Electronic apparatus, input control program, and input control method

• US 8,760,430 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): PARDO, THUY N
• Application Number:
  US13/950,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20130307805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/175, 345/174, 345/172, 345/156, 345/158, 345/168, 715/773
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a touch panel, a display, a key detection module, a keyboard display module and a transmission module. The key detection module is configured to detect a touch and a release of a key of a software keyboard, based on touch detection on the touch panel. The transmission module is configured to transmit data indicative of key-down of a first key in accordance with touch detection of the first key, to transmit data indicative of key-down of a second key in accordance with touch detection of the second key in a state in which the first key is touched, and then to transmit data indicative of key-up of the first key and the second key in accordance with release detection of the first key and the second key.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a touch panel;

a display;

a display module configured to display on the display a software keyboard comprising a plurality of keys; and

a transmitter configured to transmit data indicative of key-down of a first key when a touch on the first key of the software keyboard is detected, the transmitter being further configured to transmit data indicative of key-down of a second key and data indicative of key-up of the first key when the second key is touched after key-down of the first key, if a touch time period of the first key is shorter than a predetermined time period; and

also to transmit the data indicative of key-down of the second key and not to transmit the data indicative of key-up of the first key, when the second key is touched after key-down of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data indicative of key-up of the second key in accordance with release detection of the second key and then transmit the data indicative of key-up of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first key is a predetermined key which is operated in combination with the second key.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data indicative of key-up of the first key when a touch and a release of the first key are detected again after the release of the first key is detected before the second key is touched, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data indicative of key-down of a third key in accordance with touch detection of the third key after the second key is touched, if the second key is a predetermined key which is operated in combination with the first key and the third key;

and then to transmit data indicative of key-up of the third key, data indicative of key-up of the second key and the data indicative of key-up of the first key in accordance with release detection of the third key.

6. An input control method comprising:

displaying on a display a software keyboard comprising a plurality of keys;

transmitting data indicative of key-down of a first key when a touch on the first key of the software keyboard is detected;

transmitting data indicative of key-down of a second key and data indicative of key-up of the first key when the second key is touched after key-down of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is shorter than a predetermined time period; and

transmitting the data indicative of key-down of the second key and not transmitting the data indicative of key-up of the first key, when the second key is touched after key-down of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

7. The input control method of claim 6, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data indicative of key-up of the second key in accordance with release detection of the second key and then transmit the data indicative of key-up of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

8. The input control method of claim 6, wherein the first key is a predetermined key which is operated in combination with the second key.

9. The input control method of claim 6, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data indicative of key-up of the first key when a touch and a release of the first key are detected again after the release of the first key is detected before the second key is touched, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

10. The input control method of claim 8, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data indicative of key-down of a third key in accordance with touch detection of the third key after the second key is touched, if the second key is a predetermined key which is operated in combination with the first key and the third key;

and then to transmit data indicative of key-up of the third key, data indicative of key-up of the second key and the data indicative of key-up of the first key in accordance with release detection of the third key.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which is executable by a computer, the computer program controlling the computer to execute functions of:

displaying on a display a software keyboard comprising a plurality of keys;

transmitting data indicative of key-down of a first key when a touch on the first key of the software keyboard is detected;

transmitting data indicative of key-down of a second key and data indicative of key-up of the first key when the second key is touched after key-down of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is shorter than a predetermined time period; and

transmitting the data indicative of key-down of the second key and not transmitting the data indicative of key-up of the first key, when the second key is touched after key-down of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data indicative of key-up of the second key in accordance with release detection of the second key and then transmit the data indicative of key-up of the first key, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first key is a predetermined key which is operated in combination with the second key.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the data indicative of key-up of the first key when a touch and a release of the first key are detected again after the release of the first key is detected before the second key is touched, if the touch time period of the first key is longer than the predetermined time period.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data indicative of key-down of a third key in accordance with touch detection of the third key after the second key is touched, if the second key is a predetermined key which is operated in combination with the first key and the third key;

and then to transmit data indicative of key-up of the third key, data indicative of key-up of the second key and the data indicative of key-up of the first key in accordance with release detection of the third key.