Indicating method and apparatus for digitizer menu portions

• US 4,509,046 A
• Filed: 07/02/1982
• Issued: 04/02/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Company Limited (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Company Limited (SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Mitsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Brigance, Gerald L.
• Application Number:
  US06/394,652
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 340/703, 340/811, 340/815.02, 340/815.03, 340/815.1, 340/815.12, 340/815.14, 340/365 R, 340/365 VL, 340/711, 340/712, 364/188
• US Class Current: 340/815.67
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

The proposed method comprises a step of indicating the menu portions which must be operated in any processing step in computer processing, wherein the indication is desirably performed by means of light sources of different colors some of which are selected alternatively and sequentially so as to be switched on in each different step. The proposed apparatus is constructed such that it might be suited for and utilized in the proposed method in that it comprises plural cells each provided on the back sides of said menu portions thereby plural light sources of different colors being disposed in each cell. Each of said lighting sources may alternatively be disposed on the front of the digitizer and near each menu portion.

Claims

1. Digitizer apparatus comprising a menu element having a face divided into a plurality of blocks, each block being responsive to activation by an operator to produce a corresponding command signal for control of a data processing device having a plurality of modes of operation, a plurality of cells positioned behind the face, each cell corresponding to one of the plurality of blocks, a plurality of light sources of different colors associated with each cell, and control means for controlling of the illumination of each of the plurality of light sources so as to selectively illuminate at least one light source to indicate a command signal to be provided in the next step in a series of sequential processing steps to be carried out in a selected one of the plurality of modes of operation of the data processing device.

2. Digitizer apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the control means is arranged to illuminate a light source having a selected color in connection with a specific type of processing step.