JP2011097219A - Electronic equipment and image display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide electronic equipment that enables character input while displaying a screen corresponding to an application in operation. <P>SOLUTION: A cellular phone 1 for displaying a screen corresponding to the application in operation comprises: a display unit (a main display 14a, a sub display 14b); an operation unit 15 to be operated to input characters; and a control unit 31 for displaying, when the characters are input by the operation unit 15 during displaying the screen corresponding to the running application on the display unit, the input characters while keeping the screen corresponding to the running application where character has not been input yet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device and a screen display method.

  As an electronic device, there is a mobile phone that can execute various applications (for example, a WEB browser). In such an electronic device, a screen corresponding to the activated application is displayed on the display unit (Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the electronic device has an operation unit (specifically, an operation key). When the user operates the operation key, application activation, character input at the time of mail creation, and the like are executed.

JP 2006-303562 A

  By the way, during the display of the screen corresponding to the application, key operations not related to the display of the screen are restricted. For example, while the screen is displayed by the WEB browser, even if a number is input, it is not displayed on the screen. For this reason, when character input is desired, it is necessary to interrupt the application being executed (as a result, the displayed screen disappears) and start the character input application.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of inputting characters while displaying a screen corresponding to a running application.

  A main aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is an electronic device that displays a screen corresponding to a running application, and includes a display unit, an operation unit for inputting characters, and a screen corresponding to the running application. Control that causes the display unit to display the input character while maintaining the state in which the screen before the character input is displayed when a character is input by the operation unit during display on the display unit And an electronic device.

  In addition, the electronic device includes a first display unit and a second display unit as the display unit, and the control unit displays a screen corresponding to an application being executed, the first display unit and the first display unit. When a character is input by the operation unit during display on the first display unit of the two display units, the state before the character input is displayed on the first display unit is maintained. However, it is desirable to display the input characters on the second display unit.

  In addition, the electronic device includes a communication unit for making a call to a call destination, and the control unit displays a numeric string constituting a telephone number as the characters on the second display unit, and then It is desirable to make a call to a callee corresponding to the numeric string in accordance with a predetermined operation on the operation unit.

  Further, in the electronic device, when the control unit makes a call to a callee corresponding to the numeric string displayed on the second display unit, information related to the call is displayed together with the screen on the first display. It is desirable to display on the part.

  In the electronic apparatus, it is preferable that the control unit displays a screen corresponding to the application being executed on the first display unit even after calling the call destination corresponding to the numeric string.

  In the electronic device, the control unit may not display the second display unit before the characters are input when the screen is displayed on the first display unit. It is desirable to control.

  In addition, in the electronic device, the first housing provided with the first display unit, the operation unit, and the second display unit having a display area smaller than the first display unit are provided. It is desirable to provide a second housing that is movable with respect to the first housing.

  In the electronic device, the display unit includes a first display unit, and the control unit displays the screen corresponding to the application being executed on the first display unit. When a character is input by the operation unit, it is preferable that the input character is displayed on the first display unit together with the screen while maintaining a display size of the screen with respect to the first display unit.

  In the electronic apparatus, it is preferable that the control unit displays the input characters on the screen so that the input characters are displayed on the first display unit together with the screen.

  In addition, in the electronic device, it is preferable that the application being executed is a WEB browser.

  Further, there is provided a screen display method of an electronic device capable of displaying input characters, the step of starting a predetermined application, the step of displaying a screen corresponding to the started application on a display unit, and the screen A step of displaying the input character on the display unit while maintaining the state in which the screen before the character input is displayed when a character is input while being displayed on the display unit. A screen display method characterized by the above.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the electronic device which can input a character in the state which displayed the screen corresponding to the application in execution.

1 is a front view of a mobile phone 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a control circuit 30. FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the display control of the main display 14a and the sub display 14b. 4A to 4C are diagrams showing display transitions of the main display 14a and the sub display 14b. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the display control of the main display 14a which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing transition of display on the main display 14a of the second embodiment.

== Configuration of mobile phone 1 ==
A configuration of the mobile phone 1 that is an example of the electronic apparatus will be described.

<External configuration of mobile phone 1>
FIG. 1 is a front view of the mobile phone 1. The mobile phone 1 includes a first housing 11, a second housing 12, and a hinge part 13. The second housing 12 is configured to be movable with respect to the first housing 11. The hinge 13 connects the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 so as to be movable (specifically, foldably movable).

  The first housing 11 is provided with a main display 14 a which is an example of a first display unit, and a speaker 16. The main display 14a displays various types of information, and includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (Electro Luminescence) display. For example, the main display 14a displays a screen corresponding to the application being executed. The speaker 16 outputs sound during a call.

  The second housing 12 is provided with a sub display 14b, which is an example of a second display unit, an operation unit 15, and a microphone 17. The sub display 14b displays various types of information in the same manner as the main display 14a. As shown in FIG. 1, the sub display 14b has a smaller display area than the main display 14a. In the present embodiment, information having a large display amount such as a menu screen or a screen corresponding to the application being executed is displayed on the main display 14a, and information having a small display amount such as a telephone number is displayed on the sub display 14b. Is displayed.

  The operation unit 15 includes a plurality of operation keys (ten-key 15a, call key 15b, call end key 15c, and multi-directional key 15d) that can be variously pressed. Characters are assigned to the numeric keypad 15a, and character input is performed by pressing the numeric keypad 15a. Further, the screen is switched by pressing the multi-directional key 15d while the screen corresponding to the application is displayed. The microphone 17 receives audio during a call. Note that a control circuit 30 (to be described later), a wireless communication antenna 21 (see FIG. 2), and the like are provided inside the second housing.

<Configuration of Control Circuit 30>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the control circuit 30. The control circuit 30 is for controlling the overall operation of the mobile phone 1. The control circuit 30 includes a main control unit 31, a memory 32, a communication processing unit 23, an audio processing unit 24, a display processing unit 25, and an input data processing unit 26.

  The main control unit 31 performs various processes (communication processing, display processing, etc.) of the mobile phone 1 in accordance with the operation of the operation unit 15 or the like. That is, the main control unit 31 controls operations of the main display 14a, the sub display 14b, and the like.

  The memory 32 stores programs (operation programs, application programs, etc.) used for processing of the main control unit 31. The memory 32 stores various information such as characters and images.

  The communication processing unit 33 communicates with a base station (not shown) that forms part of the wireless communication network via the antenna 21. Accordingly, it is possible to realize a call with another mobile phone user (call destination), transmission / reception of an e-mail, browsing a homepage, and the like. In the present embodiment, the communication processing unit 33 and the antenna 21 constitute a communication unit.

  The voice processing unit 34 performs processing of a voice signal input to the microphone 17 or a voice signal output from the speaker 16 during a call with the callee.

  The display processing unit 35 executes processing for displaying images and characters corresponding to the data supplied from the main control unit 31 on the main display 14a and the sub display 14b. For example, a WEB browser screen is displayed, and characters are displayed when mail is created.

  The input data processing unit 36 generates a control signal when an operation key (such as the numeric keypad 15a) of the operation unit 15 is pressed by the user. For example, in the case of character input, the input data processing unit 36 generates character information corresponding to the pressed numeric keypad 15 a and supplies it to the main control unit 31.

== About character input during application startup ==
While the screen corresponding to the application being executed is being displayed, key operations (for example, character input) that are not related to the display of the screen are restricted. Here, a web browser will be described as an example of an application being executed.

  While the WEB browser screen (browser screen) is being displayed, the input of the multidirectional key 15d for switching the browser screen is accepted. On the other hand, input of the numeric keypad 15a for inputting characters is restricted during display of the browser screen. To be exact, when a character input box is selected on the browser screen, the character input can be accepted. In other cases, even if the numeric keypad 15a is pressed for character input, the browser screen is displayed. Nothing is reflected.

  For this reason, if it is desired to input a character (telephone number) displayed on the browser screen, it is necessary to interrupt the WEB browser (the browser screen is erased as a result) and start a character input application. . For this reason, the user needs to memorize the characters displayed on the browser screen, and there is a possibility of inputting an incorrect character. Further, since the browser screen is erased, it is necessary to restart the browser screen in order to perform a WEB search or the like, and the operation is complicated for the user.

  In consideration of the above-described points, the mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment performs display control by a display unit (main display 14a and sub display 14b) being executed in the application as described later. This makes it possible to input characters while viewing the screen corresponding to the application.

== Display Control of Main Display 14a and Sub Display 14b ==
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining display control of the main display 14a and the sub display 14b. 4A to 4C are diagrams showing display transitions of the main display and the sub display.

  The display control shown in FIG. 3 is started when a predetermined application (here, a WEB browser) is selected from the menu items displayed on the main display 14a, for example.

  First, the main control unit 31 activates the selected WEB browser and causes the main display 14a to display a screen corresponding to the WEB browser (referred to as a browser screen for convenience) (step S2). Thereby, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, it is assumed that the browser screen is displayed over the entire area of the main display 14a. In the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption, the sub-display 14b is turned off when displaying a screen corresponding to the activated application on the main display 14a.

  Next, when a key operation by the user is detected while the browser screen is displayed on the main display 14a (step S4: Yes), the main control unit 31 determines the key operation (step S6). Here, in this embodiment, as the key operation, an operation of switching the browser screen by the multi-directional key 15d or an operation of character input by the numeric keypad 15d is performed.

  When determining that the key operation for switching the browser screen by the other direction key 15d is performed (step S8: Yes), the main control unit 31 switches the display of the main display 14a (step S10). For example, the main control unit 31 scrolls and displays the browser screen in conjunction with the operation of the multidirectional key 15d. Thereafter, when a key operation for switching the display of the main display 14a is performed, the display of the browser screen of the main display 14a is switched. At this time, the sub-display 14b maintains the OFF state.

  On the other hand, for example, in order to make a call to the telephone number displayed on the browser screen shown in FIG. 4A, it is determined that a key operation (for example, operation of the numeric keypad 15a) for inputting the telephone number has been performed (step S8). : No), the main control unit 31 has been in an OFF state until that time (in other words, the main control unit 31 displays the browser screen on the main display 14a before the character is input). Activates the sub-display 14b (which controls the sub-display 14b not to display) (step S12). Then, the main control unit 31 displays the characters input in step S8 on the activated sub-display 14b (in this example, a character string constituting a telephone number is input as the characters) in FIG. 4B. As shown, it is displayed on the sub-display 14b (step S14).

  By the way, when the numeric string is displayed on the sub-display 14b, the display state of the main display 14a does not change as shown in FIG. 4B. That is, the input number string is displayed only on the sub display 14b and not displayed on the main display 14a.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the main control unit 31 causes the main display 14a of the main display 14a and the sub display 14b to display a screen (browser screen) corresponding to the application (WEB browser) being executed. In this case, when a numeric string is input by the operation unit 15, the input numeric string is displayed on the sub-display 14b while maintaining the state where the screen is displayed. As a result, even when an application is being executed, a character input screen unrelated to the operation of the application can be displayed without deleting the screen corresponding to the application. As a result, for example, characters can be input while looking at the browser screen, and convenience is improved.

  Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 3, the description of the display control will be continued. When the main control unit 31 displays a numeric string (telephone number) on the sub-display 14b and detects activation of a function related to the numeric string (in this case, activation of a calling operation) (step S31). (S16: Yes), a call is made to the callee corresponding to the number string (step S18). Specifically, when the user presses the call key 15b with the telephone number displayed, a call is made with the browser screen displayed.

  Then, when making a call to the call destination, the main control unit 31 displays information related to the call on the main display 14a together with the browser screen (step S20). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4C, the main control unit 31 displays information indicating that a call is being made on the browser screen. The reason why the information indicating that a call is being made is displayed on the main display 14a instead of the sub display 14b is that the call is made by displaying the information on the main display 14a having a display area larger than that of the sub display 14b. This is because the user can easily recognize this.

  When the user of the call destination responds to the call operation, the main control unit 31 performs call processing with the call destination (step S22). And the main control part 31 maintains the display of the browser screen before a telephone number is input also during a telephone call process. Thereby, the user can inquire about the information displayed on the browser screen while looking at the browser screen, for example, during a call.

  After the end of the call process, the main control unit 31 turns the sub display 14b in the ON state to the OFF state (step S24). As a result, the numeric string displayed on the sub-display 14b is also erased. On the other hand, even after the end of the call process, the main control unit 31 maintains the state (the state shown in FIG. 4A) in which the browser screen before the telephone number is input is displayed on the main display 14a. Thereby, the user does not need to start up the WEB browser again after the call, and can smoothly browse the WEB page by the WEB browser.

  Thereafter, while the activated application (WEB browser) is being executed (step S26: Yes), the above-described processing (steps S4 to S24) is repeated. On the other hand, when the WEB browser is stopped, this control ends.

  In the above description, a character string (telephone number) has been described as an example of characters displayed on the sub-display 14b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, kana characters may be displayed on the sub display 14b. In such a case, useful information on the WEB page can be saved by executing a function corresponding to the character displayed on the sub-display 14b (for example, registering it in a memo pad).

== Display Control According to Second Embodiment ==
In the embodiment described above (hereinafter referred to as the first embodiment), the mobile phone 1 has the main display 14a and the sub display 14b. However, in the second embodiment described below, the mobile phone 1 has the main display. 14a only. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the display control of the main display 14a is performed so that, for example, the telephone number being displayed on the browser screen can be input.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining display control of the main display 14a according to the second embodiment. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing transition of display on the main display 14a of the second embodiment.

  The control shown in FIG. 5 is also related to the processing after starting the WEB browser, as in FIG. Steps S52 to S56 in FIG. 5 are the same as steps S2 to S6 in FIG. In step S58, when the browser screen is displayed on the main display 14a as shown in FIG. 6A and the operated key is not a key operation corresponding to the browser (that is, a key operation for character input). (Step S58: No), the main control unit 31 displays the input numeric string (telephone number) on the main display 14a (Step S64).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the main control unit 31 is displaying a browser screen and a numeric string (telephone number) is input by the operation unit 15, the main control unit 31 displays the main display 14a. While the display size of the browser screen is maintained, the input numeric string is displayed on the main display 14a together with the browser screen. Here, the input number string is displayed in an overlapping manner on the browser screen.

  When the call key 15b is pressed with the number string displayed on the main display 14a (step S66: Yes), the main control unit 31 performs call processing (step S68), and displays the main display 14a. A message indicating that a call is being made is displayed (step S70). Thereafter, call processing is performed (step S72), and when the call processing ends, the numeric string (telephone number) displayed on the main display 14a is deleted (step S74). As a result, the normal display state of the browser screen is restored, and subsequent searches and the like by the WEB browser are smoothly performed.

  In the above embodiment, the input characters are displayed on the browser screen in an overlapping manner, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a partial area of the browser screen may be deleted, and characters input in the deleted area may be displayed.

  As described above, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when the mobile phone 1 displays a screen corresponding to the application being executed on the display unit 14, characters are input by the operation unit 15. Then, the input character is displayed on the display unit 14 while maintaining the state where the screen is displayed. As a result, even when an application is being executed, a character input screen unrelated to the operation of the application can be displayed without deleting the screen corresponding to the application. As a result, for example, characters can be input while looking at the browser screen, and convenience is improved.

== Other Embodiments ==
Although a mobile phone or the like as one embodiment has been described, the above embodiment is for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the mobile phone 1 is described as an electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is not limited thereto. PHS (registered trademark: Personal Handy Phone System), PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), portable navigation device, An electronic dictionary, a notebook computer, or the like may be used.

  In the above embodiment, a foldable mobile phone has been described as an example of the mobile phone 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a mobile phone that is not folded, such as a straight type, may be used. That is, any form may be used as long as the display unit is configured to face the cradle.

  In the above embodiment, the sub-display 14b is provided on the same surface as the operation unit 15 in the second housing 12 as shown in FIG. 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sub display 14 b may be provided on the side surface of the second housing 12.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone 11 1st housing | casing 12 2nd housing | casing 13 Hinge part 14a Main display 14b Sub display 15 Operation part 16 Speaker 17 Microphone 21 Antenna 30 Control circuit 31 Main control part 32 Memory 33 Radio | wireless communication part 34 Voice processing part 35 Display processing unit 36 Input data processing unit

Claims (11)

An electronic device that displays a screen corresponding to a running application,
A display unit;
An operation unit for inputting characters;
When a screen corresponding to an application being executed is displayed on the display unit and a character is input by the operation unit, the screen is displayed while maintaining the state before the character is input. A control unit for displaying characters on the display unit;
An electronic device comprising: The electronic device according to claim 1,
As said display part, it has a 1st display part and a 2nd display part,
When the control unit displays a screen corresponding to the application being executed on the first display unit of the first display unit and the second display unit, a character is input by the operation unit. Then, while maintaining the state in which the screen before character input is displayed on the first display unit, the input character is displayed on the second display unit. The electronic device according to claim 2,
It has a communication unit to make a call to the other party,
The control unit displays a number string that constitutes a telephone number as the character on the second display unit, and then makes a call to a callee corresponding to the number string in accordance with a predetermined operation on the operation unit. An electronic device characterized in that The electronic device according to claim 3,
The control unit displays information related to a call on the first display unit together with the screen when a call is made to a callee corresponding to the number string displayed on the second display unit. Electronics. The electronic device according to claim 3 or claim 4,
The electronic device is characterized in that the control unit causes the first display unit to display a screen corresponding to a running application even after calling a callee corresponding to the numeric string. The electronic device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The control unit controls the display so that the display by the second display unit is not performed before the character is input when the screen is displayed on the first display unit. machine. The electronic device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
A first housing provided with the first display unit;
A second housing that is provided with the operation portion and the second display portion having a display area smaller than that of the first display portion and is movable with respect to the first housing;
An electronic device comprising: The electronic device according to claim 1,
While the control unit is displaying a screen corresponding to the application being executed on the display unit, when characters are input by the operation unit, while maintaining the display size of the screen on the display unit, An electronic apparatus, wherein an input character is displayed on the display unit together with the screen. The electronic device according to claim 8,
The said control part is an aspect which displays the input character on the said screen as an aspect which displays the input character on the said 1st display part with the said screen, The electronic device characterized by the above-mentioned. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The electronic device is characterized in that the application being executed is a WEB browser. An electronic device screen display method capable of displaying input characters,
Starting a predetermined application;
Displaying a screen corresponding to the activated application on the display unit;
When a character is input while displaying the screen on the display unit, displaying the input character on the display unit while maintaining the state of displaying the screen before character input; A screen display method characterized by comprising: