, displaying, in an input character display region, the character currently displayed in the character browsing region, switching between the first direction sub-region and the second direction sub-region of the character browsing region according to the direction indicated by the latter direction indicating action, and performing an action of selecting a next character corresponding to the latter direction indicating action in the switched direction sub-region. The invention also provides a device of inputting characters. With the invention, the number of times key pressing may be reduced and the efficiency of character inputting may be increased.

Claims

1. A device of inputting characters, comprising:

a character storage unit for storing character information;

a display unit;

a direction indicating unit for performing direction indicating actions in a first direction and a second direction;

a detecting unit for detecting a direction indicating action in the direction indicating unit;

wherein the character inputting device further comprises;

a display area generating unit for generating a character display area through the display unit, the character display area comprising a character browsing region and an input character display region;

the character browsing region comprising a first direction sub-region corresponding to a first direction indicating action and a second direction sub-region corresponding to a second direction indicating action, for displaying characters according to the direction indicating actions;

a decision unit for making a decision of displaying a character or confirming a current character as an input character according to the direction indicating action in the direction indicating unit detected by the detecting unit;

wherein the action of making a decision comprises;

upon detecting a change in directions indicated by two successive direction indicating actions between the first direction and the second direction, displaying, in the input character display region, the current character displayed in the character browsing region, switching between the first direction sub-region and the second direction sub-region of the character browsing region according to a direction indicated by the latter direction indicating action, and performing an action of selecting a next character corresponding to the latter direction indicating action in the switched direction sub-region.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a confirming unit for confirming the current character displayed in the character browsing region so as to display the character as an input character in the input character display region.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a draw-back unit for canceling one or more input characters currently displayed in the input character display region, and causing the character browsing region to return to an initial state.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a character type switching unit for switching between character types so that the character display area displays characters of the switched type.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein in response to a character type of Chinese character, the input character display region further comprises a phonetic transcription/Chinese character inputting area and a Chinese character selecting area, the Chinese character selecting area is capable of displaying one or more candidate Chinese characters corresponding to an input phonetic transcription and candidate phrases corresponding to the candidate Chinese characters, and displaying characters according to the direction indicating actions, and is further capable of displaying a current character in the phonetic transcription/Chinese character inputting area according to the change in directions indicated by the two successive direction indicating actions.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein in response to the character type of Chinese character, the character inputting comprises a basic phonetic input mode or a fast phonetic input mode, the basic phonetic input mode comprises one-by-one inputting of respective characters forming a phonetic transcription, the fast phonetic input mode comprises inputting of a combination of a first phonetic element and a second phonetic element.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the first phonetic element is an initial consonant, the second phonetic element is a vowel, and the first phonetic element and the second phonetic element correspond to the first direction sub-region and the second direction sub-region of the character browsing region, respectively.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the characters in the character browsing region are displayed in a circularly scrolling manner.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the first direction sub-region and the second direction sub-region of the character browsing region are scrolled in synchronization with each other.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the direction indicating unit is a four-way navigation key, a stick, a click wheel, a track ball, a click scrollbar, or any other device having a function of indicating directions.

11. A method of inputting characters, comprising:

a step of generating a character display area, the character display area comprising a character browsing region and an input character display region, the character browsing region comprising a first direction sub-region and a second direction sub-region;

a step of displaying characters in a first direction sub-region or a second direction sub-region of the character browsing region according to a direction indicating action in a first direction or a second direction;

a step of making a decision of displaying a character or confirming a current character as an input character according to a direction indicating action as detected;

wherein the step of making a decision comprises;

upon detecting a change in directions indicated by two successive direction indicating actions between the first direction and the second direction, displaying, in the input character display region, the current character displayed in the character browsing region, switching between the first direction sub-region and the second direction sub-region of the character browsing region according to a direction indicated by the latter direction indicating action, and performing an action of selecting a next character corresponding to the latter direction is indicating action in the switched direction sub-region.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a step of confirming the current character displayed in the character browsing region so as to display the current character as an input character in the input character display region, to complete an operation of character inputting.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a step of canceling one or more input characters currently displayed in the input character display region, and causing the character browsing region to return to an initial state.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a step of, in response to character information of more than one character type, switching between character types so that the character display area displays characters of the switched type.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein in response to a character type of Chinese character, the input character display region further comprises a phonetic transcription/Chinese character inputting area and a Chinese character selecting area, the Chinese character selecting area is capable of displaying one or more candidate Chinese characters corresponding to an input phonetic transcription and candidate phrases corresponding to the candidate Chinese characters, and displaying characters according to the direction indicating actions, and is further capable of displaying a current character in the phonetic transcription/Chinese character inputting area according to the change in directions indicated by the two successive direction indicating actions.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein in response to the character type of Chinese character, the character inputting comprises a basic phonetic input mode or a fast phonetic input mode, the basic phonetic input mode comprising one-by-one inputting of respective characters forming a phonetic transcription, the fast phonetic input mode comprising inputting of a combination of a first phonetic element and a second phonetic element.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first phonetic element is an initial consonant, the second phonetic element is a vowel, and the first phonetic element and the second phonetic element correspond to the first direction sub-region and the second direction sub-region of the character browsing region, respectively.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the characters in the character browsing region are displayed in a circularly scrolling manner.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first direction sub-region and the second direction sub-region of the character browsing region are scrolled in synchronization with each other.