JPH08190452A - Input method for numeral or character - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an input method for numerals and characters which facilitates the input of numerals using keys for up and down, and right and left instructions and is suitable even for password number input. CONSTITUTION: Assuming that numerals are written on the key arrangement of the cross key of a game pad and cursor keys which are arranged at upper and lower, and right and left positions in a diamond shape for easy mounting even on a general remote controller, the depression order of the keys and Arabic characters are made to correspond to each other. For example, 1 corresponds to up and down indications, 2 to up, right, left, and down, 3 to up, right left, right, and down, 4 to up, left, right, up, and down, 5 to up, left, right, down, and left, 6 to up, left, down, right, and left, 7 to up, right, and down, 8 to up, left, right, down, and up, 9 to up, left, right, up, right, and down, and 0 to up, left, down, right, and up. When a user inputs a numeral by pressing a key, the numeral that the user has inputted is determined on a device side on condition that the depression order of the key matches the correspondence, and the determination is reported. When not, on the other hand, an input failure, etc., is reported.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention inputs numbers or characters in operations such as CATV (cable television), VOD (video on demand), video games, and ATM (automatic teller machine). It is about how to do it.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In various services using information terminals, it is often necessary to input numbers. In operating an information terminal or the like, a simple operating device with as few keys as possible is desired. A typical example thereof is a game pad mainly used for a cross key having keys arranged in a cross shape, which is used for operating a game machine. Generally, inputting numbers is easy if there is a numeric keypad, but in an interface such as a game pad, a numeric keypad is not provided to simplify the operation, and a list of numbers is displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. It was necessary to display it and move the cursor with the cross key to select the number on the screen.

[0003]

However, when the numbers entered by others, such as a personal identification number, should not be leaked, the above method of displaying a list of numbers on a general screen and selecting the numbers is It cannot be used.

As a method for solving this, if there are 10 or more buttons on the game pad or remote controller, a method of assigning 10 numbers to them and inputting them can be considered. In this case, the buttons are arranged on each operation pad. The compatibility with other devices will be poor because the numbers may differ.

Next, a method of inputting a number by the number of times a certain button is continuously pressed is conceivable, but there is no method for relieving when the button is missed or pressed twice. Also, since it is difficult to judge the end of inputting each number from only the key that was typed,
It is necessary to use another key that indicates the end of input, or to take alternate actions with multiple keys. Furthermore, the larger the number, the more times it is pressed, which is complicated.

On the other hand, a numeric keypad is used for inputting a personal identification number in a bank ATM or the like. In this case, since the number of keys is large, it is necessary to display or arrange the numeric keypad at hand for accurate input. For this reason, it is not possible to ensure that the input cannot be seen by others, and the confidentiality cannot be completely secured under the present circumstances.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the present situation, and its purpose is to easily input numbers and characters using a small number of keys, which is also suitable for inputting a personal identification number. Provides a way to enter numbers or letters.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a key for indicating the up, down, left and right directions,
In advance, a combination of the operation order of pressing the keys indicating the up, down, left, and right directions is made to correspond to a number or a character, and when there is an operation of the key, the operation order of the key and the corresponding number or character are used. The method of inputting numbers or characters having a configuration for identifying is used as a means.

Further, the up / down / left / right direction keys are also used for inputting an oblique direction, and the combination of the operation sequence of pressing the up / down / left / right direction and the oblique direction direction keys is selected in advance. Corresponding to characters is also suitable in order to increase the candidates for the order of key operations and the types of characters that can be input.

In the above-mentioned input method of numbers or characters, if the operation of pressing the keys indicating the up, down, left, and right directions is up, down, left, and right, respectively, the Arabic numeral 1 is up, down, and 2 is up. Right / left / bottom 3 is top / right / left / right / bottom 4 is top / left / right / top / bottom 5 is top / left / right / bottom /
Left, 6 is top / left / bottom / right / left, 7 is top / right / bottom, 8 is top / left / right / bottom / top, 9 is top / left / right / top / right / bottom, 0 is It is preferable to correspond to the order of operation of top / left / bottom / right / top.

In the case where the key operation sequence is associated with the numbers as described above, when the key operation sequence matches the correspondence with the Arabic numeral, the input confirmation is notified, and when the correspondence is not satisfied. It is preferable to notify the input failure or redo in order to improve reliability and efficiency.

Further, in the above-described input method of numbers or characters, it is preferable to operate the key while the key is hidden, when inputting a personal identification number or the like.

[0013]

According to the number or character input method of the present invention, the keys for instructing up, down, left and right are used, and the pressing order is made to correspond to the numbers, so that an input is not provided with a ten-key pad such as a game pad of a game machine. Even a device can input numbers without displaying a list of numbers on the screen as long as it has a cross key or a similar key for instructing up, down, left, and right.

Further, by using only a key such as a cross key or a cursor key, which is commonly seen, a versatile input method can be realized.

By limiting the correspondence between the combinations of the key pressing order and the Arabic numerals along the stroke order of the numbers without duplication, the key pressing order is uniquely determined for each number.
Allows automatic confirmation of input numbers.

In that case, the reliability of the input is improved by notifying the user of the confirmation. Also, if the key press order does not correspond to the above correspondence, it will detect an input error and notify the user of input failure or redo, so that only that number can be redone and efficient input is realized. To do.

Further, in the above, by limiting the first stroke to the "up key" in the input of all numbers, the input operation is unified, the input start judgment is facilitated, and in the number input waiting state. Other keys (down, left, right)
Function can be assigned to.

Furthermore, by making it possible to select keys to be input in a graphical relationship with each other by using a small number of keys that have no symmetry of translation, it is possible to perform a fumbling input without looking at the keys, and By entering the key in a hidden form, you can enter numbers etc. without being decrypted by others.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, the game pad 3 shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the user writes numbers on the key arrangement of the cursor keys that have four keys arranged in a rhombus that can be easily equipped with the cross key of, or the general remote controller 3 ′ shown in FIG. Enter the number by pressing the left and right keys, and confirm the number entered by the user from the order in which the key was pressed on the device side. The following description will be made using the cross key of the game pad 3 shown in FIG. 1 as a representative, but the same can be applied to the case where a cursor button is mounted on a general button remote controller 3'as shown in FIG. Is.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between the order of pressing the cross keys and the numbers to be input. When the mode for entering numbers is entered, the cross key serves as a key for recognizing numbers.
At this time, ten kinds of numbers from 1 to 9 and 0 are assigned to the button pressing order of the keys as shown in FIG. 3 from the shape of each number. In other words, if the operation of pressing the up / down / left / right direction keys is respectively up / down / left / right, the Arabic numeral 1 is up / down, 2 is up / right / left / down, 3 is up / right / Left / Right / Bottom 4 is Top / Left / Right / Top / Bottom 5 is Top / Left / Right / Bottom /
Left, 6 is top / left / bottom / right / left, 7 is top / right / bottom, 8 is top / left / right / bottom / top, 9 is top / left / right / top / right / bottom, 0 is Corresponds to the operation sequence of top / left / bottom / right / top. When the user presses the keys in this order, it is determined that the respective numbers have been input, and it is decided when the last key is pressed. The numbers can be confirmed automatically because the order of pressing each number is different. Therefore, in this example, the key operation indicating the end of input is unnecessary. In addition, by notifying the input person of the confirmation on the screen or sound, the reliability of the input can be increased.

If none of the ten types of pressing order is the same, it can be determined that the input is wrong. By displaying only whether or not the input was successful on the screen, it is possible to input the number without displaying the specific number input. Further, when it is determined that the input is wrong, the input operation can be efficiently performed by notifying the input failure or the redo.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a branch tree for keystroke determination in the example of FIG. In FIG. 4, U is the upper key, D is the lower key, L is the left key, and R is the right key, and the numbers under each key are the numbers remaining as candidates for input up to that point. Bold letters indicate keys that can be automatically determined. In this example, the first stroke of all digit inputs is U. Therefore, after the input of a number is confirmed or it is determined that the input is incorrect, it is possible to determine that the input is not a number by making the next stroke R, L, or D. 9 is the fifth before the final hit
It can be confirmed by hitting, but the other hits are final, so it will be decided at the sixth hit. However, if you do not assign a function such as cursor movement to a key other than U after confirmation, you can deal with 9 with 5 strokes or 6 strokes (at this time, confirm with 5 strokes, then enter the first number You can ignore it until you hit U, which is a hit.)

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of this embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an operation example in the screen example of FIG. In the figure, 11 indicates a confirmed number, and 12 indicates a number being input by a cursor mark. In the number input waiting state (after confirmation or input error judgment),
When other functions are assigned to R, L, and D, for example, R or L can be set to the left and right movements of the cursor, respectively, and if D, the action can be assigned to the operation of pulling down from the input field. After exiting from the input field, if items such as cancel and select can be selected by moving the cursor on the screen of the display device 1 shown in FIG. 8, cancel and end are assigned. Buttons A and B in FIG. Then, it is possible to omit (cancel, select) (confirm if you pass the item with the cursor, cancel if you return).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for inputting a personal identification number. When the key input acceptance is started, first, it is determined whether or not it corresponds to the stroke order of a predetermined number, and if it is not input, the input person is notified to input again because the input of the currently input number has failed.
If so, the above key input determination process is repeated until the number is determined according to the branch tree of FIG. When the number input is confirmed, the input person is notified that the number currently input is confirmed. The above processing is continued until the input is completed. The end of the input is determined by inputting the number of digits for determination or by pressing the end key by the input person.

It is obvious that characters other than numbers can be associated in the order of strokes, and characters and symbols can be input as long as the pattern does not match the numbers. The above stroke order is only an example, and the above-mentioned “limit first stroke to“ up key ”” policy is not always necessary if there are other buttons that can be used for selection and cancellation, such as the A and B buttons. It is no longer a necessary limit. If you make the first shot free, the number of stroke order candidates increases. In addition, in the cross key, diagonal direction (upper right, lower right,
If upper left and lower left) are also used for input, the stroke order proposal will increase further, and the types of characters that can be input will also increase.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a device configuration example to which the above-mentioned embodiment is applied. In FIG. 6, (a) shows a top view of the device, and (b) shows a side view of the device and a usage example. Further, 1 is a display device, 2 is a control device such as ATM, 3 is a keypad for inputting a personal identification number, 3 ″ is a keypad for normal input. The keypad 3 according to the above-mentioned embodiment has a small number of keys to be used. Since there is no object of translation, it is possible to input by groping without looking at the key, and it is possible to set the key in a hidden position and input, so it is more confidential than input using the numeric keypad. When the numeric keys are placed on a numeric keypad such as a telephone or a calculator, or in a horizontal row found in some ATMs, etc. However, there is a possibility that the keys will be mistakenly pressed in succession by shifting the position of one key, etc. In contrast, the number of keys used in the present invention is four and there is no object of translation,
Since the keys to be input can be selected in a graphic relationship with each other, it is possible to perform a fumbling input without looking at the keys. Therefore,
It is suitable for inputting a personal identification number, etc., because the keypad 3 shown in the figure can be used to input with the keys completely hidden.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the apparatus configuration to which the above embodiment is applied. In the figure, 1 is a display device, 2 is a control device such as a set pop box, 3 is the keypad according to the above-mentioned embodiment, and 4 is a communication line. In this example, a desired CATV or VOD video signal is received and displayed via the communication line 4.

[0029]

According to the number or character input method of the present invention, even with an input device such as a game pad of a game machine that is not equipped with a ten-key pad, the cross key or similar up / down / left / right directions are designated. If there is a key, it is possible to enter numbers without displaying a list of numbers on the screen.

The present invention is versatile because it uses only the cross key or cursor key that is commonly seen.

When the combination of the key pressing order is limited without duplication along the stroke order of the numbers, the input of the numbers can be automatically confirmed. Notifying the user of the confirmation increases the reliability of the input. In addition, an input error can be detected, the user can be notified of the input error, and since only the number can be redone, efficient input can be performed.

When the first stroke is limited to the "up key" in inputting all the numbers, it is possible to unify and easily determine the start of the input, and the other keys (down, left, right) in the number input waiting state.
The advantage that functions can be assigned to

Numeric keys such as telephones and calculators, and some A
When the numbers are arranged in a horizontal line as seen in TM, etc., the key arrangement has a high symmetry of translation, so if you operate it by hand,
There is a possibility that the keys will be mistakenly pressed one after another due to a shift in the position of one key, but in the present invention, there are four keys to be used, and there is no object of translation. It is possible to input by feeling without looking at the key. Therefore, it is possible to input with the key completely hidden, and it becomes possible to input numbers and the like without being decrypted by others, which is suitable for inputting a personal identification number or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a game pad as an example of keys used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cursor button of a remote controller as another example of a key used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between the numbers and the keystroke sequence according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a branch tree for keystroke determination in the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing example in the above embodiment.

6A and 6B are configuration diagrams of a personal identification number input device showing an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a device configuration example showing another application example of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an input operation according to an input screen example to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional numeral input screen.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 ... Display device 2 ... Control device 3 ... Game pad 3 '... Remote control 4 ... Communication line 11 ... Confirmed number 12 ... Number being input

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A key for instructing up, down, left and right directions is used, and a combination of the order of operations of pressing the key for instructing the up, down, left and right directions is made to correspond to a number or a character, and the key is operated. In this case, a number or character input method is characterized in that the number or character is specified from the order of operation of the keys and the correspondence. 2. The up / down / left / right direction key is also used for inputting an oblique direction, and the combination of the operation order of pressing the up / down / left / right direction and the diagonal direction direction key is selected in advance as a number or The method for inputting numbers or characters according to claim 1, wherein the input method corresponds to characters. 3. The up / down / left / right of the operation of pressing the up / down / left / right direction keys, respectively, the Arabic numeral 1 is up / down, 2 is up / right / left / down, 3 is up.・ Right / Left / Right / Bottom 4 is Top / Left / Right / Top / Bottom 5 is Top / Left / Right / Bottom /
Left, 6 is top / left / bottom / right / left, 7 is top / right / bottom, 8 is top / left / right / bottom / top, 9 is top / left / right / top / right / bottom, 0 is 2. The method of inputting numbers or characters according to claim 1, wherein the order of operation is up, left, down, right, and up. 4. The input confirmation is notified when the operation sequence of the keys matches the correspondence with the Arabic numeral, and the input failure or the redo is notified when the correspondence does not correspond to the correspondence. The method of inputting numbers or characters described in item 3. 5. The method for inputting numbers or characters according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the key is operated while the key is hidden.