MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE AND INPUT DEVICE

• US 20100185971A1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yappa Corp. (A Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Yappa Corp. (A Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Masahiro
• Application Number:
  US12/664,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20100185971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

A mobile terminal device according to the present invention includes: an area setting unit, a software key display unit, a pointing device and a character information display unit. The area setting unit sets a plurality of display areas for displaying a plurality of software keys mapped to each of a plurality of pieces of character information included in a predetermined input character type. The software key display unit displays the two or more software keys assigned to each of the plurality of display areas set up by the area setting unit, in corresponding display areas. The plurality of pointing devices select the software keys displayed by the software key display unit, independently for every display area in accordance with an operation made by a user. The character information display unit displays character information corresponding to the software key selected by the pointing device.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device comprising:

an area setting unit configured to set a plurality of display areas for displaying a plurality of software keys mapped to each of a plurality of pieces of character information included in a predetermined input character type;

a software key display unit configured to display two or more software keys assigned to each of the plurality of display areas set by the area setting unit, in corresponding display areas;

a plurality of pointing devices configured to be able to select the software keys displayed by the software key display unit, independently for every display area; and

a character information display unit configured to display character information corresponding to the software key selected by the pointing device.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pointing devices include a left-hand pointing device and a right-hand pointing device, which are arranged to be a right-and-left pair in front of the screen of the mobile terminal device.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of display areas set by the area setting unit is mapped to each of the plurality of pointing devices, and wherein the pointing device selects the software key specified for every display area by moving a pointer displayed in the display area thus mapped.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein all character information included in the predetermined input character type are mapped to any one of the plurality of software keys displayed by the software key display unit.

5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein any one of the plurality of pieces of character information included in the predetermined input character type, is duplicatively mapped to a plurality of software keys so as to be displayed in two or more display areas.

6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined character type is alphabets, and wherein the plurality of pointing devices include a left-hand pointing device and a right-hand pointing device, and wherein the area setting unit sets two display area, each of which is mapped to each of the left-hand and the right-hand pointing devices, and wherein the software key display unit displays, among the QWERTY arrangement representing the alphabet order, at least the software keys corresponding to each of the character information of “

Q”

, “

W”

, “

E”

, “

R”

, “

A”

, “

S”

, “

D”

, “

F”

, “

Z”

, “

X”

, “

C” and

“

V”

, in the display area corresponding to the left-hand pointing device;

on the other hand, displays, among the QWERTY arrangement, at least the software keys corresponding to each of the character information of “

U”

“

I”

, “

O”

, “

P”

, “

J”

, “

K”

, “

L” and

“

M”

, in the display area corresponding to the right-hand pointing device.

7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the software key display unit duplicatively displays, among a plurality of pieces of character information included in the QWERTY arrangement, at least the software keys corresponding to each of the character information of “

Y”

, “

T” and

“

B”

, in both display areas corresponding to each of the left-hand pointing device and the right-hand pointing device.

8. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a hardware key having a function of inputting any one of a conversion process, backspace processing and a space character.

9. The mobile terminal device according to claim 8, wherein the hardware key is arranged so as to be operated with a finger different from that operating the software key.

10. An input device comprising:

a software key display unit configured to display a plurality of software keys, each of which is mapped to character information included in a predetermined input character type, in each of two display areas in accordance with a character arrangement;

two pointing devices configured to select each of the software keys displayed by the software key display unit, independently for every display area; and

a character information display unit configured to display the character information corresponding to the software key selected by the pointing device.