Portable type data entry terminal having a keyboard input device and a graphic input device

• US 5,375,226 A
• Filed: 07/20/1993
• Issued: 12/20/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toppan Moore Company Limited (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toppan Moore Company Limited (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Eiichi, Kawashima, Sunichi, Sano, Shigeaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US08/093,988
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1 MS File, 364/DIG. 2 MS File, 395/100, 395/800, 395/472, 395/400, 395/500, 395/155, 395/275, 395/600, 340/711, 340/712, 340/706, 340/707, 340/708, 340/709, 340/710, 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 345/10, 345/13, 345/14, 345/55, 345/59, 345/112, 345/113, 345/121, 345/123, 345/124, 345/125, 345/128, 345/131, 345/127, 345/156, 345/168, 345/173, 345/174, 345/179
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

The specification of the invention details the invention of a portable type data input terminal which can input a plurality of data in different forms and operates by a battery based power supply.

The portable type data input terminal according to the invention comprises: an input unit to input graphic data and binary data; a unit for receiving the graphic data and binary data from the input unit, for converting the graphic data into the form of a digital signal of the pixels of such graphic data, and for converting the binary data into a form of a corresponding code signal; a control unit for signal processing the outputs of the signal converting apparatus; and a memory device to store the respective data which were processed by the control unit so as to correspond to each other.

Claims

1. A portable type data input terminal, comprising:

a graphic input device adapted to input a hand-written signature image to acknowledge a transaction, and to capture said hand-written signature image as data including coordinate data of pixels forming said hand-written signature image;

a data input device adapted to input character information to manage said coordinate data;

a data converter adapted to receive said character information from said data input device and to convert said character information into code data;

a controller adapted to process said coordinate data and said code data from said data converter; and

a memory adapted to store data processed by said controller, said memory storing said coordinate and said code data in such a manner that said coordinate data is associated with code data for management of the hand-written signature image corresponding to said coordinate data.

2. The portable type data input terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a battery which supplies said terminal with electric power.

3. The portable type data input terminal of claim 2, wherein said controller includes a first unit to control the data input device and the signal converter and a second unit to control the storage of the data into memory in response to data from the first unit.

4. The portable type data input of claim 3, further having first and second switches which can respectively independently open and close electric power lines between the battery and the first and second units, and wherein said first unit includes a switch control adapted to close the second switch in response to the data input in the data input device.

5. The portable type data input terminal of claim 4, wherein said first unit further includes a voltage monitor monitoring whether a voltage of the battery is set to a predetermined value and wherein said switch control closes the second switch when the voltage of the battery is set to the predetermined value and there is a data input in the data input device.

6. The portable type data input terminal of claim 5, wherein said first unit further includes a data detector detecting that there is no data input in the data input device for a predetermined period of time and means for determining a permissibility of a power shut-off to the second unit, and said second unit further includes means for designating the permissibility or inhibition of the power shut-off to the first unit in response to an inquiry, from said means for determining and said first unit includes, a first switch controller adapted to close the first switch in a case where the data input in the data input device does not exist for said predetermined period of time and when the second unit indicates the power shut-off is permitted.

7. The portable type data input terminal of claim 6, further including,

a bar code reader adapted to read an external bar code and supplying data to the second unit, and

a data communicating device which is controlled by the second unit and executes transmission and reception of data with an external computer.

8. The portable type data input terminal of claim 7, wherein said data communicating device transfers data via a telephone communication line.

9. The portable type data input terminal of claim 8, wherein said data communicating device accepts data in acoustic signal or light signal form.

10. The portable type data input terminal of claim 1, further comprising a second data input device adapted to input character data representing code data for management of said coordinate data wherein said character data is previously inputted to said second data input device and stored in said memory.

11. The portable type data input terminal of claim 10, wherein said second data input device includes at least a bar code reader and data communicating device adapted for receiving character data in the form of an acoustic signal or a light signal.

12. The portable type data input terminal of claim 1, wherein said data input device includes a keyboard device.

13. The portable type data input terminal of claim 1, wherein said character data include information concerning said transaction.

14. The portable type data input terminal of claim 1, further comprising a timer adapted to produce date and time data when said graphic data of the hand-written signature or said character data are inputted, wherein said memory stores said date and time data in association with said code data and said coordinate data representing the hand-written signature.