JPH04326414A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve work efficiency for document preparation or the like by selecting suitable screen setting corresponding to the purpose of use, simultaneously confirming all the function keys when the picture size of a display enable area is changed to be longitudinally long, and easily executing the selecting operation of the function key. CONSTITUTION:A display unit 3 is turnably fitted to a main body part 2 by a turn supporting part so that a liquid crystal panel 22 can be set to be longitudinally and laterally long. When setting the liquid crystal display panel 22 to be longitudinally long, all the function menus are displayed at the lower edge part of the display enable area and on the other hand, when setting the liquid crystal display panel 22 to be laterally long, the lines of the function menus are displayed one by one at the lower edge part of the display enable area.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an information processing device that can change the screen size so that the displayable area becomes vertically long or horizontally long. The present invention relates to an information processing device that switches formats.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Information processing apparatuses such as personal computers and word processors usually include a main body containing a control section, a display device for displaying display contents, and a keyboard for performing input operations. Conventionally, in such information processing devices, the display surface of the display device has a rectangular shape, and the display surface is generally fixed so as to be either vertically long or horizontally long.

For example, in a configuration in which the display device is fixed in horizontal orientation, it is possible to output a large number of characters in the horizontal direction.
When creating a document in landscape A4 size document format,
The entire A4 size document can be output on one screen.

[0004] Furthermore, some of the above-mentioned information processing apparatuses have a keyboard equipped with function keys having a plurality of functions. In this type of information processing device, the functions of the function keys are displayed on a display screen, and the functions of the function keys are selected by sequentially switching the display by key operations.

[0005] In the above configuration, as shown in FIGS. 9(a) to 9(c), function menus FM21 to FM23 are arranged in which the function names of each function key, each having three functions, are summarized in one line. and set these function menus FM21 to FM
23 are individually displayed in a display area provided at the lower end of the display surface. Above function menu FM21~
Display switching of the FM 23 is performed by operating a switching key provided on the keyboard.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional information processing apparatus, since the display device is fixed to be vertically or horizontally long, it has the following problems.

[0007] Document formats include various sizes such as A4 size and B4 size, and each of the above sizes can be placed horizontally or vertically. For this reason, if the display device is fixed in landscape orientation, for example,
When an attempt is made to create a document in the format of an A4-sized document placed vertically, it is not possible to output the entire A4-sized document on one screen because the number of display digits in the vertical direction on the display surface of the display device is small. Therefore, in order to view a document on one screen, it is necessary to move the screen, and the accompanying operations tend to be complicated.

Furthermore, in the above configuration, the function menus FM21 to FM23 are individually displayed on the screen, so it is not possible to check all the functions of the function keys at once. Therefore, when selecting a function using a function key, the function menus FM21 to FM23 must be switched one by one, which tends to make the operation complicated.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing device of the present invention includes a display means having a display surface, a keyboard provided with function keys having a plurality of functions, and , an information processing apparatus in which a function name indicating a function corresponding to the function key is displayed in a displayable area of the display surface, characterized by taking the following measures.

That is, the information processing device includes a screen size switching means for switching the screen size of the displayable area between portrait and landscape; and function display switching means for switching and displaying the function names line by line when the displayable area is switched to landscape orientation.

[0011]

[Operation] In the above configuration, the displayable area of the display surface can be switched between portrait and landscape, so that appropriate screen settings can be made depending on the purpose of use. For example, the vertically long viewable area is used for A4 size in portrait orientation, while the horizontally viewable area is used for A4 size in landscape orientation, and so on. You will be able to choose.

[0012] Furthermore, when the display area is switched to landscape mode by the function display switching means, the display of function names is switched line by line in order to ensure as many lines as possible for character input. When the available area is switched to portrait orientation, all of the function names are displayed across multiple lines, so you can check all the function keys at once. Therefore, the function keys can be easily operated to select functions, and work can be performed smoothly.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a document creation device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the document creation device according to this embodiment includes a base portion 1 for stably placing the entire device on a desk or the like, and a device that can be raised upward from this base portion 1. A display unit 3 as a display means is attached to a front side of the main body 2 facing the operator.

The front side of the base section 1 protrudes from the main body section 2, and a floppy disk device 4 for recording and reproducing document data etc. on a floppy disk 5 (see FIG. 6) is mounted on the right end of the front side. It is provided. A curved inclined surface 1 a is provided on the inner side of the floppy disk device 4 and is curved from the upper end surface of the floppy disk device 4 to the upper end surface of the base portion 1 .

The main body section 2 has a built-in control section and the like for controlling the operation of the document creation device, and is provided with a rotation support section 21 on the front side. The rotation support section 21 supports the display unit 3 so as to be rotatable in the A direction and the B direction. The display unit 3 has a rectangular liquid crystal display panel 22 serving as a display surface, and a panel frame 23 that supports the liquid crystal display panel 22. A notch inclined portion 23a is formed at a corner portion on the floppy disk device 4 side. This notched inclined portion 23a, together with the curved inclined surface 1a,
It functions to prevent the display unit 3 from colliding with the base portion 1 when rotating.

The panel frame 23 is also provided with a pair of power switches 24 , 24 , for example, at corner portions facing each other about the center of the liquid crystal display panel 22 . These power switches 24 are located at the lower left end when the display unit 3 is set vertically as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1, and at the lower right end when the display unit 3 is set horizontally. It is located in the department.

By the way, when the display unit 3 is set vertically, the screen mode is switched to vertical mode, and the liquid crystal display unit 22 has one line of 35 lines in the displayable area 25, as shown in FIG. A document creation area 26 with 40 characters is provided, and an information display area 27 is provided at the lower end. This information display area 27 displays various information for document creation.
The various information can be found in the function menu FM1 to F.
Also includes M3.

These function menus FM1
~FM3, as shown enlarged in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c), is a collection of function names of the function keys provided on the keyboard 14, which will be described later, one by one, and is arranged vertically. Once the mode is selected, everything will be displayed one above the other. The above function menus FM1 to FM3 are switched and selected by operating the keyboard 14, and the selected item is displayed in reverse, and the order of switching is indicated at the beginning of each of the function menus 1 to 1. 3 is given.

On the other hand, when the display unit 3 is set horizontally, the screen mode is switched to horizontal mode, and the liquid crystal display unit 22 has a displayable area 2 as shown in FIG.
5, a document creation area 28 with 25 lines and 53 characters per line is provided, and an information display area 29 is provided at the bottom end.
is provided. This information display area 29, unlike the information display area 27, includes a function menu FM.
1 to FM3 are displayed one by one. Function menu FM1 to F in horizontal mode
M3 is selected by switching the display by operating the keyboard 14.

The display unit 3 is connected to the main body 2 as described above.
The liquid crystal display panel 22 is configured to be rotatably supported so that the orientation of the liquid crystal display panel 22 can be changed, and thereby the screen size of the displayable area 25 can be changed. functions as a screen size switching means.

[0022] Here, the control unit etc. built into the main body 2 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control section includes a CPU (C
internal processing unit) 6, ROM (Read Only Memory) 7, and RAM (Random Access Memory)
) 8, controllers 10 and 12, a keyboard controller (KEY controller in the figure) 13, a printer controller 15, a communication unit 17, and a display controller 18.

The ROM 7 is a read-only memory that stores control programs and data, and displays the function menus FM1 to FM3 on the liquid crystal display panel 22.
The function menu data to be displayed on the
Stored according to each horizontal mode. RAM8
is a memory that can be written/read at any time and has a function of temporarily storing input data, calculation results of the CPU 6, etc.

When the vertical mode is selected by operating the keyboard 14, the CPU 6 changes the screen size of the displayable area 25 to portrait, while when the horizontal mode is selected, the CPU 6 changes the screen size of the displayable area 25 to vertical. The display controller 18 is controlled to change the screen size to landscape, and together with the rotating support section 21, it functions as screen size switching means.

Further, when a screen mode is selected, the CPU 6 calls up the function menu data stored in the ROM 7 according to the screen mode, and based on the function menu data, the function menu FM1 is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 22 as described above. ~FM3 is displayed on the display unit 3. In addition, CPU6 is
When the switching flag is changed by an input from the keyboard 14, the display of the function menus FM1 to FM3 is switched according to the dual screen mode. That is, the CPU 6 also functions as a function display switching means in this document creation device.

The controllers 10 and 12 control the hard disk device 9 and the floppy disk device 4 through communication with the CPU 6, respectively. The keyboard controller 13 is a keyboard (KEY in the figure)
14 is connected, and the input from the keyboard 14 is
The data is converted into data that can be processed by the PU6. The keyboard 14 is provided with ten function keys (not shown) each having three different functions, and by switching the function of each function key, a variety of processing functions can be used. .

[0028] The printer controller 15
6 is connected, and the printing operation of the printer 16 is controlled based on instructions from the CPU 6. The communication unit 17 is a device for communicating with other document creation devices, and is configured with a modem or the like. The display controller 18 converts the display data from the CPU 6 into a video signal and sends it to the display unit 3, and also controls the display operation of the display unit 3 according to instructions from the CPU 6.

In addition to the above-mentioned control section, the main body section 2 also includes:
A hard disk device 9 and a main power source 20 are built-in. Like the floppy disk device 4 described above, the hard disk device 9 is capable of recording and reproducing document data and the like, and includes a hard disk (not shown) as a recording medium. The main power supply 20 supplies power to the control unit, the hard disk device 9, and the like.

In the above configuration, the procedure for displaying the function menus FM1 to FM3 will be explained based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the power of the document creation device is turned on, a switching flag is set to 1 so that the function menu FM1 is set (S1), and the screen mode is determined (S2). If the screen mode is determined to be portrait mode in S2, the CPU 6 sets the screen in portrait mode (S3). At this time, the CPU 6
The vertical mode function menu data in M7 is called, and the vertical mode function menus FM1 to FM3 are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 22.
One of the function menus FM1 to FM3 is displayed in reverse video according to the switching flag at that time (S
4).

[0032] Next, it is determined whether or not there is a switching input for the function menus FM1 to FM3 by key operation on the keyboard 14 (S5). If it is determined in S5 that there is a switching input, the switching flag is changed accordingly (S6), and the process returns to S4. Also, S5
If it is determined that there is no switching input, it is determined whether the screen mode is selected (S7), and if the vertical mode is determined here, the process returns to S5.

On the other hand, in S2, if the screen mode is determined to be the horizontal mode, the CPU 6 calls the function menu data for the horizontal mode in the ROM 7,
The liquid crystal display panel 22 displays a function menu FM1 for the horizontal mode specified by the switching flag at that time.
-FM3, one line is displayed (S8).

[0034] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not there is an input to switch the function menus FM1 to FM3 by key operation on the keyboard 14 (S9). If it is determined in S9 that there is a switching input, the switching flag is changed accordingly (S10), and the process returns to S8. Also, S
9, if it is determined that there is no switching input,
It is determined whether it is the screen mode (S11), and if the horizontal mode is determined here, the process returns to S8.

By the way, if the horizontal mode is determined in S7 of the vertical mode routine, the process moves to S8 of the horizontal mode routine. Further, if portrait mode is determined in S11 of the horizontal mode routine, the process moves to S3 of the portrait mode routine.

Next, display switching of function menus FM1 to FM3 between portrait and landscape modes will be explained based on FIG. 8.

When the vertical mode is selected, the function menus FM1 to FM3 are sequentially displayed according to the switching input.
is displayed in reverse video as shown by diagonal lines in the figure. On the other hand, when the horizontal mode is selected, function menus FM1 to FM3 are sequentially displayed line by line in response to the switching input. Further, when the mode is switched between the portrait mode and the landscape mode, display is performed in the screen mode switched according to the switching flag at that time. For example, when the function menu FM1 is displayed in the horizontal mode and the mode is switched to the vertical mode, the function menu FM1 is displayed inverted.

As described above, in the document creation device according to this embodiment, the display unit 3 is rotatably supported, so the display unit 3 can be set in portrait or landscape orientation and the screen mode can be changed accordingly. By switching, appropriate screen settings can be made depending on the purpose of use. This makes it possible, for example, to select portrait mode when creating an A4 size document in portrait orientation, and select landscape mode when creating an A4 size document in landscape orientation.

Further, in the above-mentioned document creation device, when the display unit 3 is set vertically and the screen mode is set to portrait mode, all of the function menus FM1 to FM3 are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 22. Therefore, you can easily check the functions of the function keys.

In this embodiment, the displayable area 25 is set vertically or horizontally by rotating the display unit 3, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. . For example, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a device in which the display unit 3 is fixed and the vertical and horizontal sizes of the displayable area 25 within the liquid crystal display panel 22 are switched to make it vertically long or horizontally long using only software. .

[0041]

Effects of the Invention As described above, the information processing device of the present invention includes a screen size switching means for switching the screen size of the displayable area to portrait and landscape, and when the displayable area is switched to portrait, the above function is realized. The present invention is configured to include a function display switching means for displaying all the names over multiple lines, and for switching and displaying the function names line by line when the displayable area is switched to landscape orientation.

[0042] This makes it possible to switch the screen size of the displayable area depending on the purpose of use, and to select an appropriate screen setting. In addition, when the display area is switched to portrait orientation, all the function names of the function keys are displayed on multiple lines on the display surface, so you can check all the functions of the function keys at once, and select the function key. Easy to operate.

Accordingly, by employing the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the above-mentioned advantages bring about the effect that the efficiency of work such as document creation can be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a document creation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing screen settings in portrait mode.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a function menu.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing screen settings in landscape mode.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control unit of the document creation device of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for displaying a function menu according to the screen mode.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing switching of function menu display between portrait and landscape modes.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing switching of function menus in a conventional information processing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Main unit 3 Display unit (display means)
6 CPU (screen size switching means, function display switching means) 7 ROM 21 Rotating support part (screen size switching means) 22 Liquid crystal display panel (display surface) 25 Displayable area 27/29 Information display area

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: Display means having a display surface; and a keyboard provided with function keys having a plurality of functions; and a function name indicating a function corresponding to the function key is displayed in a displayable area of the display surface. In the information processing device configured to display, the screen size switching means switches the screen size of the displayable area to portrait and landscape, and when the displayable area is switched to portrait, all of the function names are displayed on multiple lines. On the other hand, when the above viewable area is switched to landscape,
An information processing device comprising: function display switching means for switching and displaying the function names line by line.