JPH11184586A - Character input method and character input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily input Japanese characters by using only a mouse without having to frequently exchange the mouse and a keyboard. SOLUTION: In the initial state of an input mode, characters of the 'A' column of the Japanese syllabary are displayed on the screen of a virtual keyboard. In the display state, for instance, it is assumed that 'SA' is selected from the mouse. For the display contents of the virtual keyboard, 'SA, SHI, SU, SE, SO' with 'SA' at the head are displayed on a display surface more clearly. In this state, a next selection instruction signal is waited. When selection is ended, a selection key is established in a data processor and the initial state is restored. In such a manner, a character input method and a device using the virtual keyboard and the mouse are realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to a character input method and a character input apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-142656, a character input method and apparatus of an information processing apparatus include an operation of inputting characters and symbols by a keyboard and a method of operating a display surface of a display device. Generally, the set special characters, symbols, and the like are performed by a position control operation of a mouse cursor. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a processing apparatus that can specify a virtual keyboard on a display surface, display an index screen, and search for desired characters and symbols in a short time based on screen classification information of the index screen. That is, a display device for displaying a plurality of keyboards composed of a virtual key group in which predetermined characters and symbols are written, an operating device for specifying an index screen of each virtual keyboard, and an index specified by the operating device A storage device for storing the screen classification information of the screen and a processing device for controlling them are provided, and a desired screen can be searched from the screen classification information of the index screen.

As described in JP-A-63-31523, a computer device operates on a display surface by operating the computer device in a mode requiring two key strokes per input. And means for reducing the number of virtual keys. This computer apparatus is characterized in that a keyboard such as a typewriter displayed on a computer screen is replaced by a virtual keyboard operated by selecting a cursor such as a mouse or a joystick that is manually operated.

However, none of the devices is intended to input a Japanese character string, but to switch function screens to simplify input, and to select a keyboard and a function switch on a display surface. , Or to select a character from the full key on the display surface, and its use has not been convenient.

[0005]

In the conventional virtual keyboard system, the number of keys to be displayed on the screen increases, so that it takes time to select the keys, which is not practical.

Further, in the conventional input method, the position of a cursor is controlled by a mouse, and character data is input from a keyboard. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out input work by changing the mouse and the keyboard in a complicated manner. There was a problem that work efficiency was poor.

There is also an example in which a keyboard is displayed on a display screen and a virtual keyboard key on the screen is selected with a mouse, but a virtual keyboard method is used. The choice was not easy and did not spread. In particular, it is necessary to improve the operability of the keyboard of a notebook-sized mobile input terminal by minimizing the number of keys prepared on the display surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a character input method and apparatus that allows a user to easily input Japanese characters using only a mouse, rather than changing a mouse and a keyboard in a complicated manner.

[0009]

According to the character input method of the present invention, a virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display device in an information processing apparatus and a key of the virtual keyboard are selected to input characters and characters.
A first display step of displaying a first keyboard of a specific character string having a limited number of keys when inputting a symbol;
A first selecting step of selecting a key of the displayed first keyboard, a second displaying step of displaying a second keyboard of a specific character string corresponding to the selected key,
In a character input method having a second selection step of selecting a displayed key of a second keyboard and an output step of outputting a selection result of a key of the second keyboard, a specific character string having a limited number of keys When the first display step of displaying the first keyboard is Japanese character kana character input, ten characters in the "A" column of 50 sounds, and five characters in the "A" column of voiced and semi-voiced voices, and the repellent sound A first display step of displaying a first keyboard that includes six characters of one character, twelve characters of a representative string of repetitive sounds, numbers and symbols, and other control keys, and a second display of a specific character string The second display step of displaying the keyboard is composed of 10 characters in the "A" column of 50 sounds, 5 characters in the "A" column of voiced and semi-voiced sounds, 6 characters of 1 sound-repelling character, and 12 characters in the representative column of Mureon Characters belonging to each line of the first keyboard sentence And having a second display step of displaying a second keyboard can be clearly distinguished from the column.

In the case of inputting a Roman character in Japanese, 50
10 letters of the alphabet in the "A" row of sounds, 5 letters in the "A" row of voiced and semi-voiced sounds, and 6 alphabets of one letter of sound repellency
A first display step of displaying a first keyboard including other control keys by distinguishing between letters, a representative string alphabet of twelve letters, a number and a symbol, and ten letters of the alphabet in the "a" row of Japanese syllabary Characters belonging to each row of five characters in the "a" column of the voiced sound and semi-voiced sound, six characters of the alphabet of one repellent sound, and 12 characters of the representative column alphabet of the murmur sound clearly as the character string of the first keyboard It has a second display step of displaying a second keyboard that can be determined.

In the conventional virtual keyboard system, the number of keys to be displayed on the screen is large, and it takes a long time to select a key, which is not practical. In the present invention, the number of keys on the screen is reduced to facilitate the selection of keys as a step selection method.

[0012]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an information processing apparatus used in carrying out the present invention. As shown in the figure, the information processing apparatus includes an input device 1, a display device 2, a data processing device 3, a storage device 4, and a recording medium 5.

The input device 1 is a device such as a mouse, a joystick or a trackball, and is a device for indicating a position on the screen of the display device 2. The position information indicated by the mouse, joystick or trackball is output to the data processing device 3. The data processing device 3 displays a display symbol of the designated position on the screen of the display device 2 based on the position information. The data processing device 3 displays an image of the virtual keyboard on the display device 2.

The input device 1 can transmit a selection instruction signal to the data processing device 3 by operating a switch. When receiving the selection instruction signal, the data processing device 3 determines the selected key from the instruction position at that time and the display content of the virtual keyboard. This processing is performed by a program loaded in the data processing device 3.

The recording medium 5 is a medium on which the program is recorded, and is loaded from the recording medium 5 to the data processing device 3. The data processing device 3 stores the program in the storage device 4 and loads the program into the data processing device 3 when required, to operate.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the input method. The flow includes a virtual keyboard display stage (S-1), a first stage selection waiting stage (S-2), a virtual keyboard display content changing stage (S-3), and a second stage selection waiting stage. (S-
4) and a selection key confirmation step (S-5).

The display step (S-1) of the virtual keyboard includes:
The initial virtual keyboard in the input mode is displayed on the display screen. The first stage of waiting for selection (S-2) includes:
Wait for a selection instruction signal from the input device. In the virtual keyboard display content change step (S-3), the display content of the virtual keyboard is changed according to a selection instruction signal from the input device. Second
The step (S-4) waits for a selection instruction signal from the input device. The selection key confirmation step (S-5) is the second step.
The selection of the stage is executed, and the input character is determined. FIG. 3 is an example showing the display contents of the virtual keyboard. Here, an example of a virtual keyboard for kana character input is shown.

In the initial state of the input mode, the characters of the Japanese syllabary "A" are displayed on the screen of the virtual keyboard as shown in FIG. In this display state, for example, it waits for a selection instruction signal from a mouse. When the selection instruction signal arrives at the data processing device ("sa" is selected in FIG. 3A), the display content of the virtual keyboard is changed to that shown in FIG.
The display is as shown in the lower part of (a). In other words, “Sa”, “Shi”, “S”, and “S” are displayed more clearly on the display surface with “S” at the head.

In this state, the process waits for the second stage selection instruction signal. When the selection in the second step is completed, the data processing device determines the selection key and returns to the initial state. In this manner, a character input method using a virtual keyboard and a mouse is realized.

In this keyboard, the CTL key is used for switching character types, that is, for switching numbers, kana, and symbols as input mode switching. The CAP key is a shift lock key. Various key arrangements on the virtual keyboard are conceivable, and the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and is not limited, and the number of selection steps may be further increased.

FIG. 4 shows a virtual keyboard according to another embodiment. Here is an example of writing in alphabets for inputting Roman letters. The keyboard selection can be operated in the same manner as in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, in the initial state of the input mode, the screen of the virtual keyboard is displayed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the letters of the Japanese syllabary "A" are displayed as "A, K, S, T, N, H, M, Y, R, W" in the alphabet. In this display state, for example, it waits for a selection instruction signal from a mouse. When the selection instruction signal arrives at the data processing device ("S" in FIG. 4A).
Is selected), and the display contents of the virtual keyboard are as shown in the lower part of FIG. That is, "Sa,""He,""Sa, Shi, Su, Se, So" are displayed more clearly on the display surface.

In this state, a second-stage selection instruction signal is waited for. When the selection in the second step is completed, the data processing device determines the selection key and returns to the initial state. In this manner, a character input method using a virtual keyboard and a mouse is realized.
In the case of other keyboards, "kana" is simply replaced with "roman characters", and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a keyboard mainly for inputting alphabetic characters. Alphabed 24 characters are selected in two stages. In the display at the first stage, an example of a method of selecting three letters of the alphabet as one group and specifying one character at the second stage is given. There are various possible division methods, and the division method is not limited to one division method.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

The first effect is that the input operation can be performed using only the mouse without having to switch between the mouse and the keyboard in a complicated manner.

The second effect is that the number of virtual keys is small, the selection is easy, and the input work efficiency does not decrease because the step selection method is adopted.

The third effect is that the Roman character input method is mainly used in the Japanese input method, and since one character is originally input with two strokes, the efficiency is hardly reduced.

A fourth effect is that the number of keys on the screen is reduced as a method of inputting "kana characters" to facilitate key selection.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing display contents of a virtual keyboard for inputting “kana characters” as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing display contents of a virtual keyboard for inputting “Roman characters” as another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing display contents of a virtual keyboard for inputting “alphabet characters” as another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 input device 2 display device 3 data processing device 4 storage device 5 recording medium

Claims (6)

[Claims] When a virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display device of an information processing apparatus and a character / symbol are selected and a character / symbol is input, a first character string of a specific character string having a limited number of keys is input. A first displaying step of displaying a keyboard of the first keyboard, a first selecting step of selecting a displayed key of the first keyboard, and displaying a second keyboard of a specific character string corresponding to the selected key A second input step of selecting a displayed key of the second keyboard, and an output step of outputting a selection result of the key of the second keyboard. In the case where the first display step of displaying the first keyboard of the specific character string having the limited number of keys is a Japanese character kana character input, ten characters in the "a" column of 50 sounds, A first keyboard which displays a first keyboard including other control keys by distinguishing between five characters in the "a" column of the semi-sounding sound and six characters of one character of the repellent sound, twelve characters in the representative column of the murmur sound, and numerals and symbols. In the case where the display step and the second display step of displaying the second keyboard of the specific character string are input of Japanese kana characters, ten characters in the 50-character “A” column, 5 in the "A" column
A second display step of displaying a second keyboard capable of clearly discriminating a character belonging to each of the six characters of the character and one character of the repellent sound and the characters of the representative character of the twelve characters from the character string of the first keyboard. Character input method characterized by having. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first displaying step of displaying the first keyboard of the specific character string having the limited number of keys is performed in a case where a Japanese character is input in Roman characters, and the ten characters of the "A" column of Japanese syllabary are input. A first keyboard including other control keys for distinguishing between five characters in the "a" column of voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds, six characters of one character of repellent sound, twelve characters of the representative character string of resonating sounds, and numerals and symbols 2. The character input method according to claim 1, which is a first display step of displaying. 3. A second display step for displaying a second keyboard of the specific character string, in the case of inputting a Japanese character in Roman alphabet, 10 alphabetical characters in a 50-character “A” column, and voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds. A character string belonging to each row of the five characters of the "a" column and the six alphabetic characters of one character of the repellent sound, and the characters belonging to the respective lines of the representative column alphabet of the repetitive sound are second characters that can be clearly distinguished from the character strings of the first keyboard The character input method according to claim 1, which is a second display step of displaying a keyboard. 4. A virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display device of an information processing apparatus and a first key of a specific character string having a limited number of keys when a character or symbol is selected by selecting a key of the virtual keyboard. First display means for displaying a keyboard of the first keyboard, first selection means for selecting a displayed key of the first keyboard, and second keyboard of a specific character string corresponding to the selected key. A character input device, comprising: a second display unit for displaying, a second selection unit for selecting the displayed key of the second keyboard, and an output unit for outputting a selection result of the key of the second keyboard. When the first display means for displaying the first keyboard of the specific character string with the limited number of keys is a Japanese character kana character input, ten characters in the "A" column of 50 sounds, a muddy sound and a half 5 sentences in the "A" column First display means for displaying a first keyboard including another control key by distinguishing between six characters of one character and a sound-repellent character, twelve characters of a representative string of a repetitive sound, numbers and symbols, When the second display means for displaying the second keyboard is a Japanese character kana character input, 10 characters in the "A" column of 50 sounds, 5 characters in the "A" column of voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds, and a repellent sound 1 A second keyboard displaying a second keyboard capable of clearly distinguishing the characters belonging to each row of the six characters of the character and the twelve representative strings of the character from the character string of the first keyboard.
A character input device comprising: a display unit. 5. When the first display means for displaying the first keyboard of a specific character string having the limited number of keys is a Japanese alphabet inputting Roman alphabet, ten alphabetical characters in the "A" column of Japanese syllabary A first keyboard including other control keys for distinguishing between five characters in the "a" column of voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds, six characters of one character of repellent sound, twelve characters of the representative character string of resonating sounds, and numerals and symbols 5. The character input device according to claim 4, wherein the character input device is a first display unit that displays a character string. 6. The second display means for displaying the second keyboard of the specific character string, in the case of inputting a Roman character of a Japanese sentence, 10 alphabetical characters in the "A" column of 50 sounds, and voiced sounds and semi-voiced sounds. A character string belonging to each row of the five characters of the "a" column and the six alphabetic characters of one character of the repellent sound, and the characters belonging to the respective lines of the representative column alphabet of the repetitive sound are second characters that can be clearly distinguished from the character strings of the first keyboard The character input device according to claim 4, which is a second display means for displaying a keyboard.