Data processing apparatus providing character string copying

• US 5,623,612 A
• Filed: 02/22/1996
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Okuda, Katsunori, Haneda, Isamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US08/605,650
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/156, 395/157, 395/158, 395/159, 395/160, 395/161, 395/164, 395/600, 395/700
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems

Abstract

The data processing apparatus of the invention is intended to operate and process promptly by displaying information in plural screens at a time, and touching the position or title area of the screen to be copied, thereby copying the copy character string easily and simply, and saving key input manipulations in the operating machine. When the touch position is within the screen of action board, the cursor is moved to the touch position (S24) to judge if there is copy character string or not (S25), and if copy character string is not found, the flow chart is terminated. If copy character string is found, the copy character string is put into the cursor position of the action board (S26). This judgment if there is copy character string or not (S25) includes the judgement if there is copy character string for making character strings other than the copy character string invalid for copying and making only the copy character string valid or not.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying information of plural screens on one display screen, one of the plural screens being a copy source screen and another of the plural screens being a copy destination screen;

cursor position specifying means for specifying a cursor position in a copying area of the copy destination screen;

means for storing a character string of the copy source screen;

copying character string designating means for designating a portion of the character string; and

means for copying the designated character string portion into the specified cursor position of the copy destination screen in response to solely the specifying of the cursor position by said cursor position specifying means, and without intermediate user input into said apparatus between said designating of the character string portion and said copying.

2. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for specifying the cursor position and the copying character string specifying means are transparent touch panels laid over the display screen of the display means, wherein

the touch panels are composed of switching elements smaller than the size of each character display on the screen being displayed in a matrix.

3. The data processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for copying copies the designated character string portion without additional user input prior to the specifying of the cursor position by said cursor position specifying means, such that the copying is executed in only two steps on the part of the user.

5. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 4, wherein the character string of the copy source screen includes characters displayed on the copy source screen, and only the displayed characters may be specified by said copy character string specifying means as valid characters copiable to the specified cursor position.

4. A data processing apparatus comprising:

means for displaying information of plural screens on one display screen, one of the plural screens being a copy source screen and another of the plural screens being a copy destination screen;

cursor position specifying means for specifying a cursor position in a copying area of the copy destination screen;

means for storing a character string of the copy source screen;

copy character string designating means for designating a portion of the character string;

judging means for judging whether the designated character string portion is a copiable region of the display screen or not; and

copying means for copying the character string portion into the specified cursor position in response to the judging means, said judging means and said copying means being activated after said copying character string designating means designates the character string portion and solely in response to the specifying of the cursor position by said cursor position specifying means.

6. A data processing apparatus comprising:

means for displaying information of plural screens on one display screen, one of the plural screens being a copy source screen and another of the plural screens being a copy destination screen;

cursor position specifying means for specifying a cursor position in a copying area of the copy destination screen;

means for storing a character string of the copy source screen;

copying character string designating means for designating a portion of the character string, the character string portion including at least one mathematical expression;

means for copying the character string portion into the specified cursor position in response to said copying character string designating means and said cursor position specifying means; and

arithmetic means, responsive to said means for copying, for operating according to the at least one mathematical expression included in the copying character string when copying.

8. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the cursor specifying means is composed of a touch panel.

7. A data processing apparatus comprising:

means for displaying information of plural screens on one display screen, one of the plural screens being a copy source screen and another of the plural screens being a copy destination screen;

means for specifying the cursor position in a copying area of the copy destination screen;

means for storing a character string of the copy source screen;

copying character string designating means for designating a portion of the character string to be copied, the character string portion including at least one mathematical expression;

judging means for judging whether the designated character string portion is a copiable region of the display screen or not, in response to the copying character string designating means;

means for copying the character string portion into the specified cursor position in response to the judging means; and

arithmetic means for operating according to the at least one mathematical expression included in the copying character string portion when said copying means copies the character string portion.

9. An arithmetic apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying screen information;

means for inputting numerals, arithmetic symbols and other characters;

a memory for storing the input numerals, arithmetic symbols, and other characters entered by the input means, and the information displayed in the display means;

operation instructing means for running an instruction of operation; and

arithmetic means for reading out the stored contents of said memory, in response to an output of the operation instructing means, and for distinguishing numerals, arithmetic symbols and other characters, and performing an arithmetic operation according to the distinguished numerals and arithmetic symbols.

10. The arithmetic apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein an arithmetic result of the arithmetic operation of said arithmetic means is displayed in a predetermined position in the display means.

11. The arithmetic apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

a combination of numerals and predetermined symbols other than numerals is entered by the input means; and

the numerals contained in the combination are distinguished by the arithmetic means, and are not used by the arithmetic means when performing the arithmetic operation according to numerals and arithmetic symbols.

12. A data copying method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a copy source screen and a copy destination screen;

(b) designating a character string portion to be copied from the copy source screen;

(c) specifying, immediately after step (b), a position of the copy destination screen to be copied to; and

(d) copying, in response to step (c), the designated character string portion into the specified position to be copied to, such that the character string portion is copied in only two steps.

13. The data copying method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the head part of the character string to be copied is located for copying in the specified position to be pasted in.

15. The data processing method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

(e) specifying a position in the screen where the calculating result is to be displayed, and

(f) displaying the calculating result in the specified position.

16. The data processing method as claimed in claim 15 wherein said step (c) operates in response to said step (e).

14. A data processing method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying a character string including a representation of at least one mathematical process;

(b) designating a part or all of the character string displayed in step (a), including one of the at least one mathematical process;

(c) performing a calculation in accordance with the mathematical process included in the character string specified in step (b) thereby producing a calculating result; and

(d) outputting the calculating result.

17. A data processing apparatus comprising:

means for displaying information of plural screens, one of the plural screens being a copy source screen and another of the plural screens being a copy destination screen;

means for specifying a cursor position in an area of the copy destination screen;

means for storing a character string of the copy source screen;

means for designating a portion of the character string, the portion including characters representing numerals and arithmetic symbols forming an arithmetic expression;

arithmetic means for operating according to the arithmetic expression included in the designated character string portion and producing a result, said arithmetic means operating in response to said means for specifying a cursor position; and

means for copying the produced result into the copy destination screen.

18. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said means for copying copies the produced result into a predetermined area of the copy destination screen.

19. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein said means for specifying a cursor position further specifies a cursor position in an area of the copy source screen, and said means for copying copies the result into the copy source screen.

20. A data copying method comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying information on a display;

(b) designating a portion of the information displayed on the display;

(c) specifying, immediately after step (b), a position on the display where the designated information of step (b) is to be copied to; and

(d) copying, in response to step (c) and without further input from the user, the designated information of step (b) into the specified position of step (c) such that the designated information is copied in only two steps.

21. A data processing apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying information;

means for storing displayed information of the display means;

means for designating, by a single user input, a portion of the displayed information;

means for specifying a cursor position on said display means; and

means for copying the designated portion into the specified cursor position of the display means in response to solely the specifying of the cursor position.