Input apparatus and method having improved operation behavior for input
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An input apparatus comprising:
- display changing means for automatically periodically changing, in a predetermined sequence, which group of items, from among a plurality of groups of items, is displayed onto a screen depiction of a keyboard on a screen; and
means for displaying a cursor on the screen for selecting an input item from among the items of a displayed group, said cursor being positionable on the screen whereat the group of items of said plurality of groups of items is displayed, the item on which said cursor is located when a selection element corresponding to said cursor being activated is thus selected.
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Abstract
Various items (corresponding to characters, symbols, numerals, or function specifications) are displayed, the desired item being then selected, through, for example, a mouse cursor, and the selected item being thus input. Thus, neither the apparatus nor the method require a keyboard. A display changing unit changes, in a predetermined sequence, a display of a group of items from among a plurality of groups of items. The item to be input is then selected from the corresponding group of items of the plurality of groups of items through an item selecting unit.
31 Citations
40 Claims
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1. An input apparatus comprising:
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display changing means for automatically periodically changing, in a predetermined sequence, which group of items, from among a plurality of groups of items, is displayed onto a screen depiction of a keyboard on a screen; and means for displaying a cursor on the screen for selecting an input item from among the items of a displayed group, said cursor being positionable on the screen whereat the group of items of said plurality of groups of items is displayed, the item on which said cursor is located when a selection element corresponding to said cursor being activated is thus selected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 25)
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13. An input apparatus comprising:
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display changing means for automatically periodically changing, either in a first sequence or in a second sequence which is the reverse of said first sequence, which group of items, from among a plurality of groups of items, is displayed onto a screen depiction of a keyboard on a screen, and means for displaying a cursor on the screen where the group of items of said plurality of groups of items is displayed, said cursor being usable for selecting an input item from among the displayed group of items; wherein the item on which said cursor is located when a selection element corresponding to said cursor is activated is the input item; and wherein said cursor is further usable for selecting a selected sequence from among said first and second sequences in which said display changing means changes the display as a result of said selection element being activated. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. An input method comprising:
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(a) automatically periodically changing, in a predetermined sequence, which group of items, from among a plurality of groups of items, is displayed onto a screen depiction of a keyboard; and (b) selecting an input item from among the items of a displayed group, wherein said step (b) uses a cursor, said cursor being displayed on a screen where the group of items of said plurality of groups of items is displayed, wherein the item on which said cursor is located when a button corresponding to said cursor is clicked is thus selected. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26)
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27. An input method comprising:
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a) automatically periodically changing, either in a first sequence or in a second sequence which is the reverse of said first sequence, which group of items, from among a plurality of groups of items, is displayed onto a screen depiction of a keyboard; b) using a cursor being displayed on the screen on which the group of items of said plurality of groups of items is displayed, for selecting an input item from among the displayed group of items, wherein the item on which said cursor is located when a button corresponding to said cursor is clicked is the input item; and c) further using said cursor for selecting a selected sequence from among said first and second sequences, in which said changing step changes the display as a result of said button being clicked. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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29. An input apparatus comprising:
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display changing means for automatically periodically changing, in a predetermined sequence, which group of items, from among a plurality of groups of items, is displayed onto a screen depiction of a keyboard; and item selecting means for selecting an input item from among the items of a displayed group, wherein the automatic periodic changing action of the group of items displayed on the screen, which items may be selected, is started and stopped according to the position of a cursor which is displayed on said screen. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An input method comprising:
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(a) automatically periodically changing, in a predetermined sequence, which group of items, from among a plurality of groups of items, is displayed onto a screen depiction of a keyboard; and (b) selecting an input item from among the items of a displayed group, wherein the automatic periodic changing action of the group of items displayed on the screen, which items may be selected, is started and stopped according to the position of a cursor which is displayed on said screen. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification