Character input device using previously entered input and displayed character data

• US 6,108,445 A
• Filed: 07/14/1997
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Uehara, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US08/891,985
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 382/187, 382/189, 382/282, 382/309, 382/315, 704/3, 704/4, 707/532, 707/530, 707/531, 707/534, 707/540, 707/541
• US Class Current: 382/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232

Abstract

An input device including a display unit for displaying thereon characters entered from a keyboard or by a pen inputting operation, a character selector including a tablet for selecting any character from among the characters displayed on the display unit, and a CPU for receiving the characters selected by the character selector as a new input. When any character is selected from an already input character string displayed on the display unit, the selected character is added as a new character input to the already input characters, and displayed together on the display unit.

Claims

1. A document creating apparatus comprising:

display means having a display screen for displaying any created document;

input position specifying means for specifying an input position on said display screen for a character string of a document under creation;

character string specifying means for manually specifying a desired character string of the any created document displayed on said display screen;

detecting means for detecting that said character string specifying means has completed specifying the desired character string; and

character string adding means, responsive to said detecting means detecting that said character string specifying means has completed specifying the desired character string, for adding the specified character string at the specified input position on said display screen.

2. The document creating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

character converting means for converting an unfixed character to another type of character;

wherein said character string adding means comprises;

determining means for determining whether a character of the character string specified by said character string specifying means is convertible to a different type of character string; and

unfixed character adding means, responsive to said determining means determining that the character of the character string specified by said character string specifying means is convertible to the different type of character, for adding the determined character as an unconverted unfixed one at the input position for the character string of the document under creation on said display screen, whereby the unfixed character is converted to a different type of character by said character converting means.

3. The document creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said character string adding means comprises means, responsive to said character string specifying means specifying the character string by specifying its characters sequentially from its end to its start, for adding the character string specified by said character string specifying means at the input position for the character string of the document under creation on said display screen in the order of the characters of the character string specified by said character string specifying means.

4. The document creating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

input means for inputting a character manually; and

input control means for inputting the character input manually by said input means at the input position for a character string of the document under creation on the display screen.

5. The document creating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said input means comprises:

handwriting input means having a tablet for detecting a handwritten input thereon;

wherein said display means displays on said display screen thereof a locus of the handwriting input by said handwriting input means.

6. The document creating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said input means comprises:

handwriting input means having a tablet for detecting a handwriting input thereon; and

character recognizing means for recognizing a character provided by said handwriting input means;

wherein said display means comprises recognized character display means for displaying the character recognized by said character recognizing means.

7. The document creating apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

software keyboard display means for displaying a software keyboard having an array of characters on said display screen of the display means;

wherein said input means comprises;

touch detecting means including a tablet provided overlapping on said display means for detecting a touch at any particular position on the tablet; and

touch input means, responsive to said touch detecting means detecting the touch on the tablet, for providing a character at a position on the software keyboard corresponding to the position of the touch on the tablet.

8. The document creating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said input means comprises a keyboard for providing characters;

and

wherein said character string specifying means comprises mouse means for specifying any character string manually.

9. A recording medium which contains a computer-readable character program for causing a computer to operate as:

display means having a display screen for displaying any created document;

input position specifying means for specifying an input position on said display screen for a character string of a document under creation;

character string specifying means for manually specifying a desired character string of any created document displayed on said display screen;

detecting means for detecting that said character string specifying means has completed specifying the desired character string; and

character string adding means, responsive to said detecting means detecting that said character string specifying means has completed specifying the desired character string, for adding the specified character string at the specified input position on said display screen.

10. A document creating apparatus comprising:

display means having a display screen for displaying any created document;

touch position detecting means including a tablet overlaying said display screen for detecting a touch of a pen at any particular position on the tablet;

input position specifying means for specifying an input position on the tablet for a character string of a document under creation;

character string specifying means, responsive to the touch of a pen on the tablet, for specifying a desired character string of the any created document displayed on said display screen;

detecting means for detecting the completion of the touch on the tablet as the completion of specifying the character string by said character string specifying means; and

character string adding means, responsive to the detecting means detecting the completion of specifying the character string, for adding the specified character string at the specified input position on said display screen.