JP2006325022A - Input auxiliary device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an input auxiliary device capable of preventing user's unintended operation when reproducing a key input history. <P>SOLUTION: A key history application 231 stores a state of an application executed by an application part 23 and user's key input contents, in a key input history data area 411 as a state history of the application. When the key input history stored in the key input history data area 411 is reproduced, a history execution control means 221 determines whether an application other than an application for reproducing the key input history is being executed or not at a time point of transition from a key input reproduced at present to the next key input, and stops reproducing in the case that it is being executed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an input assist device and a program having a function of storing key input information input by a user and calling the stored key input for the purpose of assisting the user's input with, for example, a mobile phone. Is.

  Current mobile phones are equipped with new functions one after another, and user operations required to use certain functions are becoming increasingly complex. On the other hand, the functions that users often use are often only a part of many functions.

  Therefore, as a device for easily calling functions frequently used by the user, there are a method that allows the user to customize the function call menu, a shortcut key method that assigns a specific hardware key for function call, etc. Has been taken. However, in the case of menu customization, if customization with a very high degree of freedom is possible, the operation for customization setting itself becomes complicated, making it difficult for the user to understand and difficult to use. Also, when using shortcut keys, the number of hardware keys is limited, so the number of functions that can be registered is limited. Also, in general, the implementation for enabling customization with a high degree of freedom is complicated, and there is a problem that the implementation itself is difficult.

  As means for solving such a problem, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a history of function setting operations by a user is held in a memory, and the same operation can be called using a key dedicated to history call. As a result, there has been a configuration that makes it easy to re-execute setting changes that have been performed previously.

JP 2001-127867 A

  The method as shown in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 automatically stores a function setting operation history of a user in a mobile phone and allows the user to call the history. This method is easy for user operation and easy to implement. However, the object to be saved in the mobile phone as a history is limited to an operation for calling a function setting screen performed by the user in the past, and a series of operations that the user wants to save cannot be specified and saved / recalled. For example, a series of operations such as “starting a camera shooting application with the camera shooting image quality / size changed to a desired setting” cannot be saved / recalled.

  On the other hand, as a general method for storing the user's general key operations, there is a keyboard macro function used in PC software or the like. However, mobile phones often have asynchronous events such as incoming phone calls, incoming emails, and alarm sounds, and when a keyboard macro is executed, there is a possibility that the user may perform operations that are not assumed. In the case of an operation that requires a certain amount of processing time, after performing a certain key operation, the user must perform the next operation after confirming the screen transition. There is a possibility of unexpected behavior. Because of these problems, the keyboard macro function cannot be simply applied to a mobile phone.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and allows an operation that has been performed once to be performed in a simple procedure, and an operation unintended by the user at the time of reproducing the input history. It is an object of the present invention to obtain an input auxiliary device that can be prevented.

  The input assist device according to the present invention stores the user's key input history in an arbitrary application in the history storage means, and when reproducing the key input history, the history execution control means performs the following from the key input being currently reproduced. When an application different from the application to be reproduced is being executed at the time of transition to the key input, the reproduction is stopped.

  The input assist device according to the present invention associates the key type and key input time interval input by the user in an arbitrary application with each other and stores them in the history storage unit, and the history execution control unit stores the user key in the arbitrary application. When the input history is reproduced, the key input history is reproduced based on the stored key type and key input time interval.

  In the input assist device according to the present invention, when playing back a user's key input history, an application different from the application is executed at the time of transition from the current key input to the next key input. Since playback is stopped, operations that have been performed once can be performed in a simple procedure, and even when other events occur asynchronously during playback of the input history, It is possible to obtain an input auxiliary device that can prevent an unintended operation.

  Further, the input assist device of the present invention stores the key input time interval of the user and reproduces the user key input history based on the key input time interval. Even when a key input history in an application including an operation requiring time is reproduced, an operation unintended by the user can be prevented.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a mobile phone to which an input assist device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an external view of the mobile phone.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 100 includes a key input unit 1 having various keys for a user to perform various inputs, and a display unit 3 for displaying input results and various application screens. is doing. The key input unit 1 includes numeric keys, function keys, and the like. Also, as one of function keys, a dedicated key (hereinafter referred to as R key) 1a for starting and ending acquisition of a key input history is provided. I have. In the present embodiment, the key input includes all operations such as selection and determination, and indicates all key operations that generate a key event.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the functional block configuration of the mobile phone 100 includes a key input unit 1, a control unit 2, a display unit 3, and a storage unit 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the key input unit 1 is a functional unit that detects a key input from a user. The control unit 2 is a functional unit that activates and processes various applications based on the input signal from the key input unit 1 and outputs various display signals to the display unit 3. , An application control unit 22, an application unit 23, and a display control unit 24. The key discrimination unit 21 is a functional unit that detects an input signal from the key input unit 1 and discriminates the type of the key. The application control unit 22 is a function unit that delivers a key input event from the key determination unit 21 to an appropriate application, and a function unit that stores and reproduces key input history information in cooperation with a key history application 231 described later. A history execution control means 221 is provided.

  When the history execution control unit 221 reproduces the stored key input history, the application unit 23 reproduces the key input history at the time of transition from the currently reproduced key input to the next key input. It is determined whether or not a different application is being executed, and if it has been executed, it has a function of stopping reproduction of the key input history. The history execution control means 221 has a function of reproducing the stored key type at the stored key input time interval when reproducing the stored key input history.

  The application unit 23 constitutes an application execution unit capable of starting a plurality of applications asynchronously as the mobile phone 100, and has a user interface for storing and playing back a user's key input history from the key input unit 1. The key history application 231 to be provided and various applications (application 1 (232a), application 2 (232b),...) Are configured. The display control unit 24 is a functional unit for receiving display instructions from the application unit 23 and generating display data and passing the display data to the display unit 3.

  The display unit 3 includes a display as shown in FIG. 2, and displays execution results of various applications. The storage unit 4 stores various data as a mobile phone, and includes application data 41 used by the application unit 23. The application data 41 stores a key input history data area 411 for use by the key history application 231 and data 412 for use by various applications 232. In addition, the key history application 231 of the application unit 23 and the key input history data area 411 of the storage unit 4 store the user's key input history in an arbitrary application being executed by the application execution unit, and in an arbitrary application A history storage unit is configured to store key type information input by the user and key input time intervals of a plurality of key inputs sequentially input in time as a key input history.

  The control unit 2 is realized by a computer, and each configuration of the control unit 2 includes software corresponding to each function and hardware such as a CPU and a memory for executing the software.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a sequence between modules for acquiring a key input history according to the first embodiment.
First, when the user presses the R key 1a in the key input unit 1, this key event is notified to the key determination unit 21 (step ST101). After receiving the key input notification and determining the key type, the key determining unit 21 delivers the key type information to the application control unit 22 (step ST102). The application control unit 22 delivers the key to an appropriate application according to the current application state based on the key type. In this case, since it is the R key 1a, the key is delivered to the key history application 231 (step ST103).

  The key history application 231 receives the information of the R key 1a and confirms the user with the key history acquisition start (step ST104). In step ST105, the R icon indicating that the key history is being acquired is lit. In step ST106, the application control unit 22 is notified of the start of key history acquisition.

  In step ST107, the application control unit 22 that has received the notification of the key history acquisition start delivers an appropriate event to each application and automatically transitions to the standby screen. Furthermore, in step ST108, the application control unit 22 transitions to a “history storage mode” in which key history information is notified to the key history application 231 when a key event is delivered to the application.

  In step ST109, the key input unit 1 that has detected the key input from the user notifies the key determination unit 21 of the key event, and in step ST110, the key determination unit 21 delivers the key to the application control unit 22. Next, in step ST111, the application control unit 22 delivers the key to the application 2 (232b), which is an appropriate application for delivering the key, from the current application state. Further, in step ST112, the key type and application status are notified to the key history application 231.

  In step ST113, the key history application 231 sets the key interval (elapsed time from the occurrence of the previous key event to the occurrence of the key event) Δt to 0 (zero), the key type and application state notified from the application control unit 22, and In addition, “key history information” is created and stored in a temporary storage area. In order to calculate the key interval, the key event occurrence time is stored (T0 = time: time is the current time). Hereinafter, steps ST114 to ST117 are the same as steps ST109 to ST112.

  In step ST118, the key history application 231 stores the previous key event occurrence time (T0) stored, the “key interval” calculated from the current time, the key type and the application state notified from the application control unit 22. At the same time, “key history information” is created and stored in a temporary storage area. Also, the key event occurrence time is stored. Thereafter, the processing from step ST114 to step ST118 is repeated.

  Here, the key interval input by the user is stored together with the application state for the following reason. That is, for example, in a mobile phone, a certain amount of time is usually required from when the image is taken by the camera to when the file storage in the storage unit is completed. At that time, a screen transition of “(1) shooting → (2) saving screen → (3) image list screen” is performed, and the “decision key” in (2) is “save interruption”, and the decision in (3) Assume that the key is “select image”. Then, it is assumed that the “state key” is pressed in (3) to acquire and reproduce the application state history.

  In this case, if there is no timing information in the state history, there is a possibility that a “decision key” pressing event will occur on the screen of (2) during playback. The operation will be “interrupted”. Therefore, as in steps ST109 to ST118, the key input interval information is saved, and the timing for generating a key event at the time of reproduction is made the same as that at the time of acquiring the application state history, so that (2) screen ( After the transition to the screen of 3), the “decision key” event can be generated, and an operation that is not assumed by the user can be prevented.

  Returning to FIG. 3, after that, in step ST119, the input of the R key 1a is notified from the key input unit 1 to the key determination unit 21, and the R key event is delivered to the application control unit 22 in step ST120. Thereby, the application control unit 22 delivers the key event to the key history application 231 in step ST121, and notifies the key history application 231 of the key type and application state in step ST123.

  In step ST122, the key history application 231 that has received the R key from the application control unit 22 turns off the R icon, and further notifies the application control unit 22 of the completion of key history acquisition in step ST125. Thereafter, in step ST123, a notification of the key type and the application state is received from the application control unit 22, but it is discarded because it is information for the R key 1a (step ST124). Further, after confirming the storage of the key history information for the user in step ST128, the key history information is stored in the key input history data area 411 in step ST129.

  The application control unit 22 that has received the key history acquisition end notification in step ST125 makes a transition from the history storage mode to the normal mode in step ST126.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing key input history data.
As shown in the figure, for each key event, the key type, the application state when the key is pressed, and the key interval are stored as key input history data. Note that the key interval Δ indicates the elapsed time from the occurrence of the previous key event to the occurrence of the key event.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing screen transitions at the time of storing the key input history described above.
In step ST201, the user presses the R key 1a to instruct start of acquisition of a key input history. This corresponds to step ST101 of the sequence shown in FIG. Next, in step ST202, an inquiry is made to the user as to whether or not acquisition of a key input history is to be started (corresponding to step ST104 in FIG. 3).

  Next, in step ST203, after confirming the start of acquisition of the key input history from the user, the screen shifts to a standby screen, indicating that the key input history is being acquired (in the figure, R: The user is notified (referred to as step ST105 to step ST108 in FIG. 3). Furthermore, in step ST204, the user performs an operation to acquire a key input history. Meanwhile, the R icon is turned on so that the user can understand that the key input history is being acquired. As an example of the operation performed in step ST204, a series of operations for changing the shooting setting such as starting a still image shooting camera and changing the size of the shot image can be considered. The above operation of step ST204 corresponds to the processing of step ST109 to step ST118 in FIG.

  In step ST205, when the user presses the R key 1a, acquisition of the key input history is completed, and it is confirmed whether or not the acquired key input history is to be saved. Thereafter, in step ST206, an input screen for giving a name to the key input history is displayed, and in step ST207, the user is notified that the key input history has been saved (steps ST119 to ST129 in FIG. 3). Equivalent to processing).

Next, the operation at the time of reproducing the key input history in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a sequence of processing between modules at the time of reproducing a key input history in the present invention.
This sequence starts from a situation where a history reproduction instruction is given by the user.
First, in step ST301, the key history application 231 notifies the application control unit 22 of the start of key history reproduction, and the application control unit 22 transitions to the “key reproduction mode”.

  In step ST302, the application control unit 22 delivers an appropriate event to each application, and transits to a standby screen. In step ST303, the key history application 231 reads key history information from the key input history data area 411, and notifies the key type and application state in the key history information to the application control unit 22 in step ST304. Also, a timer (key interval measurement timer) in which the key interval value of the key history information is set is started. The key interval measurement timer is a software timer or the like, and is provided in the key history application 231.

  In step ST305, the history execution control unit 221 of the application control unit 22 compares the application state notified from the key history application 231 with the current application state. If they do not match, it is determined that the key reproduction has failed. In step ST306, the key type notified from the key history application 231 is delivered to an appropriate application. That is, during the reproduction of the key input history, for example, when an asynchronous and high priority event such as an incoming call of a mobile phone has occurred, the key reproduction is interrupted.

  In step ST307, the key history application 231 that has received the time-out event of the key interval measurement timer, based on the next key history information, sets the key type and application status to the history execution control means of the application control unit 22, as in step ST304. 221 is notified and the key interval measurement timer is started. Hereinafter, step ST308 to step ST309 are repetitions of the above-described step ST305 to step ST306, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  In step ST310, the above-described steps ST304 to ST306 are repeated until the key history application 231 completes the reproduction of the key history. Thereafter, in step ST311, the key history application 231 completes the reproduction of the key history. Thereby, in step ST312, the key history application 231 notifies the application control unit 22 of the end of reproduction, and the application control unit 22 transitions to the normal mode.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing screen transitions during such key input history reproduction.
First, in step ST401, a list of key input histories stored in the key input history data area 411 of the storage unit 4 is displayed, and the user can select a key input history to be reproduced. In the illustrated example, “camera shooting: mail size” is selected. Next, in step ST402, after the key input history to be reproduced by the user is selected, the screen automatically transitions to the standby screen. These processes correspond to the processes up to step ST302 in FIG.

  Next, in step ST403, the screen automatically changes according to the key input history instructed to be reproduced by the user. This corresponds to the processing from step ST303 to step ST310 in FIG. 6. If an event such as an incoming call has occurred at the time of screen transition, the reproduction of the key input history is stopped. On the other hand, in step ST403, when an asynchronous event does not occur in particular, in step ST404, the screen transits to a target screen for reproducing the key input history by the user. In the illustrated example, the screen transitions to a screen where the camera is activated.

  As described above, according to the input assist device of the first embodiment, the application execution unit capable of executing a plurality of applications asynchronously and the user's key input history in any application executed by the application execution unit are stored. When reproducing the key input history of the user in an arbitrary application stored in the history storage means and the history storage means, at the time of transition from the currently played key input to the next key input, the application execution means It is determined whether an application different from an arbitrary application that reproduces the input history is executed, and if it has been executed, the history execution control means for stopping the reproduction is provided. Can be performed in a simple procedure, and while the input history is being played Even if other events occur in the synchronization can prevent unintended operation of the user.

  In addition, according to the input assist device of the first embodiment, the key type information input by the user in an arbitrary application and the key input time intervals in a plurality of key inputs sequentially input in time are represented by the key Since it has history storage means for storing as input history, and history execution control means for reproducing stored key types at stored key input time intervals when reproducing a user's key input history in an arbitrary application Even when an application state history including an operation that requires a certain amount of processing time is reproduced, an operation unintended by the user can be prevented.

  Further, according to the input assist device of the first embodiment, since the application is an application installed in the mobile phone, in particular, in a mobile phone in which an asynchronous event such as an incoming phone call, incoming email, or alarm ringing occurs. Even when such an asynchronous event occurs, it is possible to obtain a great effect that an operation unintended by the user can be prevented.

  In addition, according to the program of the first embodiment, a user key input history in an arbitrary application is stored, and when a predetermined playback instruction is received, the key input history in an arbitrary application is played back. Application execution means capable of executing a plurality of applications asynchronously, history storage means for storing a user's key input history in any application executed by the application execution means, and user in any application stored in the history storage means When the key input history is reproduced, at the time of transition from the currently reproduced key input to the next key input, is an application execution means executing an application different from any application that reproduces the key input history? Determine If the program has been executed, the history execution control means for stopping the reproduction is a program that causes the computer to execute the operation. Thus, the operation that has been performed once can be performed in a simple procedure, and the input history is stored. Even if another event occurs asynchronously during reproduction, there is an effect that an input auxiliary device that can prevent an operation unintended by the user can be realized on the computer.

  In the first embodiment, the case where a mobile phone is used as the device to which the input assist device is applied has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various devices. However, the greater the frequency of occurrence of asynchronous events, the greater the effect.

It is a block diagram which shows the mobile telephone to which the input assistance apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention is applied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an external view of the mobile telephone to which the input assistance apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sequence between the modules of the key input log | history acquisition of the input auxiliary device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the key input log | history data of the input auxiliary device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen transition at the time of the key input log | history preservation | save of the input auxiliary device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sequence of the process between modules at the time of key input log | history reproduction | regeneration of the input auxiliary device by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen transition at the time of key input log | history reproduction | regeneration of the input auxiliary device by Embodiment 1 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  23 Application section (application execution means), 100 mobile phone, 221 history execution control means, 231 key history application, 232a application, 232b application 2, 411 key input history data area.

Claims (4)

An application execution means capable of executing a plurality of applications asynchronously;
History storage means for storing a user's key input history in any application executed by the application execution means;
When reproducing the user's key input history in the arbitrary application stored in the history storage means, the key input is performed in the application execution means at the time of transition from the currently reproduced key input to the next key input. An input assisting device comprising: a history execution control unit that determines whether an application different from an arbitrary application that reproduces a history is being executed, and stops the reproduction when the application is being executed. History storage means for storing key type information input by the user in an arbitrary application and each key input time interval in a plurality of key inputs sequentially input in time as a key input history;
An input assist device comprising history execution control means for reproducing the stored key type at a stored key input time interval when reproducing the user's key input history in the arbitrary application.   3. The input auxiliary device according to claim 1, wherein the application is an application mounted on a mobile phone. A program for storing a user's key input history in an arbitrary application and reproducing the key input history in the arbitrary application when receiving a predetermined reproduction instruction,
An application execution means capable of executing a plurality of applications asynchronously;
History storage means for storing a user's key input history in any application executed by the application execution means;
When reproducing the user's key input history in the arbitrary application stored in the history storage means, the key input is performed in the application execution means at the time of transition from the currently reproduced key input to the next key input. A program for determining whether or not an application different from an arbitrary application for reproducing a history is being executed, and causing the computer to execute history execution control means for stopping the reproduction when the application is being executed.

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