JP2010146286A - Mobile terminal, method of presenting function activation means, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile terminal having a user interface in which the change of the frequency of use of a function in a using location is taken into consideration. <P>SOLUTION: The mobile terminal includes: a means for storing setting information defining the arrangement of function activation means on a screen so as to easily activate a function to be highly frequently used in a prescribed area in the area; a means for specifying the area where the present machine is positioned; and a means for displaying the function activation means in a form corresponding to the area where the present machine is positioned on the basis of the setting information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a user interface technology for a portable terminal.

  In recent years, mobile phone terminals having an international roaming function that can receive services equivalent to domestic subscription services have been released overseas, and are accepted by users who have many opportunities to go abroad for work or travel.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a radiotelephone device having an international roaming function and having function changing means for automatically changing a dictionary and a calculator function, downloading data, and the like according to the country in which the user is located. ing. Patent Document 2 discloses a mobile terminal device having a function of automatically downloading dictionary data required in a country when the use in a foreign country is detected.

JP 2001-36966 A JP 2002-247646 A

  In general, a cellular phone terminal focuses on operability such as making a call or e-mail, sending and receiving, etc., and a dictionary function, a calculator function, etc. are positioned as additional functions and require a plurality of button operations. For this reason, when using a dictionary or a calculator overseas, there is a problem that it takes a long time to call the function, or it takes time.

  The techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 alleviate setting operations after starting the dictionary function and the calculator function, and request to easily start a function that is frequently used in a specific place of use. It is not something that can deal directly with.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal having a user interface that takes into account changes in the frequency of use of functions in the place of use, and function activation means in the mobile terminal It is in providing the presentation method and program.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, means for storing setting information defining an arrangement of function activation means on a screen so that functions frequently used in a predetermined area can be activated easily in the area. And a means for specifying the area where the own device is located, and a means for displaying the function activation means in a manner corresponding to the area where the own device is located based on the setting information. .

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, a portable device that stores setting information defining the arrangement of function activation means on the screen so that functions that are frequently used in a predetermined area can be activated easily in the area. A function in the portable terminal in which the terminal identifies the area where the own device is located, and the portable terminal displays the function activation unit in a manner corresponding to the area where the own device is located based on the setting information for each area A method for presenting activation means is provided.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, a portable device that stores setting information defining the arrangement of function activation means on the screen so that functions that are frequently used in a predetermined area can be activated easily in the area. A function to be executed by a computer to be executed by a computer mounted on a terminal, in accordance with a process for specifying an area where the own device is located and the area where the own device is located based on the setting information for each area A program for causing the computer to execute a process of displaying the image is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to facilitate utilization of the function which has a difference in use frequency by a place of use. The reason for this is that setting information that defines the layout of function activation means to facilitate activation of functions that are frequently used according to the location characteristics of the area, is not used normally but is frequently used in specific areas. The function activation means can be displayed in a manner that facilitates activation of the function.

[Summary of Invention]
First, an outline of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention includes a processing unit 20 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage unit 30 such as a semiconductor memory, a display unit 40 such as a liquid crystal display, and an operation unit such as a button and a pointing device. 50 can be applied to the portable terminal 100a.

  The processing unit 20 includes position specifying means 20a for specifying an area where the own device is located based on base station information included in a signal wirelessly transmitted from the nearest base station or information from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. The display switching unit 20b displays the function activation unit in a manner corresponding to the area where the own device is located based on setting information described later. These means can be realized by a program that is executed by a computer constituting the processing unit 20.

  The storage unit 30 includes setting information storage means 30a for storing setting information defining the arrangement of function activation means on the screen so that functions that are frequently used in a predetermined area can be easily activated in the area. It is.

  For example, let us consider a case where knowledge that a specific function (function A) is frequently used in a certain area is obtained by a questionnaire survey for users. In this area, an icon for activating function A (function activation means) is displayed on the standby screen, or setting information defined to arrange function A at the upper level on the function menu is created, and setting information storage means 30a Register with. Thereby, when it is detected that the position specifying unit 20a is located in the area, an icon or a menu is displayed on the display unit 40 according to the setting information, thereby facilitating the activation of the function A by the operation unit 50.

[First Embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a configuration of a mobile phone terminal 100 including a wireless unit 10, a processing unit 20, a storage unit 30, a display unit 40, and an operation unit 50 is illustrated.

  The mobile phone terminal 100 includes not only the home operator A200 with which the user has a contract, but also the overseas operator B300, the operator C301, and the operator D302 (the roaming partner operator group 400) with which the home operator A200 is affiliated. ) Can also receive services.

  Each processing unit of the mobile phone terminal 100 operates as follows. The wireless unit 10 receives a radio signal from a base station installed in the service area of each company included in the roaming partner company group 400.

  The processing unit 20 includes a business operator determination unit 21, a country determination unit 22, and a display switching unit 23.

  The storage unit 30 includes a rate storage unit 31, a dictionary storage unit 32, and an operator storage unit 33. The carrier storage unit 33 relates to information for determining area information (country) where the corresponding base station is located from carrier information transmitted by the base station, and setting of a standby screen to be displayed in the area information (country). It is assumed that information (setting information) is stored. Further, the business entity storage unit 33 stores the exchange rate between the currency that is valid in each country and the Japanese currency, the type of dictionary data for realizing the dictionary function of the language that is valid in the country concerned, and the like.

  The business operator discriminating unit 21 of the processing unit 20 reads business operator information in the radio signal received by the radio unit 10 and outputs it to the country discriminating unit 22 as a business operator information signal.

  The country determination unit 22 of the processing unit 20 accesses the business entity storage unit 33 in the storage unit 30 to determine area information (country) corresponding to the business operator information and outputs it to the display switching unit 23 in the processing unit 20. To do.

  Based on the area information (country), the display switching unit 23 of the processing unit 20 receives information (setting) regarding the setting of the standby screen to be displayed in the corresponding area information (country) from the business operator storage unit 33 in the storage unit 30. Information) is read out and displayed on the display unit 40.

  The rate storage unit 31 stores a currency rate between countries to be applied when a calculator function provided in the mobile phone terminal 100 is activated.

  The dictionary storage unit 32 stores the dictionary data of each country used when the dictionary function provided in the mobile phone terminal 100 is activated.

  The display unit 40 displays the standby screen sent from the display switching unit 23, and the operation unit 50 receives an operation from the user who refers to the standby screen.

  Subsequently, the operation of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, when the mobile phone terminal 100 compatible with the international roaming function according to the present embodiment enters the service area of an arbitrary operator, the radio unit 10 is installed in the base station installed in the service area. The radio wave signal including the business operator information transmitted by is received (step S1).

  The provider discriminating unit 21 reads the provider information in the radio signal (step S2) and confirms whether or not it is located in the service area of the home provider A200 (step S3). Here, when it is determined that the mobile phone terminal 100 is located in the service area of the home operator A200 (“Yes” in step S3), the operator determination unit 21 instructs the display switching unit 23 to An instruction is given to display a domestic standby screen as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the mobile phone terminal 100 is located outside the service area of the home operator A200 (“No” in step S3), the operator determination unit 21 sends the operator information to the country determination unit 22. Output.

  The country determination unit 22 determines area information (country) corresponding to the company information based on the information stored in the company storage unit 33 in the storage unit 30, and outputs the area information (country) to the display switching unit 23 (step S4). ).

  Based on the area information (country) determined by the country determination unit 22, the display switching unit 23 sets a standby screen to be displayed in the corresponding area information (country) from the operator storage unit 33 in the storage unit 30. Information (setting information) is read (step S5), and a standby screen in which function activation means such as icons are arranged on the screen is displayed on the display unit 40 according to the setting.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of an overseas standby screen that is created by reading out information (setting information) related to the setting of the standby screen from the business operator storage unit 33 when it is determined that it is not located in the service area of the home business operator A200. It is. The difference from the domestic standby screen illustrated in FIG. 4 is that a “calculator” icon IC1 and a “dictionary” icon IC2 are displayed on the standby screen.

  Here, for example, when the user performs a key operation from the operation unit 50 and selects and activates the “calculator” icon IC1 on the standby screen in FIG. 5 (step S11 in FIG. 3), the display switching unit 23 performs the calculator function. Start (step S12 in FIG. 3).

  When each function is activated in step S12, the display switching unit 23 passes the area information (country) determined by the country determining unit 22 as an argument to the program corresponding to each function, thereby providing the following convenience. Property can be further improved.

  FIG. 6 is an example of a screen displayed after the “calculator” icon IC1 of FIG. 5 is activated. In the example of FIG. 6, when the “calculator” icon IC <b> 1 is activated, the initial screen of the normal calculator function is not displayed, but based on the area information (country) determined by the country determination unit 22. An input screen for a rate conversion mode for receiving a rate calculation between the national currency ($) and the yen currency (¥) is displayed. In this way, the convenience of the user who wants to calculate currency at an overseas store or the like can be further improved. In the example of FIG. 6, the user can also convert other currencies (euro, won, etc.) from the drop-down list.

  Similarly, when the user performs a key operation from the operation unit 50 and selects and activates the “dictionary” icon IC2 on the standby screen in FIG. 5 (step S11 in FIG. 3), the display switching unit 23 activates the dictionary function. (Step S12 in FIG. 3).

  Even in this case, the display switching unit 23 can pass the area information (country) discriminated by the country discriminating unit 22 as an argument to the program corresponding to the dictionary function and select dictionary data to be initially displayed. it can.

  FIG. 7 is an example of a screen displayed after the “dictionary” icon IC2 of FIG. 5 is activated. In the example of FIG. 7, when the “dictionary” icon IC <b> 2 is activated, the initial screen of the normal dictionary function is not displayed, but the country language (USA) or Japanese language determined by the country determination unit 22 is displayed. An input screen is displayed to accept any input and display the translation.

  Note that currency rate information and dictionary data for realizing these functions can be downloaded from the Internet and added to or updated in the rate storage unit 31 and the dictionary storage unit 32 using a method such as Patent Document 2. It is.

  As described above, in this embodiment, even if the user does not set by key operation, the function is activated automatically in such a manner that it is easy to select a frequently used function overseas such as a calculator or a dictionary. The display of the means is switched, and the operation when starting these functions is facilitated.

  At that time, as described above with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the convenience is remarkably improved by activating each function in the setting and operation mode suitable for the country in use. be able to.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the position determination is performed using the contents contained in the radio wave signal used in international roaming, it is not necessary to increase the amount of information to be newly received.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when located in the service area of the home business operator A200, a standby screen for domestic use as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed, so that an infrequently used icon is displayed on the standby screen, There is no inconvenience such as a function item having a low frequency of use being arranged at the top of the function menu. In this case, the user activates the calculator function and the dictionary function from the domestic standby screen from the function menu on the normal screen, so that the input screen for the rate conversion mode for a specific currency or the input screen for a specific foreign language dictionary is displayed. There is no inconvenience of being displayed as an initial screen.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further modifications, replacements, and replacements may be made without departing from the basic technical idea of the present invention. Adjustments can be made. For functions other than the calculator function and dictionary function, if you know that there are areas that are frequently used, icons that activate these functions can be displayed on the standby screen, Can be displayed. For example, based on the knowledge that the alarm function is frequently used as a substitute for an alarm clock at a travel destination, an icon for starting the alarm function can be displayed on the standby screen, or can be displayed at the top of the function menu.

  Similarly, it is also possible to change the display mode of icons and the like so that a specific function can be easily activated depending on the location, not only in domestic and overseas areas but also in the same country. For example, if you go to Hokkaido, you can easily activate the map function in the road, or if you go to Kansai, you can easily activate the route map display function in the Kinki area.

  In this embodiment, a mobile phone terminal having an international roaming function has been described as an example. However, the present invention is also applicable to a mobile terminal having other position specifying means such as GPS and access point information for short-range wireless communication. It is possible.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the structure of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the mobile telephone terminal of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the domestic standby screen in the mobile phone terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of the standby screen for foreign countries in the mobile phone terminal of the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the state which started the calculator icon of FIG. It is a figure showing the state which started the dictionary icon of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Radio | wireless part 20 Processing part 20a Position specification means 20b Display switching means 21 Operator discriminating part 22 Country discriminating part 23 Display switching part 30 Storage part 30a Setting information storage means 31 Rate storage part 32 Dictionary storage part 33 Operator storage part 40 Display 50 Operation unit 100 Mobile phone terminal 100a Mobile terminal 200 Home operator A
300 Operator B
301 company C
302 Business D
400 Group of roaming partners IC1 “Calculator” icon IC2 “Dictionary” icon

Claims (11)

Means for storing setting information defining the arrangement of function activation means on the screen so that functions that are frequently used in a predetermined area are easily activated in the area;
Means for identifying the area where the aircraft is located;
And a means for displaying function activation means in a manner corresponding to the area where the device is located based on the setting information. As the setting information, the arrangement of icons on the standby screen in a predetermined area is defined,
The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein an icon is displayed on a standby screen in the predetermined area.   The portable terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein setting information for overseas use is stored so that functions frequently used overseas can be easily activated.   The portable terminal according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a calculator icon that activates a calculator function capable of converting from at least one currency of the currency used in the area and another currency to the other currency is displayed as the icon. .   The portable terminal as described in any one of Claims 2 thru | or 4 which displays the dictionary icon which starts the dictionary function which recorded the translation of the language used in the said area as said icon.   The mobile terminal according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a currency conversion rate or dictionary data corresponding to an area where the device is located is added or updated each time the icon is activated.   When activated by the calculator icon, immediately activates the calculator function in a state where it can be converted from at least one currency of the currency in which the aircraft is located and another currency to the other currency. The mobile terminal according to claim 4 or 6.   The portable terminal according to claim 5 or 6, wherein when activated by the dictionary icon, the dictionary function is activated immediately in a state where a translation of a language in an area where the device is located can be searched. As the setting information, an item display order on the function menu in a predetermined area is defined,
The portable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an item display order on a function menu is changed in the predetermined area. The mobile terminal that stores the setting information that defines the arrangement of function activation means on the screen identifies the area where it is located so that functions that are frequently used in a given area can be activated easily in that area. And
Based on the setting information by area, the mobile terminal displays function activation means in a manner corresponding to the area where the own device is located.
A method for presenting function activation means in a portable terminal. A program that is executed by a computer mounted on a portable terminal that stores setting information that defines the arrangement of function activation means on a screen so that functions that are frequently used in a predetermined area are easily activated in the area. There,
Processing to identify the area where the aircraft is located,
Based on the setting information for each area, processing for displaying the function activation means in a manner corresponding to the area where the own device is located,
A program to be executed by the computer.

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