JP2000232503A - Communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a character or the like to be inputted on a screen with a simple operation and to reduce an occupied space for installation as required. SOLUTION: When a lower end of a touch panel display device 3 is pulled out, a rotary support member 42 is pressed into contact with a tapered part 49 of a hinge cover 47 to block the touch panel display device 3 from being turned around an upper hinge 46 toward a rear side of a main body 2. Furthermore, the rotary support member 42 is pressed into contact with an upper face of a display support base 41 to block the touch panel display device 3 from falling toward the front side. As a result, the touch panel display device 3 is fixed with an attitude that a screen 3a is directed upward most. In this case, the touch panel display device 3 nearly completely covers an operating panel 4. Moreover, a tilt angle of the taper 49 is selected so that the angle of the screen 3a of the touch panel display device 3 is substantially the same as the tilt angle of the operating panel when the rotary support member 42 is pressed into contact with the upper face of a display support base 41.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a communication terminal device having a touch panel display.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, not only personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs),
2. Description of the Related Art A client having a WWW browser function including a portable information terminal (hereinafter, referred to as a PDA) accesses a WWW server and browses an HTML document.

Some of these clients have a touch panel display without a keyboard. Normally, this type of client uses a soft keyboard when inputting characters in the input portion of an HTML document displayed on a screen. At the time of input, switching of the input mode of a soft keyboard for hiragana, katakana, kanji, alphabets, numerals, and the like is performed.

[0004]

However, in the conventional communication terminal device, when characters are input to the input portion of the HTML document, it is necessary to start up the soft keyboard one by one, and to switch the input mode. Is annoying. Also, even after the soft keyboard starts up, the screen is occupied by the soft keyboard and the HT
The area where the ML document can be viewed is reduced.

[0005] Therefore, it is common to equip the communication terminal device with a hard keyboard at the same time. In this case, the customer
Since a hard keyboard or a soft keyboard can be selected and used according to a preference, it is possible to respond to a variety of customers.

[0006] However, if both the touch panel display and the hard keyboard are made sufficiently large in consideration of operability, the communication terminal itself becomes large. When the size of the communication terminal device is increased as described above, the installation space for the communication terminal device increases. For this reason, there are many cases where it is out of the customer's options for which it is difficult to secure the installation space.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a communication terminal device capable of inputting characters and the like on a screen by a simple operation and reducing an occupied space for installation as required. The purpose is to:

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a rotating support member is rotatably attached to an apparatus main body, and a touch panel display section is rotatably attached to a tip portion of the rotating support member, thereby providing a screen. It is possible to move the position of the touch panel display unit while maintaining or adjusting the angle of the screen so that the touch panel is always visible and easy to operate.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A communication terminal device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a touch panel display unit for displaying a screen and receiving an input to the screen, and a hard key for receiving an input to the screen. A panel unit provided, one end of which is attached to the apparatus main body via a first hinge, and the other end of which is attached to the back surface of the touch panel display unit via a second hinge. And a rotation support member that supports the touch panel display unit to rotate in the front-rear direction about the second hinge while rotating in the front-rear direction of the apparatus body.

According to this configuration, since the touch panel display rotates about the second hinge, the screen angle of the touch panel display can be changed. In addition, since the rotation support member that supports the touch panel display unit rotates about the first hinge,
The rotation support member can be tilted in the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body. Thus, the angle of the screen can be maintained or adjusted and the touch panel display unit can be moved so that the screen can be always easily viewed and operated. As a result, it is possible to adopt a posture that is appropriate when only the touch panel display unit is used or when the hard keys are used together. Further, the touch panel display unit can be made to take an attitude that matches the installation space of the communication terminal device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the communication terminal device according to the first aspect, the touch panel display section is rotated so that the screen faces upward, and the rotation support member is tilted to the front side of the apparatus body. Then, a configuration is adopted in which the panel unit is disposed at a position covered by the touch panel display unit when the touch panel is touched.

[0012] According to this configuration, the touch panel display unit can be superimposed on the panel unit having the hard keys, so that the installation area of the communication terminal device can be reduced.

A third aspect of the present invention employs a configuration in which the communication terminal device according to the second aspect includes a soft key control unit for displaying keys in the same arrangement as hard keys on a screen of a touch panel display unit.

According to this configuration, since the hard keys and the soft keys have the same key arrangement, the operation feeling when the soft keys are used when the panel portion is covered by the touch panel display portion is substantially the same as the hard keys. . As a result, the operability of the communication terminal device is improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the communication terminal device according to the second aspect, there is provided a regulating member for regulating rotation of the touch panel display unit about the second hinge, wherein the regulating means comprises: When the touch panel display section is rotated to the rear side of the apparatus main body in a state where the rotation supporting member is tilted most deeply to the front side of the apparatus main body, the touch panel display section is substantially equal to the angle of the panel section. A configuration for restricting rotation of the touch panel display unit is adopted.

With this configuration, the angle of the panel on which the hard keys are arranged is substantially the same as the angle of the touch panel display when the touch panel display covers the panel. The operation feeling when performing is almost the same as that of the hard key. As a result, the operability of the communication terminal device is improved.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

On the upper surface of the main body 2 of the facsimile machine 1, a touch panel display 3 is attached so as to be freely opened and closed.

An operation panel 4 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 2.
Is provided. The operation panel 4 includes a dial key 5
And a cursor key 6 are provided. Dial key 5
Is input means for inputting a telephone number when making a telephone call or transmitting a facsimile, and for inputting a number or the like in an input portion of the screen 3a. The cursor keys 6 are instruction means for freely moving a cursor and a pointer displayed on the screen 3a in four directions.

A dial key 5 is provided on the surface of the operation panel 4.
And a pair of projections 7, 8 so as to sandwich the cursor key 6.
Are juxtaposed. The projections 7 and 8 are formed continuously over the entire vertical length of the area where the dial keys 5 and the cursor keys 8 are arranged. The highest point of the projections 7 and 8 is located higher than the dial key 5 and the cursor key 6.

A handset 9 is attached to a side surface of the main body 2. Although a handset with a cord is used for the handset 9 in this example, a cordless handset may be used. In addition, a scanner paper feed unit 10 and a printer paper discharge unit 11 are provided on the front surface of the main body 2.

The operation panel 4 of the main body 2 is opened upward. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the operation panel is opened in the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 4 is opened, and the roll-shaped printing paper 12 is set.

FIG. 3 is a hardware block diagram of the facsimile apparatus according to the above embodiment.

The touch panel display 3 includes an LCD display 3A and a touch panel 3B.

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21
Perform the desired processing according to the program.

The ROM (Read Only Memory) 22 is a read-only memory that stores a basic program such as a startup program.

The RAM (Random Access Memory) 23
A main memory in which the CPU 21 reads and executes programs and data.

A flash memory (hereinafter referred to as FROM) is an erasable and rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and mainly stores an application program, an execution program such as an HTML document, and data.

Line control unit (hereinafter referred to as NCU) 25
Controls transmission and reception of signals to and from a public line network (hereinafter, referred to as PSTN) 26. The NCU 25 performs processing such as calling and receiving. The handset 9 and the built-in speaker 27 are connected to the NCU 25.

The communication control unit 28 performs data communication and facsimile communication via the PSTN 26. In this example, it is a facsimile modem, but it may be a DSU or a terminal adapter (TA). Facsimile modems also digitize voice signals.

The audio processing unit 29 encodes and compresses the digitized audio signal, or decodes and expands the compressed audio signal.

The touch panel display 3 is composed of a liquid crystal panel display as display means and a touch panel as input means. The touch panel display 3 displays information and accepts a user operation. Specifically, on the screen 3a of the touch panel display 3, various information, an input screen, an operation menu, icons, buttons, and the like are displayed. Screen 3a,
By touching with a pen or a finger, input of characters or pictures and selection of a menu or the like can be performed.

Also, a soft keyboard function is provided for realizing a keyboard operation in a software manner in which characters and the like that can be input on the screen 3a are displayed in the form of a keyboard and input is performed.

The dial key 5 is used not only for dialing a telephone, but also for inputting a number or the like into an input field displayed on the touch panel display 3.

The external I / O 30 controls data communication with external devices such as a PC, a TA, a barcode reader, and an external modem. The external I / O 30 is, for example, a serial interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

The PC card interface 31 is a PC
Controls data transmission and reception between the card and the main unit. PC
Various cards such as a flash memory card, a modem card, a LAN card, and an ISDN card can be used as the card.

The scanner 32 reads a document.
The printer 33 prints various data such as images and texts.

The bus 34 includes the CPU 21, the ROM 22,
This is a line connecting each unit such as the RAM 23.

Next, a tilt mechanism of the touch panel display in the facsimile apparatus according to the above embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the facsimile apparatus according to the above embodiment. FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing a tilt mechanism portion in the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

A display support 41 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 2 behind the operation panel 4. The rotation support member 42 is placed on the display support 41.
Supports the touch panel display 3.
The rotation support member 42 is a wide and flat member.
As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end portions of the rotation support member 42 are
It is attached to a mounting bracket 44 of the main body 2 via a lower hinge 43. This attachment part is a hinge cover 45
Covered with.

On the other hand, both upper end portions of the rotation support member 42
It is attached to the back surface 3a of the touch panel display 3 via the upper hinge 46. As shown in FIG.
A hinge cover 4 is provided on the back surface 3a including the mounting portion.
7 are formed. The hinge cover 47 protrudes from the back surface 3a and is wider than the rotation support member 42. At a substantially central portion of the hinge cover 47, a concave portion 48 having a width capable of accommodating the rotation support member 42 is formed. In the concave portion 48, a tapered portion 49 that is inclined from the upper end to the lower end of the touch panel display 3 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the rear surface 3a of the touch panel display 3, which may come into contact with the projections 7 and 8 provided on the surface of the operation panel 4, has a sliding surface. The member 50 is stuck.

Further, a stopper 51 which comes into contact with the hinge cover 45 when the rotation support member 42 is rotated to the rear side of the main body 2 is provided on the rear side of the lower end portion of the rotation support member 42 in a protruding manner.

The operation of the tilt mechanism of the touch panel display 3 in the facsimile apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the turning support member 42 is tilted toward the back side of the main body 2 around the lower hinge 43, the stopper 51 contacts the hinge cover 45, and the turning support member 42 is further moved. Prevent it from falling down. Next, the touch panel display 3 is rotated around the upper hinge 46 toward the front side of the main body 2. Touch panel display 3
Is in contact with a dent 41 a formed in front of the display support 41. As a result, the touch panel display 3 is fixed in the most upright posture. In this state, the operation panel 4 can be freely opened and closed as shown in FIG. Further, even when the operation panel 4 is opened, the screen 3a is not hidden from the front side of the main body 2, so that the screen 3a can be viewed when the recording paper is replaced.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the lower end of the touch panel display 3 is pulled out toward the user, and the touch panel display 3 is rotated around the upper hinge 46 toward the rear side of the main body 2 and the rotation support member 42 is moved. Flip it toward the front. Then, the lower end of the touch panel display 3 is connected to the projections 7 and 8 provided on the surface of the operation panel 4.
Abut on the upper end. As a result, the touch panel display 3 is fixed in a posture in which the screen 3a is directed slightly upward from the upright posture shown in FIG.

Further, when the lower end portion of the touch panel display 3 is pulled out while sliding on the uppermost vertices of the projections 7 and 8, the touch panel display 3 is further rotated around the upper hinge 46 toward the rear side of the main body 2 and rotated. The dynamic support member 42 falls down further toward the front side.

Here, the touch panel display 3
Although it comes into sliding contact with the projections 7 and 8, it does not come into contact with the dial key 5 and the cursor key 6 located at a position lower than the projections 7 and 8. Thus, it is possible to prevent the dial key 5 and the cursor key 6 from being damaged by opening and closing the touch panel display 3.

Since the sliding member is attached to the lower end of the touch panel display 3, the touch panel display 3 can be moved smoothly.

When the lower end portion is further pulled out, the rotation supporting member 42 comes into contact with the tapered portion 49 of the hinge cover 47, and the rotation of the touch panel display 3 around the upper hinge 46 toward the rear side of the main body 2 is prevented. You. In addition, the rotation support member 42 abuts on the upper surface of the display support table 41, and is prevented from falling forward. As a result, as shown in FIG.
Is fixed with the screen 3a facing up most. At this time, the touch panel display 3 is
Cover almost completely. The inclination angle of the tapered portion 49 when the rotation support member 42 abuts, as shown in FIG.
The angle of the screen 3 a of the touch panel display 3 is set to be substantially the same as the inclination angle of the operation panel 4.

When the operation panel 4 is covered with the touch panel display 3 with the screen 3a shown in FIG. 10 facing upward, soft keys having the same arrangement as the dial keys 5 and the cursor keys 6 are displayed on the screen 3a. .

As shown in FIG. 11, a soft keyboard 110 displayed on the screen of the touch panel display 3
Are displayed in the same arrangement as the dial keys 5 and the cursor keys 6 on the operation panel 4. Further, it is desirable that the size of the keys be about the same so that the operation can be performed with the same feeling as the operation panel 4.

According to the facsimile apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, the touch panel display 3 has the upper hinge 4
6, the angle of the screen 3a of the touch panel display 3 can be freely changed.
Further, since the rotation support member 42 rotates about the lower hinge 43, the rotation support member 42 can be tilted in the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body. Thereby, the touch panel display 3 can be moved while maintaining or adjusting the angle of the screen 3a so that the screen 3a is always easy to see and operate. As a result, when only the touch panel display 3 is used as shown in FIG. 10, when hard keys are used together as shown in FIG. 9, or when the operation panel 4 is opened and the recording paper is opened as shown in FIG. When exchanging, it is possible to take a posture suitable for each situation such as. Further, when the installation space of the facsimile machine 1 is limited, the touch panel display 3 can be made to take an attitude according to the installation space. As a result, it is possible to use it according to the customer's preference.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 10, the touch panel display 3 is rotated by the touch panel display 3 when the screen 3a is rotated so that the screen 3a faces upward, and the rotation support member 42 is tilted to the front side of the main body 2. The operation panel 4 is arranged at a position to be covered. This allows, for example,
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, when there is no room for erecting the touch panel display 3 and there is no depth, as shown in FIG.
And the touch panel display 3 is overlaid on the operation panel 4 to reduce the installation space. As a result, it is possible to meet various customer needs.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, when the touch panel display 3 is overlaid on the operation panel 4, the angle of the operation panel 4 and the touch panel display 3 become substantially the same. The operation feeling can be made closer to the dial key 5 and the cursor key 6. As a result, the operability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved.

As shown in FIG. 11, soft keys 110 are displayed on the screen 3a of the touch panel display 3 in the same arrangement as the dial keys 5 and the cursor keys 6, so that, as shown in FIG. When covered with the display 3, the soft keys 110
Can be used in the same manner as the dial key 5 and the cursor key 6. As a result, the operability of the facsimile machine 1 can be improved.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a communication terminal device provided with a touch panel display, characters and the like can be input on a screen by a simple operation, and the occupied space for installation can be reduced as necessary. As a result, it is possible to respond to various use situations and customer diversity.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operation panel is opened in the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a hardware block diagram of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a tilt mechanism of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the back side of the touch panel display of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the touch panel display of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment is upright;

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state where an operation panel of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment is opened.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state in which the touch panel display of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment is slightly tilted;

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the touch panel display of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment is folded down on the operation panel;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing soft keys displayed on a touch panel display of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile apparatus 3 Touch panel display 4 Operation panel 5 Dial key 6 Cursor key 7, 8 Projection part 42 Rotation support member 43 Lower hinge 45 Hinge cover 46 Upper hinge 47 Hinge cover 49 Tapered surface 50 Sliding member 51 Stopper

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 12, 2000 (2004.1.
2)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0006

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

However, even if a soft keyboard is displayed on the touch panel display in consideration of operability ,
The arrangement and size of keys on hard keys and soft keyboards
Are operated in the same way as hard keys
Could not be done.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0007

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and covers a keyboard with a touch panel display.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication terminal device that does not impair operability even if it is lost .

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems,
Therefore, the present invention provides the touch panel with the same arrangement as the panel.
Displays soft keys that are almost the same size as the hard keys
Touch panel display
Even if it is positioned to cover the panel,
Operating the device with the same feeling as operating a key
Operability can be improved.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0009]

Aspect of the embodiment of the present invention includes a touch panel display unit that receives an input to the screen and displays the screen, and the panel section having a hard key for input to the screen, the Front to position to cover panel
A rotation support member for rotating the touch panel display unit
And the touch panel display unit
Same arrangement as the panel unit on the screen when in the cover position
And a soft key of almost the same size as the hard key
And a soft key control unit for displaying .

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

With this configuration, the touch panel device
Hard keys that are almost the same as those on the panel
Key, so the touch panel display
Even if you cover the panel, you can operate the panel
Operation can be performed with the same feeling, improving operability
Can be made.

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0059

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a communication terminal device provided with a touch panel display, characters and the like can be input on a screen by a simple operation, and the occupied space for installation can be reduced as necessary. Also, re-install the panel on the touch panel display.
Touch panel display
Even if it covers the panel part, the panel part is hard key
Operable with the same feeling as operating
Can be improved.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H05K 5/02 G06F 1/00 312F F term (Reference) 4E360 AB05 AB13 AB17 AB22 BA02 BB03 BB12 BB16 BB22 BB27 BC08 EA14 EB03 EC02 EC15 ED04 ED16 ED28 GA02 GA06 GA52 GB24 5B087 AA09 AB05 AE09 CC02 CC12 5C062 AA02 AA05 AB20 AB23 AD03 5K023 AA08 BB11 CC01 DD08 GG08 HH07 MM00 5K101 KK01 KK02 LL14 NN03 NN14

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A touch panel display section for displaying a screen and receiving an input to the screen, a panel section having hard keys for receiving an input to the screen, and a first hinge at one end of the apparatus body. And the other end is attached to the back surface of the touch panel display unit via a second hinge, and rotates around the first hinge in the front-rear direction of the device main body, and moves the touch panel display unit. A communication support device, comprising: a rotation support member that supports the device main body to rotate around a second hinge in the front-rear direction. 2. The panel unit is arranged at a position where the touch panel display unit is rotated so that the screen faces upward, and is covered by the touch panel display unit when the rotation support member is tilted to the front side of the apparatus main body. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The communication terminal device according to claim 2, further comprising a soft key control unit for displaying keys in the same arrangement as the hard keys on the screen of the touch panel display unit. 4. A control member for restricting rotation of the touch panel display unit about a second hinge, wherein the restricting means is configured to tilt the rotation support member to the front side of the apparatus main body in a state where it is most deeply inclined. 3. The rotation of the touch panel display unit is controlled so that the touch panel display unit becomes substantially the same as the angle of the panel unit when the display unit is rotated to the rear side of the apparatus main body. The communication terminal device according to claim 1.