ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20140208957A1
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Imai, Hirohisa, Nakano, Ikue, Dou, Jianlan
• Application Number:
  US14/342,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20140208957A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 99/342
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/082 on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6435 Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus

Abstract

A microwave oven of the present invention includes: a liquid crystal touch panel configured to display display screen images each including operation buttons, each of which accepts input from a user; a proximity detector portion configured to detect, as proximity input from the user, proximity of the user to the operation button included in the display screen image; a heating control portion and a display control portion configured to execute functions in accordance with the input to the operation buttons, the functions being respectively associated with the operation buttons; a standard button image storage portion configured to store proximity input enable/disable information pieces such that each of the proximity input enable/disable information pieces is associated with at least a part of the display screen image, the proximity input enable/disable information pieces each indicating whether to permit the proximity detector portion to detect the proximity input; and an enable/disable determining portion configured to determine based on the proximity input enable/disable information piece whether to permit the proximity detector portion to detect the proximity input.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display portion configured to display display screen images each including operation buttons, each of which accepts input from a user;

a proximity detector portion configured to detect, as proximity input from the user, proximity of the user to the operation button included in the display screen image;

a contact detector portion configured to detect, as contact input from the user, contact of the user with the operation button;

a function executing portion configured to execute functions in accordance with the contact input to the operation buttons, the functions being respectively associated with the operation buttons;

an informing portion configured to inform the user of function information indicating the function executed by the function executing portion;

a storage device configured to store proximity input enable/disable information pieces such that each of the proximity input enable/disable information pieces is associated with at least a part of the display screen image, the proximity input enable/disable information pieces each indicating whether to permit the proximity detector portion to detect the proximity input; and

a permission determining portion configured to determine based on the proximity input enable/disable information piece whether to permit the proximity detector portion to detect the proximity input,

wherein in a case where the permission determining portion permits the proximity detector portion to detect the proximity input to the operation button, the informing portion informs the user of the function information associated with the operation button.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device stores the proximity input enable/disable information pieces such that the proximity input enable/disable information pieces are respectively associated with the operation buttons, each of which corresponds to at least a part of the display screen image.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device stores the proximity input enable/disable information pieces such that the proximity input enable/disable information pieces are respectively associated with the display screen images, each of which corresponds to at least a part of the display screen image.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a state determining portion configured to detect a state of the electronic device to determine whether or not the state of the electronic device is a predetermined state, wherein

in a case where the state determining portion determines that the state of the electronic device is the predetermined state, the permission determining portion inhibits the detection of the proximity input by the proximity detector portion regardless of the proximity input enable/disable information piece.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the informing portion enlarges an image of the function information on the display portion.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the operation buttons is constituted by an operation image displayed in the display screen image on the display portion and a proximity detector element provided so as to correspond to the operation image;

the electronic device further includes a physical push button configured to be pushed by the user to accept the input; and

the push button is provided at such a position that when the user gets close to or contacts the push button, the proximity detector portion does not detect the proximity input.

9. A heat cooking device comprising the electronic device according to claim 1.

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

10. A method of operating an electronic device, comprising:

a displaying step of displaying a display screen image including operation buttons, each of which accepts input from a user;

a proximity detection step of detecting, as proximity input from the user, proximity of the user to the operation button included in the display screen image;

a determining step of determining whether to permit detection of the proximity input in the proximity detection step;

an informing step of informing the user of function information in a case where the detection of the proximity input to the operation button is permitted in the determining step, the function information indicating the function associated with the operation button and executed in the electronic device;

a contact detecting step of detecting, as contact input from the user, contact of the user to the operation button at which the proximity input has been detected; and

a function executing step of executing the function, associated with the operation button, in accordance with the contact input to the operation button.