KR100271375B1 - Apparatus for inputting characters with restricted keys, method and telephone terminal using same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A device for inputting characters by a limited key is provided to select specific consonants and vowels after firstly selecting a specific consonant and vowel group. Therefore, it is possible to simplify a key operation. Also, it is possible to rapidly input the characters by adding a screen displayer and a controller. CONSTITUTION: A screen displayer(130) displays a Korean alphabet input menu arranged a Korean alphabet consonant and vowel group according to a determined rule. A key input unit(110) includes a cursor moving key which moves a cursor selecting the Korean alphabet consonant and vowel group, and includes a character selecting key which selects one consonant and vowel among the Korean alphabet consonant and vowel group. A controller(120) moves the cursor on the Korean alphabet input menu by pressing the cursor moving key, and combines the consonant with the vowel selected by the character selecting key, then complete the Korean alphabet.

Description

Apparatus for inputting characters with restricted keys, method and telephone terminal using same

The present invention relates to a character input method in a device for inputting characters using a limited number of keys and to a device having only a limited number of keys. Particularly, the present invention relates to Korean or English characters using fewer keys than Korean or English alphabets. The present invention relates to an apparatus for inputting English characters and a method thereof.

In general, a device such as a telephone terminal, a game machine, or a desktop computer has only a few keys or buttons in accordance with the number of information to be input. Therefore, when you want to enter a character in a device having only these restricted keys, you cannot directly enter one letter at a time with the provided key, but arrange each letter on the screen by the letter and then press the cursor movement key. Use the method of selecting and entering a letter.

However, the method of arranging each letter on the screen in the letter unit and then selecting the letter using the cursor movement keys requires a number of key manipulations to input one letter, and thus takes a long time and inconvenience in entering characters. There is this.

On the other hand, with the development of communication technology, such a service as a general telephone terminal or an electronic mail using a portable telephone terminal is possible, but the reality that a telephone terminal capable of inputting text has not been put to practical use until now. Accordingly, there has been a demand for a telephone terminal capable of text entry.

An object of the present invention is to provide a character input device and method capable of quickly and easily inputting Korean or English characters with a minimum of key operations in a character input device having a limited key.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a telephone terminal capable of text input while using a keypad of a conventional telephone terminal as it is.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a character input apparatus having a limited key according to the present invention.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the Hangul input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a key arrangement of the key input unit of FIG. 2.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the Hangul input device according to the present invention.

5 illustrates an embodiment of an English input menu of a Korean, English or special character input apparatus according to the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a Hangul input method according to the present invention.

7 is a state transition diagram schematically showing a 2 beol Hangul automata.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a Hangul input method including applying a 2 beol Hangul automata to pre-positioning a cursor for a next input in a text input menu.

9A and 9B illustrate a position of a cursor for the next input in advance in the Hangul input menu by applying a 2-Bul Hangul automata. FIG. 9A shows the consonant group and FIG. 9B shows the vowel group.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of inputting Korean, English or special characters according to the present invention.

11 is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of a phone terminal capable of entering text according to the present invention.

12A and 12B illustrate one and another embodiment of the keypad of FIG. 11.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a character input apparatus capable of inputting Hangul, comprising: screen display means for displaying a Hangul input menu in which Hangul Jamo groups that group Hangul Jamo alphabets in a predetermined number are arranged according to a predetermined rule; Key input means including a cursor movement key for moving the cursor for selecting the Hangul alphabet group and a character selection key for selecting one letter among the currently selected Hangul alphabet groups; And control means for moving the cursor on the Hangul input menu according to the pressing of the cursor movement key and combining the letters selected by the character selection key to complete the Hangul.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a Hangul input method in a device having a limited key, the method including displaying Hangul alphabets grouping Hangul alphabets in a predetermined number on a screen according to a predetermined rule; Selecting a Hangul alphabet having a Hangul alphabet to be input by moving a cursor moving in the Hangul alphabet unit; Selecting a Hangul Jamo to be input from the selected Hangul Jamo group; And combining the selected Hangul alphabets and displaying the input characters on the screen.

In order to solve the above other technical problem, a phone terminal capable of inputting text according to the present invention is

Screen display means for displaying a character input menu in which the alphabet letters grouping the alphabet letters of a predetermined number are arranged according to a predetermined rule; Numeral / character input mode switching means for inputting characters and numbers by mutual switching; And a control means for receiving a number by pressing a key of the keypad according to the current input mode, moving the cursor on the letter input menu, and receiving the selected letter, and the keypad for moving the cursor for selecting a specific letter group. Characters and numbers can be input by arranging a cursor movement key and a character selection key for selecting a specific letter among the currently selected alphabet groups superimposed on the numeric keys.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the configuration and operation of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a character input apparatus having a limited key according to the present invention. As shown, the character input apparatus according to the present invention receives a key input unit 110 having a limited number of keys, a control unit for receiving characters input by the key input unit 110 to combine characters and display them on the screen display unit 130. And a screen display unit 130 including a text input menu 131 for text input and an input window 132 for displaying currently input characters.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the screen input unit 200 and the key input units 230 and 240 for inputting Hangul among the character input device of FIG. 1. As shown, the screen display unit 200 includes a Hangul input menu 210 for inputting Hangul and an input window 220 for displaying the input characters, and the Hangul input menu 210 displays the Hangul alphabet 211. Hanging four to form a Hangul alphabet 212, each Hangul alphabet is arranged in nine rows in three rows and three columns. In addition, each Hangul Jamo group 212 may be a cursor 213 indicating that it is currently selected by blinking or inverting.

The key input unit includes four up / down / left / right cursor movement keys 230 for moving the cursor in the Hangul alphabet group 212 and four character selection keys for selecting a specific Hangul alphabet among the Hangul alphabet groups where the current cursor is located ( 240).

When the cursor movement key 230 is pressed, the cursor 213 is moved up, down, left, and right on the Hangul input menu 210 according to each arrow direction. On the other hand, the cursor 213 can be moved in a circular manner, for example, when the cursor 213 is located, such as the Hangul input menu 210 of Figure 2, when the up arrow key 231 is pressed Move to Hangul Jamo-Gun with ㅗ, ㅛ, TT, ㅠ.

The character selection key 240 is composed of as many keys as the Hangul alphabet 211 enclosed by the Hangul alphabet 212. The upper left key 241 is the upper left alphabet in the Hangul alphabet where the cursor 213 is located (FIG. 2). In the Hangul input menu of 'ㄹ'), the upper right key (242) the upper right letter ('ㅁ'), the left lower key (243) the lower left letter ('ㅂ'), and the right hockey (244) the lower right letter ( 'ㅅ').

Therefore, the user, while looking at the Hangul input menu 210 displayed on the screen display unit 200, moves the cursor to the Hangul alphabet group with the Hangul alphabet to be input using the cursor movement key 230 of the key input unit, and the character selection key. When selecting the Hangul alphabet to be input using 240, the control unit applies the 2 beol Hangul Automata to determine whether the selected Hangul alphabet is initial, neutral, or final and combines the characters (Detailed description of the 2 Beol Hangul Automata It will be described later) on the input window 220.

Meanwhile, FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the key input unit of the character input device of FIG. 2, which is also composed of four cursor movement keys 310 and four character selection keys 320. Same as the key input section 230 and 240 of 2. As shown in FIG. However, while the key input unit of FIG. 2 operates the cursor movement key 230 with the left hand and the character selection key 240 with the right hand, the key input unit of FIG. 3 selects the cursor movement key 310 and the character with one hand. The keys 320 are all conveniently arranged to operate.

As described above, the Hangul input device according to the present invention inputs one alphabet through two steps. In the above embodiment, the number of key operations for inputting one alphabet is up to five times. On the other hand, when the cursor is moved cyclically as described above, the maximum number of key operations is three times. For example, if the current cursor is located in the letter group A, B, B, C, and you want to enter 'ㅡ' located in the letter group farthest away, select Left Arrow, Up Arrow, and Left Character. The keys 241 are pressed in sequence.

In addition, if the number of Hangul alphabets included in one Hangul alphabet group is increased and the number of Hangul alphabet groups is reduced accordingly, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, nine Hangul alphabets 410 are bundled to form one Hangul alphabet group 411. And arrange four Hangul alphabet groups in one column, with four cursor movement keys (430), the first key being the first letter group, the second key being the second letter group, and the third key being the third letter. If the mother group, the fourth key to select the fourth letter group, and the letter selection key 440 is arranged in the same number as the number of letters forming each letter group, the maximum number of key operations are reduced to two times. In other words, the four Hangul alphabet groups corresponding to the cursor movement keys 430 are immediately selected, and the nine letters in the currently selected alphabet groups are selected using the nine character selection keys 440. In this way, the number of constituent alphabets of the Hangul alphabet group, the number of character selection keys and the arrangement thereof can be adjusted for each application.

Next, a character input device having a limited key that can input Korean, English, and special characters will be described.

First, FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of an English input menu for inputting English and special characters. Like the Korean input menu (210), the English input menu is also composed of four alphabet letters (510) or special characters (511) to form one alphabet letter group or special character group (512), and the English alphabet letter group and special character group (512) is arranged in three rows and three columns.

In addition, in order to be able to input Korean, English and special characters, it is necessary to switch between the Korean input menu 210 and the English input menu so that the Korean / English input mode switching means can be displayed on the screen display unit 200. As shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, the input mode switching means is located on the letter input menu (for example, 'A' (214, 412) displayed in the Jamo group of Figs. 2 and 4). In addition, the 'HAN' 513 displayed in the Jamo group of FIG. 5 may switch the English mode to the Korean mode), or may be added as a function key to the key input unit.

Therefore, when the user selects or switches the input mode according to the type of characters to be input, the controller displays a Korean or English input menu on the screen display according to the input mode, and the user uses the same key as in the case of the above-described Korean input. You can enter Korean or English and special characters. However, in English mode, unlike the Hangul mode, it is necessary to determine whether it is initial, neutral, or final and display it directly in the input window without having to combine Hangul.

In the character input apparatus as described above, the Hangul input method according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 6, Hangul input menu and cursor arranged by the Hangul alphabet group grouping the Hangul alphabet by a predetermined number according to a predetermined rule Displaying on the screen (610), moving the cursor in the unit of Hangul Jamo group to select the Hangul Jamo group with the Hangul alphabet to be input (620), selecting a specific Hangul alphabet from the Jamo group where the current cursor is located 630, a step 640 of combining and displaying the selected Jamo on the screen and determining 650 whether the input is completed. If the input is not completed, the cursor is moved again to display the Hangul alphabet. Returning to step 620 of selection, the above steps are repeated until completion.

On the other hand, the number of key operations can be reduced when inputting Hangul, which is possible by applying 2 beol Hangul automata. In general, unlike English, Hangul is a combination of single letters to form a letter. Therefore, when receiving Hangul input, it is necessary to process the intermediate process while receiving the Jamo input until the completion of one character is confirmed. A program for processing the Hangul input process is called a Hangul automata and the state transition diagram of FIG. 7 is illustrated.

Referring to FIG. 7, first, S0 to S7 (710 to 717) are defined as each Hangul alphabet is input, S0 710 is an initial state without any input, and S1 711 is a consonant. S2 (712) is input and processed as a initial consonant, S2 (712) is a state in which the vowel is input and processed as neutral; 712 or S3 (713) is a consonant input state is processed as a finality, S5 (715) is one more consonant is input to S4 (714) is a state that is terminated by a consonant, S6 (716) is one letter In the completed state, S7 717 is a state in which a vowel is input and the final consonant of the previous character is separated and one letter is completed and the neutral of the next character is processed. Arrow 720 indicates a process of transition of each state according to the input Hangul alphabet. The letters C, V, B, and X 730 on the arrow 720 indicate a consonant, a vowel (neutral), a consonant, and other cases that become primary.

A method of reducing the number of key operations when entering Korean characters using the 2 beol Hangul automata as described above is as follows.

First, since S0 710, S6 716, and S7 717 of FIG. 7 are in an initial state without any input or in a state in which one letter is completed, the next letter to be input has a high probability of being a consonant. Therefore, by placing the cursor in the consonant group, the number of key presses can be reduced. In the case of S1 711 and S5 715, since there is a high probability that a vowel is input next, the cursor is placed in the vowel group. In this manner, in the case of S2 712, S3 713, and S4 714, since the probability of inputting consonants is high, the cursor is placed in the consonant group.

In summary, as shown in FIG. 8, whenever the Hangul alphabet is input, the current state is determined (810). If the state is S1 or S5, the next cursor is placed on the vowel group 910 as shown in FIG. 9A. If it is located 820 and S0, S2, S3, S4, S6, and S7, the number of key manipulations can be reduced by placing it in the consonant group 920 as shown in FIG. 9B (830). That is, FIG. 8 determines the presently input state added between the step 640 of combining the selected letters of FIG. 6 and displaying them on the screen display means 650 and determining whether the input is completed (810). Steps 820 and 830 are shown for positioning the next cursor.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method for inputting both Korean, English, and special characters in a character input device having a restricted key.

In order to be able to input both Korean, English and special characters, a Korean / English input mode switching means having a English input menu as shown in FIG. 5 and being switched with the Korean input menu 210 and displayed on the screen should be provided.

In the method of inputting Korean or English and special characters in a character input apparatus equipped with an input mode switching means, the user first selects or switches an input mode (not shown), and determines a current input mode (1010). If the input mode is Korean, inputting and processing Korean characters (1020); if the input mode is English, inputting and processing English characters and special characters (1030); Return to and repeat the process until complete.

On the other hand, the input mode switching step is possible at any stage of the input diagram. That is, when the user switches the input mode during the input, the user stops the current step and determines the input mode (1010).

In addition, the operation of inputting and processing Korean characters 1020 includes the same steps as those of the aforementioned Korean input method (610 to 650 of FIG. 6), and inputting and processing English and special characters (1030). Is performed in the same manner as the Korean input method using the English input menu, but simply displaying the inputted English alphabet and special characters on the screen without the process of combining the selected Hangul alphabet in the Korean input method (1031). ) Is enough.

The character input device having a limited key as described above can be applied to a specific phone terminal, and FIG. 11 schematically illustrates a phone terminal capable of text input. 11 shows a portable telephone terminal, the telephone terminal according to the present invention can be applied to a general home telephone terminal.

The telephone terminal according to the present invention includes a text input menu 1111 for inputting text, a cursor for selecting a letter group, and a screen display 1110 for displaying an input window 1112 for displaying a currently input character. And a keypad 1120 configured by superimposing a cursor movement key for moving the cursor on the numeric keypad 1121 and a character selection key for selecting a specific letter among the selected letter group, and a controller (not shown) for character input and processing.

The character input menu displayed on the screen display 1110 is formed by forming a letter group by grouping a number of letters of a predetermined letter and arranging the letter groups according to a predetermined rule. In the case of Korean, for example, FIG. It may be configured as the Korean input menu 210 as shown, and in the case of English, it may be configured as an English input menu as shown in FIG. In addition, the cursor 213 and the input window 220 may be configured as shown in FIG. 2. 12A or 12B, the keypad for character input is arranged by superimposing the cursor movement key 1210 on the conventional numeric keypad with the numeric keys corresponding to the direction, and selecting the character selection key 1220 of the letter in the alphabet letter group. Arranged so as to overlap with the numeric key to match the position, and includes a number / character switching keys (1231 and 1232) for switching between the numeric input mode and the character input mode. The number / character switching key may include a number / Hangul conversion key 1232 for switching between numbers and the Korean input mode or a number / English conversion key 1231 for switching between the numbers and the English input mode according to a character to be used.

Therefore, when a user needs to make a phone call by inputting a number (telephone number) as usual, and needs to transmit a character during a call, the user presses the number / character switching keys 1231 and 1232 and then inputs a character displayed on the display unit. While viewing the menu, characters may be input using the cursor movement key 1210 and the character selection key 1220.

In addition, the phone terminal capable of inputting characters may enable two or more characters to be input, for example, both Korean and English. To this end, first, there are two sets of Korean input menu and English input menu, and Korean / English switching key for switching between Korean and English input modes, and switching between Korean input menu and English input menu according to the current input mode. By displaying on the screen display, both Korean or English and special characters can be inputted.

The Korean / English switching key may be implemented 214 and 513 in the text input menu as shown in FIG. 2 or 5, or may be implemented 1231 and 1232 on the keypad as shown in FIG. 12A or 12B. Alternatively, it can be added as a new function key on the conventional keypad. When the Korean / English switch key is implemented in the character input menu, the input mode is switched by selecting the Korean / English switch key in the same way as the above-described method of selecting the letter, and in the case of implementing on the keypad, simply press the corresponding key. To switch the input mode.

As described above, according to the character input device having the limited key and the input method according to the present invention, a key operation for inputting one letter is simple by first selecting a specific letter group and then selecting a specific letter. And the number of times is reduced.

In addition, according to the telephone terminal according to the present invention, a cursor movement key for character input and a character selection key are superimposed and arranged on a keypad of a conventional telephone terminal, and a screen display unit for displaying a character input menu and a controller according to character input are arranged. By adding it, you can easily and quickly enter text from the phone without a separate keypad.

Claims (6)

In the apparatus for inputting characters with fewer keys than the number of letters of the characters to be input, Screen display means for displaying a Hangul input menu in which the Hangul alphabet grouping the Hangul alphabet by a predetermined number is arranged according to a predetermined rule; Key input means including a cursor movement key for moving the cursor for selecting the Hangul alphabet group and a character selection key for selecting one letter among the currently selected Hangul alphabet groups; And And a control means for moving the cursor on the Hangul input menu according to the pressing of the cursor movement key and combining the letters selected by the character selection key to complete the Hangul. The method of claim 1, The Hangul input menu arranges three Hangul alphabet groups that combine four Hangul alphabets in three rows and three columns. The cursor movement key is composed of up, down, left, right arrow keys, And said four letter selection keys are arranged on said key input means so as to correspond to each letter in said letter group. The method of claim 1, The Hangul input menu arranges four Hangul Jamo groups that combine nine Hangul alphabets in a single row, The cursor movement key arranges four keys in one row so as to correspond to each Jamo group. And the character selection key is arranged on the key input means with nine keys to correspond to each letter in the letter group. In the method for inputting Hangul in the device comprising a key input means having a number of keys less than the number of Jamo of Hangul, Arranging the Hangul alphabet letters grouping the Hangul letters by a predetermined number and displaying them on the screen according to a predetermined rule; Selecting a Hangul alphabet having a Hangul alphabet to be input by moving a cursor moving in the Hangul alphabet unit; Selecting a Hangul Jamo to be input from the selected Hangul Jamo group; And Combining the selected Hangul alphabet and displaying the input characters on the screen, characterized in that repeating until the completion of the input. The method of claim 4, wherein Determining whether a consonant, a vowel and a consonant, a neutral, or a final consonant of the currently input Hangul alphabet using a 2 beol Hangul automata; And As a result of the determination, if a consonant that may be the first consonant or two consonants that may be the first, neutral, and final are entered, the cursor for the next input is pre-positioned to the Jamo group of the vowel, And if it is in any other state, further comprising placing the cursor on the consonant group of consonants. In a telephone terminal including a keypad for numeric input, Screen display means for displaying a character input menu in which the alphabet letters grouping the alphabet letters of a predetermined number are arranged according to a predetermined rule; Numeral / character input mode switching means for inputting characters and numbers by mutual switching; And A control means for moving a cursor on the text input menu and receiving a selected letter; The keypad is arranged by superimposing a cursor movement key for moving a cursor for selecting a specific letter group and a character selection key for selecting a specific letter among the currently selected letter groups on the numeric keys, and selectively inputting or entering a number according to the input mode. Telephone terminal having a character input function, characterized in that to be used to input letters and numbers.