INPUT DEVICE AND RECORDING MEDIUM STORING INPUT CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20110169752A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Wakizaka, Masaaki
• Application Number:
  US12/948,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20110169752A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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

An input device includes a touch panel having a detection region and configured, when an operation is made within the detection region, to detect a position in which the operation is made. The detection region includes operation receiving regions located in respective different positions and associated with respective different procedures. The input device further includes an executer configured, when one of the operation receiving regions is operated, to execute one of the procedures with which the operated operation receiving regions is associated; and an operable region expander configured, when the operated operation receiving region is operated in a consecutive manner, to cause an additionally associated region to be additionally associated with the procedure with which the operated operation receiving region is associated. The additionally associated region constitutes at least a part of rest of the detection region, which is other than the operated operation receiving region. Also disclosed is a recording medium storing an input control program that is to be executed in the input device.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a touch panel having a detection region and configured, when an operation is made within said detection region, to detect a position in which the operation is made, said detection region including a plurality of operation receiving regions which are located in respective positions different from each other and which are associated with respective procedures different from each other;

an executer configured, when one of said operation receiving regions is operated, to execute one of the procedures with which said one of said operation receiving regions is associated; and

an operable region expander configured, when the operated one of said operation receiving regions is operated in a consecutive manner, to cause an additionally associated region to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures with which said operated one of said operation receiving regions is associated, said additionally associated region being included in said detection region and constituting at least a part of rest of said detection region, said rest of said detection region being other than a consecutively-operated operation receiving region that is said operated one of said operation receiving regions.

2. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein said detection region of said touch panel includes, in addition to said operation receiving regions, an operation non-receiving region that is located between said consecutively-operated operation receiving region and at least one of the other of said operation receiving regions,

and wherein said operable region expander is configured to cause at least a part of said operation non-receiving region as at least a part of said additionally associated region, to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein said operable region expander is configured to cause at least one of the other of said operation receiving regions as at least a part of said additionally associated region, to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated.

4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein said operable region expander is configured to cause said additionally associated region to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated, such that a sum of said consecutively-operated operation receiving region and said additionally associated region is larger than any one of the other of said operation receiving regions.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein said operable region expander is configured to cause an entirety of said detection region of said touch panel, to be associated with said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated.

6. The input device according to claim 1, comprising a display controller configured to cause an image to be displayed on a display surface on which said touch panel is superposed,

wherein said display controller includes:

an ordinary-display controlling portion configured to cause button image elements representing the respective procedures, to be displayed in an ordinary manner, such that the displayed button image elements are positioned in said operation receiving regions, respectively, which are associated with the respective procedures; and

an extraordinary-display controlling portion configured, while said additionally associated region is being caused by said operable region expander to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures, to cause at least one of said button image elements to be displayed in an extraordinary manner that is different from said ordinary manner.

7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein, when at least a part of said detection region of said touch panel is operated with said additionally associated region being caused by said operable region expander to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures, said executer is configured to execute said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated, irrespective of which one of the procedures is represented by one of said button image elements that is positioned in the operated part of said detection region.

8. The input device according to claim 6, wherein, when said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated is a procedure for changing a value in accordance with a number of times at which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is operated, said extraordinary-display controlling portion is configured to display the changed value.

9. The input device according to claim 6, wherein said extraordinary-display controlling portion is configured to cause one of said button image elements representing said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated, to be displayed in enlargement.

10. The input device according to claim 6, wherein said extraordinary-display controlling portion is configured to cause at least one of said button image elements that is other than one of said button image elements representing said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated, to be displayed in enlargement.

11. The input device according to claim 1, comprising a register configured to register therein at least one of said operation receiving regions,

wherein said operable region expander is configured, when said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is included in said at least one of said operation receiving regions registered in said register, to cause said additionally associated region to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures with which said consecutively-operated operation receiving region is associated.

12. A recording medium storing an input control program that is to be executed in the input device that is defined in claim 1,

said input control program comprising:

an executing step implemented, when one of said operation receiving regions is operated, for executing one of the procedures with which said one of said operation receiving regions is associated; and

an operable-region expanding step implemented, when the operated one of said operation receiving regions is operated in a consecutive manner, for causing an additionally associated region to be additionally associated with said one of the procedures with which said operated one of said operation receiving regions is associated, said additionally associated region being included in said detection region and constituting at least a part of rest of said detection region, said rest of said detection region being other than a consecutively-operated operation receiving region that is said operated one of said operation receiving regions.