JPH1039844A - Electronic message board and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic message board which is provided with a function for assisting contriving message contents and can make message sentences having various contents easily and accurately. SOLUTION: An electronic message board is constituted by providing the below mentioned requirements. A display device 21 displays message contents. A message input section 19 is arranged being overlapped with a screen of the display device 21, while display contents of the screen is constituted so as to be able to see through, and the input section 19 manually inputs picture data of characters, graphics or the like based on a movement focus of an input specifying body such as a finger, an input pen or the like on a surface. A display control means 20 displays message picture based on picture data manually inputted on a screen of the display device 21 at a position corresponding to a movement locus of the input specifying body. And a picture based on picture data manually inputted is synthesized with a picture (fixed form picture) constituting one part or all of message and previously decided, and displayed on a screen of the display device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic message board.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a message board is often installed at a place convenient for meeting with people, such as a concourse at a station. Recently, the introduction of an electronic message board instead of a general one using a blackboard or whiteboard has been considered as such a message board.
-81692, JP-A-63-255762, JP-A-6-255
175774 and the like.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned electronic message board, a handwriting input section is used as a message input section in order to make the operation intuitive and easy to understand.
Since the contents of the message are all considered and written on the user side, there is a problem that it is difficult to devise a message. Furthermore, it is possible that the content of the written message is unknown or misleading.In such a case, the message content may not be transmitted to the other party correctly. It is possible.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic message board which has a function for supporting the creation of message contents and can easily and accurately create message messages of various contents.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Actions / Effects The first structure of the electronic message board of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a display device for displaying message contents and a screen of the display device. In addition, the display contents of the screen are configured to be visible, and image data such as characters or figures are handwritten based on the movement trajectory of the input indicator such as a finger or an input pen on its own surface. A message input unit for inputting, and a display control means for displaying a message image based on the handwritten input image data (handwritten image data) on the screen of the display device at a position corresponding to the movement locus of the input indicator. The display control means synthesizes a predetermined image (standard image) constituting part or all of a message with an image based on handwritten image data, and displays this as a message image Wherein the display on the screen of the location.

[0006] According to this configuration, a message image can be created by synthesizing a pre-prepared fixed image with an image obtained by handwriting input, thereby saving the trouble of message creation. These fixed images may be images of characters, symbols, etc., as well as images such as illustrations and photographs. When a character image is used as a fixed image, the character image may be selected in units of one character, but may be a character group composed of a plurality of characters and representing a predetermined message content.
The details will be described later.

In some cases, the message may be missed or the message contents may be changed during the handwriting input. In this case, the input mode of the message input unit is switched between the writing mode and the erasing mode. It is convenient to provide write / erase switching means for switching. In the erasing mode, the message content displayed on the screen may be collectively erased, but it is more convenient to correct the message if partial erasing is enabled. The following can be exemplified as a specific method. That is, the display control means displays a message image corresponding to the movement locus of the input indicator on the screen of the display device in the writing mode, and follows the movement locus along with the movement of the input indicator in the erasing mode. When a part or the whole of a message image overlaps with a region of a predetermined width, the image is erased at the overlapping part. According to this configuration, by switching to the erasing mode and rubbing the portion of the message image to be corrected with the input indicator (for example, a fingertip), the portion can be easily erased. The message may be corrected by writing a proper image.

More specifically, the first configuration includes a fixed image data storage means for storing data of a plurality of fixed images,
A standard image selecting unit for selecting a desired one of the plurality of standard images, wherein the display control unit reads data of the selected standard image from the standard image data storage unit and displays the standard image. Can be configured. In this case, a desired message can be selected from the prepared standard images, so that message creation is further facilitated.

On the other hand, a creation time counting means for counting the creation time of the message image, and a fixed image data generating means for generating image data of a character group (time image data) representing the counted creation time as fixed image data. , And an image of a character group based on the time image data may be displayed as a standard image (standard character group). This makes it easy to incorporate the message creation time into the message content.

The handwritten image data can be bitmap data described by a combination of on / off states of respective pixels constituting the screen of the display device. The fixed image data is separated from the handwritten image data. Bitmap data having an overwriting relationship can be used. In this case, after the handwritten image is formed on the screen of the display device, the fixed image may be pasted on the screen by overwriting, or after the fixed image is displayed, the handwritten image may be added by overwriting.

Next, an electronic message board for solving the second problem of the present invention is characterized by including the following requirements. Display device: Displays message contents. Standard image data storage means: Stores image data of a plurality of predetermined character groups (standard character groups), such as words, phrases, and sentences that constitute part or all of the message content, as standard image data. Standard image selection means: Select one or more of a plurality of character groups. Display control means: The image data of the selected fixed character group is read from the fixed image data storage means, and the image of the fixed character group is displayed on the screen of the display device. The message content is displayed as an image of one fixed character group or a combination of a plurality of fixed character group images on the screen (the above configuration is hereinafter referred to as a second configuration). This makes it possible to easily create a message having predetermined contents by selecting a fixed character group.

Further, additional image data input means for inputting data of an image to be added to the image of the selected fixed character group can be provided. In this case, the image based on the input additional image data and the image of the fixed character group are combined and displayed on the screen of the display device. That is, in addition to the fixed character group, the user can put his / her own name and initials, or can add a message that is not prepared as the fixed character group, and thus can create a variety of messages.

The requirements of the second configuration can be added to the first configuration described above. That is, message content is configured by inputting handwritten image data as additional image data from a message input unit that is superimposed on a screen of a display device and combining the handwritten image with an image of a fixed character group. Can be This makes it possible to create the additional image very easily.

In this case, a message display area for displaying a message image and a fixed character group list display area for displaying a list of fixed character groups can be formed on the screen of the display device. By referring to the list, it is possible to support the selection of a fixed character group. Further, as a more specific mode, the area corresponding to the message display area of the message input section is used as a handwritten input section of the message image, and the area corresponding to the fixed character group list display area is used to select and input a fixed character group. At a position corresponding to the desired fixed-form character group in the fixed-form character group list, by bringing the input support into contact with the selection input unit, the fixed-form character group is selected and placed at a predetermined position in the message display area. The displayed method can be exemplified. In this way, the user can more easily select a fixed character group displayed in the list by directly touching the desired character group.

The image of each character included in the fixed character group may be a handwritten character typeface or a typeface imitating it. In this way, the message text input by handwriting is combined with the fixed character group in the handwritten character typeface (or a typeface imitating the handwritten character typeface), thereby creating an atmosphere as if the entire message text was handwritten.

Next, the fixed character groups can be classified into a plurality of groups, and the image data of each fixed character group can be stored in the fixed image data storage means in a form associated with the groups. Then, the standard image selecting means,
If the character groups can be selected for each of these groups, the fixed character groups can be selected for each classification, so that the fixed character groups suitable for the message content can be easily found.

In this case, the message content can be displayed on the screen by combining fixed character groups selected from two or more of the groups. Specifically, the plurality of groups include a group of fixed character groups (words related to motion) including words related to motion, and words related to places such as place names, facility names, store names, and company / company / corporate names. The message content is displayed on the screen by a combination of the action-related character group and the location-related character group selected from the fixed-form character group (location-related character group) including the group. You.

The effect of the above configuration will be specifically described below. For example, when a message board (hereinafter referred to as Party A) and a person (hereinafter referred to as Party B) are scheduled to meet in the vicinity of the installation location, if the Party B does not arrive at the promised meeting time, Is often used when you want to give something to you. And
The purpose of the meeting is to go to a specific place (such as a cinema, amusement park, or restaurant).
If we want to tell you that you are going to that place first, then the message will consist of two elements: location and action (ie, go ahead). Will be included. Although this is only an example, the message content described on the message board is very often configured by combining the “place” element and the “operation” element.

Therefore, a group of the place-related character groups and a group of the action-related character groups as described above are prepared as the fixed-form character group groups, and the place-related character groups and the action-related character groups suitable for the situation are defined. By selecting and combining them, a message can be created very easily. The place-related character group may be, for example, a shop name or a company name as a sponsor of the message board installation, and a secondary effect such as advertisement of the shop or company or invitation of customers can be expected.

With respect to the first and second configurations of the electronic message board described above, message image data storage means for storing message image data created on the screen of the display device for each screen, and the message image data Display control means for reading message image data from the data storage means and displaying a message image based on the read message image data on a screen can be provided. In this way, the written message content is stored, and the message can be displayed at any time based on the stored content. In this case, the message image data can be stored in a form associated with the time and / or date when the message image was created.

The message image display mode includes a standard display mode in which only one message image display area is set and only one message image is displayed in the display area, and a display area including a plurality of small areas. And by displaying the message image in each of the small areas in a reduced size, it is possible to switch to a reduced display mode in which a plurality of different message contents are simultaneously displayed. By displaying a large number of message images on one screen, a person who views the message can efficiently search for a target message. Then, when the user wants to see a specific message content in detail, the user selects a desired one of the plurality of message images displayed on the divided screen, and returns the selected message image to its original size in the standard display mode and displays it. I just need.
Then, in the first configuration, in the reduced display mode display state, at a position corresponding to the small area of the desired message image, the message input unit is brought into contact with the input indicator to select the small area, and the small area is selected. The displayed message image can be switched to the standard display mode and displayed. The input and correction of a message can be performed in the standard display mode.

Next, an auxiliary display device having a screen size larger than that of the display device may be provided separately from the display device, and the message image may be enlarged and displayed on the auxiliary display device. This makes it possible to display the message content more easily.

When the number of message board users is large,
The following configuration is more convenient. That is, a management unit and a plurality of message creation / display terminals connected thereto are provided, and each message creation / display terminal displays a message image based on message image data created by the terminal. While the display device is provided, the management unit is provided with message image data storage means for collectively storing and managing the message image data created in each terminal unit. Each terminal unit receives arbitrary message image data stored in the message image data storage unit from the management unit side, and displays a message image based on the data. With this configuration, a message can be created in each of the plurality of terminal units, and the message content created in each terminal device can be viewed from any of the terminal devices.

It is to be noted that a program for realizing the above-described processing in the electronic message board can be stored in a storage medium such as a floppy disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a ROM card. And the computer itself,
By installing a program stored in the storage medium into a computer system having a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display and an input unit such as a touch panel connected thereto, the computer system can be connected to the electronic system described above. It can be used as a message board.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall appearance of an electronic message board 1 as one embodiment of the present invention, in which a plurality of terminal devices (message creation / display terminal section) 3 attached to the front side of a housing 2 and Large monitor as an auxiliary display device (for example, a large C
RT and a projection display device). As shown in FIG. 2, each terminal device 3 is connected to a management computer 5 as a management unit via a communication line 6, and the management computer 5 is created by each terminal device 3. A message storage unit (message image data storage means) 38 for collectively storing message image data is provided.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the terminal device 3. The terminal device 3 includes an I / O port 11, which includes a CPU 12, a ROM 13, a RAM 14,
5, calendar clock 16 (creating time measuring means), modem 17, touch panel control unit 18, monitor control unit 20,
A storage device 22 such as a hard disk drive (HDD);
And a floppy disk drive (FDD) 25 and the like. The terminal device 3 is connected to the modem 17 and the communication line 6.
Is connected to the above-mentioned management computer 5. A touch panel 19 as a message input unit is connected to the touch panel control unit 18. Monitor control unit 20
Is a main part of the display control means, and CR as a message display section
A monitor 21 such as a T or a liquid crystal monitor is connected.

The storage device 22 has a program storage unit 23
The operating system program (hereinafter, referred to as OS) 23 a of the terminal device 3, the touch panel driver program 23 b for controlling the basic operation of the touch panel 19, and the operating system running on the OS 23 a, A message board application program 23c for realizing various functions to be described is stored, and a fixed phrase data storage unit (FIG. 1) stores fixed phrase data for creating images of various fixed phrases (fixed character groups) used for message creation. A standard image data storage means) 23d is provided. The ROM 13 stores various basic programs for controlling the hardware of the terminal device 3. The RAM 14 has a work area 1 for each program stored in the storage device 22 and the ROM 13.
4a and a message image display memory 14b for storing the image data for displaying the message image.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the touch panel 1
Numeral 9 is arranged so as to be superimposed on the screen S of the monitor 21 and is configured to allow the display contents of the screen S to be seen through, and to be displayed on its own surface such as a finger F (or input pen) as an input indicator It plays a role of handwriting input of image data such as characters or figures based on the movement trajectory, and performs input of various modes and selection input of a fixed character group as a fixed image based on display contents on the screen S. It also functions as a general-purpose input unit. As shown in FIG. 1, the height of the monitor 21 and the touch panel 19 from the ground plane E to the lower edge of the monitor 21 is 110 to 150 with respect to the housing 2.
cm so that the user M
For convenience in viewing the message displayed in 1 or writing the message.

The configuration of the touch panel 19 is known, but the outline thereof will be briefly described. The touch panel 19 has a large number of transparent linear electrodes arranged vertically and horizontally along the surface direction of a transparent plate 19a such as transparent plastic or glass. A set (or a set of extremely fine metal wire electrodes) X1, X2} and Y1, Y2} are arranged in a grid pattern, and alternating current of a constant frequency is applied to each set while being shifted by a predetermined time interval. ing. Then, with the contact of the finger F or the approach to a certain distance or less, the contact position of the finger F on the panel 19 is specified based on the disturbance information of the current or voltage of each electrode caused by the static electricity.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 4B, the finger F contacts the surface of the panel 19 with the contact area A, and the grid points of the electrodes X1, X21 and Y1, Y2 ‥‥ in the contact area A. Is specified by the above principle, but the finger F on the panel 19 is
For example, the coordinates of the center of gravity of the contact area A can be calculated from the coordinates of the grid points belonging to the contact area A, and can be represented by the coordinates G of the center of gravity.

For example, the coordinates on the touch panel 19 are matched with the coordinates on the screen S of the monitor 21, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the touch panel corresponding to a predetermined area (for example, a button image) on the screen S If the center of gravity G exists in the area B on the area 19, it is determined that the area B has been selected (for example, a button has been pressed), and the result of the determination is used for the subsequent processing. Can be. On the other hand, FIG.
As shown in (a), a circle C having a radius r1 centered on the barycenter coordinate G is set, and the finger C is moved to move the circle C.
If the area on the screen S that has been swept is painted out, a linear image L corresponding to the movement trajectory of the finger F is drawn on the screen S with a line width corresponding to the diameter of the circle C. That is, by moving the finger F along various trajectories on the touch panel 19, as shown in FIG. 5B, a handwritten image I such as a character having a shape corresponding to the trajectory can be input and displayed.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the management computer 5. As shown in FIG. The management computer 5
An I / O port 31 is provided.
3, RAM 34, calendar clock 36, modem 37,
The monitor control unit 40 and the hard disk drive (HD
D) etc. are connected. The large monitor 4 described above is connected to the monitor control unit 40. The modem 37 is for connecting the computer 5 to each terminal 3. Further, the storage device 42 is provided with the message storage unit 38 described above. The program that controls the operation of the management computer 5 is stored in the ROM 33 and the program storage unit 39 of the storage device 42.
The programs are executed using the AM 34 as a work area.

Hereinafter, the operation of the electronic message board 1 will be described with reference to flowcharts and operation explanatory diagrams. That is, the OS 23a, the touch panel driver program 23
b and the message board application program 23c (above, FIG. 3) are started, and in S1 of FIG.
The message mode initial screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the screen S of the monitor 21 and the touch panel 19 is set to an operation accepting state in accordance with the initial screen (the setting state of the touch panel 19 is the display content of the screen S Is changed in accordance with each switching, but in the following, description of the setting change on the touch panel 19 side may be omitted.)

That is, on the initial screen, the menu selection bar 110, the input / display window 130, and the operation panel 120 are formed and displayed in the layout shown in FIG. Various menu selection buttons such as a “message” button 51, a “view” button 52, and a “write” button 53 are formed on the menu selection bar 110. Further, on the operation panel 120, a line width adjustment button 55, an erase width adjustment button 56, a line width display window 57, a fixed phrase selection button 58, an image clear button 59, a color palette 60, a registration button 62, and a "return" button 61 Etc. are formed.

Then, in S2 and S3 of FIG.
When the user touches an area corresponding to the “view” button 52 on the touch panel 19 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “press the“ view ”button 52”), the message search / display mode (FIG. 7: S3)
Is selected, and when the "write" button 53 is pressed, the message creation / registration mode (S4 in FIG. 7) is selected, and the screen is switched to the corresponding screen. In this embodiment, the default setting is the message creation / registration mode, and the initial screen is the message creation / registration mode input / display screen as it is. Hereinafter, details of the processing will be described.

The flowchart in FIG. 8 shows the details of the processing in the message creation / registration mode. The message input by handwriting (hereinafter, referred to as handwriting input) and the message input by selecting a fixed sentence (hereinafter, referred to as fixed sentence input). ) Can be used, and the fixed phrase selection button 58 in FIG.
Press to enter the fixed phrase input mode. In this case, the handwritten input may be performed first (S32 to S39), the fixed phrase input may be performed first (S40 to S43 → S39), or the message may be created by only one of them. (S35 → S39, S41 → S39). In any case, the registration process (S39) is performed after the message is input. The default of the message creation / registration mode is the handwriting input mode in this embodiment. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a case will be described as an example where a fixed phrase is input and displayed first, and then a handwritten image is added.

FIG. 9 shows details of the fixed phrase input process. That is, in FIG. 14, when the fixed phrase selection button 58 is pressed (S51), the screen is switched to the fixed phrase input screen shown in FIG. 15 (S52). On the screen, a classification selection button 70 for selecting a classification of a fixed phrase is formed in the operation panel 120. The image data of these fixed sentences is stored in the fixed sentence data storage unit 23d of FIG. 3 for each classification corresponding to each of the buttons 70 by bitmap data. In this screen, the classifications of the fixed phrases displayed by buttons are all related to the operation, such as "wait", "go", "go by train", and "contact". FIG. 27 shows an example of such fixed phrase data. The fixed phrase stored in any of the classifications includes words related to the operation of the classification.

When one of the category selection buttons 70 is pressed, a list of fixed phrases of the category of the pressed button is displayed in a list display window 71 formed in the operation panel 120 as shown in FIGS. Listed in FIG. 15 shows an example when the “wait” button of the category selection button 70 is pressed, and FIG. 16 shows an example when the “contact” button is pressed. For example, in FIG. 15, when selecting a fixed phrase “Waiting at $”, touching the touch panel 19 with a finger F at a position corresponding to the display position of the fixed phrase, the selected fixed phrase is selected. Then, the image data (fixed sentence data) is read from the fixed sentence data storage unit 23d (FIG. 3), and the image 151 is displayed at a predetermined position in the input display window 130 as shown in FIG. (FIG. 9, S53-S55). Here, the image 151 of the fixed sentence is displayed in a handwriting style font.

On the operation panel 120, a new classification selection button 80 is displayed. All of the classifications of the fixed phrases corresponding to these buttons 80 are related to a place such as a facility name, a store name or a company name. FIG.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the fixed sentence data. The fixed sentence stored in any of the classifications includes words related to the location of the classification. When one of the buttons 80 is pressed, a list of fixed phrases of the selected category is displayed in a list display window 71 as shown in FIG. 18, and the fixed phrase is selected in the same manner as described above. Can be. In addition, there are many fixed phrases,
If the entire window cannot be displayed, the scroll keys 72 and 73 can be pressed to scroll the list.

For example, in FIG. 18, when a fixed phrase "Flower Word" is selected, as shown in FIG. 19, the image 152 is compared with the previously input fixed phrase image 151.
The message is displayed at the position where it is connected as a sentence, and the message "Waiting in flower language" is displayed as a whole (Fig. 9: S
56-S61). Note that the image 152 is also displayed in a handwriting style font. If the user wants to correct the input fixed phrase, the user can press the "delete" button 63 to delete the input content at once and input again. By pressing the "return" button 61, it is possible to return to the previous screen, and it is also possible to make corrections or add message contents on the returned screen.

Next, on the screen of FIG. 19, a date input window 71a is formed on the operation panel 120. When "month" and "day" are selected, a date image 153a is displayed and the screen of FIG. 20 is displayed. Switch. Then, when "hour" and "minute" are similarly input from the time input window 71b on this screen, an image 153b of the time is displayed on the input / display window 130. Here, in FIGS. 19 and 20, when the omission button 64 is pressed, the input of the date or time is skipped, and the display is not performed (FIG. 9: S62 to S63). Note that these date and time images 153a and 153b are shown in FIG.
The image may be synthesized according to the date and time data measured by the calendar clock 16 and automatically displayed at any time by receiving a button operation.

When the input of the date and time is completed, the screen is switched to the initial screen shown in FIG. When the message input has been completed up to this point, the registration button 62 is pressed to move to the registration process (S39 in FIG. 8). However, when continuing the handwriting input, the handwriting shown in FIG. This is input processing. First, the line width of the handwritten image is set. That is, in the line width adjustment button 55, when the “thin” button is pressed, the line width of the linear image L in FIG. 5A is gradually or continuously reduced, and when the “thick” button is pressed, the line width is reduced. Becomes thick gradually or continuously. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14B, the line width is displayed by the line width mark WM in the line width display window 57. As shown in FIG. 5A, the line width is defined by the radius r of a circle centered on the center of gravity G of the contact area A of the finger, and the radius value is changed as shown in FIG. 5C. This changes the line width. Subsequently, a line color is selected by pressing a button of a desired color in the color palette 60 of FIG. The line width and the line color are automatically selected as default widths and colors when no button operation is performed (see FIG. 1).
0: S102, S103).

When the setting is completed, the input / display window 1
By moving the finger F on the touch panel 19 in the area corresponding to 30, as shown in FIGS.
Input and display handwritten images 155 and 156 (S1
04). Note that the line width and line color described above can be changed at any time during handwriting input. For example, in FIGS. 21 and 22, the standard image 154 (displayed in black, for example)
The highlight line 155 drawn below is red, and the initials 156
Are painted in blue. If the user wants to erase a part of the image due to writing errors or the like during the input, the user presses the “erase” button of the erase width adjustment button 56 to enter the erase mode. For example, when an image is described by a set of pixels in an ON state, if a part or the whole of the image overlaps with a region of a predetermined width along the movement locus along with the movement of the finger, the pixel of the overlap portion Is uniformly turned off, the image can be erased only at the portion where the finger F has moved and swept (for example, such a method of erasing the image L as shown in FIGS. Is performed. In this case, the erase mode can be selected by pressing the "delete" button 65). The erase width can be adjusted in the same manner as the line width by operating the “thin” button or the “thick” button of the erase width adjustment button 56, and as shown in FIG. ,
This is indicated by the erase width mark EM. Thereafter, by pressing the “write” button of the line width adjustment button 55, the mode can be returned to the writing mode, and the handwriting input of the image can be continuously performed (FIG. 10: S105, S109 to S109).
111).

When the message creation process is completed, a message registration process is performed. At this stage, the data of the message image based on the image data of the fixed phrase and the data of the image input by handwriting is converted into the bitmap data overwritten and combined by RA.
M14 (FIG. 3) is stored in the message image display memory 14b. First, in S108 of FIG.
When 2 (FIG. 22) is pressed, the process proceeds to S39 in FIG. 8, and the registration process is performed. FIG. 11 shows details of the registration process. That is, the screen is switched to the registration screen shown in FIG. 23 (S151),
The operation panel 120 displays a registration category selection button 85. In the present embodiment, the classification names are, for example, “wait”, “go”, “go by train”,
The action name is closely related to the content of the message, such as "Contact". For example, if the message is "Waiting in flower language", the classification of "Go" is "TEL".
In this case, the classification of “contact” may be selected (S15).
2).

When the selection of the classification is completed, the process proceeds to S153, and the registration confirmation button ("execute" button) 86 is pressed. As a result, the message image data is transferred to the management computer 5 together with the selected classification data and the message creation date or time data, and the message image data (message data) is classified as shown in FIG. Is stored and registered in the message storage unit 38 in a form associated with the date and time (S154). Note that message data can be registered without particular classification. In this case, the classification selection process can be omitted, and the configuration can be such that the registration classification selection button 85 is not displayed. In addition, message data for which a certain period of time has elapsed since the creation (or registration) by the clocking of the calendar clock 36 (FIG. 6) can be automatically deleted from the message storage unit 38.

Next, a process for viewing a registered message will be described. In this case, "see" in FIG.
Pressing the button 52 switches to the message search / display mode (S3) in FIG. 12 and 13 show details of the processing in the message search / display mode.
Screen 1 becomes the search screen in FIG. 24 (S201). Next, the category of the message to be searched is selected by the category selection button 90. Thereby, of the stored message data,
Only those belonging to the selected category are searched in the message storage unit 38 (FIG. 6).

On this screen, a date and time designation panel 91 is also formed. Specifically, when the user touches the touch panel 19 at a position corresponding to the date setting bar 91b displayed in the panel 91 and moves the finger F in a predetermined direction (left and right in this embodiment) in that state, the date setting bar 91
b also moves following it. A scale 91c is formed below the date setting bar 91b.
The date is specified by the position of the date setting bar 91b with respect to 1c, and this is displayed in the date display window 91a. Also, the time is set in the same manner as the time setting bar 91.
e is specified from the position of the scale 91f with respect to the scale 91f and displayed in the time display window 91d. Thereby, for example, message data after (or before) the designated date or time is searched and extracted in the message storage unit 38 (FIG. 12: S202 to S206). The message data within the predetermined period may be extracted by specifying the dates or times at both ends of the predetermined period.
If the date and time are not specified, all message data up to the current time are to be displayed.

When the search is completed, the screen is switched to the reduced display screen shown in FIG. In this screen, input / display window 1
Numeral 30 is divided into a plurality of (four in this embodiment) small areas 131, and a message image 132 based on the message data extracted for each is reduced and displayed (reduced display mode). The message data for display is transferred from the management computer 5 to the terminal device 3 at any time in units of the number of divisions of the small area 131 (that is, one page of the input / display window) and used. That is, by default, the newest message data with the date or time is transferred, and the message image 132 based on the newest message data is displayed. When the "previous page" key 122 in FIG. 25 is pressed, another page of data located immediately before the key is transferred in time series, and the display of the message image 132 is switched. That is, the "previous page"
Each time the key 122 is pressed once, the message images 132 arranged in chronological order are displayed one after another as if turning pages, switching to old ones. On the other hand, "next page" key 1
When the user presses 21, the message image 132 is similarly displayed while sequentially switching to a new one (see FIG. 13: S2
07 to S214).

When a desired message is found, the user selects the message by touching the touch panel 19 in the small area 131 where the message image 132 is displayed. Then, the screen is switched to the screen shown in FIG. 26, and the message image 132 of the selected small area 131 is displayed in the original size using the entire input / display window 130 (standard display mode). At this time, on the operation panel 120, a message correction button 125, a message selection screen button 126, a print button 127, an enlarged display button 128, an end button 123
Etc. are displayed.

First, when the message modification button 125 is pressed, the screen is switched to an input / display screen (initial screen) 101 (in which the selected message image is displayed) shown in FIG. 14 and the like, and the message can be modified. Becomes After the correction, the message after the correction is newly registered by the same procedure as described above (S217, S220, and S221). When the message selection screen button 126 is pressed, the screen returns to the reduced display screen of FIG. 25 (S218, S219, S208). On the other hand, although not shown in the flowchart, when the print button 127 is pressed, the message is printed out from the printer 15 in FIG. Further, when the enlarged display button 128 is pressed, the message content is displayed on the large monitor 4 in FIG.
When the end button 123 is pressed, the screen is cleared and the process returns to S1 in FIG.

In the above process, the message search function can be omitted. In this case, the search screen shown in FIG. 24 may not be displayed. Alternatively, the handwriting input function may be omitted, and the configuration may be limited to a message creation function using only fixed phrase input.
In this case, there is no particular need for the message input unit to be the touch panel 19 that is arranged to be superimposed on the monitor 21. For example, a keyboard or a mouse provided separately from the monitor 21 may be used. Further, the fixed image is not limited to a fixed sentence, but may be a character such as a character or a symbol which is individually input by a keyboard or the like, or may be an image other than a character or a symbol, such as an image of an illustration or a photograph.

In the above-described configuration, the message image data from the terminal device 3 is collectively managed by the management computer 5. However, the computer system having substantially the same hardware configuration as that of the terminal device 3 is used by the computer system alone. It is also possible to configure the electronic message board of the invention. In this case, the message storage unit 24 may be provided in the storage device 22, as shown in FIG.

Each function of the electronic message board 1 described above is essentially realized by each program stored in the storage device 22. Therefore, if these programs are stored on a floppy disk, the floppy disk drive 25 can be used in a computer system having substantially the same hardware configuration as that shown in FIG.
By installing the programs in the storage device 22, the functions of the electronic message board 1 can be transferred to the computer system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an embodiment of an electronic message board according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the terminal device.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are a perspective view showing an arrangement mode of a touch panel and an explanatory view of an operation principle of the touch panel.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a method of handwriting input on a touch panel.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a management computer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the entire flow of the operation of the electronic message board.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of an operation in a message creation / registration mode.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of the fixed phrase input process.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of a handwriting input process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing details of a registration process.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing details of an operation in a message search display mode.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart following FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a process explanatory view showing the operation of the electronic message board together with its screen display state.

FIG. 15 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a process explanatory view following FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a process explanatory diagram following FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is an explanatory view showing an example of fixed-form sentence data relating to “operation”.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of “place” -related fixed phrase data.

FIG. 29 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of a message storage unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 electronic message board 3 terminal device (message input / display terminal unit) 5 management computer (management unit) 12 CPU (display control means) 16 calendar clock (creation time measuring means) 19 touch panel (message input unit) 20 monitor control unit (Display control means) 22 Storage device 23c Message board application program 23d Fixed sentence data storage unit (fixed image data storage unit) 38 Message storage unit (message image data storage unit) 71 List display window (fixed character group list display area)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Agency reference number FI Technical display location // G06F 3/033 360 G06F 3/033 360C 3/14 340 3/14 340A

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A display device for displaying a message content, the display device being superimposed on a screen of the display device,
A message input unit configured to allow the display contents of the screen to be seen through, and for handwriting input of image data such as characters or figures based on the movement locus of an input indicator such as a finger or an input pen on its own surface. And display control means for displaying a message image based on the handwritten input image data (hereinafter referred to as handwritten image data) on the screen of the display device at a position corresponding to the movement locus of the input indicator. The display control means combines a predetermined image (hereinafter, referred to as a standard image) that forms part or all of the message with an image based on the handwritten image data, and uses the synthesized image as a message image of the display device. An electronic message board characterized by being displayed on a screen. 2. A fixed image data storage unit for storing data of a plurality of fixed images, and a fixed image selection unit for selecting a desired one of the fixed images, wherein the display control unit includes: 2. The electronic message board according to claim 1, wherein data of the selected fixed image is read out from the fixed image data storage means, and the fixed image is displayed. 3. The plurality of fixed images are images of a predetermined character group (hereinafter, referred to as a fixed character group) such as words, phrases, sentences, etc., which form part or all of the message content. The electronic message board according to claim 2. 4. A message display area for displaying the message image and a fixed character group list display area for displaying a list of fixed character groups are formed on a screen of the display device. An area corresponding to the message display area of the input unit,
The handwritten input section of the message image, and an area corresponding to the fixed character group list display area of the message input section is a selection input section for the fixed character group, and is displayed in the fixed character group list. By bringing the input indicator into contact with the selection input unit at a position corresponding to the fixed character group, the fixed character group is selected and displayed at a predetermined position in the message display area. The electronic message board according to claim 3. 5. A creation time counting means for counting the creation time of the message image, and generates image data of a character group representing the counted creation time (hereinafter referred to as time image data) as data of the fixed image. The electronic message board according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a fixed image data generating unit, wherein the display control unit displays an image of a character group based on the time image data as the fixed image. . 6. The image of a character included in the standard image,
The electronic message board according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the electronic message board is displayed in a handwritten character typeface or a typeface imitating the handwritten character typeface. 7. The handwritten image data is bitmap data described by a combination of an on / off state of each pixel constituting a screen of the display device, and the fixed image data includes The electronic message board according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electronic message board is bitmap data that has an overwriting relationship between them. 8. A display device for displaying message contents, and a plurality of predetermined character groups (hereinafter, referred to as fixed-form character groups) such as words, phrases, and sentences that constitute a part or all of the message contents. ), Fixed image data storage means for storing the image data as fixed image data, fixed image selection means for selecting one or more of the plurality of character groups, and the selected fixed character group Display control means for reading out the image data of the fixed form image data storage means from the fixed form image data storage means and displaying an image of the fixed form character group on the screen of the display device, and an image of one fixed form character group on the screen, or An electronic message board for displaying message content by combining images of a plurality of fixed character groups. 9. An additional image data input means for inputting data of an image to be added to the image of the selected fixed character group, wherein the image based on the input additional image data and the fixed form The electronic message board according to claim 8, wherein the electronic message board is combined with an image of a character group and displayed on the screen. 10. The fixed-form character group is classified into a plurality of groups, and image data of each fixed-form character group is stored in the fixed-form image data storage means in a form associated with the groups. Is configured so that the character group can be selected for each of the groups. The message content is displayed on the screen by combining fixed character groups selected from two or more of the groups. The electronic message board according to any one of claims 3 to 9 for displaying. 11. A group of fixed characters including words related to an action (hereinafter referred to as an action-related character group).
And a group of fixed character groups (hereinafter referred to as place-related character groups) including words related to places such as place names, facility names, store names, and company names, and the operation-related groups selected from the groups. The electronic message board according to claim 10, wherein message contents are displayed on the screen by a combination of a character group and a place-related character group. 12. A message image data storage means for storing image data of a message created on a screen of the display device for each screen, and reading the message image data from the message image data storage means, The electronic message board according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising display control means for displaying a message image based on the message image on the screen. 13. The message image display mode includes a standard display mode in which only one message image display area is set, and the message image is displayed on the display area for only one screen, and a plurality of display areas. 13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the message image is reduced and displayed in each of the small regions, and the message image is reduced and displayed in each of the small regions. Electronic message board. 14. The display device according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary display device having a screen size larger than that of the display device is provided separately from the display device, and the message image is enlarged and displayed on the auxiliary display device. Electronic message board according to any of the above. 15. A management unit and a plurality of message creation / display terminals connected thereto, wherein each of the message creation / display terminals has a message based on message image data created by the terminal. While the display device for displaying an image is provided, the management unit is provided with the message image data storage unit that collectively stores and manages the message image data created in each terminal unit, and each of the terminal units is 15. The electronic message board according to claim 12, wherein any message image data stored in the message image data storage unit is received from the management unit, and the message image is displayed based on the data. . 16. A display device for displaying a message content, the display content being configured to be seen through, and a character based on the movement locus of an input indicator such as a finger or an input pen on its own surface. Alternatively, in an electronic message board having a configuration in which a message input unit for manually inputting image data such as a graphic is arranged, a predetermined image that constitutes a part or all of a message (hereinafter, referred to as a fixed image), A storage medium storing a program for performing a process of synthesizing an image based on the image data input by handwriting and displaying the image as a message image on a screen of the display device. 17. An electronic message board having a display device for displaying message contents, a plurality of predetermined character groups (hereinafter, words, phrases, sentences, etc.) constituting part or all of the message contents. , A fixed character group), reads out the image data of the selected fixed character group from the fixed image data storage means, and displays the image of the fixed character group on the screen of the display device. And storing a program for performing a process of displaying a message content by an image of one fixed character group or a combination of a plurality of fixed character group images on the screen. 18. The electronic message board according to claim 1, wherein
15. A storage medium storing a program for implementing the processing according to any one of 15.