JP2014068236A - Character input acceptance method, character input acceptance system and character input acceptance program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure a large display area for input result display and other applications by reducing an area occupied for character selection and specification during a user's character input using a touch panel.SOLUTION: A character input acceptance method for a portable terminal 1 capable of information input/output via a touch panel 20 includes the steps of: displaying a slide bar 21 along a screen side at an end of a screen displayed by the touch panel 20 on the portable terminal 1; detecting a position on the slide bar 21 touched by a user and displaying an input candidate character near the position; detecting the user's slide of the slide bar 21 and displaying the input candidate character as changing the display position and the content with the slide position; and detecting the user's touch for a fixed time or longer in the area of display of the input candidate character and inputting the touched input candidate character.

Description

  The present invention relates to a character input technique in an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to a technique effective when applied to a character input reception method, a character input reception system, and a character input reception program in a mobile terminal having a touch panel.

  In a portable information processing terminal such as a so-called smartphone or tablet terminal, generally, a touch panel instead of a keyboard is used as a device for inputting characters, symbols, etc. (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “characters”). Can be used. At this time, a figure or the like corresponding to a keyboard is usually displayed on the screen displayed by the touch panel, and the user designates a figure or a key corresponding to a character to be input with a finger, a dedicated pen or the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as “finger”). Enter the characters by touching or combining gestures such as sliding.

  For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-108118 (Patent Document 1) discloses a character display that can display a character string indicating a mail text in a display area of a liquid crystal monitor. And a virtual keyboard display area that can display a hiragana virtual keyboard, etc., and a touch panel is provided on the upper surface of the LCD monitor. The touch panel detects a touch operation on the character display area and the like, and a finger is moved in the character display area. There is described a technique related to a portable terminal that can move a selection position in a virtual keyboard by sliding and displays a character corresponding to a character key indicated by the selection position in a character display area.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-79282 (Patent Document 2) discloses that a Japanese touch screen keypad array in which characters are input by a touch screen method in a state where a virtual keyboard is displayed is “a” in an initial state. Five immediate input keys for displaying “I”, “U”, “E”, “O”, and “KA”, “SA”, “TA”, “NA”, “HA”, “HA” in the initial state. The selection input key is operated including nine selection input keys for displaying “ma”, “ya”, “ra”, and “wa”, and a selection key for inputting a finally selected character. The character group corresponding to the character of the selected selection input key is displayed on the immediate input key, and when the immediate input key is operated in that state, the character displayed on the immediate input key is input. The technology to make is described.

  JP 2011-34289 A (Patent Document 3) stores a correspondence table in which each piece of character information described in the Japanese syllabary table is associated with position information specifying each piece of character information. A storage unit; a display control unit that displays character information on the display unit; a detection unit that detects a touch position and a touch release position where the touch is released in response to a touch operation including a touch on the touch panel; and a touch position. The measurement unit that sequentially measures the slide direction and the slide amount from the touch release position to the touch release position, and the touch position corresponding to the position information that specifies the predetermined character information in the correspondence table, the measured slide direction and slide amount The technology which concerns on the input reception apparatus provided with the determination part which determines the character information corresponding to a touch release position based on is described.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-141923 (Patent Document 4) discloses a first operation unit including a numeric keypad, a second operation unit including a touch panel including a slide bar, and a character storing a character group corresponding to the numeric keypad. When the group information and the numeric keypad are pressed, the character group corresponding to the key information of the numeric keypad is extracted from the character group information as related information of the slide bar, and the related information of the slide bar and the slide bar are simultaneously A technique relating to a character input device having the character input control unit that outputs to a display unit and a display unit that displays the slide bar and slide bar related information is described.

JP 2010-108118 A JP 2012-79282 A JP 2011-34289 A JP 2012-141923 A

  In the prior art, it is possible to improve the efficiency of character input using a touch panel. However, in a small portable terminal such as a smartphone, since the display area of the touch panel is narrow, it is used as an area for performing virtual keyboards and gestures. A considerable part is occupied, and there is a problem that an area for displaying an input result in an OS (Operating System), an application, or the like becomes small.

  For example, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a virtual keyboard in which a region of a certain area that can be directly selected by a finger is assigned to each character that can be selected and designated by the user. As a result, a considerable part of the display area of the touch panel is occupied. In the technique described in Patent Document 3, although a virtual keyboard is not displayed, it is necessary to secure an input area for performing a slide or gesture operation, which occupies a considerable portion of the display area. End up. In addition, the technique described in Patent Document 4 requires a device such as a numeric keypad in addition to the touch panel, and displays a slide bar for designating characters for each input mode and character type on the screen. As a result, a considerable part of the display area is occupied.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the area occupied for character selection and designation when the user inputs characters using the touch panel, and to provide a large display area for display of input results and other applications. An object of the present invention is to provide a character input receiving method, a character input receiving system, and a character input receiving program that can be secured.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in this application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  A character input receiving method according to a representative embodiment of the present invention is a character input receiving method in an information processing terminal capable of inputting and outputting information via a touch panel, and is displayed on the touch panel by the information processing terminal. Displaying a slide bar along the side of the screen at the edge of the screen, detecting a position touched by the user on the slide bar, and displaying input candidate characters in the vicinity of the position; Detecting the slide bar being slid by the user, switching the display position and content of the input candidate character according to the slide position, and displaying the input candidate character Detecting that the user has touched for a certain period of time and assuming that the touched input candidate character has been input. The one in which the features.

  A character input acceptance system according to a typical embodiment of the present invention is a character input acceptance system including an information processing terminal capable of inputting and outputting information via a touch panel, and is touched by a user on the touch panel. A position detection unit for detecting the position, and whether or not the position is on a slide bar displayed along an edge of the screen at the edge of the screen displayed by the touch panel, or in the vicinity of the slide bar A position information analysis unit that determines whether the input candidate character is displayed on the touch panel, and a movement direction analysis unit that determines a movement direction of the touch by the user on the touch panel.

  Further, when an operation by the user on the touch panel is to slide the slide bar, the input candidate characters in the character type at the time point according to the position on the slide bar are displayed in the vicinity of the position. A character information display unit that performs input, and a character selection unit that inputs the input candidate character when a region where the input candidate character is displayed is touched by a user for a certain period of time or longer. It is.

  The present invention can also be applied to a program that causes a computer to operate as a character input receiving system as described above.

  Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, effects obtained by typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, according to the representative embodiment of the present invention, when inputting characters on the touch panel, the area occupied for selecting and specifying characters is reduced, for displaying input results and other applications. A large display area can be secured. Further, according to the representative embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to input characters efficiently with a simple operation.

(A)-(e) is the figure which showed the outline | summary about the example of the character input reception method which is Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A), (b) is the figure which showed the outline | summary about the example of the method of switching the character type and input mode of the input object in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the functional block diagram which showed the outline | summary about the structural example of the character input reception system in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the outline | summary about the example of the flow of a process of the character input reception method in Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A)-(e) is the figure which showed the outline | summary about the example of the character input reception method which is Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<Embodiment 1>
The character input receiving method according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a method for receiving character input from a user using a touch panel in a portable information processing terminal having a touch panel such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. When the user slides the slide bar displayed at the end of the display area of the screen with a finger or the like, a character corresponding to the position is input. In the virtual keyboard, since an area having an area that can be directly designated with a finger or the like is assigned to each of the selectable characters and the like, the occupied area in the display area is increased. Since selectable characters are assigned to the position information of the slide bar, the occupied area in the display area can be significantly reduced.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an example of a character input receiving method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1E, a portable terminal 1 such as a smartphone has a touch panel 20, which displays a screen and inputs a touch or gesture with a finger from a user. Accept. In the example of FIG. 1, there is an area for displaying characters input at the top of the screen (for example, “rain rain” in the example of FIG. 1A), while at the bottom of the screen, along the lower side of the display area. A slide bar 21 slidable in the direction is displayed. The display position of the slide bar 21 is not limited to this. For example, in the case of a right-handed (or left-handed) user, the slide bar 21 may be displayed so as to be slidable vertically along the right side (or left side). May be displayed so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction. Depending on the requirements of the application etc., it is possible to display other than the edge of the screen.

  In FIG. 1A, when it is detected that the user has touched with a finger to slide the slide bar 21, the initial value of the character in the initial value of the character type (Hiragana in the example of FIG. 1) (five in the example of FIG. 1). The first “a” of the ten-tone arrangement is displayed as a candidate so that it can be selected in the vicinity of the position touched by the finger (by the balloon 22 in the example of FIG. 1). In the example of FIG. 1A, when the initial value of the character to be displayed is “a”, which is the first of the alphabetical arrangement, regardless of the position where the user touches (starts the slide) on the slide bar 21. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the character corresponding to the position touched by the user among the characters of the Japanese syllabary array assigned in advance to the slidable range of the slide bar 21 is shown. May be displayed as an initial value (absolute position mode).

  In the state of FIG. 1A, when the user wants to input “re” next time, for example, “re” is behind the currently displayed “a” in a Japanese alphabet, so the user Slides the finger in the right direction (positive direction in the slide bar 21). At this time, the position of the slide bar 21 (the position of the finger) or the slide amount is detected, the display position of the balloon 22 is slid according to the position, and the characters displayed in the balloon 22 are sequentially switched. For example, on the slide bar 21, characters to be included here are assigned at equal intervals to an area between the position where the finger is first touched and the position where the finger is slid to the right as much as possible. A character corresponding to is displayed on the balloon 22.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, when the user slides his / her finger on the slide bar 21 to the position where the desired “re” is displayed in the balloon 22, next, “re” is selected. To do so, slide your finger over the balloon 22. When the portable terminal 1 detects that the balloon 22 is touched, as shown in FIG. 1C, it treats the corresponding character (“re”) as input. When inputting the next character, the user returns his / her finger on the slide bar 21 as shown in FIG.

  Next, when the user wants to input “ba”, for example, “ba” is ahead of the currently displayed “re”, so the user moves his finger to the left. Slide in the negative direction of the slide bar 21. When the user slides his / her finger to the position where “ha” is displayed in the balloon 22, the portable terminal 1 displays “ha” by the balloon 22 as shown in FIG. “B” is also displayed. In this way, when there are muddy point and semi-turbid point candidates, these are displayed as selectable candidates by a plurality of balloons 22. The same applies to stuttering and prompting sounds such as “ya” and “nya”, “tsu” and “tsu”, and upper and lower case letters such as “A” and “a”. The user can select from the displayed candidates by touching the balloon 22 displaying the desired character, as in the example of FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of an example of a technique for switching the character type and input mode to be input. In the example of FIG. 2A, as in FIG. 1, the initial value of hiragana is set as the character type. Here, in order to switch the character type, in the present embodiment, for example, the user moves his / her finger in a direction orthogonal to the slide direction of the slide bar 21 as if the columnar slide bar 21 is rotated along the axis (FIG. 2). In this example, it is moved so as to play upward or downward (hereinafter, this operation may be referred to as “flip”). When this operation is detected, the portable terminal 1 switches the character type to be displayed from hiragana to alphabet as shown in FIG. It should be noted that even if the direction is orthogonal, it has a certain width and may be handled as the orthogonal direction as long as the angle is within a predetermined range with respect to the slide bar 21 (for example, 60 degrees to 120 degrees). is there.

  Further, by repeatedly flipping and rotating the slide bar 21 a plurality of times, the character types may be sequentially switched in a cyclic manner, for example, hiragana → alphabet → number → special character → katakana → hiragana →. The character type may be switched in the reverse order by flipping in the reverse direction. Further, in order to notify the user that the character type or the input mode has been switched, for example, the appearance of the slide bar 21 may be changed as shown in FIG. The notification method of the current character type and input mode is not limited to this, and for example, a small display area may be provided on the side of the slide bar 21 to display the selected character type and input mode.

[System configuration]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a configuration example of the character input reception system in the present embodiment. The character input acceptance system is configured by the portable terminal 1 described above, and the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 3 is an extracted part of the functions of the portable terminal 1 related to the character input acceptance method of the present embodiment. It is. The character input reception system includes, for example, a character input control unit 10 that is implemented by a software program or the like that operates on an OS (not shown), a touch panel 20, and a screen display unit 30. The screen display unit 30 is implemented as hardware such as a software program or an integrated circuit. For example, the screen display unit 30 controls the touch panel 20 to display screen data in the display area.

  The character input control unit 10 further includes, for example, a finger position detection unit 11, a finger position information analysis unit 12, a finger stationary time detection unit 13, a finger movement direction analysis unit 14, a finger movement speed analysis unit 15, a bar switching / information control unit. 16, a character type control unit 17, a character information display unit 18, a character selection unit 19, and the like.

  The finger position detection unit 11 detects the position (coordinates) where the finger is touched when the user performs a touch or gesture operation on the touch panel 20. The finger position information analysis unit 12 determines whether the position of the touched finger is on the slide bar 21, the balloon 22, or another area. If it is on the slide bar 21, its relative position and slide amount (for example, what percentage of the entire length of the slide bar 21 is located) may be obtained. When the position of the finger is on the slide bar 21, the candidate character displayed on the balloon 22 is switched. When the finger is on the balloon 22, the character selection process is performed. The finger rest time detection unit 13 acquires a duration time during which the finger is touched on the slide bar 21 or the balloon 22.

  The finger movement direction analysis unit 14 analyzes the movement direction of the finger on the touch panel 20 and moves in the horizontal direction (in the example of FIGS. 1 and 2) (when the slide bar 21 is slid). 2 performs the process of switching the candidate characters to be displayed in the balloon 22, and when moving in the vertical direction, the information is passed to the finger movement speed analysis unit 15 described later, and the flip operation shown in the example of FIG. It will be determined whether or not. When the finger is moving in the vertical direction, the finger movement speed analysis unit 15 determines whether or not the speed is equal to or greater than a certain value. If the finger is equal to or greater than the certain value, the finger movement speed analysis unit 15 determines that the flip operation has been performed.

  When the finger movement speed analysis unit 15 determines that the flip operation has been performed, the bar switching / information control unit 16 switches the color of the slide bar 21 and the character type control unit 17 to be described later. Notify The character type control unit 17 switches the character type of the character displayed in the balloon 22 in accordance with the switching of the color or the like of the slide bar 21 by the bar switching / information control unit 16.

  The character information display unit 18 controls the display position of the balloon 22 based on information from the finger position information analysis unit 12 and the character type control unit 17, and controls the character displayed on the balloon 22 according to the character type (determination of the character). And determination of candidates such as semi-turbid point, muddy point, upper-case letter, and lower-case letter). Based on the information from the finger position information analysis unit 12 and the finger stationary time detection unit 13, the character selection unit 19 detects that the character displayed in the balloon 22 has been selected by the user's touch operation and is selected. The input result is displayed on the touch panel 20 via the screen display unit 30 as if a character has been input.

[Process flow]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of an example of the flow of processing of the character input acceptance method of this embodiment. As an initial process, the portable terminal 1 first displays the slide bar 21 at a predetermined position on the touch panel 20 and starts a character input reception process from the user. Then, the finger position detection unit 11 and the finger position information analysis unit 12 are started. For example, it is detected that a finger has been touched on the slide bar 21, and the position on the slide bar 21 is acquired (S01). Here, for example, it can be obtained as a relative position or a slide amount with respect to the entire length of the slide bar 21.

  Next, after confirming the current character type (initial value is the initial value) by the character information display unit 18 (S02), the initial value of the character with the corresponding character type is displayed by the balloon 22 at the position where the finger on the slide bar 21 is touched. Is displayed (S03). As described above, the initial value of the character may be the first character of the selectable character array in the current character type (for example, “A” in the case of hiragana) (relative position mode), or the slide bar 21. In the arrangement of characters assigned in advance to the slidable range, a character corresponding to the position touched by the finger may be used (absolute position mode).

  Thereafter, the finger movement direction analysis unit 14 determines whether or not the finger is moving in the horizontal direction (S04). If the finger is moving in the horizontal direction (when the slide bar 21 is sliding), the finger position is determined. The amount of movement is acquired based on information from the information analysis unit 12 and the like, and the display position of the balloon 22 is moved by the character information display unit 18 and the character displayed on the balloon 22 is switched accordingly (S05). After switching, it returns to step S04 and repeats said process.

  If it is determined in step S04 that the finger has not moved in the horizontal direction, it is determined whether or not the finger position has moved above the balloon 22 based on information such as the finger position information analysis unit 12 (S06). If it is placed on the balloon 22, the character selection unit 19 then moves the finger on the balloon 22 for a certain time (for example, 0.5 seconds or more) based on information such as the finger rest time detection unit 13. It is determined whether it is placed (S07). If the finger has been placed and the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S04 and the above processing is repeated. On the other hand, if the finger is placed for a certain period of time or longer, the character displayed in the balloon 22 is assumed to be selected and displayed as an input result on the touch panel 20 (S08), and the input acceptance process for one character is terminated. . Further, when accepting character input, the process may be repeated from step S01.

  If it is determined in step S06 that the finger is not on the balloon 22, that is, the finger is stationary on the slide bar 21, has moved to a different area from the display area of the slide bar 21 or the balloon 22, or has left the touch panel 20. If so, it is next determined whether or not a flip operation has been performed based on information such as the finger movement speed analysis unit 15 (S09). When the flip operation is performed, the bar switching / information control unit 16 and the character type control unit 17 switch the current character type setting and the character displayed in the balloon 22 according to the character type switching order (S10), and the input reception process Quit once. When further character input is accepted with the character type after switching, the process may be repeated from step S01.

  If it is determined in step S09 that the operation is not a flip operation, then it is determined whether or not the finger is away from the touch panel 20 for a certain time (for example, 3 seconds) based on information from the finger position detection unit 11 or the like. (S11). If the finger has not been separated for a certain time or longer, the process returns to step S04 with characters displayed on the balloon 22 and waits for the next operation by the user. If the distance is longer than a certain time, the display of the balloon 22 is deleted (S12), and the character input acceptance process is terminated.

  As described above, according to the character input receiving method of the present embodiment, the slide bar 21 is displayed and characters that can be selected in the movable range compared to the case where the virtual keyboard is displayed on the screen. By assigning, the area occupied by the entire display area can be significantly reduced for the area for displaying and operating the character candidates. Further, for example, by switching the character types that can be selected by the slide bar 21 by a flip operation, it is possible to deal with a plurality of character types with one slide bar 21, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the occupied area. Further, by combining the character selection by the slide bar 21 and the balloon 22 and the character type switching by the flip operation, it becomes possible to input characters efficiently with a simple operation with one finger.

<Embodiment 2>
In the character input receiving method according to the first embodiment, input candidates to be displayed on the balloon 22 based on an arrangement (for example, in Japanese alphabetical order) predetermined for each character type according to the position of the finger on the slide bar 21. Although the character has been determined, the character input acceptance method according to the second embodiment of the present invention is based on the past input frequency in addition to the input candidate character determination method as described in the first embodiment. By providing a prediction mode that dynamically controls the determination of input candidate characters, the input efficiency can be further improved.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of an example of a character input receiving method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5A, when it is detected that the user first touched the slide bar 21 with a finger, the initial value of the character displayed in the balloon 22 is different from the example of the first embodiment, and the character input in the past. The character with the highest frequency (“ki” in the example of FIG. 2) is displayed as a prediction candidate.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the user selects and inputs “ki” in the same procedure as in the first embodiment, and the user slides his / her finger to the left. In this case, for example, if the first word “ki” that has been frequently input by the user is “kion”, regardless of the amount of finger movement, FIG. Next, “o” is displayed as a prediction candidate, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the user slides his / her finger to the right, for example, if the first word “ki” that has been frequently input by the user is “Kyo”, the amount of finger movement will be Regardless, as shown in FIG. 5D-2, next, “yo” is displayed as a prediction candidate.

  For example, in the state shown in FIG. 5D-2, when the user wants to input “Kyoyo” instead of “Kyo”, the user slides his / her finger further to the right (that is, adopts the displayed prediction candidate). ), The prediction mode based on the past input frequency is canceled, and based on the currently displayed “yo (yo)” as shown in FIG. Are displayed as candidates ("n" in the example of FIG. 5E). In order to realize such prediction, the portable terminal 1 accumulates the number of times of input in the past for each selectable character or input word and holds it in a memory table or file (not shown). I shall keep it.

  Further, in order to improve the prediction accuracy of candidates, for example, in addition to the prediction based on the input frequency as described above, context information such as processing time and season (date) can be taken into consideration at the time of prediction. For example, "Hello" and is in a state of high input frequency of the word "Good evening", if you select a character in the order of "child" → "I" on the basis of the prediction candidate, then the user is a finger in the left direction slide Then, when the time is during the day, “ni” is displayed as a prediction candidate, but at night, “ba” can be displayed as a prediction candidate.

  In addition to time and date, for example, context information that can be acquired by the portable terminal 1 such as position information and temperature by GPS (Global Positioning System) can be used for prediction. In order to realize such prediction, in the portable terminal 1, for example, in addition to the input frequency information for each word, the context information when these are input, the prediction candidate word, etc. are stored. Judgment conditions for selection can be set.

  As described above, according to the character input acceptance method of the present embodiment, when the user touches the slide bar 21 with a finger and slides it, the touch position of the finger and the movement amount at the time of sliding are determined. Regardless, it is possible to greatly improve input efficiency by predicting and displaying input candidate characters based on past input frequencies of characters and words. Further, when determining input candidate characters, in addition to the past input frequency, the use of context information that can be acquired by the portable terminal 1 such as time and date can further improve the prediction accuracy. Can do.

  Note that the various functions in the character input reception method shown in the first and second embodiments described above are set to information such as valid / invalid and valid contents in a file in advance, and the contents are changed. Etc. may be performed later.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to the one having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. . Further, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

  Each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Each of the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function by the processor. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as a DVD.

  The present invention is applicable to a character input reception method, a character input reception system, and a character input reception program in a mobile terminal having a touch panel.

1 ... portable terminal,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Character input control part, 11 ... Finger position detection part, 12 ... Finger position information analysis part, 13 ... Finger rest time detection part, 14 ... Finger movement direction analysis part, 15 ... Finger movement speed analysis part, 16 ... Bar switching / Information control unit, 17 ... Character type control unit, 18 ... Character information display unit, 19 ... Character selection unit,
20 ... touch panel, 21 ... slide bar, 22 ... balloon,
30: Screen display section.

Claims (14)

A method for accepting character input in an information processing terminal capable of inputting and outputting information via a touch panel,
By the information processing terminal,
Displaying a slide bar along the side of the screen at the edge of the screen displayed by the touch panel;
Detecting a position touched by the user on the slide bar and displaying input candidate characters in the vicinity of the position;
Detecting that the slide bar has been slid by the user, and switching and displaying the display position and content of the input candidate character according to the slid position;
Detecting that the area where the input candidate characters are displayed is touched by a user for a certain period of time, and the touched input candidate characters are input;
A character input receiving method characterized by comprising: In the character input reception method according to claim 1,
When the information processing terminal displays the input candidate characters according to the position touched by the user on the slide bar or the position slid, there are a plurality of candidate characters for the input candidate characters to be displayed. In this case, the character input receiving method is characterized in that the candidate character is also displayed. In the character input reception method according to claim 1 or 2,
When the information processing terminal displays the input candidate character according to the position touched by the user on the slide bar, if the user touches for the first time, the character type at that time can be selected. A character input receiving method, wherein the first character of a character array is set as the input candidate character. In the character input reception method according to claim 1 or 2,
When the information processing terminal displays the input candidate character according to the position touched by the user on the slide bar, if the touch by the user is the first time, the information processing terminal is assigned to the slidable range of the slide bar A character input receiving method, wherein a character corresponding to a position touched by a user is set as the input candidate character in a selectable character arrangement in the character type at the time. In the character input reception method of any one of Claims 1-4,
When the information processing terminal switches and displays the contents of the input candidate characters according to the position where the slide bar is slid by the user, if the slide bar is slid in the forward direction, The character behind the selectable character array in the character type is sequentially set as the input candidate character, and when the slide bar is slid in the negative direction, the character in front of the selectable character array in the character type at that time is sequentially A character input receiving method characterized in that the input candidate character is used. In the character input reception method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A flip operation in which the information processing terminal is further touched by the user on the slide bar so as to move at an angle within a predetermined range with respect to the slide direction of the slide bar and at a speed equal to or higher than a predetermined value. And a character input accepting method comprising a step of detecting the character and changing the character type at the time. In the character input reception method according to claim 6,
A character input receiving method, wherein each time the information processing terminal detects the flip operation, the character type at that time is cyclically and sequentially switched according to the direction of the flip operation. In the character input reception method of any one of Claims 1-7,
When the information processing terminal displays the input candidate character in the vicinity of the position touched by the user on the slide bar or in the vicinity of the slide position, the information terminal is based on a character or word frequently input in the past. And a predictive mode for predicting and determining the input candidate character. In the character input reception method according to claim 8,
The information processing terminal further cancels the prediction mode when it is detected that the slide bar is slid by the user while the input candidate character determined by the prediction mode is displayed. To accept character input. In the character input reception method according to claim 8 or 9,
When the information processing terminal predicts and determines the input candidate character according to the prediction mode, the information processing terminal further determines the input candidate character with reference to context information that can be acquired in the information processing terminal at the time Character input acceptance method characterized by. In the character input reception method according to claim 10,
Character input acceptance characterized in that the context information referred to when the information processing terminal predicts and determines the input candidate character in the prediction mode includes time and / or date information at the time Method. A character input acceptance system comprising an information processing terminal capable of inputting and outputting information via a touch panel,
A position detection unit for detecting a position touched by the user on the touch panel;
Whether the position is on a slide bar displayed along the side of the screen at the edge of the screen displayed by the touch panel, or on input candidate characters displayed in the vicinity of the slide bar A position information analysis unit that determines whether or not there is,
A moving direction analysis unit that determines a moving direction of a touch by a user on the touch panel;
When an operation by the user on the touch panel is to slide the slide bar, a character that displays the input candidate character in the character type at that time according to the position on the slide bar in the vicinity of the position An information display section;
A character selection unit in which the input candidate character is input when the area where the input candidate character is displayed is touched by a user for a certain time or more;
The character input reception system characterized by having. In the character input reception system according to claim 12,
Furthermore, a moving speed analysis unit that determines a moving speed of the touch by the user on the touch panel;
When the user operation on the touch panel is a flip operation that has an angle within a predetermined range with respect to the slide direction of the slide bar on the slide bar and moves at a speed equal to or higher than a predetermined value. A bar switching unit for switching the appearance of the slide bar;
A character type control unit that switches a character type at the time when the flip operation is performed;
The character input reception system characterized by having. A character input acceptance program that operates an information processing terminal capable of inputting / outputting information via a touch panel as a character input acceptance system,
In the information processing terminal,
Processing to display a slide bar along the side of the screen at the edge of the screen displayed by the touch panel;
Detecting a position touched by the user on the slide bar and displaying input candidate characters in the vicinity of the position;
A process of detecting that the slide bar has been slid by the user and switching the display position and content of the input candidate character according to the slid position;
Processing in which it is detected that the area where the input candidate characters are displayed is touched by a user for a certain period of time and the touched input candidate characters are input;
A character input receiving program characterized by causing

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