CHARACTER INPUT APPARATUS

• US 20140157180A1
• Filed: 09/17/2013
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: AONO, Tetsuaki, OHTA, Takashi, OKADA, Takaho, IINO, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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

A plurality of characters that are candidates for entry are displayed on a display surface of a display corresponding to an operation surface of a touch panel as character buttons. A touch detector judges whether a user touches the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and detects a position touched by the user. An input receiver receives an entry of a character associated with a character button in the position touched by the user among the plurality of characters displayed on the display surface of the display. Then, the input receiver receives the entry of the character which varies in type depending on whether the user touches an area in the operation surface corresponding to an identical character button with a single point or plural points.

Claims

1. A character input apparatus comprising:

a display that displays a plurality of characters which are candidates for entry on a display surface corresponding to an operation surface of a touch panel;

a first detector that judges whether a user touches the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and that detects a position touched by the user; and

a receiver that receives an entry of a character associated with the position touched by the user among the plurality of characters, wherein

the receiver receives the entry of the character which varies in type depending on whether the user touches an area in the operation surface corresponding to an identical character with a single point or plural points.

2. The character input apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second detector that detects a position in the operation surface where the user comes close to the operation surface without contacting the operation surface, wherein

the display emphatically displays a character in the position where the user comes close among the plurality of characters.

3. The character input apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the second detector judges whether the user comes close to the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and

when the user comes close to the operation surface with plural points, the display displays a type of character which the receiver receives as the entry when the user touches the operation surface with plural points.

4. The character input apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a judging part that judges a direction of movement of the user when the user moves while touching the operation surface, wherein

when the user moves while touching the operation surface with plural points, the receiver receives the entry of the character corresponding to the direction of the movement of the user.

5. The character input apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an informing part that informs the user of information when the receiver receives the entry of the character.

6. A character input apparatus comprising:

a display that displays a character which is a candidate for entry on a display surface; and

a detector that judges whether a user comes close to the display surface either with a single point or plural points, and that detects a position where the user comes close to the display surface without contacting the display surface, wherein

the display displays the character which varies in type depending on whether the user comes close to an area in the display surface corresponding to an identical character with a single point or plural points.

7. A character input method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a plurality of characters which are candidates for entry on a display surface corresponding to an operation surface of a touch panel;

(b) judging whether a user touches the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and obtaining a position touched by the user; and

(c) receiving an entry of a character associated with the position touched by the user among the plurality of characters, wherein

the step (c) receives the entry of the character which varies in type depending on whether the user touches an area in the operation surface corresponding to an identical character with a single point or plural points.

8. The character input method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(d) detecting a position in the operation surface where the user comes close to the operation surface without contacting the operation surface, wherein

the step (a) emphatically displays a character in the position where the user comes close among the plurality of characters.

9. The character input method of claim 8, wherein

the step (d) judges whether the user comes close to the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and

when the user comes close to the operation surface with plural points, the step (a) displays a type of character which the step (c) receives as the entry when the user touches the operation surface with plural points.

10. The character input method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(e) judging a direction of movement of the user when the user moves while touching the operation surface, wherein

when the user moves while touching the operation surface with plural points, the step (c) receives the entry of the character corresponding to the direction of the movement of the user.

11. The character input method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

(f) informing the user of information when the step (c) receives the entry of the character.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores a program to be executed by a computer, the program causing the computer to execute the steps of:

(a) causing a display surface corresponding to an operation surface of a touch panel to display a plurality of characters which are candidates for entry;

(b) judging whether a user touches the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and obtaining a position touched by the user; and

(c) receiving an entry of a character associated with the position touched by the user among the plurality of characters, wherein

the step (c) receives the entry of the character which varies in type depending on whether the user touches an area in the operation surface corresponding to an identical character with a single point or plural points.

13. The non-transitory recording medium of claim 12, wherein

the program further causes the, computer to execute the step of:

(d) detecting a position in the operation surface where the user comes close to the operation surface without contacting the operation surface, and

the step (a) emphatically displays a character in the position where the user comes close among the plurality of characters.

14. The non-transitory recording medium of claim 13, wherein

the step (d) judges whether the user comes close to the operation surface either with a single point or plural points, and

when the user comes close to the operation surface with plural points, the step (a) displays a type of character which the step (c) receives as the entry when the user touches the operation surface with plural points.

15. The non-transitory recording medium of claim 12, wherein

the program further causes the computer to execute the step of:

(e) judging a direction of movement of the user when the user moves while touching the operation surface, and

when the user moves while touching the operation surface with plural points, the step (c) receives the entry of the character corresponding to the direction of the movement of the user.

16. The non-transitory recording medium of claim 12, wherein

the program further causes the computer to execute the step of:

(f) informing the user of information when the step (c) receives the entry of the character.