JP2001060999A - Operation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain portable communication terminal equipment provided with an operation device capable of smoothly and easily operating a complicated function without giving influence to receiving characteristic. SOLUTION: On the main surface of a casing 101, an LCD 103 for displaying various information, an input part 104 for inputting various information in accordance with menu contents displayed on the LCD 103 and a microphone 110 for inputting sound. Pressurizing-type buttons 107 to 109 are provided at the respectively abutting parts of a middle finger, the ring finger and the little finger when a user grasps the easing 101 and placing a thumb on a joy key 105. The respective pressurizing-type buttons are assigned with operation functions which are frequently used by the user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an operating device,
In particular, the present invention relates to an operation device mounted on a portable communication terminal device that can use various applications by using a graphic user interface having excellent visibility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional operation device will be described by taking as an example a case where the operation device is mounted on a portable communication terminal device. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventional mobile communication terminals have been used mainly for talking with a communication partner using voice. The above-mentioned conventional mobile communication terminal devices have recently been used for various purposes such as sending and receiving e-mails and bank transfers, and will be capable of supporting various services such as sending and receiving moving images in the future. Become.

In general, portable communication terminals must be of a size and weight that can be used on the palm of a hand. For this reason, information input means such as buttons mounted on the portable communication terminal device is subject to certain restrictions in physical or functional aspects. Therefore, in the portable communication terminal device, the overall operability of information input, information display, information output, information processing, and the like, that is, the manner of the man-machine interface is important for determining the utility value of the portable communication terminal device. It is a factor. An operation method of the conventional portable communication terminal device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the appearance of a conventional portable communication terminal device.

As shown in FIG. 4, in a conventional portable communication terminal device, a joy key 401 and a push button 402 are mainly provided as information input means used at the time of operation. The user moves the cursor displayed on the LCD 403 using the joy key 401 and the press-type button 402 and determines a function to be executed, so that various functions provided in the apparatus main body can be used. .

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned conventional portable communication terminal has the following problems. That is, in the above-mentioned conventional portable communication terminal device, when performing a normal communication, the user does not feel inconvenience by operating only the information input means such as the joy key 401 and the press-type button 402 described above, Can be entered.

However, in the case where complicated functions such as transmission and reception of moving images and a browser are installed, the opportunity for inputting more information increases, so that the user can operate only with the information input means described above. It is difficult to perform the operation smoothly.

Further, when various functions are used using the above-mentioned information input means, the user performs a pressing operation only with the thumb, so that the user always checks whether the input means to be pressed is correct. There is a need to. For this reason, the user turns his / her eyes on the LCD 403, the joy key 401, and the press-type button 402 alternately, so that not only the operability is reduced but also the input error is increased.

As a method for solving the above-mentioned problem, a method of inputting using a thumb and forefinger using a jog dial has been considered as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-224288. I have. However, in this method, since the position where the jog dial operated by the index finger is provided is close to the antenna, there is a high possibility that the reception characteristics will be affected in some way.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a portable communication terminal device provided with an operation device capable of smoothly and easily operating complicated functions without affecting reception characteristics. The purpose is to provide.

[0010]

An operation device according to the present invention has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a housing having a display screen and an operation unit on a specific surface, and a user operating the housing below the housing. Input means provided at a portion where a finger other than the user's thumb abuts when gripped.

According to the present invention, the input means is provided at a portion where a finger other than the user's thumb abuts when the user grips the housing, so that the user tries to perform an input operation at the time of operation. Since various operations can be performed without confirming whether or not the input means is correct, it is possible to provide an operation device capable of smoothly and easily operating complicated functions.

[0012] The operating device according to the present invention is characterized in that the input means is provided at a portion where at least two fingers other than the user's thumb abut.

According to the present invention, since the input means is provided corresponding to at least two fingers other than the user's thumb, the user can operate more complicated functions smoothly and easily. .

[0014] The operating device of the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the input means are provided at respective portions to which a finger other than the thumb contacts.

According to the present invention, a plurality of the input means are provided for each finger other than the user's thumb.
The user can smoothly and easily operate more complicated functions.

The operation device according to the present invention is characterized in that the input means is provided on a surface other than the specific surface of the housing.

According to the present invention, since the input means is provided on a surface other than the specific surface of the housing, when the user grips the housing, the user can distinguish from the operation unit on the specific surface. Since it is possible to reliably recognize that each finger is placed on the input means, it is possible to reliably operate a complicated function.

[0018] The operating device according to the present invention is characterized in that the input means has a recognition section formed in a shape capable of tactile recognition.

According to the present invention, since the input means is provided with the recognition unit formed in a shape capable of tactile recognition, the user can reliably recognize the location of the input means without visual confirmation. Various operations can be performed by focusing only on the display screen.

In the operating device according to the present invention, the input means includes:
An operation function frequently used by the user is assigned.

According to the present invention, since the input means is assigned an operation function frequently used by the user, the user can determine the frequency of moving his finger to select the input means to be operated. Can be lower. Thereby, more complicated functions can be operated smoothly and accurately.

A portable communication terminal device according to the present invention is provided with any one of the operation devices described above.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable communication terminal device capable of performing a good communication by a simple operation by providing an operation device capable of operating a complicated function smoothly and easily. it can.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The gist of the present invention is that an input section is provided at a place where each of the user's fingers comes into contact when the user grips the operating device main body.
An operation function frequently used by the user is assigned to each of the input units.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, a case will be described in which the operation device according to the present invention is mounted on a portable communication terminal device.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a portable communication terminal device provided with an operation device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the appearance of the portable communication terminal device provided with the operating device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the appearance of the portable communication terminal device provided with the operation device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 to 3, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 101 of the portable communication terminal device provided with the operating device according to the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. On the main surface of the casing 101, an LCD 103 for displaying information such as characters, still images and moving images, and information such as menus for selecting various functions provided on the apparatus body, and an LCD 103 for displaying information. An input unit 104 for inputting various information according to the contents of the menu, and a microphone 110 for inputting voice are mainly provided. An antenna unit 102 for receiving a radio wave from the air is provided on an upper surface of the housing 101.

Specifically, the input unit 104 mainly includes L
A joy key 105 for moving a cursor, a pointer, and the like displayed on the CD 103, and a plurality of push buttons 106 for inputting a telephone number, a name of a communication partner, and the like are included. The joy key 105 is operated by the user's thumb as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. 1, a side surface of the housing 101 of the portable communication terminal device provided with the operating device according to the present embodiment is pressed as a further input unit. An expression button 107 to a pressing type button 109 are provided. These push buttons 107 to 109 are used by the user (user) to use the joy key 1
When the device main body is gripped while placed on the device 05, it is provided near the place where the middle finger, the ring finger and the little finger abut.

Further, the above-mentioned press-type button is designed so that the user can press it accurately without visual confirmation.
For example, the surface on which the finger is placed has a concave shape or the surface on which the finger is placed is marked. That is, the press-type button has a recognition unit formed in a shape that can be recognized by the user by touch, in other words, a recognition unit formed in a shape that allows tactile recognition. Note that, here, the push buttons 107 to 109
Has a recognition portion formed as described above, but the shape of the recognition portion of the press-type button may be any shape as long as the user can recognize the shape by touch.

Further, on the back of the housing 101 of the portable communication terminal device provided with the operating device according to the present embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 3, a push button 301 is provided as a further input unit. This push button 3
01, the user puts the thumb on the joy key 105 (see FIG. 1)
It is provided in the vicinity of the place where the index finger abuts when the apparatus main body is gripped in a state of being placed on the apparatus. The push-type button 301 has a tactile-recognizable shape similar to the above-described push-type buttons 107 to 109 so that the user can press accurately without relying on visual confirmation. And a recognition unit formed by

According to the portable communication terminal device provided with the operation device having the above-described configuration, when the user grips the device main body with the thumb placed on the joy key 105, it is located near the place where the other finger contacts. Since a push button is provided,
The user does not have to check every time whether the button to be pressed at the time of operation is correct. For this reason, the user must
Since the operation can be performed by paying attention to only 103, operability can be improved and input errors can be reduced.

Further, since the push-type button pressed by a finger other than the thumb has a recognition unit formed in a tactilely recognizable shape so that the user can press accurately without looking, the user can use: The operation can be performed more reliably.

Further, the above-mentioned press-type button is used for housing 1
01 is provided on a surface other than the main surface, that is, on the side surface and the back surface. Can be surely recognized.

Further, since each of the above-mentioned push-type buttons is provided at a position distant from the antenna, the possibility of affecting the reception characteristics is reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, an input unit such as a push-button is provided near the place where each finger contacts when the user grips the apparatus main body. The unit has a recognition unit formed with a tactile recognition shape that allows the user to input information reliably without visual confirmation, so complex functions can be performed smoothly and easily without affecting the reception characteristics. It is possible to provide a mobile communication terminal device provided with an operation device that can be operated at a time.

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to a case in which one press-type button is provided corresponding to each finger, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a case where two or more press-type buttons are provided corresponding to each finger as long as they can be pressed accurately regardless of the confirmation.

In the present embodiment, the case where the joy key is assigned as the input unit mainly pressed by the thumb and the case where the thumb which is the reference finger when holding the main body of the apparatus has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any case where an input unit that is mainly pressed by the thumb is assigned, and the reference finger when holding the apparatus body is a finger other than the thumb. Is also applicable.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the push-type buttons are provided corresponding to the fingers other than the thumb has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any type of button is assigned to each finger. It is also applicable to cases where

Further, in this embodiment, the housing 1
The case where a push-type button is used as an input unit provided on a surface other than the main surface in No. 01 has been described.
The present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a case where input means other than the pressing type is used.

(Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 is a mode in which, in Embodiment 1, when a more complicated function is provided as compared with normal voice communication, the operation can be performed smoothly and easily. It is. Hereinafter, as an example, a WWW using a browser such as an Internet explorer will be described with respect to a portable communication terminal device including an operation device according to the present embodiment.
(World Wide Web) will be described.

The basic configuration of the portable communication terminal device provided with the operation device according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described focusing on only the points different from the first embodiment.

Various functions are assigned to the push-type buttons 107 to 109 and the push-type button 301 so as to improve the usability for the user. That is, the operation functions that are frequently used by the user are assigned to the above-mentioned press buttons. That is, for example, the push button 1
07 is assigned a function corresponding to a right click by a mouse connected to the personal computer. In addition, a function for selecting a candidate to be converted when a character input by the microphone 110 is converted into a kanji is assigned to the press-type button 108. Further, a function corresponding to a return (decision) key in the personal computer is assigned to the press-type button 109.

Thus, the user can reduce the frequency of movement of the finger for selecting the input section to be pressed. In other words, the user hardly moves his or her hand and finger, and while paying attention to the LCD 103,
W can be easily and smoothly browsed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, an input unit such as a push button is provided near the place where each finger contacts when the user grips the apparatus main body. By assigning a function frequently used by the user to each of the input units, the user can operate more complicated functions smoothly and accurately.

In the present embodiment, the case where WWW browsing is described as an example of a complicated function provided in the apparatus main body has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The present invention is also applicable to a case where various functions such as transmission and reception of a moving image are executed.

Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to the case where various functions are assigned to the input unit, the present invention is not limited to this. Is also applicable.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the operation device according to the present invention is mounted on the portable communication terminal device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to a case where it is mounted on a simple device. That is, the present invention is also applicable to a case where it is mounted on various devices having complicated functions.

For example, not only the portable communication terminal described in the above embodiment but also TVs, CATVs, video phones, etc., in the future, complicated functions such as transmission and reception of moving images and browsers may be installed. There is. Therefore, a complicated operation is required even in a remote device (remote control) for operating these devices. Therefore, by applying the operation device according to the present invention to the above-mentioned remote operation device, the user can use the TV, CAT,
It is possible to smoothly and easily operate complicated functions provided in the V, the videophone, and the like.

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the user grips the main body of the apparatus, an input unit is provided at a place where each finger of the user comes into contact, and an operation function frequently used by the user is assigned to each input unit. In addition, it is possible to provide a mobile communication terminal device including an operation device that can smoothly and easily operate complicated functions without affecting reception characteristics.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a portable communication terminal device provided with an operation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an appearance of a portable communication terminal device including the operation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the appearance of the portable communication terminal device including the operation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the appearance of a portable communication terminal device provided with a conventional operation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 housing 102 antenna unit 103 LCD 104 input unit 105 joy key 107 to 109, 301 push-button

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04M 1/247 H04Q 9/00 301E 5K067 H04Q 9/00 301 331A 331 371B 371 H04B 7/26 VF term ( Reference) 5B020 DD02 DD12 5J047 AA18 AB00 FD01 5K023 AA07 BB06 BB11 GG09 GG10 HH07 5K027 AA11 BB02 MM04 MM17 5K048 AA04 AA09 BA03 DB01 DC01 HA04 HA11 HA13 5K067 AA34 BB04 KK17

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, having a display screen and an operation unit on a specific surface, and a member other than the user's thumb when the user grips the housing below the housing. An input device provided at a portion where the finger contacts. 2. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is provided at a portion where at least two fingers other than the thumb of the user abut. 3. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the input units are provided at respective portions where the fingers other than the thumb abut. 4. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit is provided on a surface other than the specific surface of the housing. 5. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the input unit has a recognition unit formed in a shape capable of tactile recognition. 6. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein an operating function frequently used by a user is assigned to the input unit. 7. A portable communication terminal device comprising the operating device according to claim 1. Description: