JPH03283219A - Handy terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a handy terminal which can be handled easily by providing a positioning means to give a motion modesty at a pitch for each key in stages in facing surfaces of side edges of a key board and a main body case so as to limit the motion of the key board to the minimum required and prevent it from sliding unexpectedly. CONSTITUTION:Protrusions 19 for composing positioning means are formed protruding on both side edges of a menu key board 15. A plurality of recessed parts 20 to be engaged with the protrusions 19 are formed in the inner surface parts of slide grooves 11 of the main body case 3. The recessed parts 20 are formed at an interval corresponding to the arrangement pitch of menu keys 7, 14. When the menu key board 15 slides, the protrusions 19 are engaged with/ removed from the recessed parts 20 formed in the main body case 3 for keeping a motion modesty of the menu key board 15, and because the motion pitch corresponds to the arrangement pitch of the menu keys 7, motion of a required quantity only can be performed, thereby the minimum slide motion required can be performed easily, and inconvenience of unexpected large sliding can be prevented.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention is used in a POS system for a restaurant to transmit order information such as a menu ordered by a customer to a PO5 device installed in each work area within the store. Concerning the handheld terminal used.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an increasing number of restaurants have introduced restaurant POS systems and the like in order to quickly and reliably process orders received from customers. This restaurant POS system includes a POS station, a POS register, a handy terminal for ordering, a printer for the kitchen, and the like.

In such a restaurant POS system, a waitress inputs order information such as a menu received from a customer into a handy terminal for ordering. Then, the handheld terminal for ordering will send the entered order information to the PO.
The POS station sends the received order information to the POS register located at the checkout office and to the kitchen printer located in the kitchen.

An example of such a conventional ordering handheld terminal will be explained based on FIG. 7. This device has a display device 1a and a keyboard 1b arranged on the front side of the main body 1 of the device. However, this keyboard 1b has all the keys necessary for inputting order information.

Further, as an example of a handy terminal for ordering that is different from the above-mentioned one, there is one shown in FIG. A display 2a and a keyboard 2b are disposed on the front of the device main body 2, and a hinge 2 is attached to the front end of the device main body 2.
A key unit 2C is connected to the key unit 2C so as to be openable and closable in the form of a door, and a keyboard 2d is disposed on the inner surface of the key unit 2c.

However, the keys necessary to input order information are divided into two groups, one of which is on the keyboard 2b.
The other one is arranged on the keyboard 2d. Note that the inside of the hinge 2c is hollow, and wiring between the keyboard 2d and the device body 2 is performed using this hollow portion.

In either case, these order handy terminals are held with one hand and the order information is entered with the other hand.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In general, a handy terminal for ordering requires approximately 120 keys to input order information, and when considering operability, each key has a width of 1 cm'.
A certain amount of area is required.

In the handy terminal for ordering shown in FIG. 7, all necessary keys are arranged on the front side.

Therefore, as the keyboard 1b becomes larger, the main body 1 of the device also becomes larger, and as a result, the device becomes difficult to hold and its operability becomes poor.

On the other hand, in the handheld terminal for ordering shown in Fig. 8, by closing the key unit 2C, the size can be reduced to about one part compared to the above-mentioned one, making it convenient to carry. On the other hand, when using the key unit 2C, the key unit 2C must be opened again, and even after opening, the back side of the key unit 2C comes into contact with the fingers holding the device body 2, making it difficult to hold. The device becomes unstable and it is difficult to input data.

Furthermore, by supporting both the device main body 2 and the key unit 2C with the entire palm of one hand, instability during input can be resolved, but in this case, the device must be held in a different position. This takes time and effort, and there is a risk of dropping the device.

Means for Solving the Problem A display is formed on one side of the handheld terminal that displays order information such as the number of customers and product names entered through input means such as a keyboard on a display, and then transmits this order information to the host machine. A main body case that can be held with one hand is provided, and a plurality of layers of keyboards each having a large number of keys are arranged on the surface of the main case on which the display is provided, and are slidably arranged one on top of the other. A positioning means is provided on the facing surface of the side edge of the keyboard and the main body case to provide moderation of operation stepwise with a pitch for each key.

Function: By holding the main body case with the display section in one hand and sliding the keyboard of the input means with the other hand, you can enter order information using a different keyboard, so you can always use the device reliably. In addition, it is possible to improve operability when inputting order information, and furthermore, even if a large number of keys are arranged, the device does not become large, and in particular, the positioning means when sliding the keyboard is Since the operation moderation is determined by the pitch of each key, the movement of the keyboard can be kept to the minimum necessary, and it is easy to handle because it does not slide carelessly. .

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 6. First, a vertically long rectangular main body case 3 is provided with a width suitable for holding with one hand. At the top of one side of the main body case 3, a display 4 made of an LCD or the like is provided. Below the display 4, a numeric keypad 5 and function keys 6 located on both sides of the numeric keypad 5 are provided.

Next, at the bottom of the main body case 3, there is a keyboard provided with a large number of keys, that is, a large number of menu keys 7.
A menu keyboard 8 is provided.

Main body frames 9 are formed on both sides of the menu keyboard 8 at both ends thereof. A slide groove 11 having a pull-out stop step 10 forming a pull-out stop means at the lower end is formed inside these main body frames 9, and a slide groove 11 is formed on the bottom surface of the slide groove 11 in the vertical direction. A connecting portion 12 is provided along which is a long electrical conductor.

This connecting portion 12 is connected to a printed wiring board 13 disposed inside the main body case 3. Further, each menu key 7 of the menu keyboard 8 is also connected to the printed wiring board 13.

Moreover, a menu keyboard 15 on which a large number of menu keys 14 are arranged is further slidably attached to the menu keyboard 8 of the main body case 3. That is, on both sides of the menu keyboard 15, slide guides 17 protrude which have step-shaped stoppers 16 that abut against the wave stopper step 10 and engage the slide grooves 11 in a vertically slidable manner. It is formed. These slide guides 17 are arranged so as to extend below the display 4 when the menu keyboard 15 is superimposed on the menu keyboard 8. When the menu keyboard 15 is pulled out, it acts to prevent the menu keyboard 15 from steadying. In addition, the slide guide 17
On the lower surface of the
8 is formed. That is, the contact portion 18 and the connection portion 1
2 are provided with a common electrode, and the individual electrodes of the menu key 14 are wired in a matrix in the vertical and horizontal directions. The length of the connecting portion 12 is at least longer than the range of movement of the menu keyboard 15, and the electrical connection is made over the entire range of movement of the menu keyboard 15. That is,
All menu keys 7.14 that can be pressed manually are possible and are all valid.

Furthermore, protrusions 19 constituting positioning means are formed protruding from both side edges of the menu keyboard 15. A plurality of recesses 20 with which the protrusions 19 engage are formed on the inner surface of the slide groove 11 of the main body case 3. These recesses 20 are provided with the menu key 7.
．． They are formed at intervals corresponding to the arrangement pitch of 14.

Therefore, the menu keyboard 15 located in the upper layer
The menu key 14 has a relatively frequently used menu selected. Furthermore, for the menu keyboard 8 located in the lower layer, frequently used menus are selected and set from the upper position. Thereby, when the lower layer menu keyboard 15 is selected, consideration is given so that the opening amount of the upper layer menu keyboard 8 does not become too large.

In a configuration like 2, the clerk who receives an order from a customer holds the main body case 3 with his left hand, assuming his dominant hand is on the right, and inputs order information such as the number of customers and the menu using his right index finger, etc. . In other words, the number of customers, table number, etc. are entered using the numeric keypad 5, and the menu is entered using the menu key 1.
4 or menu key 7. Normally, the menu keys 14 are operated with the menu keyboard 15 closed, but if you want to input a menu that is not set on the menu keyboard 15, slide the upper menu keyboard 15 downward. The lower layer menu keyboard 8 is opened and the menu key 7 of the menu keyboard 8 is operated. In this case, the menu keys 7 on the lower layer menu keyboard 8 are those on the upper side that are frequently used, so the menu keys 7 to be selected are
The amount of opening of the upper layer menu keyboard 15 is adjusted accordingly. This makes it possible to select the menu key 7 with a small amount of opening, improving operability. Also, when the menu keyboard 15 is slid, the menu keyboard 1
5 engages and disengages from the recess 20 formed in the main body case 3, the operation moderation of the menu keyboard 15 is achieved, and the operation pitch matches the arrangement pitch of the menu keys 7, so that the necessary This makes it easy to perform the necessary minimum sliding movement, and prevents the inconvenience of inadvertently sliding a large amount.

The state shown in FIG. 3(a) is the state in which the menu keyboard 15 is opened halfway, but if you look at its cross section, it is in the state shown in FIG. The opened state is shown in FIG. 3(c), and the menu keyboard 15 is prevented from being removed by a removal prevention means formed by the removal stop step portion 10 and the stopper 16. Therefore, the menu keyboard 15 can be operated without fear of falling off, and stable operation is possible.

Furthermore, when performing the sliding operation of the menu keyboard 15, the main body case 3 is held with one hand, but the grip state is such that the finger is resting on the main body frame 9 of the main body case 3. The menu keyboard 15 can be easily operated without fingers touching the movable menu keyboard 15.

The order information input in this manner is transmitted to the host machine by a built-in radio wave transmitter/receiver (not shown) and undergoes necessary processing.

In the above embodiment, the input means is formed by a fixed keyboard and one slidable keyboard, but it is also possible to arrange two or more slidable keyboards so that they can be slid independently. It is also possible to do so. In this case, the electrical connection may be made not only at the side edges of the keyboard, but also by forming a long connection line in the sliding direction at the center of the back surface of the keyboard.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention uses a handheld terminal that displays order information such as the number of customers and product names entered through input means such as a keyboard on a display, and then transmits the order information to a host machine. A main body case is provided which is formed with a display device and can be held with one hand, and a plurality of layers of keyboards, each having a large number of keys, are arranged on the surface of the main body case on which the display device is provided, and can be slidably stacked on top of each other. A positioning means is provided on the opposing surface between the side edge of the keyboard and the main body case to provide stepwise moderation of the operation with a pitch for each key, so that the main body case can be used to access the display section with one hand. By sliding the keyboard of the input means with the other hand while holding the device, you can enter order information using a different keyboard, so you can always hold the device securely and it is easy to input order information. Operability can be improved, and even when a large number of keys are arranged, the device does not become bulky. In particular, when the keyboard is slid, the positioning means allows the pitch of each key to be moderated. Therefore, keyboard movements can be kept to a minimum.
Moreover, since it does not slide carelessly, it has the advantage of being easy to handle.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the keyboard in a closed state, and Fig. 4 is an open view of the upper keyboard. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the upper layer keyboard showing the electrical connection state, FIG. 6 is a vertical front view, and FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of a conventional handy terminal. figure,
FIG. 8 is a front view showing another conventional example. 3... Main body case, 4... Display unit, 7, 14...
Key 8.15...Keyboard, 19.20...Positioning means Applicant: Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A handheld terminal that displays order information such as the number of customers and product names input using an input means such as a keyboard on a display, and then transmits this order information to a host machine.The main body has a display formed on one side and is held with one hand. A case is provided, and a plurality of layers of keyboards, each having a large number of keys, are stacked on top of each other and slidably arranged on the surface of the main body case on which the display device is provided, and the side edges of the keyboard and the main body A handy terminal characterized in that a positioning means is provided on a surface facing the case to provide moderation of operation stepwise with a pitch for each key.