JPS60207951A - Electronic typewriter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display the maximum number of digits on a text display area and to improve a using procedure by displaying a line number on the head of display at the display of the contents of the text and varying the number of digits in a line No. display area in accordance with the number of digits of the line. CONSTITUTION:At first, the 1st line is displayed on a display part D. When a carsor key for displaying the succeeding line is depressed once, the carsor is shifted to the 2nd line. If the carsor key is depressed seven times, the 9th line is displayed, and when the carsor key is depressed once moreover, the 10th line is displayed. During the shift from the 9th line to the 10th line, the decision of a block is changed from YES to NO and the line display is changed from one digit to two digits. Then the 100th line is displayed by depressing the carsor key 90 times. During the shift from the 99th line to the 100th line, the decision of the block is turned from YES to NO and the line display is changed from two digits to three digits. Thus, the number of lines display area is increased in accordance with the increase of the number of digits for line display.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to an electronic typewriter configured to store data input from a keyboard in a text memory.

[Technical background]

Such electronic typewriters are not only capable of printing directly when the keys are pressed, but also often have a built-in storage device of a desired capacity to enable printing after a predetermined or arbitrary time. Therefore, there are two types of memory: read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM), which includes a program memory in which a predetermined program is written and a pattern memory that stores patterns such as characters and symbols, and rewritable memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM).
A device consisting of a built-in storage device and a central processing unit (CPU) for controlling these devices performs a variety of functions. Note that it is convenient to use a thermal head as the printing mechanism due to its features such as small size, light weight, and quietness. Furthermore, the display device is often a liquid crystal display device (LCD) due to the need to downsize devices.

By utilizing such built-in mechanisms, such electronic typewriters not only function as normal typewriters, but also function as word processors, and can also process data to exchange information with various computers, external storage devices, etc. There are also devices that can be used as transmitting and receiving devices. On the other hand, unlike devices targeted only to specialized engineers, devices such as electronic typewriters that are targeted at a wide range of demand groups have the ability to provide these functions quickly and with the simplest possible operation. There is a requirement that we must demonstrate our abilities. Nevertheless, in conventional devices of this type, as the functions that can be performed become more diverse, the required operations usually become more complicated. Therefore, as the functions provided become more sophisticated, it becomes less convenient to use, and there is a problem that the functions that are available cannot be fully utilized.

(Disclosure of the Invention) The present invention provides an electronic type-like device that has a display device with a display digit number shorter than one printed line, and when displaying the contents of text, displays the line number at the beginning, and To provide an electronic typewriter which can make maximum use of a text display area by making the tij number of a line number display area variable according to the number of line number display areas.

The purpose is to provide an electronic typewriter having the structure described in the claims, namely, a display device having a display digit number shorter than one print line, and a line number display for displaying the line number of text on the display device. a line counter that counts the number of lines of text input into the text memory, and a control means that increases or decreases the number of digits in the line number display area according to the number of decimal digits of the contents of the accompanying counter. This is accomplished by an electronic typelike equipped with

By means of the electronic typewriter according to the present invention, the corresponding line of the text content displayed on the display device is clearly displayed,
In addition, since the number of digits in the line display area is variable according to the number of digits in the line number, the text display area having a shorter number of digits than the I print line can be used most effectively, improving usability.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate examples.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of an electronic typewriter according to the present invention, which is roughly divided into a keyboard section and a printer section P.

In the figure, the keyboard part K includes a group of keys such as a required number of letter and number keys, various symbol keys, a space bar SP, and a coat key C, as is well known in ordinary typewriters.
0DE and a group of various control keys are provided. In addition, these keys include formatting keys such as the left and right margin cent keys LM, IIM, set/clear keys TAB+, TAB-, which are required for normal typing, the tab key TAB, and the carry/2 return keys C/R. , margin release key MR, bank space key B, SP, and a group of keys specific to electronic typewriters.

As a group of keys for electronic type-like control, for example, the repeat key Re repeats the same operation, and the light margin furanotsuyu 1 group 1? ,
Centering CT R to print in the center of the left and right margins,
There is an underline key In, a mote key 0 for selecting a print mode, a line space switch LS for setting line spacing, and a mode switch MS. Also, cursor movement key Cu, print key PRN for starting printing.
T, Exit key EXIT for initial display, Delete key DEL, Insert key INS, Continue key C0NT for restarting operation, Escape key ESC for canceling a function, etc. Mainly used in mote as a word processor. It also has a group of keys.

Note that index keys and reverse index keys IND, R, and IND for feeding and returning printing paper are also provided. Note that the code key C0DE has the function of expanding the function by pressing it simultaneously with any of a group of various keys. For example, by pressing the code key C0DE and the tab set key TAB at the same time, the decimal tab can be placed at the digit where the printer head is currently located. In addition, when operating the normal cursor key Cu, -
Whereas the cursor moves one character per press,
When the code key Cot)E and the cursor movement key Cu are pressed at the same time, the cursor moves to the beginning or end of the line in one motion, a so-called express cursor movement. In addition, each press of the hack space key B or SP moves the carriage to the left by a space, and erases characters on the display to create a space.
When the coat key C0DE and hack space keys B and SP are pressed at the same time, the carriage returns to the beginning of the line in one motion, and all characters on the display are also erased, a so-called express bank space operation is performed. It turns out.

A suitable display section is arranged on the keyboard section K of the computer.
Letters, numbers, etc. corresponding to the pressed keys are included, and displays corresponding to the data in the storage device and the setting mode are selectively displayed for operational convenience. This display section is a liquid crystal display device (LCD) which is advantageous in terms of power dissipation, q-element method, etc.
LCD) with an appropriate number of digits. Normally, in order to make the entire device more convenient, the length is often selected to be about 20 to 30 columns, which is much shorter than the I-print line, knowing the inconvenience of not being able to check the entire text line at the same time. Therefore, the desired display is not always readily available on the display device, and there are problems that do not exist in large devices using CRl' displays.

Note that a connector CN for use of this device as a data transmitting/receiving device is provided at an appropriate position such as on the side surface of the keyboard section. Furthermore, when the device is configured for handy portability, a carrying handle CH is provided as shown.

The printer section P has a cover C that serves as a paper receptacle when opened during use. There is a platen PL under the cover C, and a printer head PH that moves along the platen is disposed. A well-known configuration can be used for this printer, but a thermal head is advantageous in terms of compactness, convenience, and quietness. Plain paper can be printed using a thermal transfer ribbon.

The printer head PH is mounted on a carriage Ca guided by a guide bar GB, and performs a printing operation while moving on a sheet of paper indicated by a broken line along a platen PL. Note that a paper release lever PR is provided for holding the printing paper on the platen PL and releasing it as necessary.

The electronic typewriter according to the present invention has a power switch SW.
It is turned on and off by When this electronic typewriter is used as a portable device, it is primarily powered by the built-in battery power supply, but it can also be used with other external power sources, such as mains power or other power sources using a suitable adapter. Needless to say.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the electronic typewriter according to the present invention. Each of these elements includes the parts disclosed in FIG. 1, such as the keyboard part K, display part, and printer part P, as well as the central processing unit CPU, storage device ROM, RAM, etc. built into the main body case. It is what it is. For each of these parts, assume the auxiliary circuit of "C" and "ζ" is
Keyboard]・Shiiha K I), display controller D
C1 and a blink driver interface P1. In addition, the external g1
(It has an ink face driver/receiver IJ?. Therefore, it is possible to receive and receive information from devices of the same type as well as various computers and external storage devices.

For each of the elements forming each block in FIG.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that most of the components or devices can be constructed using well-known elements or devices, such as LSI and other circuit elements, as well as blink mechanisms and the like.

The electronic type-like according to the present invention prints normal text by switching the mode selector MS shown in FIG.
0RtIAL mode, file notes f, l! -#Ji
! It can be used arbitrarily with either -1 in WP (word processor) for collection and printing, or in the TEII old N^mote for data transmission and reception. Therefore, there is not only text memory in RAM but also internal memory.

1. Once the contents of the keystrokes or the contents transmitted from the outside are recorded. It is configured so that it can be stored away. Similarly, by setting up a display buffer, in addition to printing immediately in response to a key press, the contents of the pressed key are temporarily displayed on the display, and the contents of the pressed key are temporarily displayed on the display section, and the contents that exceed the number of display digits are displayed. It is also possible to print sequentially. The electronic typewriter according to this embodiment is
For formatting when using mode or HP mote, use the left and right margin keys LM and RM and the tab set/clear key TAB+.

This is done by TAB-. Note that the set mode, etc. is displayed as guidance on the display section.

Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3, the operation of writing to the display buffer in the RAM of the electronic typewriter according to the present invention and subsequent display on the LCD as a display section will be described.

When this flow starts, as in block 11,
The current line number is calculated. A first determination is first made in block 12 regarding the result. This determination is whether the current line number is smaller than 10. If Y, a line number display area for 1111 minutes, such as block 13, is secured.

This is because since the line numbers are 1 to 9, it is possible to display one digit. On the other hand, if this determination is N, a determination is made in block 14 as to whether the row number is less than 100. If this judgment is Y, the line number is lO~9
9, a line number display area for two digits is secured like the coblock 15.

If this determination is N, a determination is made as in block 16 whether or not the line number is smaller than 1000. If this judgment is Y, the line number is 100 to 999, so
As in block 17, a line number display area for three digits is secured.

If this determination is N, a determination is made as in block 18 whether or not the row number is smaller than 10,000. If this determination is Y, the line number is 1000 to 9999, so a four-digit line number display area is secured, as in block 19.

If this determination is N, a display area for five digits, which is the maximum number of digits in this embodiment, is secured, as in block 20.

Here, after receiving the line number display area 1 secured by any of the blocks 13, 15, 17, 19, or 20, the line number is converted to ASCII for display as shown in block 21, and the result is obtained. As many digits as there are! , the data is transferred to the CD display area. Then, as per block 22, data regarding delimiters or delimiters for clear separation between line numbers and text is transferred to the LCD display area.

Furthermore, as in block 23, the text to be displayed is transferred to the LCD display area.

Each block 2122.23 writes each data required in the present invention to the display buffer in the RAM. According to the data written in this way, as shown in block 24, the display section L
Line numbers, delimiters, and text are displayed on the CD. In this case, as a result of the processing according to the above-described flow, the line display area becomes variable according to the line number, which should originally be variable, and it becomes possible to effectively utilize the LCD, which is shorter than one print line.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the display on the display section of the electronic typewriter according to the present embodiment and an example of the manual operation of the keys. The first line is displayed on the first display. Each time the cursor keema for displaying the next line is pressed once, the display shifts to the second line.

Further, each time the cursor keema is pressed seven times, the display moves to the ninth line, and when the cursor key is pressed one more time, the display moves to the tenth line. During the transition from the 9th line to the 10th line, the determination in block 12 in FIG. 3 changes from Y to N, and the line display changes from 1 digit to 2 digits. Next, by pressing the cursor keema 89 times, the display moves to the 99th line, and by pressing the cursor key once more, the display moves to the 100th line. During the transition from the 99th line to the 100th line, the size Wi of block 14 in FIG. 3 changes from Y to N, and the line display changes from 2 digits to 3 digits. Similarly, the line number display area is increased in accordance with the increase in the number of line display digits.

In this way, the maximum number of digits of text is displayed in the text display area until the number of digits in the line number that should actually be displayed increases, resulting in an electronic typewriter with improved usability. .

Although a preferred embodiment has been disclosed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external structure and partially broken internal structure of an electronic type-like equipped with the functions according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic type-like according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for explaining the present invention in detail. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the display section and key operations of the electronic typewriter according to the present invention. In the figure, the correspondence of main reference symbols is as follows. K: Keyboard section P: Printer section D = Display section C: Cache SP spacer CN: Connector C/R: Carriage return key B, SP: Backspace key TAB +, TAB -: Tuft set/clear key C
u: Cursor key TAB: Tab key MR: Margin release key LM: Left margin RM: Right margin Ca: Carriage no. GB Ni guide bar PH: Printer head PL nib platen PR: Paper release lever SW: Power switch GODH: Code key Patent applicant Brother Industries, Ltd. Company agent (patent attorney) Hikaru Esaki Agent (patent attorney) Senfumi Esaki

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an electronic typewriter configured to store data input from a keyboard in a text memory, a display device having a display digit number shorter than one print line; and on the display device. a line number display area that displays the line number of the text; a line counter that counts the number of lines of the text input into the text memory; and a line number display area that displays the line number according to the number of decimal digits of the content of the line counter. An electronic typewriter characterized by comprising: a control means for increasing or decreasing the number of digits;