JPH0970060A - Pager with memory function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain character entry and storage by combining a few function keys provided in the pager for the operation of the pager. SOLUTION: This pager is provided with three function keys 11 13 and a built-in memory 9. Any one of the three function keys is used for selection of data input mode and the other two function keys are operated in combination in each input mode to select data such as Kana (Japanese syllabary), English letter, numeral and symbols and the selected data are displayed on a display section 3. Furthermore, the displayed data on the display section 3 are stored in the built-in memory 9 by the operation of the function keys.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pager (individual selective call receiver), and more particularly to a pager having a memo function by character input.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent pagers can receive messages as well as call them, and can store the received message in a built-in memory and display it on the display section as needed. It is said that. Even in the storage and display form of this message, katakana (or hiragana), numbers, and letters (alphabets)
Is possible. In recent years, it has been considered that the pager has a memo function by using the memory and the display unit of the pager. That is, the keys provided in the pager are used to store characters and the like in the built-in memory, and when necessary, the characters are displayed on the display unit to be used as a memo.

However, since the pager is not provided with numeric keys, the character input method used in terminal devices such as mobile phones cannot be directly adopted. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-218148 describes a method of selecting and inputting characters by using the function keys and number keys of the telephone terminal device, but since the number keys are indispensable in this method. In addition, when this is applied to a pager, it is necessary to newly provide a large number of keys, and in consideration of downsizing and weight saving of the pager, this cannot be applied as it is.

[0004]

Therefore, in the conventional art,
If you want to use the pager as a memo, you must call your own pager from the telephone, and at that time, send the characters you want to store as a message and record it in the pager. . Therefore,
There is a problem that it is necessary to make a call every time a memo is made, the procedure for using it as a memo is troublesome, and the memo cannot be taken if the phone is not nearby. An object of the present invention is to provide a pager capable of inputting characters by using existing keys as they are and having a memo function by input characters.

[0005]

The pager of the present invention comprises three pages.
In a pager having more than one function key, a memory for storing data, and a display unit for displaying the stored data, the data can be displayed and displayed on the display unit by operating a plurality of function keys in combination. The stored data is stored in the memory, and the stored data is displayed again on the display unit. For example, three function keys are assigned as the first to third keys, and the input mode of data including kana, letters, numbers, symbols, etc. is switched according to the number of times the third key is pressed, and the first mode in each input mode. The data is selected and displayed according to the number of times of pressing the key and the second key. Further, it is preferable that the displayed data be stored in the memory by pressing the third key.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a pager according to the present invention. The pager body 1 has three function keys 11, 1 together with a main switch for turning on / off a power source.
2, 13 are provided. These function keys are referred to herein as the first key, the second key, and the third key, but these keys are provided on, for example, a conventional pager.
A set key, a select key, a mode key, etc. can be used. Further, the pager body 1 is provided with a display unit 3 composed of an LCD, and information such as messages stored in the built-in memory can be displayed in characters.
Further, a speaker 4 and an LED 5 are provided, and when a call is made, the call is notified by sounding and emitting light.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the internal structure of the pager. The signal received by the receiver 6 is stored in the ROM 7
CP operated according to the program stored in
Predetermined processing is performed in U8, and when a call of itself is detected, notification is made by a preset method such as sounding by the speaker 4 and light emission by the LED 5. When the calling signal includes a message, the message is stored in the RAM 9 as a memory and displayed on the display unit 3 at the time of calling or when there is a request. Further, various operations associated with calling are executed by operating the above-described three function keys 11 to 13 in a preset procedure, the decoder 10 analyzing the operation, and outputting a corresponding instruction to the CPU 8. Is possible.

Then, here, the three function keys 11 are used.
Characters 13 to 13 can be used to store characters in the memory 9 and can be displayed on the display unit 3 to be used as a so-called memo. However, in order to realize the memo function, the CPU 8 has the three function keys 11-1.
3 enables the decoder 10 connected to 3 to analyze the combination of the pressing of each key, and the first to third
A program for enabling writing of data to the memory 9 and reading of data from the memory 9 to the display unit 3 according to the operation of the keys 11 to 13 is prepared, and this program may be stored in the ROM 7 in advance. is necessary.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for executing the memo function. First, the menu is displayed on the display unit 3 (S101). If the existing pager already exists, this menu display function is used as it is. When the menu function does not exist, the menu can be displayed by pressing the first key, for example.

Select "3. Memo" from the displayed menu. Also for this selection, if the pager has an existing menu function, the procedure may be used.
If the menu function does not exist, the selection can be performed, for example, by pressing the second key, that is, by pressing the second key three times here (S102).

When the memo is selected, the menu is displayed as "memo" and the selection branches of "1. call" and "2. register" are displayed (S103). Here, "1" is selected to display the already stored memo data, and "2" is selected to newly store the memo data in the memory. This selection may be performed by pressing either the first key or the second key (S104).

When "1. Call" is selected, the memo data of the head address stored in the memory 9 is displayed on the display unit 3. Then, each time the first switch 11 is pressed, the display unit 3 becomes the next screen, and the memo data of the next address is sequentially displayed. Also, every time the second switch 12 is pressed, the previous screen is displayed (S105). To end the call, if the first key 11 and the second key 12 are simultaneously pressed for 3 seconds or more, the display section 3 displays "Call finished?". If the third key 13 is pressed in this state, the process ends (S107). If the third key is not pressed within the predetermined number of seconds, the display screen of the top memo data is displayed again (S
105, S106).

On the other hand, when "2. Registration" is selected in step S104, a memo registration section is secured in the display section 3. In this state, it is determined that the third key 13 is pressed (S108), and if the third key 13 is pressed once, the "kana input mode" is set (S109). Also, the third key 13
When is pressed twice, it becomes the "alphabet input mode" (S11
0) Press the button 3 times to enter the "numeric input mode" (S
111). And in each mode, kana,
It is possible to input alphabetic characters and numbers one by one.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a kana input method in the "kana input mode". In kana input, as described above, the first key 11 or the second key 12 is pressed with the third key 13 pressed once to enter the "kana input mode".
Press. By continuously pressing the first key 11 any number of times from 1 to 5, any row of "Akasatana" is selected. Similarly, by continuously pressing the second key 12 any number of times from 1 to 5, any row of "Hama Yarawa" is selected. Then, after selecting a row, the first key 11 or the second key 12 is continuously pressed any number of times from 1 to 5 to select the character for the vowel "aiueo" in each row. After the desired character is selected and displayed on the display unit, the character is determined by pressing the third key 13 (S11).
2).

Next, the first key 11 or the second key 12 is again pressed any number of times from 1 to 5, and then the first key 11 or the second key 12 is pressed any number of times from 1 to 5. Then, the character to be registered next is selected, and the character is determined by pressing the third key 13. Hereinafter, by repeating this operation, it is possible to select a desired character string and use it as memo data.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the method of inputting an English character in the "English character input mode". When inputting an alphabetic character, as described above, the first key 11 or the second key 12 is pressed with the third key 13 pressed twice to enter the "alphabet input mode".
Press. The first key 11 is continuously pressed any number of times from 1 to 5, or the second key 12 is similarly pressed any number of times from 1 to 3, and then the first key 11 is pressed.
Alternatively, by pressing the second key 12 any number of times from 1 to 3, the uppercase letters or the lowercase letters are selected. After the desired English character is selected and displayed on the display unit, the English character is determined by pressing the third key 13.

Then, by repeating the same operation again,
The next character is selected and the alphabetic character is determined by pressing the third key 13. Hereinafter, by repeating this operation, it is possible to select a required alphabetic character string and make it memo data.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an alphabetic character input method in the "numeric input mode". When inputting a numeral, as described above, the first key 11 or the second key 12 is pressed while the third key 13 is pressed three times to enter the "numerical input mode".
Press. The numbers 1 to 0 are selected by continuously pressing the first key 11 any number of times from 1 to 5 or the second key 12 similarly any number of times from 1 to 3. . After the desired number is selected and displayed on the display unit 3, the third key 13 is pressed to determine the number.

It is possible to input the above-mentioned kana, alphabetic characters, and numbers on a character-by-character basis and change the input mode for each character, and create memo data in which kana, alphabetic characters, and numbers are mixed. Is possible. Then, by pressing the first key 11 and the second key 12 at the same time during the above character input, the character input immediately before can be deleted (S113). Also in this case, the deletion can be determined by pressing the third key 13 (S
112).

When the first key 11 and the second key 12 are simultaneously pressed for 3 seconds or more, "Registration completed?" Is displayed on the display unit 3 (S114). If the third key 13 is pressed in this state, the registration is completed (S112). Upon completion of this registration, the memo data input so far is stored in the RAM 9, and at the same time, the memo registration is completed (S10).
7).

As described above, in the present embodiment, even in the existing pager, if the program of the CPU 8 is changed,
Kana, letters and numbers can be entered using the 1st to 3rd keys 11 to 13. Moreover, by assigning existing function keys to the 1st to 3rd keys, the conventional pager has a memo function as it is. It can be configured as a pager. Therefore, the added value of the memo function can be added to the pager without impairing the size and weight reduction of the pager, and the utility value of the pager can be increased.

In the above embodiment, the symbols are not mentioned, but various symbols are assigned to the blank area in the kana input shown in FIG. 4 so as to operate in the "kana / symbol input mode". It is also possible. In addition, the operation functions of the first to third keys in the above embodiment are merely examples, and it goes without saying that these can be arbitrarily set. Further, in the case of a pager having a larger number of function keys, by designing as the fourth and subsequent keys, it is possible to input characters by a simpler key operation.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to select data such as kana, letters, numbers and symbols by operating in combination with three or more function keys provided on the pager, and This can be displayed and stored in the built-in memory, and the stored data can be displayed on the display unit by operating the function keys. Therefore, data such as characters can be stored and displayed even with a small number of function keys provided on the pager, the pager can be provided with a memo function, and the utility value of the pager can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a pager according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pager.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a character input / read operation.

FIG. 4 is a table table for inputting kana.

FIG. 5 is a table table for inputting English characters.

FIG. 6 is a table table for inputting numbers.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 pager main body 3 display section 4 speaker 5 LED 8 CPU 9 RAM (memory) 10 decoder 11 first key 12 second key 13 third key

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pager comprising three or more function keys, a memory for storing data, and a display unit for displaying the stored data, wherein the display unit is operated by combining and operating the plurality of function keys. Display the data in
A pager with a memo function, characterized in that the displayed data is stored in a memory and the stored data is displayed again on the display unit. 2. Three function keys are assigned as first to third keys, and the input mode of data including kana, letters, numbers, symbols, etc. is switched according to the number of times the third key is pressed, and in each input mode. The pager with a memo function according to claim 1, wherein the data is selected and displayed according to the number of presses of the first key and the second key. 3. The pager with a memo function according to claim 2, wherein the displayed data is stored in a memory by pressing a third key. 4. The display unit can display a menu, and the operation of storing data in the memory by selecting the menu and the operation of displaying the data in the memory on the display unit can be selected. Pager with memo function in any of 3