MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND CHARACTER INPUT METHOD

• US 20120299953A1
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Bamba, Hiroyuki, Fuji, Masateru
• Granted Patent: US 9,690,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/24 Keyboard-Video-Mouse [KVM] switch
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/021 using combined folding and rotation motions combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

An object is to provide a mobile electronic device and a character input method which can shorten a view point movement distance of a user even in a state where the display screen of the display unit is used horizontally. The control unit displays the first character kind character left aligned on an upper side of the display screen, and displays the second character kind character right aligned on a lower side of the display screen. When a predetermined operation is performed with the operation unit, the control unit maintains the display of either one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character on the display screen according to the operated action while maintaining the display position, and deletes the display of the other one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a display unit having a display screen of a substantially rectangular shape;

an operation unit having a plurality of operation keys to which at least a first character kind character and a second character kind character are assigned; and

a control unit which, when one operation key is operated among the plurality of operation keys, displays the first character kind character and the second character kind character assigned to the operated operation key on the display screen;

wherein, in a state where the display screen is used horizontally, the control unit displays the first character kind character left aligned on an upper side of the display screen and displays the second character kind character right aligned on a lower side of the display screen;

and when a predetermined operation is performed with the operation unit, the control unit continues the display of either one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character on the display screen while maintaining the display position and deletes the display of the other one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character.

2. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, when an operation that adopts the display of the second character kind character is performed as the predetermined operation, the control unit deletes the display of the first character kind character and displays the display relating to the second character kind character right aligned while maintaining the display position of the second character kind character on the display screen.

3. The mobile electronic device according to claim 2, wherein, when an operation to display the second character kind character is performed with the operation unit, the control unit displays a single color display in an entire display region where the first character kind character is displayed while maintaining the display position of the second character kind character on the display screen.

4. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, when an operation that adopts the display of the first character kind character is performed as the predetermined operation with the operation unit, the control unit deletes the display of the second character kind character and displays the display relating to the first character kind character on the entire width display screen while maintaining the display position of the second character kind character on the display screen.

5. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit splits the display screen into right and left sides, and displays the first character kind character left aligned on an upper part of the split left side display screen, and displays the second character kind character right aligned on a lower part of the split right side display screen.

6. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit splits the display screen into upper and lower sides, and displays the first character kind character left aligned on an upper part of the split upper side display screen, and displays the second character kind character right aligned on a lower part of the split lower side display screen.

7. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit includes a call making key for making a call, and when the call making key is operated as the predetermined operation, the control unit deletes the display of the first character kind character while maintaining the display position of the second character kind character on the display screen.

8. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, after the display of the other one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character is deleted while maintaining the display position of one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character on the display screen, when an operation to delete a part of the maintained character string of the first character kind character or the second character kind character is performed with the operation unit, the control unit returns the state to a state where both the first character kind character and the second character kind character are displayed on the display screen.

9. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a first case having the display unit;

a second case having the operation unit; and

a connecting part which connects the first case and the second case and can transfer the display screen into a state used vertically or a state used horizontally.

10. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a case having a touch panel functions as the display unit and the operation unit;

wherein the control unit distinguishes whether the state where the display screen is used vertically or the state where the display screen is used horizontally, by detecting an inclination state of the case.

11. A character input method in a mobile electronic device including a display unit having a display screen of a substantially rectangular shape, and an operation unit, the method comprising:

a step of displaying, when one operation key is operated among a plurality of operation keys of the operation unit, a first character kind character and a second character kind character assigned to the operated operation key on a display screen of the display unit;

a step of displaying, in a state where the display screen is used horizontally and both the first character kind character and the second character kind are displayed on the display screen, the first character kind character left aligned on an upper side of the display screen, and the second character kind character right aligned on a lower side of the display screen; and

a step of continuing, when a predetermined operation is performed with the operation unit, the display of one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character on the display screen performed while maintaining the display position, and deleting the display of the other one of the first character kind character and the second character kind character.