Method and apparatus for assisting data input to a portable information terminal

• US 20020167545A1
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Yun Gyu, Lee, Seung Ho, Kim, Sang Bum, Jung, Byung Hak, Shin, Yong Soo, Pan, Su Young
• Granted Patent: US 7,168,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a suitable soft keyboard for end users to conveniently enter data to a portable information terminal that can not provide concurrently multiple character set keyboards, such as Korean, English, and Numeric keyboards. A data input assisting method displays an input window including a plurality of input fields when data input is requested. The input window identifies an input data set among English, Numeric, and non-English character sets suitable to an input field, which is selected for information input on the displayed input window, and provides a soft keyboard of touch screen or the like including the identified character set. Therefore, faster and more convenient data input is ensured when a user must select and enter non-English (e.g., Korean), English, or Numeric data to match information type of each data field to be stored in a portable information terminal, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

Claims

1. A method for data input to a portable information terminal, comprising:

displaying an input window including a plurality of input fields when data input is requested;

identifying which character set of a plurality of character sets is suitable to a selected input field on the displayed input window; and

providing a data input screen including the identified character set in response to designation of the selected input field.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data entered through the provided data input screen as information of the selected input field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data input screen is a soft keyboard displayed on a displaying unit of the portable information terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the soft keyboard has at least one key defined to change among the plurality of character sets, and a next character set is provided as the soft keyboard according to a predefined switchover order whenever said at least one key is selected.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of character sets include English, Numeric, and non-English character set, and wherein the input fields require data from the plurality of character sets.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said data input is conducted when a user performs information entry of personal contact information for said user.

7. A method for data input to a portable information terminal, comprising:

displaying an input window including a plurality of input fields when data input is requested;

identifying which character set among a plurality of character sets is suitable to a selected input field on the displayed input window; and

limiting a search target to the identified character set among all possible character sets.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying which character is entered through comparing entered character with all characters included in the limited search target; and

storing the identified character as information of the selected input field.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting the input field among the plurality of input fields; and

providing a data input screen including the identified character set to a user directly in response to selection of the selected input field.

10. The method of claim 7, comprising:

entering data in the selected input field on the displayed input window, the data including a plurality of written-style strokes forming each character;

storing the written-style strokes each with a prescribed code, wherein said each written-style stroke is determined by a comparison made to a written-style character database being the identified character set; and

displaying the written-style character on the input display window.

11. An apparatus of data input to a portable information terminal, comprising:

display means for displaying an input window including a plurality of selectable input fields when data input is requested;

storing means for storing information on which character set among a plurality of character sets is suitable to each of the input fields; and

controller means for identifying a suitable character set for a selected input field on the displayed input window based on the information stored in said storing means, and displaying a data input screen including the identified character set in said display means.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said controller means further stores data entered through the displayed data input screen for the selected input field as information of the selected input field.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the data input screen is a soft keyboard, and wherein the data input screen is directly displayed by the controller means according to selection of the selected input field.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the soft keyboard has at least one key defined to change among the character sets, and said controller means provides a next character set as the soft keyboard according to a predefined switchover order whenever said at least one key is selected.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the character sets include a plurality of language character sets and a Numeric character set.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said storing device has respective separate areas for English, Numeric, and each non-English character set, and wherein said controller identifies the entered character by searching one corresponding character set suitable for the selected input field in one separate area of the storing device, and wherein the input fields require data from the plurality of character sets.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the input fields require data from the plurality of character sets.

16. An apparatus of data input to a portable information terminal, comprising:

a display that displays an input window including a plurality of input fields when data input is requested;

a storing device that stores information on which character set among a plurality of character sets is suitable to each of the input fields; and

a controller that identifies which character is entered in a selected input field through searching and comparing an entered character with characters stored in said storing device, and stores the identified character as a piece of information of an input field selected in the input window.