JPH11272386A - Information terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information terminal equipment capable of improving operability for data input using a virtual keyboard displayed on a display screen. SOLUTION: When one or two or more data are inputted by successively and selectively depressing plural keys 19 on a virtual keyboard 17 displayed on a display screen 13 in the information terminal equipment 1, a succeeding input candidate key corresponding to data estimated to be continued to the inputted data is searched by referring to the input history of data strings learned and stored in an input history storing part 5. A searched succeeding input candidate key out of plural keys 19 on the virtual keyboard 17 is emphatically displayed on the keyboard 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information terminal device capable of dramatically improving operability when data is input using a virtual keyboard displayed on a display screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-16091
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 0, there is known a technique which aims to improve operability when performing data input using a software keyboard displayed on a display screen.

The software keyboard display method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-160910 is to input a Roman character by operating a software keyboard displayed on a display screen with an input pen. Then, the alphabet of the next input candidate is found by searching the Roman alphabet conversion rule table, and the key display corresponding to the found alphabet is enlarged or displayed, or only the key display is displayed as a limit and other keys are deleted. Have been.

According to this software keyboard display method, the area of the key display of the next input candidate is increased, or the other key displays are deleted, so that the next input key can be easily found and the input operation is facilitated. be able to.

[0005]

However, in the conventional software keyboard display method described above,
When the operator performs a key input operation, there is a problem to be solved that it is difficult to find an intended next input key.

[0006] According to the conventional software keyboard display method, when searching for the next input candidate key, the past data input history is not referred to at all, so that the most recently operated next input candidate key is displayed. The next input candidate key with a small number of operations is displayed in a display form such as enlargement with the same rating, and as a result, there is a possibility that the operator may find it difficult to find the next input key intended.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one or two or more data are obtained by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys on a virtual keyboard displayed on a display screen. When input, the next input candidate key corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with one or more input data is searched for by referring to the input history of the data string previously learned and stored. Of the multiple keys, the next input candidate key searched for is highlighted on the virtual keyboard, dramatically improving operability when performing data input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen. An object of the present invention is to provide an information terminal device capable of performing such operations.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus having a plurality of keys used for inputting data including characters, numbers, or symbols. When a virtual keyboard and a plurality of keys in the virtual keyboard are sequentially and selectively operated to input a data string, the input history of the data string input and confirmed is associated with each data string. Input history storage means for learning and storing each; and data learned and stored in the input history storage means when one or more data are input by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. A next input candidate search means for searching for a next input candidate key corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with the input one or more data with reference to the input history of the column; Displaying a virtual keyboard on the display screen of the display means, and highlighting, on the virtual keyboard, a next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. And control means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, first, the display control means displays the virtual keyboard on the display screen of the display means, and at this time, the input history storage means stores a plurality of keys in the virtual keyboard. When a data string is definitely input by being sequentially and selectively operated, the input history of the definitely input data string is learned and stored in association with each data row.

Next, the next input candidate searching means learns and stores in the input history storing means when one or two or more data are inputted by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. With reference to the input history of the data sequence, a next input candidate key corresponding to data that is estimated to be continuous with one or more input data is searched.

The display control means highlights, on the virtual keyboard, the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard.

As described above, when one or two or more data are inputted by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen, the learning is previously stored in the input history storage means. With reference to the input history of the input data string, search for a next input candidate key corresponding to data that is estimated to be continuous with the input one or more data, among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard,
Since the searched next input candidate key is highlighted on the virtual keyboard, the operability when performing data input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen is greatly improved. Can be.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, when one or two or more data are inputted by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard, the display control means receives the inputted data. The gist is to sequentially display one or more data on the display screen of the display means in accordance with the input order.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when one or two or more data are input by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard, the display control means can control the input one or more data. Two or more data are sequentially displayed on the display screen of the display means in the order of input.

Further, the invention of claim 3 is characterized in that the input history storage means learns and stores each of the input histories of the data string for each of the plurality of operators for each operator. I do.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the input history storage means stores each of the input histories of the data strings for each of the plurality of operators.
Since each operator is classified and stored by learning, therefore, when each of the plurality of operators performs data input,
The next input candidate key corresponding to the data estimated to be continuous with the input data is searched by referring to the input history of the data string learned and stored in the optimal environment for each operator, and the next input found Candidate keys are highlighted on the virtual keyboard, and as a result, the operability when each of a plurality of operators performs data input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen is dramatically improved. can do.

Further, the invention of claim 4 is characterized in that the input history of the data sequence learned and stored in the input history storage means includes the input frequency of each data sequence.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the input history of the data sequence learned and stored in the input history storage means includes the input frequency of each data sequence, and therefore, the input frequency of the data sequence which is extremely practical With reference to, a search for the next input candidate key corresponding to the data estimated to be continuous with the input data is performed, and the searched next input candidate key is highlighted on the virtual keyboard, and as a result,
Operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be dramatically improved.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, the display control means displays the virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display means, and the next input candidate search means among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. The gist is to highlight the next input candidate key searched for in the virtual keyboard by giving it a color different from the background color on the virtual keyboard.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the display control means displays the virtual keyboard on the display screen of the display means, and a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard are searched by the next input candidate search means. Since the next input candidate key is highlighted by adding a color different from the background color on the virtual keyboard, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be significantly improved, and as a result, Operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be dramatically improved.

Further, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the display control means displays the virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display means, and the next input candidate search means among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. The gist is to highlight the next input candidate key searched for in the virtual keyboard by enlarging it on the virtual keyboard.

According to the invention of claim 6, the display control means displays the virtual keyboard on the display screen of the display means, and a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard are searched by the next input candidate search means. Since the next input candidate key is highlighted by being enlarged on the virtual keyboard, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be significantly improved, similarly to the invention of claim 5, As a result, operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be dramatically improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard is displayed on the virtual keyboard in a color different from the background color. The gist of the present invention is that the color assigned to the next input candidate key when highlighting by adding a symbol does not prevent the next input candidate key from being different from each other.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means is assigned a color different from the background color on the virtual keyboard among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. At the time of highlighting, the color assigned to the next input candidate key does not prevent each of the next input candidate keys from being different from each other. Therefore, for example, referring to the input frequency of a certain data string, When a plurality of next input candidate keys corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with the input data are found, the color of each next input candidate key can be highlighted while being classified by color for each input frequency. Therefore, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be more remarkably improved as compared with the invention of claim 5, and as a result, the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be displayed. The operability when performing a data input have can be dramatically improved. The invention according to claim 8 is a communication device, comprising:
When highlighting the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means by enlarging it on the virtual keyboard, the enlargement ratio of the next input candidate key is different from each other for each next input candidate key. The gist is that it does not prevent different enlargement ratios.

According to the invention of claim 8, when the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard is highlighted on the virtual keyboard by enlarging it, Since the enlargement ratio of the next input candidate key does not prevent the enlargement ratio from being different for each next input candidate key, therefore, it is estimated that, for example, the input frequency is continuous with the input data by referring to the input frequency of a certain data string. When a plurality of next input candidate keys corresponding to the input data are searched, the enlargement ratio of each next input candidate key can be highlighted while changing the enlargement ratio for each input frequency. Compared with the invention of item 6, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be more remarkably improved, and as a result, data can be displayed using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen. It can be dramatically improved operability in performing force.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an information terminal device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an information terminal device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the information terminal device according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information terminal device 1 according to the present invention functions as a character conversion table storage unit 3, an input history storage unit 5 functioning as an input history storage unit, and a next input candidate search unit. A next input candidate search unit 7; various function keys 21 used when inputting data including characters, numbers, or symbols; used when performing kana-kanji conversion or finalizing or deleting input characters; and a plurality of operators A virtual keyboard 17 having a plurality of keys 19 including an operator selection key 23 used for selecting an input history of a data string learned and stored for each display is displayed on a display device 11 as a display means. And a display control unit 9 functioning as a display control means for displaying on the screen 13.

Note that the virtual keyboard 17 can be configured to be displayed three-dimensionally on the display screen 13 in order to improve the visibility of the plurality of keys 19 for the operator. An input instruction device (not shown) is used to selectively input any one of the plurality of keys 19 on the virtual keyboard 17. As the input instruction device, for example, a mouse, an infrared sensing type slide pad, a joystick, a touch panel, or the like can be appropriately used. Specifically, by using an input instruction device, the pointer is moved to any one of the plurality of keys 19 on the virtual keyboard 17 so that the intended key can be selectively input. it can.

Instead of this mode, for example, a plurality of keys 19 on the virtual keyboard 17 can be
After selectively pointing the intended key by moving the pointer to any key position,
By instructing the "confirm" key, it is also possible to configure such that the intended key is selectively inputted.

The character conversion table storage unit 3 is configured to store part-of-speech including common nouns, which are names commonly used for similar things, and proper nouns, which are unique names such as personal names and place names. ing.

The input history storage unit 5 stores a virtual keyboard 17
When a plurality of keys 19 are sequentially and selectively operated, when a data string is definitely input, there is a function of learning and storing the input history of the data string that has been definitely input in association with each data string. doing.

The next input candidate search unit 7 is a virtual keyboard 1
When one or two or more data items are input by sequentially and selectively operating the plurality of keys 19 in 7, the input history is stored in the input history storage unit 5 with reference to the input history of the data sequence. It has a function of searching for a next input candidate key corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with one or more data.

The display controller 9 controls the virtual keyboard 17
The next input is displayed on the display screen 13 of the display device 11, and the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search unit 7 among the plurality of keys 19 on the virtual keyboard 17 is highlighted on the virtual keyboard 17. Candidate highlighting function and multiple keys 19 on virtual keyboard 17
Are sequentially and selectively operated, and when one or more data is input, the input one or more data is displayed on the input data display unit 15 on the display screen 13 of the display device 11 in the input order. Has an input data display function of sequentially displaying the input data according to.

Next, the operation of the information terminal device 1 configured as described above when inputting data will be described with reference to the operation flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step S 1, the next input candidate search unit 7 sets a plurality of keys 1 on the virtual keyboard 17.
9 is constantly monitored to determine whether or not one or more character data has been input by being selectively operated.

As a result of the monitoring in step S 1, if it is determined that one or more character data has been input, the next input candidate search unit 7 refers to the input history of the data string learned and stored in the input history storage unit 5. Thus, it is determined whether or not the data stored in the learning history of the input history storage unit 5 includes a data string that matches the input character data, that is, whether or not there is a history in which the current input character data has been input in the past. (Step S
2).

As a result of the input history determination in step S2, when it is determined that there is a history in which the current input character data has been input in the past, the next input candidate search unit 7 executes the input history storage unit 5
With reference to the input history of the data string learned and stored in step S3, a search is made for a next input candidate key corresponding to the character data estimated to be continuous with the input one or more character data (step S3).

On the other hand, when the result of the input history determination in step S2 determines that there is no history of the current input character data being input in the past, the next input candidate search unit 7 stores the input character data in the character conversion table storage unit 5. 1 entered with reference to the part of speech
Alternatively, a next input candidate key corresponding to character data estimated to be continuous with two or more character data is searched for (step S).
4).

As a result of the next input candidate search in step S3 or S4, when a next input candidate key corresponding to character data estimated to be continuous with the input character data is found,
The display control unit 9 highlights the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search unit 7 on the virtual keyboard 17 (step S5), and after this highlighting, returns the process flow to step S1. Is repeatedly executed.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, when the operator inputs character data up to “Osaka”, the information terminal device 1 transmits “Osaka (Osaka)” which has an input history in the past. With reference to the data strings of “Osaka)” and “Osaki (Osaki)”, the keys corresponding to “K” and “K” are highlighted.

As described above, the information terminal device 1 according to the present invention
According to the above, when one or two or more data are input by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys 19 of the virtual keyboard 17 displayed on the display screen 13, the input history storage unit 5 learns in advance. With reference to the input history of the stored data string, a next input candidate key corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with one or more input data is searched for, and among the plurality of keys 19 on the virtual keyboard 17, The next input candidate key searched for is
7, the operability when data input is performed using the virtual keyboard 17 displayed on the display screen 13 can be drastically improved.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the example of the above-described embodiment, but by making appropriate changes,
It can be implemented in other aspects.

That is, for example, in the embodiment of the present invention, the input history storage unit 5 is configured to classify each of the input histories of the data strings for each of a plurality of operators for each operator, and to learn and store them. can do. In this case,
Before each operator performs data input, if the operator selects and selects an operator selection key 23 corresponding to each operator, the input history of a data string learned and stored in an optimal environment for each operator is referred to,
A search for a next input candidate key corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with the input data is performed, and the information terminal device 1 may be configured so that the searched next input candidate key is highlighted on the virtual keyboard. .

In this way, the operability when each of the plurality of operators inputs data using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be remarkably improved.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the input history of the data sequence learned and stored in the input history storage unit 5 may be configured to include the input frequency of each data sequence.

In this way, the next input candidate key corresponding to the data estimated to be continuous with the input data is searched for with reference to the input frequency of the data string which is extremely practical, and the next Since the input candidate keys are highlighted on the virtual keyboard, as a result, operability when data input is performed using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be drastically improved.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the display control unit 9 controls the plurality of keys 1 on the virtual keyboard 17.
9, the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search unit 7 may be configured to be highlighted on the virtual keyboard 17 by giving it a color different from the background color.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention,
The display control unit 9 may be configured so that, of the plurality of keys 19 on the virtual keyboard 17, the next input candidate key searched for by the next input candidate search unit 7 is highlighted on the virtual keyboard 17 by enlarging it. it can.

If one or both of the above two types are highlighted, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be remarkably improved.
As a result, operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be dramatically improved.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the display control unit 9 controls the plurality of keys 1 on the virtual keyboard 17.
9, when the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search unit 7 is highlighted on the virtual keyboard 17 by adding a color different from the background color, the color assigned to the next input candidate key However, it is possible to adopt a configuration that does not prevent each of the next input candidate keys from having different colors.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the display control section 9 controls the plurality of keys 1 on the virtual keyboard 17.
9, when the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search unit 7 is highlighted by enlarging it on the virtual keyboard 17, the enlargement ratio of the next input candidate key is changed for each next input candidate key. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that does not prevent the magnifications from being different from each other.

If either or both of the above two types of highlighting are adopted, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be further remarkably improved, and as a result, the display screen is displayed. Operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed above can be dramatically improved.

Finally, the information terminal device according to the present invention includes a personal computer, a so-called mobile computer which is a portable personal computer,
It is to be noted that the present invention can be applied to any type of information terminal device such as a mobile phone or a PHS.

[0055]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of keys on a virtual keyboard displayed on a display screen are sequentially and selectively operated to achieve one.
Alternatively, when two or more data are input, the input history corresponds to data estimated to be continuous with one or more input data by referring to an input history of a data string previously learned and stored in the input history storage means. Search for the next input candidate key,
Among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard, the searched next input candidate key is highlighted on the virtual keyboard. Therefore, when performing data input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen, Operability can be dramatically improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the input history storage means learns and stores each of the input histories of the data string for each of the plurality of operators for each of the operators. When each of the plurality of operators performs data input, the data corresponds to data estimated to be continuous with the input data by referring to the input history of the data sequence learned and stored in the optimal environment for each operator. A search for the next input candidate key is performed, and the searched next input candidate key is highlighted on the virtual keyboard. As a result, each of the plurality of operators displays the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen. The operability at the time of performing data input by using the data can be remarkably improved.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the input history of the data sequence learned and stored in the input history storage means includes the input frequency of each data sequence. With reference to the input frequency, a search for a next input candidate key corresponding to data that is estimated to be continuous with the input data is performed, and the searched next input candidate key is highlighted on the virtual keyboard. As a result, operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be dramatically improved.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5, the display control means displays the virtual keyboard on the display screen of the display means, and the next input candidate search means among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. Since the searched next input candidate key is highlighted by giving a color different from the background color on the virtual keyboard, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be significantly improved, As a result, operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be dramatically improved.

Further, according to the invention of claim 6, the display control means displays the virtual keyboard on the display screen of the display means, and searches the plurality of keys of the virtual keyboard by the next input candidate search means. Since the selected next input candidate key is highlighted by being enlarged on the virtual keyboard, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be significantly improved as in the invention of claim 5. As a result, operability when data is input using the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be significantly improved.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard, the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means is changed to a color different from the background color on the virtual keyboard. At the time of highlighting by adding, the colors assigned to the next input candidate keys do not prevent the colors from being different from each other for each of the next input candidate keys. When a plurality of next input candidate keys corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with the input data are searched, the colors of the next input candidate keys are highlighted while being color-coded for each input frequency. Therefore, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be more remarkably improved as compared with the invention of claim 5, and as a result, the virtual key displayed on the display screen can be improved. The operability when performing data input using the board can be remarkably improved.

According to the invention of claim 8, when the next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard is highlighted on the virtual keyboard by enlarging it. Since the enlargement ratio of the next input candidate key does not prevent the enlargement ratios of the next input candidate keys from being different from each other, therefore, for example, by referring to the input frequency of a certain data string, Then, when a plurality of next input candidate keys corresponding to the estimated data are searched, the enlargement ratio of each next input candidate key can be highlighted while changing the enlargement ratio for each input frequency. Compared with the invention of claim 6, the visibility of the next input candidate key for the operator can be more remarkably improved, and as a result, the virtual keyboard displayed on the display screen can be used. The operability when performing a data input exhibits the excellent effect that it is possible to dramatically improve.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block configuration diagram of an information terminal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the information terminal device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 information terminal device 3 character conversion table storage unit 5 input history storage unit (input history storage unit) 7 next input candidate search unit (next input candidate search unit) 9 display control unit (display control unit) 11 display device (display unit) 13 Display Screen 15 Input Data Display 17 Virtual Keyboard 19 Multiple Keys 21 Function Key 23 Operator Selection Key

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A virtual keyboard having a plurality of keys used for inputting data including characters, numbers, or symbols, and a plurality of keys in the virtual keyboard are sequentially and selectively operated. When a data string is fixedly input, input history storage means for learning and storing an input history of the fixedly input data string in association with each data string, and a plurality of keys in the virtual keyboard sequentially. When one or two or more data are input by being selectively operated, one or more of the input data is referred to by referring to an input history of a data string learned and stored in the input history storage means. Next input candidate searching means for searching for a next input candidate key corresponding to data estimated to be continuous with the virtual keyboard, and displaying the virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display means, Display control means for highlighting, on the virtual keyboard, a next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search means among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. Information terminal device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein when one or more data is input by sequentially and selectively operating a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard, the display control means outputs the one or more data. 2. The information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the information terminals are sequentially displayed on a display screen of the display means in an input order. 3. The input history storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the input history storage unit classifies each of the input histories of the data strings for each of the plurality of operators for each of the operators and stores each of the histories. Information terminal device as described in the above. 4. The information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the input history of the data sequence learned and stored in the input history storage means includes an input frequency of each data sequence. 5. The display control means displays the virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display means, and, among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard, a next input candidate searched by the next input candidate search means. The information terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the keys are highlighted by giving a color different from a background color on the virtual keyboard. 6. The display control means displays the virtual keyboard on a display screen of a display means, and, among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard, a next input candidate searched by the next input candidate search means. 6. The information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the key is highlighted by being enlarged on the virtual keyboard. 7. When highlighting a next input candidate key searched by the next input candidate search unit by assigning a color different from a background color on the virtual keyboard, among a plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard. 6. The information terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the color assigned to the next input candidate key does not prevent the next input candidate key from being different in color from each other. 8. When the next input candidate key searched for by the next input candidate search unit among the plurality of keys on the virtual keyboard is highlighted by being enlarged on the virtual keyboard, the next input candidate key is displayed. The key magnification is
7. The information terminal device according to claim 6, wherein an enlargement ratio different from one another for each next input candidate key is not prevented.