Character input device and method

• US 6,567,072 B2
• Filed: 06/22/1999
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/337,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 345/161, 345/168, 345/171, 345/170, 345/156, 341/28, 341/21, 341/22, 341/23, 463/30, 463/36, 463/38
• US Class Current: 345/161
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0234 using switches operable in different directions

Abstract

Characters are easily input using a direction indicating device.

The device provides a direction indicating device which outputs a rotated direction of lowering, or the direction inclination and its strength, a display device, a key input means, a memory that stores a plurality of character sets, and a control means which selects characters a character set and characters comprising this character set which are stored in memory according to the output of the direction indicating device, and displays them on the display device, and which accepts the output of the direction indicating device as circumferential position information, and selects a specified character from a chart of characters that associates the previously provided position information with the output of the direction indicating device.

Claims

1. A character input device characterized in comprising:

a direction indicating device which outputs the direction of rotation or the direction of inclination and its force;

a display device;

a key input means;

a memory which stores a plurality of types of character sets comprising a plurality of characters; and

a control means which accepts the output of the direction indication device as radial and circumferential position information of this direction indication device, selects the character set stored in the memory depending on the radial position information, displays on the display device a plurality of characters which make up this set, and subsequently, the selected character is made the input character depending on the circumferential position information when there is input to the effect that one among the displayed characters has been selected as an input character from the key input means.

2. A character input device according to claim 1 characterized in the characters which make up the plurality of types of character sets stored in the memory are characterized by being stored corresponding to the positional information from the direction indicating device.

3. A character input device according to claim 2 characterized in the control device detecting each of the respective circumferential directions and radial directions of the movement of the direction indicating device, selecting one of the character sets depending on the movement of the specified radial direction of the direction indicating device, and selecting the characters at that point in time by the movement in the circumferential direction.

4. A character input device according to any of claims 1 through 3 characterized in the control device is characterized in that when the character set including the alphabet as a displayed character set is selected, the characters making up the character set are displayed arranged in the order of a QWERTY keyboard, and when the character set including numbers is selected, the characters making up the character set are displayed arranged in the order of the ten keys of the calculator.

5. A character input method characterized in comprising a character input method having a direction indicating device which outputs the direction of rotation or the direction of inclination or its force, a display device, a key input means, a memory which stores a plurality of types of character sets comprising a plurality of characters, and a control means which accepts the output of the direction indication device as radial and circumferential positional information of this direction indication device, selects the character set stored in the memory depending of the output of the contents, displays on the display device a plurality of characters which make up this set, and subsequently, the selected character is made the input character when there is input to the effect that one among the displayed characters has been selected as an input character from the key input means, and further characterized in including:

a first step which determines whether the mode is the character input mode;

a second step in which the character/cursor key provided by the key input means is pressed when not in the character input mode in the first step;

a third step which determines whether the determination key provided by the key input means has been pressed when the mode in the first step is the character input mode;

a fourth step which displays the selected character set when the determination key is pressed in the third step and returns to the first step;

a fifth step in which the control means scans the position information of the direction indication device at fixed intervals when the determination key is not pressed in the third step;

a sixth step in which the character set selected by the rotating plate is selected, a seventh step which inputs and edits the characters of the selected character set; and

an eighth step that determines whether the character input has ended, and in the case that it has not ended, returns to the first step and continues the input of characters, and in the case that it has ended, ends the input of characters.

6. A character input device characterized in comprising:

a rotation plate which determines the position;

a display device;

a key input means;

a memory which stores a plurality of types of character sets comprising a plurality of characters; and

a control means which accepts the output of the rotation plate as radial and circumferential position information on the circumference of this direction indication device, selects the character set stored in the memory depending on the radial position information, displays a plurality of characters which make up this set on the display device, and subsequently, the selected character is made the input character depending on the circumferential position information when there is input to the effect that one among the displayed characters has been selected as an input character.

7. A character input device according to claim 6 characterized in the plurality of characters which make up the plurality of types of character sets being stored in the memory disposed depending on the positional information from the rotation plate.

8. A character input apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said rotation plate characterized in comprising:

a knob for setting a position slidably mounted on the rotating plate;

a knob travelling groove which is the guide when the knob is moved in a circumferential direction from the center direction of the rotation plate;

a set of contact points for electrically detecting the position of the knob;

contact point wiring for connecting the set of contact points to a detection circuit;

a wiring through-hole for connecting the wiring from the set of connection points on the base to the back of the base; and

wiring for the set of connection points for connecting the set of connection points to the detection circuit.

9. A character input method characterized in providing:

a rotation plate which determines the position;

a display device;

a key input means;

a memory which stores a plurality of types of character sets comprising a plurality of characters; and

a control means which accepts the output of the rotation plate as radial and circumferential positional information of this direction indication device, selects the character set stored in the memory depending of this output, displays a plurality of characters which make up this set on the display device, and subsequently, the selected character is made the input character when there is input to the effect that one among the displayed characters has been selected as an input character; and

further including;

a first step which determines whether the mode is the character input mode;

a second step in which the character/cursor key the key that input means provides is pressed when not in the character input mode in the first step;

a third step which determines whether the determination key that the key input means provides has been pressed when the mode in the first step is the character input mode;

a fourth step that displays the selected character set and returns to the first when the determination key is pressed in the third step;

a fifth step in which the control means scans the position information of the direction indication device at fixed intervals when the determination key is not pressed in the third step,

a sixth step in which the character set selected by the direction indication device is selected;

a seventh step which inputs and edits the characters of the selected character set; and

an eighth step that determines whether the character input has ended, and in the case that it has not ended, returns to the first step and continues the input of characters, and in the case that it has ended, ends the input of characters.