MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND INPUT METHOD

• US 20120299954A1
• 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: Wada, Yuuki, Miyashita, Tsuneo
• Granted Patent: US 9,383,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• 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

Abstract

An object is to provide a mobile electronic device and an input method that can display soft keys corresponding to each of the characters of different character kinds appropriately even in a state where the display screen of the display unit is used horizontally. In a state where the display screen is used vertically, the control unit splits the display screen into upper and lower sides and displays the plurality of soft keys in the display screen uniformly. In a state where the display screen is used horizontally, the control unit splits the display screen into right and left sides, and displays the first character kind character on one side, and displays the second character kind character on the other side, and displays a plurality of soft keys on either one of the one side or the other side in a right-left direction.

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 the operation keys, displays on the display screen the first character kind character and the second character kind character assigned to the operation key thus operated;

wherein, in a state where the display screen is used vertically, the control unit splits the display screen into upper and lower sides, and displays on the display screen a plurality of soft keys in a right-left direction, and in a state where the display screen is used horizontally, the control unit splits the display screen into right and left sides, and displays a first character kind character on one side of the right and left display screen, displays a second character kind character on the other side, and displays the plurality of soft keys on the one side or the other side of the display screen in a right-left direction.

2. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays in a right-left direction the plurality of soft keys that relate to a function that uses the second character kind character, on the other side of the display screen where the second character kind character is displayed.

3. The mobile electronic device according to claim 2, wherein, in a state where the first character kind character is displayed on the one side of the display screen, and the second character kind character is displayed on the other side of the display screen and the plurality of soft keys that relate to a function that uses the second character kind character is displayed on the other side of the display screen, the control unit deletes the display of the first character kind character from the one side of the display screen when any one of the plurality of soft keys is operated.

4. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit includes a switching key for switching, in a state where the display screen is used horizontally, either one of the one side or the other side of the display screen to an enabled state where an operation by the plurality of soft keys is enabled.

5. The mobile electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit displays the plurality of soft keys on the one side or the other side of the display screen that is switched to the enabled state, which is active, by the switching key, uniformly in a right-left direction.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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 where at least a first character kind character and a second character kind character are assigned; and

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

wherein, in a state where the display screen is used vertically, the control unit splits the display screen into upper and lower sides and displays a plurality of soft keys on the display screen uniformly in a right-left direction, and in a state where the display screen is used horizontally, the control unit splits the display screen into right and left sides, and displays the first character kind character on one side of the right and left sides, displays the second character kind on the other side, and displays the plurality of soft keys in a right-left direction in a region extending to both the one side and the other side.

9. An input method in a mobile electronic device having a display unit 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 operation key thus operated on a display screen of the display unit;

a step of displaying, in a state where the display screen is used vertically, a plurality of soft keys on the display screen in a right-left direction by splitting the display screen into upper and lower sides; and

a step of displaying, in a state where the display screen is used horizontally, the first character kind character on one side of right and left sides and the second character kind character on the other side of right and left sides, and the plurality of soft keys on the one side or the other side in a right-left direction by splitting the display screen into right and left sides.