Key customizing method and portable terminal device

• US 6,720,951 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Taguchi, Motoyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US09/843,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20010048411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 345/104, 345/173, 345/172, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/177, 345/178, 345/179, 345/180, 345/156, 345/157, 345/168, 345/87, 178/18.01, 178/18.1, 178/19.01, 341/22, 341/23
• US Class Current: 345/172
• 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

Disclosed is a key customizing method for customizing a plurality of input keys displayed on a liquid crystal display. The method has the steps of: monitoring the turn-on of a key-customize key displayed on the liquid crystal display and, upon the turn-on of the key-customize key, monitoring the selection of at least one input key among the plurality of input keys; when the at least one input key has been selected, displaying, on the liquid crystal display, a key customize pattern for displaying display sites and display sizes of the plurality of input keys; and when a display site and a display size have been input based on the key customize pattern, displaying the at least one input key on the liquid crystal display based on the input display site and display size.

Claims

1. A key customizing method for customizing a plurality of input keys displayed on a liquid crystal display, comprising the steps of:

displaying a key-customize key on the liquid crystal display;

detecting a selection of the key-customize key displayed on the liquid crystal display and, upon the selection of the key-customize key, detecting the selection of at least one input key among the plurality of input keys;

displaying, on the liquid crystal display, a key customize pattern depicting display sites and display sizes of the plurality of input keys;

inputting, based on the key customize pattern, changes to a display site and/or a display size of at least one of the selected input keys; and

displaying at least one of the selected input keys on the liquid crystal display based on the inputted changes to the display site and/or the display size.

2. The key customizing method according to claim 1, comprising displaying the key customize pattern as a block check pattern that depicts the display site and the display size of at least one of the selected input keys.

3. The key customizing method according to claim 1, wherein the change to the display site of the selected input key is inputted at a location different from the location of the selected input key, and the change to the display size of the selected input key is inputted at approximately the same location as the selected input key.

4. A portable terminal device having a plurality of customizable input keys displayed on a liquid crystal display, said portable terminal device comprising:

an input interface circuit that displays a key-customize key in addition to the plurality of input keys on the liquid crystal display, and generates a key signal when an input key has been selected;

a memory storing a key display pattern for displaying the display site and the display size of the plurality of input keys and the key-customize key, and a key customize pattern for customizing the display site and display size of the plurality of input keys; and

a control unit that reads the key display pattern from the memory and allows the liquid crystal display to display the plurality of input keys and the key-customize key, wherein the control unit;

detects the selection of the key-customize key based on the key signal sent from the input interface circuit;

detects the selection of at least one input key among the plurality of input keys;

reads from the memory the key customize pattern and displays the key customize pattern on the liquid crystal display;

detects an input of a change to the display site and/or the display size at least one of the selected input keys based on the key customize pattern; and

causes the liquid crystal display to display at least one of the selected input keys in accordance with the changes inputted to its display site or display size.

5. The portable terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the memory stores, as the key customize pattern, a block check pattern that depicts the display site and/or the display size of at least one of the selected input keys.