MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE AND INPUT DEVICE

• US 20150293696A1
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KONDO, Kazuhiro, Hasegawa, Takashi, Nishimura, Tatsuhiko, Matsui, Daisuke, Inagawa, Masatoshi, Inukai, Tetsuro
• Granted Patent: US 11,249,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 mobile terminal device includes a display section having a display screen, an input section having a touch input region on the display screen, and a control section for displaying a plurality of keys. The display screen is provided as a software keyboard where a touch operation on a specific key causes an input of the specific key. In the specific display region on the display screen that can display operation keys on the software keyboard, the control section selects these keys from a previously prepared set of input candidate key groups. In response to a specific operation on the specific display region, the control section allows the plurality of keys to be displayed on the specific display region. In response to touch on a desired key in the specific display region, the control section determines that an input of the key has been performed.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device, comprising:

a display configured to display a first display section including a stationary first plurality of operation keys including operation keys corresponding to character inputs and display a second display section including a second plurality of operation keys configured to rotate in a horizontal manner;

a touch sensor configured to receive a touch input corresponding to at least one of the first plurality of operation keys displayed in the first display section and the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section; and

circuitry configured to select the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section based on a predetermined set of operation keys stored in memory, and switch the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section to a third plurality of operation keys based on predetermined touch input received at the second display section, wherein

the touch sensor is configured to detect a moving touch operation at one of the second plurality of operation keys in the second display section,

the circuitry is configured to switch the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section to the third plurality of operation keys based on the moving touch operation and control the display to display the third plurality of operation keys in the second display section,

the second plurality of operation keys are assigned to a first page of operation keys and the third plurality of operation keys are assigned to a second page of operation keys,

the circuitry controls the display to switch from displaying the first page to the second page based on the moving touch operation, and

the circuitry is configured to control the display to display a page indicator in the second display section graphically indicating a position of a currently displayed page among a plurality of available pages of operation key display groups.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the touch sensor is configured to detect a single touch input at one of the second plurality of operation keys in the second display section, and

the circuitry is configured to activate an operation corresponding to the one of the second plurality of operation keys.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the touch sensor is configured to detect a moving touch operation at one of the second plurality of operation keys in the second display section, and

the circuitry is configured to compare a speed of the moving touch operation against a predetermined threshold value and activate an operation corresponding to the one of the second plurality of operation keys when the speed of the moving touch operation is less than the predetermined threshold value.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to cyclically switch between the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section and the third plurality of operation keys.

5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section include operation keys corresponding to functions of the mobile terminal device, which initiate a program at the mobile terminal device when selected.

6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section include operation keys corresponding to character inputs.

7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to obtain a usage frequency of each of the second plurality of operation keys, and change positions of the second plurality of operation keys based on the usage frequency.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to obtain a usage frequency of each of the first plurality of operation keys and the second plurality of operation keys, and change positions of the first and second pages of the operation keys based on the usage frequency.

9. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the first plurality of operation keys displayed in the first display section include operation keys corresponding to character inputs.

10. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry switches the second plurality of operation keys in an endless loop.

11. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys and the third plurality of operation keys are configured to be switched bi-directionally.

12. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys and the third plurality of operation keys include the same characters.

13. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys and the third plurality of operation keys include pictorial symbols.

14. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys or the third plurality of operation keys include a combination of character keys and functional keys.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions, which when executed by a mobile terminal device, cause the mobile terminal device to perform a method comprising:

displaying, in a first display section of the mobile terminal device, a stationary first plurality of operation keys including operation keys corresponding to character inputs;

displaying, in a second display section of the mobile terminal device, a second plurality of operation keys configured to rotate in a horizontal manner;

receiving a moving touch operation in the second display section;

selecting the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section based on a predetermined set of operation keys stored in memory; and

switching the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section to a third plurality of operation keys based on the moving touch operation and displaying the third plurality of operation keys in the second display section, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys are assigned to a first page of operation keys and the third plurality of operation keys are assigned to a second page of operation keys and the switching includes switching from the first page to the second page based on the moving touch operation; and

displaying a page indicator in the second display section graphically indicating a position of a currently displayed page among a plurality of available pages of operation key display groups.

16. A method performed by a mobile terminal device, the method comprising:

displaying, in a first display section of the mobile terminal device, a stationary first plurality of operation keys including operation keys corresponding to character inputs;

displaying, in a second display section of the mobile terminal device, a second plurality of operation keys configured to rotate in a horizontal manner;

receiving a moving touch operation in the second display section;

selecting the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section based on a predetermined set of operation keys stored in memory; and

switching the second plurality of operation keys displayed in the second display section to a third plurality of operation keys based on the moving touch operation and displaying the third plurality of operation keys in the second display section, wherein

the second plurality of operation keys are assigned to a first page of operation keys and the third plurality of operation keys are assigned to a second page of operation keys and the switching includes switching from the first page to the second page based on the moving touch operation; and

displaying a page indicator in the second display section graphically indicating a position of a currently displayed page among a plurality of available pages of operation key display groups.