JP2001268185A - Mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile communication terminal with excellent user- friendliness by increasing an information quantity displayed on its display section. SOLUTION: When the display section 10 displays a message in characters such as numerals, Kana (Japanese syllabary) and alphabets, the adjacent characters of the message are displayed in different colors or contrasts. Thus, even when the adjacent characters are placed close to each other or parts of them are in duplicate to display many characters on a narrow area, the borders of the characters can easily be discriminated and a user can confirm contents of the message.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal such as a portable telephone having a display unit for displaying a message and displaying an operation state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional mobile communication terminals such as mobile phones are
When a radio signal transmitted from the radio base station is received, the user is notified by sound or vibration, and the calling number of the caller is displayed on a display unit such as an LCD. If the wireless signal includes a message signal, a message such as characters is displayed on the display unit. This message is stored in the storage unit, and the user can read the message at a desired time by operating the input unit including the operation keys.

When a message is transmitted from a portable communication terminal, a character is input by operating an input unit, and the input character is displayed on a display unit. After confirming the content of the displayed message, the user inputs a calling number and makes a call to transmit the message. Also,
When the mobile communication terminal has a telephone function, it is also possible to set a communication state of the mobile communication terminal by operating the input unit and make a call.

The display unit is composed of a display device such as an LCD. As shown in FIG. 3, characters such as numerals, kana, and alphabets are displayed in the display unit 10 so that the user can confirm the contents. As shown in FIG. 6, when waiting for a radio signal from the radio base station, an antenna icon 12 indicating that the radio signal can be received, and an electric field intensity icon indicating the electric field intensity by the number of a plurality of rectangular diagrams 13a. A symbol such as thirteen is displayed so that the operating state of the mobile communication terminal can be easily confirmed.

[0005]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional portable communication terminal, the portability is required, so that the area of the display unit 10 is small, and in the case of a long message, all the messages are displayed on the display unit 10. Can not. For this reason,
The user scrolls the screen by operating the input unit to check the contents. In particular, a large number of messages can be transmitted in recent years, and the screen on which the messages are displayed is frequently scrolled.

In order to display a large number of messages on the display unit 10, it is conceivable to reduce the space between characters or reduce the size of characters. However, when the space between the characters is narrowed, the boundaries between the characters become unclear and the user becomes difficult to read. Further, if the size of the character is reduced, not only is it difficult to read, but also it is necessary to improve the resolution of an LCD or the like in order to display the small character, which increases the cost.

Therefore, if the user can easily read the message displayed on the display unit, there is a problem that the scroll operation of the screen is repeatedly performed, and a complicated operation is required, and the usability of the portable communication terminal is poor. .

The symbols displayed on the display unit 10 include, in addition to the above, other electric field strength icons displayed to indicate electric field strengths for a plurality of radio base stations, a battery icon indicating a battery consumption state, and the like. Is displayed. If these are displayed at the same time, it becomes impossible to secure the display area for the call number, etc.
There was a problem with poor usability.

An object of the present invention is to provide a portable communication terminal which is easy to use by increasing the amount of information displayed on a display unit.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that a display unit is provided for displaying adjacent characters in different colors or shades. According to this configuration, when a message is displayed on the display unit using characters such as numbers, kana, and alphabets, adjacent characters are displayed in different colors or shades. This allows
Even if adjacent characters are made to approach each other or a part of them is overlapped, the contents can be easily read and confirmed.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a display unit is provided which displays a plurality of symbols representing the operation state in different colors or shades in an overlapping manner. According to this configuration, a plurality of symbols indicating operation states such as electric field strength are displayed on the display unit in an overlapping manner, and the plurality of operation states are notified using a narrow area of the display unit. At this time, the overlapping symbols are displayed in different colors or shades so that they can be easily distinguished.

Further, according to the present invention, in the portable communication terminal having the above structure, the symbol comprises a blank portion and a graphic portion in which a predetermined graphic is drawn with the blank portion interposed therebetween, and the blank portion of one symbol is replaced by another blank portion. It is characterized by arranging the figure part of the symbol.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a state in which the characters or the symbols are overlapped and a state in which the characters or symbols are not overlapped are switched according to the operation state of the portable communication terminal. According to this configuration, for example, from a state of waiting for communication from one radio base station,
When the operation state of the portable communication terminal is switched to a state of waiting for communication from a wireless base station at a location, a symbol indicating the electric field strength of one wireless base station changes the electric field strength of another wireless base station accordingly. It is displayed in duplicate with the symbol shown.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the portable communication terminal having the above-mentioned configuration has an input section comprising a plurality of operation keys, and the characters or the symbols are overlapped by operating the predetermined operation keys. I have. According to this configuration, when a predetermined operation key is operated from a state where characters or symbols are displayed on the display unit without being duplicated, the characters or symbols are redundantly displayed. If a predetermined operation key is operated in advance, characters or symbols are redundantly displayed on the display unit.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that in the portable communication terminal configured as described above, the color or the shade of the character or the symbol can be changed. According to this configuration, the characters or symbols displayed on the display unit are changed to colors or shades that are easy for the user to distinguish by operating the operation keys or the like.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment. The mobile communication terminal 1
The overall operation control is performed by the control unit 2 including a CPU. A wireless control unit 4 connected to the control unit 2 transmits and receives signals to and from a wireless base station via the antenna 3. Also,
It detects the electric field strength of the received wireless signal and converts the wireless signal into a voice signal or character data.

The notification unit 7 includes a buzzer or the like, and notifies a ringtone under the control of the control unit 2 when a signal is received. The input unit 5 has a plurality of operation keys such as a numerical key, a character key, and a function key, and can input a message or a calling number, and instruct transmission by operating the operation keys. .

The display control section 8 controls the display section 10 to display a predetermined image. As a result, each time a message or a call number is input using the operation keys when a message is transmitted, the message or the call number is displayed on the display unit 10. Further, it receives the message signal and displays the character data converted by the wireless control unit 4. The storage unit 6 stores the received message, the use state of the mobile communication terminal 1, the name and the call number by the address book function, and can be called by the control unit 2 as needed.

The display unit 10 is composed of a color LCD, and as shown in FIG. 3, a message composed of numerals, kana, alphabets and the like and characters such as a call number are displayed, and the user can confirm the contents. Can be. Display unit 10
Can be changed by operating a predetermined operation key of the input unit 5. The operation of changing the character spacing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. For example, when a message stored in the storage unit 6 is called by a predetermined operation of the input unit 5, characters are displayed on the display unit 10 as shown in FIG.

In step # 101, it is determined whether or not the operation of the operation key of the input unit 5 is a predetermined operation for enlarging the character interval. If the operation is not the predetermined operation, it is determined in step # 102 whether the operation is the predetermined operation for reducing the character interval. If it is a predetermined operation, it is determined in step # 103 whether the character interval currently displayed on the display unit 10 is the minimum displayable value. If the character interval is minimum, the process ends.

If the character spacing is not the minimum value, the character spacing is reduced in step # 104. And step #
At 105, the color tone of the character is adjusted by the display control unit 8.
As a result, as shown in FIG. In addition, adjacent characters, for example, the character "A" has a weaker color tone, and the character "I" has a stronger color tone (in the figure, the difference in the thickness of the characters indicates the difference in the color tone). There).

When the operation of reducing the character spacing is performed again, the display on the display unit 10 becomes as shown in FIG. 5, and the character spacing is further reduced to the extent that adjacent characters partially overlap. Adjacent characters are displayed with more or less color tone. As a result, more characters can be displayed on the narrow display unit 10 and the boundary between the approaching characters can be easily determined. Therefore, the user can easily check the contents of the message, and the user does not need to frequently scroll the screen, thereby improving the usability of the mobile communication terminal 1.

When the display unit 10 performs a predetermined operation to enlarge the character spacing by the input unit 5 from the state displayed as shown in FIGS.
Move to 106. In step # 106, it is determined whether or not the character interval currently displayed on the display unit 10 is the maximum value that can be displayed. If the character interval is the maximum, the process ends.

If the character spacing is not the maximum value, the character spacing is expanded in step # 107. And step #
At 105, the color tone of the character is adjusted by the display control unit 8.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. In the case of FIG. 3, the characters are displayed in a single color. In the case of FIG. 4, adjacent characters are displayed in colors with different colors depending on the character spacing.

The color tone may be adjusted in step # 105 by performing a predetermined operation. In this way, the user can select and display a color in which the boundaries of the characters can be determined.

The character spacing may be varied by the control unit 2 without using the user's operation according to the length of the message displayed on the display unit 10. In this case, the operation of the input unit 5 is not required, and the usability is further improved. At this time, the power consumption of the display unit 10 can be reduced by displaying characters in a single color with a wide character interval.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when waiting for a radio signal from the radio base station, an antenna icon 12 indicating that the signal can be received, and an electric field intensity icon indicating the state of the electric field intensity. Symbols such as 13 are displayed on the display unit 10 so that the operating state of the mobile communication terminal 1 can be confirmed. The electric field strength icon 13 includes a plurality of rectangles 1
3a are arranged with the blank portion 13b interposed therebetween, and the strength of the electric field is represented by the number of the rectangular figures 13a, so that the user can easily determine the state of the electric field strength.

The number of radio base stations is not limited to one, and signals from a plurality of radio base stations can be awaited. In this case, when a predetermined operation is performed by the input unit 5, the state of the electric field intensity from one wireless base station is indicated by an electric field intensity icon 13 as shown in FIG. The state is indicated by the electric field strength icon 14, and the electric field strengths of a plurality of wireless base stations can be confirmed.

At this time, the blank portion 1 of the electric field strength icon 13
When the rectangular diagram 14a of the electric field strength icon 14 is overlapped with 3b, the rectangular diagram 13a of the electric field strength icon 13 is arranged in the blank portion 14b of the electric field intensity icon 14. By displaying the rectangular figures 13a and 14a in different colors, the field strength icons 13 and 14 can be easily determined.

The symbols displayed on the display unit 10 are not limited to the electric field strength icons 13 and 14, and other symbols indicating the operating state of the portable communication terminal 1 are displayed in different colors by overlapping and displaying them. By displaying many symbols in the designated display area, the user does not need to switch the display screen, and the usability can be improved.

When a predetermined operation is performed by the input unit 5 from the display state shown in FIG. 7, the electric field intensity icon 1 shown in FIG.
4, the state of the electric field strength from one radio base station can be confirmed. Thereby, the user can select the display state.

Further, the operation of the input unit 5 may be set in advance to display the electric field strengths of the two radio base stations, and the setting information may be stored in the storage unit 6. Then, when the portable communication terminal 1 is activated, the setting information is called from the storage unit 6, and the electric field strength icons 13 and 14 are displayed on the display unit 10 in an overlapping manner as shown in FIG.

Normally, the portable communication terminal 1 automatically switches between a state of waiting for a radio signal from one radio base station and a state of waiting for a radio signal from two radio base stations. The display on the display unit 10 may be automatically switched with the switching of the standby state of the mobile communication terminal 1. By doing so, the user does not need to switch the screen, and the usability is further improved.

In this embodiment, adjacent characters or overlapping symbols displayed on the display unit 10 composed of a color LCD are displayed in different colors. However, in the case of an LCD displaying a single color, different shades are used. The same effect can be obtained even if the display is performed by the.

[0035]

According to the present invention, by displaying adjacent characters in different colors and shades, more characters can be displayed on a narrow display portion, and the boundaries of approaching or partially overlapping characters can be easily determined. . Therefore, the user can easily confirm the contents of the message, and the user does not need to frequently scroll the screen, thereby improving the usability of the mobile communication terminal.

Further, according to the present invention, the symbols indicating the operation state of the portable communication terminal are displayed on the display unit in different colors so that many symbols are displayed in a limited display area, so that the user can display the symbols. It is not necessary to perform a switching operation of the display screen, and the usability can be improved.

Also, according to the present invention, each symbol can be easily discriminated by overlapping the graphic portion with the blank portion of the symbol, thereby changing the color or shading of the duplicated symbol.

Further, according to the present invention, the length of the message displayed on the display unit and the color or shading of characters and symbols are changed in accordance with the switching of the standby state of the radio signal, so that the user does not need to perform any operation. The display state of the display unit is switched. Thereby, the usability of the portable communication terminal is further improved. In addition, when the display is normally performed in a single color, the power consumption of the display unit can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, by making the color or shading of a character or a symbol variable, the user can select and display a color or shading that allows the user to distinguish the character or the symbol.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a portable communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the mobile communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen displaying characters of the mobile communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another display screen displaying characters of the mobile communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing still another display screen displaying characters of the mobile communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen displaying symbols of the mobile communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another display screen displaying symbols of the mobile communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile communication terminal 2 Control part 3 Antenna 4 Wireless control part 5 Input part 6 Storage part 7 Information part 8 Display control part 9 Color tone change part 10 Display part 12 Antenna icon 13, 14 Electric field intensity icon 13a, 14a Rectangular figure 13b, 14b Blank part

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A portable communication terminal comprising a display unit for displaying adjacent characters in different colors or shades. 2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein a part of adjacent characters is overlapped. 3. A portable communication terminal comprising a display unit for displaying a plurality of symbols representing operating states in different colors or shades in an overlapping manner. 4. The symbol comprises a blank portion and a graphic portion on which a predetermined graphic is drawn with the blank portion interposed therebetween, wherein a graphic portion of another symbol is arranged in a blank portion of one symbol. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 3. 5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the character or the symbol is switched between a state in which the character or the symbol is overlapped and a state in which the character or the symbol is not overlapped according to an operation state of the mobile communication terminal. The mobile communication terminal according to any one of the above. 6. An input unit comprising a plurality of operation keys,
3. The character or the symbol is duplicated by operating a predetermined operation key.
The mobile communication terminal according to claim 4. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a color or a shade of said character or said symbol is variable.
The mobile communication terminal according to claim 6.