JP2003005899A - Personal digital assistant with character input function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide personal digital assistant such as PDA and the cellular phone where the numbers of operation keys are limited and electrical appliances requiring the input of characters and numbers by which a target word or sentence can be easily inputted with the minimum number of depression times in a short time. SOLUTION: The operation key of the cellular phone set is constituted of an operation key main body used for the cellular phone set, a first display part having the vowels of 'a', 'i', 'u', 'e' and 'o' displayed in the operation key main body in a prescribed array and consonants which are displayed in the operation key main body except for parts where the vowels are displayed in the prescribed array and can be inputted by Roman characters by combining them with the vowels, and a second display part which is displayed in the operation key main body part adjacent to the first display part in the prescribed array, can be switched and selected with the first display part by a prescribed operation and urges the input of the number.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile phone (PH
(Including S telephones), home telephones, cordless phone handsets, individual communication terminals including PDAs, electronic information terminals such as electronic devices for inputting letters, numbers and symbols, as well as general telephones and home appliances The present invention relates to a technology of an electronic information terminal device for inputting characters with operation buttons provided in information home appliances.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the operation buttons provided in portable information terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs, general telephones that require input of letters and numbers, electric appliances, etc., Japanese is input by combining alphabets. There are Romaji input method, Japanese method by pressing Hiragana and so on.

Further, there is a key input device of the invention of Yoshiya Kato of Japanese Patent Application No. 09-011589 filed by Misawa Homes Co., Ltd. on January 24, 1997, and the Kato invention is described in JP-A-10-207601. There is. The present invention is a key input device that can reduce the number of times the character is pressed during character input and can easily perform an input operation even when the number of keys is small. Is equipped with a key. Set the letter keys to input the alphabets "A", "I", and "U" that represent vowels to the top three keys, and enter "E" and "O" in the second key Set the character key to use. Since vowels that are frequently used in Japanese and English are set as independent keys, you can enter vowels by pressing the key once, and you can only enter the vowels multiple times. It is possible to reduce the input power, improve operability, and enable high-speed input.

[0004] Further, Yoshiya Kato and Yasuo Sakai of application number "Japanese Patent Application No. 11-011987" filed by Misawa Homes Co. on January 20, 1999.
AIYasuo) key input device of the invention
No. 272403. This Kato invention makes it possible to easily input the long syllable "-" that is frequently used when inputting Japanese even if the number of keys is small, and to improve character input efficiency. Done 5
One vowel key is provided, and one of the vowel keys is a vowel setting vowel key in which a second character key for inputting a vowel "-" is set. When the key is tapped once, the vowel set for the key is output, and when the key is tapped twice consecutively, the long sound "-" is output and the key is tapped three times consecutively. In this case, the vowel set to the key and the long sound "-" are output in the order of "vowel + long sound". Even when the number of keys is small, it is an invention that can easily input the long sound "-" that is frequently used when inputting Japanese, thereby improving the character input efficiency.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent when the following description is read in view of the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are only for explanation and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vowel input for Roman characters on the surface of a hiragana key button of a mobile phone having a ten-key array, or on the housing near the button. There is a key layout for displaying a, i, u, e, o and a vowel key a, i, u, e, on the upper and lower or left and right housings of a hiragana key layout with 4 rows and 4 columns.
cell phone with display of o or i, u, e, o,
It includes remote controls for information appliances, Internet phones, PDAs, and information appliances.

Further, according to the present invention, in the hybrid mode in which the hiragana input mode and the roman character input mode are mixed, a continuous character is generated based on an electric signal in response to the operation of the second button pressed after the first button is pressed. It is equipped with a hybrid function for performing line entry.

Further, the present invention is provided with a character array for inputting characters by inputting hiragana and romaji by mode switching based on button operation.

Further, according to the present invention, key buttons for symbols, menus, commands, and characters are vertically 5 rows and 3 columns, vertically 4 rows and 3 columns, or vertically 5 rows and 4 columns. Columns,
In addition, with a matrix key arrangement including vertical 4 rows and horizontal 4 columns, a display device for displaying the key arrangement on the display,
A symbol or command designated in response to a pressing operation of a predetermined key associated with the display area of the display,
In addition, it has a key input device for selecting a character input.

Furthermore, the present invention uses the Affa bed as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L,
M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X,
The keys are divided into two letters in the order of Y and Z and are sequentially arranged on the ten-key buttons.

Still further, according to the present invention, a character key and a character string corresponding to the character key are arranged on a liquid crystal screen with five characters of aa, i, u, e, o and o, which are vowels in a horizontal row. , Consonant a
A, k, s, t, n, h, 5 letters, m, y,
It includes a key input button that forms a character array with multiple columns of r, w, and 5 sentences.

[0012]

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

In the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a portable information terminal which cannot be equipped with a full keyboard such as a mobile phone or PDA, and input of characters and numbers. General phones, electrolytic products,
In the present embodiment, the operation button of the present invention used in the mobile phone 2, the operation button 1 is integrally or individually in the shape of the operation button used in the mobile phone 2, or individually in the present embodiment. Formed operation button body 3,
A vowel 4 of a, i, u, e, and o, and this vowel 4 are printed on the operation surface portion or the bottom portion of the operation button body 3 that is normally operated by the user by a printing method similar to the conventional method. K printed on the operation surface portion or the bottom surface portion of the operation button body 3 other than the
The first display section 6 having the consonants 5 of s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w, and n, and the operation button body portion adjacent to the first display section 6 are the same as in the conventional case. 1, 2, 3, 4,
The second display portion 8 on which the numeral 7 of 5, 8, 7, 8, 9, 0 is printed and which can be used by switching from the first display portion 6 by a predetermined operation, and the second display portion Section 8 and the operation button body adjacent to the first display section 6, or the body part of the mobile phone 2 adjacent to the operation button body 3, in the present embodiment, the mobile phone adjacent to the operation button body 3. A printed on the body part of 2
b, cd, ef, gh, ij, kl, mn, op, q
Two alphabets 9: r, st, uv, wx, yz
And a third display unit 1 printed as in
0 and a fourth display unit 1 printed on the operation button body portion adjacent to the first display unit 6 and the second display unit 8 and capable of inputting Hiragana 11 as in the conventional case.
It is composed of 2 and.

The first display unit 6 is in an input mode capable of inputting Roman characters, and the vowels 4 of a, i, u, e and o are in the left column of the operation button body 3 in the present embodiment. Are printed in the vertical direction on k, s, t, n,
The consonants 5 of h, m, y, r, w, and n are printed on the operation surface portion or the bottom surface portion of the operation button body 3 other than the vowel 4 being printed.

In the present embodiment, the operation button 1 located in the left column on the side of the mobile phone 2 is described with the vowel 4 printed, but the present embodiment is not limited to this.
The vowel 4 may be printed on the operation button 1 on the right side column or the like.

Alphabet 9 of the third display section 10
Is ab, cd, ef, gh, ij, kl, mn, o
Since it is printed by combining it with two divisions of p, qr, st, uv, wx, and yz, it is possible to easily find the target alphabet 9 when inputting, and the number of pressing the target alphabet 9 is small. You can enter in a short time. Further, although the alphabet 9 of the third display unit 10 has been described as being printed on the main body portion of the mobile phone 2 which is close to the operation button main body 3, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the first embodiment is not limited to this. 1 display unit, 2nd display unit 8 or 4th display unit 12
May be selectively printed on the main body part of the cordless phone 2 that is close to the operation button main body 3.

When the first display section 6, the second display section 8, the third display section 10 or the fourth display section 12 is used, the same operation method as the conventional one, for example, a predetermined key is depressed. Thus, the input mode can be switched and used, and the type of the selected input mode is displayed on the mobile phone 2 or the display screen. The operation button 1 of the cell phone 2 of this type is used in the cell phone 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the input mode of the operation button 1 can always input a numeral as in the conventional case. Since it is set on the second display unit 8, when the operation button 1 is pressed, the number corresponding to the pressed operation button 1 is displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone 2.

Next, using the same operation method as the conventional one, or using a control button or the like provided in the mobile phone 2 for selecting or determining various modes, for example, if pressed in the left direction, a numeral input, When the input mode is switched so that the first display portion 6 can be used by performing an operation such as inputting Roman letters in the right direction, the operation button 1
Is ready to enter Roman characters. For example, when inputting “cloud” in Roman letters, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation button 1 corresponding to the consonant 5 “k” is pressed (S1), and then the operation corresponding to the vowel 4 “u” is performed. Press button 1 (S2). Subsequently, the operation button 1 corresponding to the consonant 5 "m" is pressed (S3), and the operation button 1 corresponding to the vowel 4 "o" is pressed four times (S4).
By doing so, it is possible to input "spider", so that the target word or sentence can be efficiently and simply input.
Therefore, when inputting a certain long sentence, the number of presses can be surely reduced and the input operation can be performed easily, and when using e-mail etc., if the number of characters etc. is charged, it is efficient. Since the cost can be suppressed, it is possible to easily input with a minimum number of pressings, and it is possible to input characters efficiently and in a short time. Therefore, when a long sentence is input to some extent, the number of presses can be surely reduced and the input operation can be performed easily. Further, the input of dakuten marks, punctuation marks, and other symbols normally provided in the mobile phone 2 can be performed by pressing the assigned operation buttons as in the conventional case. Furthermore, since the first display unit 6 has the vowel 4 and the consonant 5, it is possible to efficiently and quickly input with both hands using the thumb or the like. As in the conventional case, after the input hiragana is displayed, if the kanji conversion key is operated, it is converted into kanji by referring to a built-in dictionary or the like. If the desired Kanji is not displayed, press the Kanji conversion key in succession to display the next candidate. To confirm, enter the next kana or press the confirm key. After the hiragana is displayed, press the enter key or the hiragana enter key to confirm the hiragana.

After the hiragana is displayed, if the katakana confirmation key is pressed, it is converted into katakana. In addition, when switching inputs, characters are displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone as a mode in which input is possible, as in the past, but as a method of displaying the available input methods, a color-coding method such as a backlight is used. May be distinguished. Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described using the operation buttons formed individually, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and for example, 5 rows horizontally,
It may be arranged vertically in three rows or the like.

[0021]

Different Embodiments of the Invention Next, different embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 to 12 will be described. In addition,
In the description of these different embodiments of the present invention, the same grooved portions as those of the first embodiment of the present invention will be denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

The second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is mainly different from the first embodiment of the present invention in that the operation button body 3 has vowels 4 and consonants 5. In terms of using the printed first display portion 6 and the second display portion 8 which is printed on the operation button body portion adjacent to the first display portion 6 and prompts the input of the numeral 7, Even with the operation button 1A configured as described above, the same operational effect as that of the first embodiment of the present invention can be obtained. Moreover, since the operation buttons similar to those in the past can be used, new equipment is not required, and the manufacturing can be performed at the same cost as in the past.

The third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is mainly different from the second embodiment of the present invention in that the first display printed on the operation button body 3 is different from the first embodiment. The third display unit 10 that prompts the input of the alphabet 9 in the operation button body portion that is adjacent to the unit 6 and the second display unit 8.
In terms of printing, the operation button 1B having the above-described configuration can also obtain the same operational effect as that of the second embodiment of the present invention.

The fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is mainly different from the second embodiment of the present invention in that the second display portion 8 for prompting the input of numeral 7 is provided. In the point that the third display portion 10 for prompting the input of the alphabet 9 is printed on the operation button body portion adjacent to, the operation button 1C configured in this way is similar to the second embodiment of the present invention. The effect of is obtained.

The fifth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 11 to 12 is mainly different from the first embodiment of the present invention in that the operation buttons adjacent to the first display section 6 are the same. The operation button 1D configured as described above cannot input a numeral because the third display portion 10 including two alphabets 9 as a set is printed on the body portion.
By equipping a personal digital assistant, a general telephone, an electric appliance, or the like, which cannot be equipped with a full keyboard such as a PDA, the number of presses can be reduced and the target words or sentences can be efficiently input in a short time. In addition, in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments of the present invention, the mobile phone horizontal 2
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this, and is used for electric appliances such as a portable information terminal that cannot be equipped with a full keyboard such as a PDA, a general telephone, a television, a video, an electric home appliance having a communication function, Alternatively, it may be used as an operation button used for a touch panel such as a liquid crystal display used for these. In particular, in a device with a touch sensor or an approach detection sensor on the display screen of a liquid crystal display or electroluminescence, it is possible to display multiple buttons on the display screen for the selected characters in the character input mode, and the buttons to be displayed. The marks inside can be changed. For example, a numeric keypad, a numeric input mode for displaying the symbols * and #, A, K, M on the first stage of the screen, I, S, Y on the second stage, U on the third stage,
T, R, E, N, W in the fourth stage, O, H in the fifth stage, and a Roman alphabet input mode in which the key arrangement of the dull button is displayed. Furthermore, in each of the embodiments of the present invention described above, the operation button formed in a substantially rectangular shape has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and depending on the product to be incorporated, a round shape, an elliptical shape, a triangular shape, or the like, or A combination of these shapes may be used. Furthermore, in each of the embodiments of the present invention, the first display unit 6, the second display unit 8, the third display unit 10, or the fourth display unit 12 is used.
Has been described on the operation button main body, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the mobile phone main body corresponding to the operation button on which the first, second, third or fourth display section is printed. The part may be selectively and appropriately printed.

In the above embodiment, the mode in which the "cloud" is input in Roman letters is shown, but in the mode of the present invention, the "cloud" is entered.
It will be explained that the number of times the button is pressed for character strings other than the above is smaller than in the conventional case, and the number of selected alphanumerics is small. For example, using the key arrangement of the button shown in Figure 11, romaji input "Hello" in hiragana, determination button which is arranged at a predetermined position of the drawing the upper surface at the end pressing continuously Konnnitiwa, for example, the top center an oblong ellipse button which is located just a depressing operation, the character string "Hello" can be displayed on a mobile phone liquid crystal display of the. In other words, the key operation of the button is required 11 times in total, and the number of pressing times of 2 times is reduced compared with the conventional 13 times. Needless to say, input errors can be reduced because the characters being input are successively displayed on the display while the keys of the individual buttons are being operated. Further, when applied to a remote control device for electric appliances, it is possible to input characters with the key arrangement. Furthermore, although a relatively vertically long telephone has been described in the above-mentioned embodiment, in the embodiment of the present invention, for example, a horizontally long PDA device can be applied. In this case, the key arrangement of the buttons may be arranged in a matrix of three buttons in the vertical column and five buttons in the horizontal column.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the "Hello" showed embodiments set Romaji, In aspects of the present invention as compared to the key input number of buttons on a string of "pilot" conventional Explain that there are few, and the number of alphanumerics selected is also small. For example,
When the key layout of the buttons shown in FIG. 11 is used, the Roman character input of “Pilot” in katakana is “haniro”.
After operating tu [telephone mark] to [convert button], you can finally push down the oblong elliptical button located at the center of the top to determine the character string, so a total of 14 buttons It can be completed by key operation. In the conventional hiragana input, even if the candidate is displayed the first time with the [conversion button], the pressing operation is required 24 times. In this embodiment, considerable labor can be omitted and the character input can be speeded up. You can Here, [phone mark] is 5 lines 3
Adjacent to the row key matrix, for example, a button with a handset graphic can be used. Further, as the [convert button], a large horizontal elliptical button generally located between the [telephone mark] and the [power] button can be used. This button not only corresponds to the pressing operation in the vertical direction, but also can perform the conversion process in response to the operation of pressing the left, right, upper, and lower edges. For example, press the bottom edge to select the closest candidate, press the right edge to select the next candidate, press the left edge to select the previous candidate, press the top edge to terminate from conversion mode, and then enter Roman characters again. You can also do In addition, the pilot's Romaji input described above
The fourth and fourth buttons exemplify the use of the n button on the right side of the h button 9, that is, the n button at the lower right corner of the key matrix. In this case, if a dakuten mark or a semi-dakuten mark is applied to the button mark instead of "n", it is possible to further contribute to the human interface. Similarly, 27
Romaji input of "Joke?" Mixed with Kanji that required button operation was [Shift button] [[Shift button] si [Vacancy button] yo [Lowercase button] uta
[Voiced sound button] nn [convert button] te [voiced sound button]
You can check the input character string on the screen by operating "suka [shift button]" and press the horizontal elliptical button located at the center of the top to determine the character string, so a total of 26 times. It can be completed by key operation of the button. In other words, in the present embodiment, not only the number of button operations is reduced by the combination of vowels and consonants, but also the key arrangement of the buttons is simpler than the conventional one, so that the button operation is easy and can be used even by a relatively beginner user. can do. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the mark opposite to the button is a lowercase alphabetic character such as aiueo, but it goes without saying that an uppercase AIUEO may be used when the mark is more visually emphasized. Therefore, the inventor believes that the lower case aieo defined in the claims technically encompasses the upper case AIUEO. Therefore, it is also possible to display the Japanese word "a", "ka", or "sa" in Japanese, which is defined in the scope of claims, in the same way as the hiragana "a", "ka" or "sa". It can also be displayed with the letters A, K, S.

In carrying out the above-described embodiment, the software program may be built in a portable telephone or PDA main body at the time of factory shipment in a medium such as ROM or EEROM capable of fixedly storing digital information. In the embodiment, for example, a software program can be downloaded directly from a server of a company that provides mobile phone services to mobile phones shipped to the market. Some of these aspects are illustrated.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. Corresponding telephone set 20 with a character input function is already equipped with the Romaji input key arrangement according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the electronic mail 34 is uploaded to the mail server of center 26 of the mobile phone company via mobile phone network 24 by quick typing. can do. The center 26 can transfer the accumulated mail 34 to a predetermined mail server 36 via the environment of the Internet 28. The owner of the personal computer 30 can download the sent mail 34 by accessing his / her mail server 36 using a known means. Then, the corresponding mobile phone 22 which is not the embodiment of the present invention and which does not have the Romaji input key arrangement can access the center 26 through the mobile phone network 24 and obtain the character input program by Romaji input. For example, NTT Docomo may use i-mode and automatically open the utility program attached to the direct-shipped e-mail by e-mail order to automatically start the character input program. Can be installed. In this case, when the compatible mobile phone 22 uses the conventional key layout, the keypad may be replaced with a keypad that is mailed separately, or a sticky sheet-shaped new key arrangement film may be used for the mobile phone. It can also be attached to the surface of the button. In addition, the mobile phone 22 can be brought into a mobile phone service shop to install software programs and exchange keys for buttons.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. The corresponding telephones 46 and 48 with the character input function and the corresponding PDA 44 can obtain the character input program by wireless communication from the client server 40 of the mobile phone company via the antenna 42 as in the above-mentioned embodiment. CD if the program capacity is large
-A character input program can be obtained via direct mail using a storage medium such as ROM, DVD, or FD. That is, the character input program mailed to the personal computer 52 of the owner of the mobile phone 50 can be loaded into the built-in disk device and then downloaded to the corresponding mobile phone 50 via a cable. According to the present embodiment, a small capacity utility
The program can be obtained in real time through the mobile phone network 24, and a large-capacity utility
With regard to the program, it is also possible to obtain the character input program through a storage medium and then download the character input program to the compatible mobile phone 50 by cable connection using a personal computer.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a telephone 46 connected to a land line, which illustrates an embodiment of the present invention. The telephone 46 with a character input function has an input mode button 50 for selecting a character input mode, a clear button 51 for erasing input characters, and a shift for switching between uppercase and lowercase.
A button 52 is provided, and when inputting characters, the vowel “a1
A button 53, i4 button 54, u7 button 55, e, o button 57 and consonant k2
“Ka” button 58, “s5 na” button 59, “t8” button 60, “n0 WAON” button 61, “h” button 6
2, "m3" button 63, "y6 is" button 64,
"R9 and others" button 65, "w #". You can enter a character string by inputting Roman characters in combination with the "@" button 66, and enter "" when entering a symbol. With the “button 67, it is possible to input while displaying a symbol according to the number of times the button is pressed on the display 68. Although the present embodiment is applied to the telephone 46 with a character input function, the same function can be applied to an electronic information terminal device including an internet telephone, a PDA, and an information home appliance, and as shown in FIG. It goes without saying that it can be applied to the mobile phone shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the mark corresponding to the vowel button is displayed using lowercase letters such as a, i, u, e, o, and the conventional combination of the vowel and other consonants is used. The number of button operations is reduced compared to
Although the key layout of the button is simpler than the conventional one, the button operation is easy and the user who is relatively beginner can use it. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to provide an electronic information terminal device capable of new hybrid input using the conventional key arrangement. FIG. 18 is a plan view of a mobile phone exemplifying this embodiment. In the embodiment of the present invention, for example,
As for the arrangement of keys and how to enter characters, you can enter both hiragana and romaji by the same key operation. In other words, even if the current de facto standard Hiragana input user does not need to newly learn the character arrangement for inputting Roman characters in the above-mentioned embodiment, and if he / she chooses user Roman character input, It is possible to shift from hiragana input to romaji input, or from romaji input to hiragana input. That is, without pressing an additional function button such as a selection button, the character input mode can be automatically detected in the order of pressing the first button and the second button, and the mode transition can be executed.
However, it does not hinder the function of switching the mode by operating a button other than the ten keys, and it is also possible to switch from the roman character input to the hiragana input.

In the current mobile phone, when a character string including a mail or a memo is typed in, it is inputted by the hiragana input method. For example, if you press the "a1 a" key in succession, the characters will be displayed in a toggle display in the order of "a", "i", "u", "e", and "o", and then "k2?" When you press the key in succession, the characters "ka", "ki", "ku", "ke", and "ko" are displayed in order, and when you press the same key, the first "ka" appears. Is configured. However, with this conventional method, the user has to repeatedly press the same key to obtain a desired character, and when the character to be input is incorrect, the user must press the first key again. Existed. In the Romayu input described in the above-mentioned embodiment, the number of times the key is pressed is overwhelmingly less than in the past, and mistakes in pressing are reduced.
Are better. Here, the romaji input is the same as the character input of a personal computer, and the character kstn is a consonant.
The combination of hmyrw and vowel aiueo expresses Japanese, and it is clear that the number of key presses is less and the input is faster than hiragana input. For example, in the case of the character string "I'm fidgeting about the appearance of a man," you must enter "I'm fidgeting like a man" in hiragana input. To enter this character string, It requires 59 key presses. When the same sentence is typed with the Roman character input according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, "otokonoyousumo"
It is sufficient to press the button "sawasawasiteiru" 29 times. For other character strings, for example, if you play in Hiragana with "Play with friends," you will have to press the "Friends and Sotosobi" key 59 times, while entering Roman letters will be "otomota" totosoteote.
You only have to press the "asofu" key 25 times, and in "Drinking alcohol in a tipsy mood", the hiragana input is a key While you have to press 51 times,
When inputting romaji, enter "horoyoikifu" n
It is enough to press 27 times by pressing the key "nake". Similarly, the hiragana input for "I'll accompany you on a trip" requires 44 key presses,
In the case of entering romaji, "riyo (small) kouniotom
That is, the number of times of pressing the "osimasyuo" key is 23 times. It is obvious that the input of the character string is better in the case of inputting such roman letters, but Japanese Patent Application No. 11-
The Takahashi invention described in No. 152644 also has a similar key layout with Roman characters. However, the key arrangement of the above-described embodiment has a certain limit, and users who have become accustomed to entering Hiragana characters of the current devices such as a mobile phone and a subscriber line telephone can re-create a new key arrangement. There is a problem that you must learn. In another embodiment of the present invention, while leaving the key arrangement for hiragana input such as a mobile phone currently on the market,
There is a benefit in that it is configured so that Romaji input can be made with hybrid input. In other words, it is superior to the above-described embodiment in that the character string can be automatically input in both the hiragana input and the roman alphabet input without switching the mode without operating the other key buttons. The specific input method is as follows.

When the "k or" key is pressed once, "ka" is displayed, and when it is pressed twice, "ki" is displayed. When the "i" is pressed next to the "k or" key, , Ki, that is, “ki” is displayed on the display. Similarly, if the "k" key is followed by the "u", ku, that is, "ku" is displayed on the display. Also, if you press the "e" next to the "k or" key,
ke, that is, “ke” is displayed on the display. Further, when the "o" is pressed next to the "k" key, ko, that is, "ko" is displayed on the display. When you press the "Ssa" key once, "sa" is displayed, and when you press it twice, "shi" is displayed, but when you press the "i" next to the "Ssa" key, si is displayed.
That is, "shi" is displayed. When "u" is pressed next to the "ssa" key, SU, that is, "su" is displayed. "S
When the "e" is pressed next to the "sa" key, se, that is, "se" is displayed. When "o" is pressed next to the "ssa" key, so is displayed, that is, "so". Examples of continuous input from hiragana input to romaji input are as follows. Press the "k" key three times, write the "ku" character, and then press the "o" vowel key. Ko, that is, the character "ko" can be obtained. After pressing the "ssa" key twice to write the sentence "shi" and then pressing the vowel key "e", you can get the character se, that is, "se". on the other hand,
The following is an example of continuous input from Roman Uiri to Hiragana. Press "ssa" and press "i"
When you press, the letter si, that is, "shi" is displayed, and then "h"
By pressing the "ha" key four times, you can get the "ho" sentence. If you press "hhi" and then "e", you can get the character "ru" by pressing the key "r et al" three times after displaying the character he, that is, "he". When inputting "n", it will be "nn" in Roman alphabet input, but in this input method, "na", "ni", "nu" are displayed, whereas in the hybrid input method Hiragana "wa"
You can enter the character "n" by pressing the key three times. Therefore, the number of key touches can be reduced as compared with the Roman alphabet input of the invention of Takahashi of the previous application. If the user wants to completely separate hiragana input and romayu input mode, that is, if he / she does not want to automatically switch romaji input from hiragana input, the romaji input can be selected by the mode key. . As a result, a person who experiences confusion due to the mixture of the two modes can select either one of the input methods. In that case, "a
The "A" key can be used as a vowel, and the input method that is closer to the conventional keyboard input can be inherited.

In a current mobile phone or information terminal, when a specific symbol or command icon is selected, the cursor is often moved to the position of the symbol and the selection is made. , Vertical 4 x horizontal 3, vertical 4 x horizontal 4 can be adopted, and symbols and command icons are displayed in a matrix corresponding to the layout and number of keys as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19. Is displayed, you can select the symbol or command icon by pressing the key corresponding to that position, you can switch to the menu activation or sound selection screen.

Alphabet is displayed on the key of the current mobile phone or ordinary phone, but this alphanumeric bed is divided into three letters in order from A to Z and arranged on the button. For example, to get the letter "C",
You have to hit ABC three times. In the key arrangement of the embodiment of the present invention, the alphabet from A to Z is divided into two letters and arranged. 18 and 19 and FIGS. 21 to 23. For example, when hitting "B", it only needs to be pressed twice, so that the alphabet input speed can be made faster.

[0036]

As is apparent from the above description, in one embodiment of the present invention, for example, a mobile phone or a PDA is used.
For operation buttons used for mobile information terminals such as
Since the vowels i, u, e, and o and the consonants that are used in combination with the vowels to input Roman letters are arranged in a matrix, the words or sentences to be input can be visually confirmed on the display while pressing the continuous buttons phonetically. Therefore, even a user who can recognize the relationship between vowels and consonants can easily and quickly input characters to the terminal device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a reference diagram of a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of operation buttons according to the first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of operation buttons according to the first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of Roman character input according to the first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of operation buttons according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of operation buttons according to the second embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of operation buttons according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of operation buttons according to the third embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an operation button according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of operation buttons according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an operation button according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of operation buttons according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of software download according to the embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of software download according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a ground line telephone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a remote controller for home electric appliances according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a mobile phone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a mobile phone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a remote controller for home electric appliances according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of a mobile phone according to the invention of the earlier application.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a ground line telephone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of a remote controller for home electric appliances according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a configuration diagram of a key arrangement of an information home appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1A to 1D: operation buttons, 2: mobile phone, 3: operation button body, 4: vowel, 5: consonant, 6: first display part, 7: number, 8: second display part, 9: Alphabet, 10: 3rd display part, 11: Hiragana, 12: 4th display part. 20, 22, 46, 48: Compatible mobile phone 44: Compatible PDA 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 5
8, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 6
7: Key button 68: Display 69, 70: Function selection button

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04M 1/23

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A key arrangement for displaying vowels a, i, u, e, o which are vowels for inputting Romaji characters on the surface of a hiragana key button of a mobile phone having a ten-key arrangement or a housing near the button. And vowel keys a, i, u, e, in the upper and lower or left and right casings of a hiragana key arrangement of 4 rows vertically and 4 columns horizontally.
cell phone with display of o or i, u, e, o,
An electronic information terminal device with a character input function including a remote controller for information home appliances, an Internet telephone, a PDA, and an information home appliance. 2. An electronic information terminal device including a mobile phone, a remote controller for an information home appliance, an internet phone, a PDA, and an information home appliance, wherein the first button is depressed during a hybrid mode in which a hiragana input mode and a roman alphabet input mode are mixed. An electronic information terminal device with a character input function having a hybrid function of performing continuous character string input based on an electric signal in response to a second button operation that is pressed next to. 3. An electronic information terminal device including a mobile phone, a remote controller for an information home appliance, an Internet phone, a PDA, and an information home appliance, wherein characters are input by hiragana and romaji by mode switching based on button operation. The electronic information terminal device with a character input function according to claim 2, comprising an array. 4. An electronic information terminal device including a mobile phone, a remote controller for an information home appliance, an internet phone, a PDA, and an information home appliance, wherein key buttons for symbols, menus, commands, and characters are vertically 5 lines. And horizontal 3 columns, or vertical 4 rows and horizontal 3
Columns or a matrix-like key arrangement including vertical 5 rows and horizontal 4 columns, and vertical 4 rows and horizontal 4 columns, and a display device for displaying the key layout on the display, and a predetermined area associated with the display area of the display. An electronic information terminal device with a character input function, which has a key input device for selecting a symbol or a command designated in response to the pressing operation of the key and a character input. 5. An electronic information terminal device including a mobile phone, a remote controller for an information home appliance, an Internet phone, a PDA, and an information home appliance, wherein an Affa bed is A, B, C, D, E,
F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q,
An electronic information terminal device with a character input function, which is divided into two characters in the order of R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z and sequentially arranged on each numeric keypad. 6. An electronic information terminal device including a mobile phone, a remote controller for information appliances, an Internet phone, a PDA, and an information appliance, wherein character keys and character strings corresponding to the character keys are arranged in a horizontal row on a liquid crystal screen. Vowels ah, ih, u
U, e, o, and o, and the consonant a, k, s, t
In addition, electronic information with a character input function including a key input button that configures a character array with five columns of n, h, and 5 letters of m, y, r, w, and w Terminal device.