JPH04257053A - Information input controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the perplexity of an operation by providing a display means which indicates that both a first control means and a second control means operated in connection with the first control means, are operated in connection with each other, at both the control means. CONSTITUTION:Whether or not it is a page in which data are displayed as a list, is decided, and in the case of the display of the data as the list, whether or not a changing function is offered, is decided. When the changing function is offered, a changing button 86 is displayed, and a pencil mark 86a is displayed behind the character of 'change' at the changing button 86 at that time. Then, whether or not entire businesses are displayed on an input display screen 82 is decided, they are displayed when they are not displayed, and a pencil part 85 is displayed at the prescribed position of the line of each business. Thus, the pencil mark is displayed for the entire businesses.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a public information input control device for use in an electronic notebook device (portable computer).

0002

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 16 shows an example of the configuration of an input display screen in a conventional electronic notebook device. An icon area 131 is provided for information on the screen, and an input display area 132 is provided below it. In this example, a monthly schedule is displayed in the input display area 132. On the left side of the input display area 132, the subject name (title) is displayed, and on the right side, a scale from the 1st to the 31st is displayed, and a short vertical scale with the scheduled time, period, etc. corresponding to each title is displayed. Represented by a line. Various icons 133 are displayed in the icon area 131, and by selecting a desired one of the icons 133 with a pen (not shown), a predetermined function can be operated. The input display area 132 also includes a change button 134, a new button 135, and a cancel button 1.
36 etc. are provided. These buttons 134-13
By selecting 6, the function corresponding to each button can be selected. However, in this example, the cancel button 136 is disabled, so in order to make the user aware of this,
The word "Cancel" on the Cancel button 136 is intentionally displayed in an unclear manner.

[0003] In this state, if you try to enter a new schedule, for example, if you touch the new button 135 with a pen, the currently displayed monthly schedule will automatically move to the page where you write the schedule, and that page will be displayed. is displayed. Therefore, the user can enter a new schedule on that page.

On the other hand, when changing the currently displayed schedule, first touch the change button 134 with a pen. Next, touch the title of the schedule to be changed with the pen. Then, the page where you previously entered the schedule will be automatically displayed. Therefore, all you have to do is change and fill in the predetermined items on that page.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional device, when the new button 135 is touched, the mode is automatically changed from the viewing mode to the writing mode, and the writing page is automatically displayed. People are not particularly confused. However, in the modification operation,
When the change button 134 is touched, the new button 135, the icon 133, etc. become unusable, so the display does not change significantly except that the display changes to an unclear display. Therefore, the user may not know what operation to perform next.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of this situation, and is intended to enable the user to perform desired operations more reliably.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The information input control device of the present invention includes a first operating means that is operated when selecting a function for inputting information, and when the first operating means is operated, a second operating means operated in connection therewith, and both the first operating means and the second operating means indicating that the first operating means and the second operating means should be operated in connection therewith; and a display means for displaying.

[0008]

[Operation] In the information input control device having the above configuration, the first
A predetermined display is displayed on both the operating means and the second operating means operated in connection therewith, suggesting that both should be operated in conjunction with each other. Therefore, the user can easily recognize that the two should be operated in conjunction with each other.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of an embodiment in which the information input control device of the present invention is applied to an electronic notebook device (portable computer). The main body 1 is provided with a power switch 2, which is turned on when the device is used and turned off when the device is discontinued. A brightness adjustment switch 3 is provided to the left of the power switch 2 to adjust the brightness of the screen 8 (brightness of the LCD 22, which will be described later). Further, a case 4 is provided on the side of the main body 1. This case 4 houses a pen 6, which has a switch 7 at its tip and is connected to the main body 1 via a cord 5, when not in use. When this pen 6 is taken out from the case 4, the main body 1 is
It can be placed in a groove 10 horizontally formed in the upper part of the housing. A speaker 9 is provided on the left side of the groove 10 to output a predetermined sound.

There are two switches 11 on the upper right side of the main body 1.
, 12 are provided. The switch 11 is a change-over switch that changes the brightness of the backlight, which will be described later, into, for example, two levels, and the switch 12 is a volume change-over switch that changes the volume of the sound output from the speaker 9 into, for example, three levels. The switch 13 provided on the left side of the main body 1 is
This is a stop switch that is operated when stopping a predetermined operation midway (for example, when stopping the sound being emitted). There is also a memory (IC) card 70 (Fig. 5) on the left side of the main body 1.
A socket 14 is arranged in which a device (see above) is attached. A socket 15 is provided on the rear side of the main body 1. A socket 16 is also provided inside a battery mounting section 1a on the rear side of the main body 1 into which a battery 19 is mounted. For example, RS232C cables, modems, and other adapters are connected to these sockets 15 and 16. Furthermore, on the upper left side of main body 1, there is an
A connection terminal 18 of the adapter 17 is provided.

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed example of the configuration of the screen 8. As shown in FIG. In this example, tablet 21 (X
A tablet 21a for detecting the position in the axial direction and a tablet 21b for detecting the position in the Y-axis direction are provided at the top. An LCD 22 is provided below the tablet 21. The LCD 22 is composed of glass plates 22a and 22b provided above and below, and a liquid crystal 23 inserted between the glass plates 22a and 22b. A fluorescent screen (EL) 26 is arranged below the LCD 22. When the fluorescent screen 26 as a backlight generates light, the light is transmitted to the LCD.
22. Since the tablets 21a and 21b are formed of transparent members, the image displayed on the liquid crystal 23 can be observed from above in the figure. Printed circuit board (PCB)
) 25 is loaded with parts (not shown) and is electrically connected to the LCD 22 via a rubber connector 24. It is also electrically connected to the tablet 21 through a conductive film 27 .

FIG. 3 shows a more detailed example of the structure of the fluorescent screen 26. In this embodiment, an insulating film 33 is placed between the electrode 31 and the light emitting section (the other electrode) 32. By applying a predetermined voltage between the electrode 31 and the light emitting section 32, the light emitting section 32 emits light. The electrode 31 and the light emitting section 32 are formed in a plate shape, and can illuminate the screen 8 uniformly.

[0013] In addition to this, it is also possible to use a fluorescent tube as the backlight. In addition, a fluorescent tube is installed on the side of the main body as a side light, and the light is transmitted to the LC using a light transmission member.
It is also possible to transmit the light to the rear of the D22 so that it can be illuminated.

FIG. 4 shows position detection using a tablet and LC
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the principle of display by D. tablet 2
1 has, for example, 512 electrodes in the X-axis direction,
It has 342 electrodes in the Y-axis direction. This results in
It becomes possible to detect 512×342 pixels. The tablet controller 46 controls the clock generation circuit 45a and sequentially applies a predetermined voltage to each of the 342 electrodes. Next, the clock generation circuit 45b is controlled, and the clock generation circuit 45b is controlled.
A voltage is sequentially applied to the 12 electrodes. That is, the tablet 21 is scanned by clocks generated by the clock generation circuit 45a and the clock generation circuit 45b. When the pen 6 approaches a predetermined position on the tablet 21, a predetermined capacitance is formed between the tablet 21 and the pen 6. When the pen 6 is pressed against the tablet 21, the switch 7 at the tip of the pen 6 is turned on.
The electric charge generated between the terminal and a predetermined electrode on the tablet 21 is detected and supplied to the tablet controller 46 via an amplifier 47. Since the tablet controller 46 manages the clock generation timing of the clock generation circuits 45a and 45b, it is possible to detect the pressed position by the pen 6 on the tablet 21 from the detection signal supplied from the pen 6 and the clock generation timing. can. The tablet controller 46 supplies the thus detected operation coordinates of the pen 6 to the CPU 41. CPU41
constantly monitors the position where the pen 6 presses the tablet 21 and the switch 7 is turned on (pen down) and the position where the pen 6 leaves the tablet 21 and the switch 7 is turned off (pen up). Then, press the pen down to accept the input, and press the pen up to confirm the input.

On the other hand, the CPU 41 is connected to the LCD controller 4.
3 and writes data corresponding to the image to be displayed in the memory (V-RAM) 44. LCD controller 4
3 reads data from the memory 44 and supplies a signal corresponding to the data to the drive circuit 42b. LCD22 is
It has 512 electrodes in the horizontal direction and 342 electrodes in the vertical direction, corresponding to the tablet 21. The drive circuit 42a applies a predetermined voltage to each of the 342 electrodes one by one. Further, the drive circuit 42b sequentially applies voltages corresponding to image data to the 512 electrodes. In this way, each pixel on the LCD 22 is scanned, and the LCD
A predetermined image will be displayed on 22.

FIG. 5 shows a more detailed electrical configuration of the main body 1. The CPU 41 is connected to various ICs via a bus line 57. In addition to the system program for the entire device, the ROM 51 has written therein, for example, a kana-kanji conversion program for the word processor function, a dictionary table therefor, a recognition program for handwritten input, a dictionary table therefor, and the like. The working RAM 52 stores data necessary for operation as needed. A backup battery 54 (separate from the battery 19) is connected to the backup RAM 53, so that necessary data is backed up even when the power to the main body of the apparatus is turned off. The timer IC 55 is connected to the battery 54, counts the clock from the crystal oscillator 56, and outputs the date and time data at that point in time. The above LCD
The controller 43 and tablet controller 46 are also connected to the CPU 41 via a bus line 57.

The audio processing circuit 58 connects the sockets 14 to 1.
A predetermined audio signal is generated in response to an input from 6 or a command from CPU 41, and is output to adder 59. The sound memory 61 is controlled by the CPU 41 and outputs a pre-stored predetermined sound (for example, a warning sound "eh?") to the adder 59. The adder 59 adds the output of the audio processing circuit 58 and the output of the audio memory 61, and outputs the result to the speaker 9 via the audio volume controller 60. A volume changeover switch 12 is connected to the volume controller 60, and the volume can be controlled by operating the switch 12.

The fluorescent screen (backlight section) 26 includes a power circuit 64 (when the power switch 2 is turned on, the battery 1
9 or an AC adapter 17) is supplied via an inverter circuit 63. The brightness of the fluorescent screen 26 can be adjusted to two levels via the inverter circuit 63 by switching the selector switch 11 (for example, a brightness suitable for a bright room and a brightness suitable for a dark room).
can be switched to Separately, by controlling the brightness adjustment switch 3, the brightness of the LCD 22 can be controlled to a desired value in multiple stages. The switch 65a is turned on/off depending on whether the battery 19 attached to the main body 1 is a primary battery or a secondary battery. The switch 65b is connected to the battery 19.
The capacitance of the capacitor is detected and the device is turned on/off depending on the size of the capacitance. These switches 65a, 65b, etc. are connected to the key interface 62 via a power supply circuit 64. The key interface 62 is also connected to the brightness adjustment switch 3, the changeover switch 11, the stop switch 13, and the like. The key interface 62 supplies signals corresponding to on/off of these switches to the CPU 41.

An IC card 70 is connected to the socket 14, and the CPU 41 can exchange data, programs, etc. with the IC card 70 via an IC card interface 66. In addition, sockets 15, 1
6 is connected to an adapter 71, and is connected to the CPU 41 via an expansion interface 68.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, a description will be given of the process for changing one piece of data from a list of predetermined data displayed.

[0021] First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the page is for displaying a list of data. If it is determined that the page is for displaying a list of data, the process proceeds to step S2, and it is determined whether or not a change function is provided. It will be judged. In a state where the change function is provided, the process advances to step S3, and the change button 86 (FIG. 7) is displayed. At this time,
On the change button 86, a pencil mark 86a is displayed behind the word "change". Then, it is determined in step S4 whether or not all the matters have been displayed on the input display screen 82 (FIG. 7). If not, the process proceeds to step S5, and the matters are displayed. Then, a pencil mark 85 (FIG. 7) is displayed at a predetermined position on each business line. In this way, pencil marks are displayed for all tasks.

Next, more specific display examples of the input screen will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 15.

In FIG. 7, a viewing screen is displayed. In other words, the button 93 displayed on the right side of the screen
When the "Mill" button 93a is touched with the pen 6, that button is displayed in reverse video. And for days,
You can view weekly, monthly, check (indicated by a check mark in the diagram), action, phone, address, or report pages. In FIG. 7, a weekly page schedule is displayed. On the left side of the input display area 82, the name (title) of the schedule is displayed. A check mark 84 (indicated by a rectangular shape in the figure) is displayed at the top. A pencil mark 85 is displayed behind each title. Further, above the input display area 82, a change button 86, a new button 87, and a cancel button 88 are displayed. Among these, the change button 86 has "change"
In addition to the characters , a pencil mark 86a is also displayed. Furthermore, in this state, the cancel button 88 is disabled, so the word "cancel" is displayed indistinctly. On the right side of the input display area 82, along with the name of the schedule, the time or period in which the schedule with that name will take place is displayed as a relatively short vertical line in each row. In the case of this example, for example, a business trip to Sapporo will start from around 9:00 a.m. on January 30th.
It is indicated that the event will be held until around 8:00 pm (8:00 pm) on the 1st.

FIG. 8 shows the state when the check page is selected. On this page, if you touch the mark 84 displayed at the beginning of each line with the pen 6,
A check mark (a mark similar to the katakana ``re'') will be displayed there. Thereby, it is possible to input that the plan or action has already been executed. A pencil mark 85 is also displayed at the rear of each of these lines.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the telephone page is selected from among the pages to be viewed. In this state, each line displays a name, phone number, and address. Furthermore, a pencil mark 85 is also displayed on the rightmost side of each row.

FIG. 10 shows a monthly schedule among the further viewing pages. In this case as well, the name of the schedule is displayed on the left side of the input display area 82, and a pencil mark 85 is displayed at the rearmost position of the name.

[0027] Here, the operation for changing a schedule with a predetermined name from the state shown in FIG. 10 will be explained. Figure 1
In the state shown in 0, when the pen 6 is pressed down on the change button 86, the change button 86 is displayed in reverse video as shown in FIG. Further, when the pen 6 is raised from the change button 86, the screen 8 is changed as shown in FIG. 12. In this case, since each icon 83 becomes unusable, its display is changed to an unclear display. Furthermore, since the change button 86 and the new button 87 are also disabled, their display is changed to something unclear. However, the cancel button 88 is enabled and clearly displayed. If the cancel button 88 is touched with a pen here, the process that is about to be shifted to the change mode will be canceled and the state will return to the state shown in FIG. 10.

When continuing the change mode from the state shown in FIG. 12, the pen 6 is then moved down to the pencil mark 85 of the line in which the name to be changed is displayed (or the name of that line). At this time, since a pencil mark 86a is displayed on the change button 86, the next operation position after operating this change button 86 is the position where the pencil mark 85 is displayed. It is easily recognized by users. Therefore, after operating the change button 86, the user is prevented from being confused as to what operation to perform next. In the state shown in FIG. 12, if you use the pen 6 to press down on the pencil mark 85 (or somewhere in the subject field) in the line "Proposal Creation," for example, as shown in FIG. The display will be reversed. Further, when the pen 6 is lifted up from the pencil mark 85, as shown in FIG.
The type plate 89 is automatically displayed. The display on the screen 8 is further changed to a writing page on which the schedule for "proposal creation" is written, as shown in FIG. The mode also changes from "viewing" mode to "writing" mode. Therefore, the "Kaku" button 93b is displayed in reverse video instead of the "Mill" button 93a. Actions,
Three types of pages are prepared: connection and report, and the user can select one of these pages as needed and write a schedule on that page. For example, a telephone number, address, etc. will be written in the connection. You can also write any ideas or sentences that come to mind in your report. Also, in the action field, if you have a meeting scheduled, a meeting scheduled with someone, or something that needs to be done by a certain date, the schedule is written here. In the case of the example, the action of creating a plan was scheduled to take place between 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 2nd and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 4th, so the name This means that the date and time (proposal creation) was written there.

In the state shown in FIG. 15, when a predetermined character is handwritten into the grid 89a of the type plate 89 with the pen 6, the handwritten input pattern is recognized, and the character obtained as a result of the recognition is It is displayed in square 89a. If the display is correct, by touching the write button 91 with the pen 6, the character string displayed in the square 89a can be written at the position where the cursor 90 is located.

In the above embodiment, the change button 86
display the pencil mark 86a, and press the change button 8.
After 6 is operated, a pencil mark 85 is displayed at the position to be operated next, but it is clear that this mark is not limited to a pencil mark. In short, it is clear that any mark that indicates to the user the next position to operate after operating the change button 86 is sufficient. Further, the button to be displayed does not need to be a change button. In other words, when a predetermined position is operated in order to select a predetermined function, and when there is a related position to be operated next, it is sufficient that a mark suggesting a relationship is displayed at both positions. be.

[0031]

As described above, according to the information input control device of the present invention, both the first operating means and the second operating means operated in conjunction with the first operating means are operated in conjunction with each other. Since the display means is provided to indicate what to do, even a user who is not familiar with the operation can be prevented from becoming confused about the operation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an embodiment of a portable computer to which an information input control device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a screen in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of an example of the fluorescent screen in the example of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection relationship between the LCD and the tablet in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall electrical configuration of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a screen for explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a screen for explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a screen explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a screen explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a screen for explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a screen for explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a screen explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a screen explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a screen explaining the process of FIG. 6;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional input screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

6 Pen 8 Screen 21 Tablet 22 LCD 41 CPU 81 Icon display area 85 Pencil mark 86 Change button 86a Pencil mark

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first operating means that is operated when selecting a function for inputting information, and a second operating means that is operated in connection with the operation of the first operating means. and a display means displayed on both the first operation means and the second operation means indicating that the first operation means and the second operation means should be operated in conjunction with each other. An information input control device characterized by: