Electronic dictionary and information displaying method, incorporating rotating highlight styles

• US 6,085,204 A
• Filed: 09/08/1997
• Issued: 07/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1996
• 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: Chijiwa, Hideaki, Isoe, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bourque, Robert D.
• Application Number:
  US08/925,324
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 707/526-529, 707/531, 707/532
• US Class Current: 715/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval

Abstract

An electronic dictionary, in which a highlight style storage section in a ROM pre-stores display data of a variety of styles for the highlight display, such as a solid shade, an underline, and a frame all in red. When a user selects an item for highlight display through an input section, a central processing unit allocates a style that has been used least frequently to the selected item, and synthesizes display data associated with the allocated style. Subsequently, at least either the title or attribute information of the selected item (i.e., the resulting synthesized display data) is displayed on a liquid crystal display section.

Claims

1. An electronic dictionary comprising:

a storage section for storing headwords and attribute information related to said headwords;

a display section for displaying said headword and said attribute information;

a selecting section for selecting an arbitrary item of said attribute information;

a style selecting section for applying a highlight style which has been used least frequently among a variety of highlight styles to said selected item; and

a display control section for displaying at least one of a title and said attribute information of said selected item in a style different from a style used for a non-selected item.

2. The electronic dictionary of claim 1, said display control section including a style adding section for superimposing a first character of a character string on a solid shade in a highlight color, and for underlining second to last characters of said character string.

3. The electronic dictionary of claim 1, said display control section including a style adding section for inserting a blank space of a solid shade in a highlight color at a head of a character string, and for underlining said character string.

4. The electronic dictionary of claim 1, said display control section superimposing at least a part of a character string on a solid shade in a highlight color.

5. The electronic dictionary of claim 1, said display control section underlining a character string in a highlight color.

6. The electronic dictionary of claim 1, said display control section placing a character string within a frame of a highlight color.

7. The electronic dictionary of claim 1, further including:

a priority display section for displaying attribute information of said selected item with precedence over attribute information of said non-selected item.

8. The electronic dictionary of claim 7, wherein said priority section only displays attribute information of said selected item.

9. The electronic dictionary of claim 7, wherein said priority section displays attribute information of said selected item above attribute information of said non-selected item.

10. An information displaying method for an electronic dictionary, comprising:

selecting an item to be highlighted, said item related to headwords having attribute information;

selecting a highlight style which has been used least frequently from a variety of highlight styles for said selected item; and

displaying at least one of a title and attribute information of said selected item in a style different from a style used for a non-selected item.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said selected item is displayed with precedence over said non-selected item.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein only said selected item is displayed.

13. The method of claim 11, said step of displaying further including displaying said selected item above said non-selected item.