KR101511778B1 - Non-interlocking numeric input and character input method using computer numeric keypad and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

For notebooks (including UMPC, Tablet PC, and similar devices), it seems to be a low cost implementation of a numeric keypad that does not work with the main keyboard. Further, the present invention provides a technique for compatibility with the character input device in the numeric keypad.

Character input, numeric input, keypad

Description

{0001} Noninterlaced numeric input and character input method and apparatus using numeric keypad for computer {

Recently, the use of devices such as Notebook PC or Laptop PC, UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC), Tablet PC (collectively referred to as "notebook") has been increasing and the use of a dedicated numeric keypad . It will be used in PMP, navigation and other devices in the future. The present invention relates to a technique for doubling usability of the numeric keypad.

FIG. 1A shows a conventional keyboard in a conventional desktop computer, and has a numeric keypad on a portion indicated by a right red line. FIG. 1B shows a general keyboard type in a conventional notebook computer, and does not have a separate numeric keypad. Therefore, the number of cases in which the numeric keypad as shown in FIG. 1c is used separately is increasing. However, in a typical notebook computer, when "NumLock" is on, some buttons located on the right side of the keyboard buttons (for convenience, "right half character button" or "right half number button" Buttons with numbers and special characters) operate with the numeric buttons. In other words, if you use the numeric keypad and your notebook computer together, when you press the [Num Lock] button, the lap of the notebook will light up and the keyboard letterbox will work as a number button. At the same time, the numeral display lamp of the numeric keypad also lights up, and the keypad also operates as a number button, which is inconvenient.

If you connect two keyboards to one computer and turn on one of the caps, caps locks, or scroll locks on one keyboard, the other keyboard will flash Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock simultaneously Is turned on. Such a conventional numeric keypad is called "synchronous" among the general public. That is, if you turn on the dimmer on one of the keypads or the laptop keyboard, it will "work" as if the other one is turned on. This is called "asynchronous" among the general public. Since the notebook keyboard does not turn on when the keypad is turned on, the notebook keyboard is used for character input, and the numeric keypad Will be used for numeric input. That is, even if you turn on the keypad, it means that the keyboard does not turn on. The term "synchronous mode" or "asynchronous mode" gives a very high-level technical feeling. Therefore, the present invention uses the terms "interlocking mode" and "interlocking mode".

In the present invention, a method of using all currently-operated keypads in a noninterconnecting manner through a simple control procedure on an OS is presented. This makes it possible to use a synchronous keypad that is already purchased and in use asynchronously. For the sake of convenience, the application of the applicant's technique will be referred to as " uninterrupted method "or" uninterrupted method ".

In addition, in applying the character input technique using the keypad, a technique for interchangeably using the numeric keypad of the interlocking type and the non-interlocking numeric keypad is presented.

Will be described in the following "Detailed Description for the Implementation of the Invention ".

Numerous keypads are being used as an inexpensive supplemental user interface means in the increasing use of similar devices (UMPC, tablet PC, PMP, navigation, etc.) including notebook computers. The text input technology developed by the applicant for decades and the technology of the present invention will be implemented as a program and distributed to the individual user through the site http://www.simplecode.net for free use.

It is hoped that it will be useful for people with disabilities who are alienated from information technology in the Republic of Korea, which is a powerhouse of information and communication, and it is expected that it will be an opportunity to narrow the gap between people with and without disabilities.

One. Numeric keypad Non-burning technology

In the present invention, "button" and "key" are used in the same sense.

A typical notebook user will simultaneously use the keyboard of Figure 1b and the numeric keypad of Figure 1c. As described above, in the interlocking mode, the keyboard and the keypad are simultaneously turned on, so that the keyboard's right-hand character button also functions as a number button while the keypad is used for numeric input.

First, you can think of the buttons on the keypad as numbers and the keyboard on the keyboard as the letters on the keyboard, with both the keyboard and the keypad on. But this is impossible. (1) for the keypad [1] is the same as the signal generated by the [J] button on the keyboard because the signal generated by pressing the [1] key on the keypad ", And" J "for keyboard [J]). Therefore, it is understood that the technology of the present invention should be implemented in a state where the keyboard is not turned on.

Next, let's look at the handling without overclocking. The number buttons on the keypad operate as Up / Down / Left / Right / Home / End / PgUp / PgDn / Ins / Del (hereinafter referred to as "Direction Button" or "Direction Mode" for convenience). That is, the keypad [1] button operates as "End". Strictly speaking, in the Orientation mode, the [End] button should be correct. At the same time, the right-hand character button on the keyboard functions as a character button. Therefore, in the state where the overlock is not turned on (the keypad is in the directional mode), the numeric input mode is entered with the "promised operation" except for the operation of turning on the [Num Lock] button. It is possible to process the input of the number "1" with respect to the pressing of the [End] button of the numeric keypad according to the following predetermined procedure. At this time, however, the user should be able to recognize that the button on the numeric keypad operates in the "numeric mode" instead of the "directional mode", even when the overdrive lamp is not turned on. Therefore, the "numeric" mode (the keypad is physically operating in the direction mode, as promised by the "promised operation" in "no overlock" (ie, the keypad is in the directional mode) (E.g., displayed on the liquid crystal) and a process are required to inform the user that the state of the current keypad is "unmodified number mode" in a predetermined manner after entering the " It is necessary to detect the direction button (e.g., the [End] button) being pressed in the above state (the keypad is physically in the directional mode) and inputting it with a predetermined number (e.g., "1").

The above process of applying the unmodulated method using the keypad of the interlocking type is summarized as follows.

(a) entering a logical "unadorned numeric mode" without turning on the overdrive lamp according to the "promised operation" in the physical direction mode in which the overdisplay lamp is not turned on;

(b) indicating in the physical direction mode state that the " unmodulated number mode "is logically entered as" predetermined means ";

(c) recognizing that the button is pressed in the unstiffened number mode;

(d) processing the input of a predetermined number corresponding to the depression of the direction button;

For reference, in actual implementation, (a) "the instant when the button is pressed" can be recognized and processed, or (b) the moment when the button is pressed and dropped can be recognized and processed. It may be better to use (a) or (b) depending on the specific circumstances of implementation. From the point of view of the technology presented in the present invention, it is meaningless to distinguish between (a) and (b) and is used only in the expression "pressed". In the present invention, it is obvious that what is expressed as "pressed " can be as in (a) or (b) in the spherical phenomenon.

If you have not entered non-colliding numeric mode without the overclocking turned on, the buttons on the keypad will only work with the direction buttons. However, according to the above procedure, the existing interlocking keypad can be used as a non-interlocking keypad.

The "promised operation" in the step (a) will be possible by "pressing any button on the keyboard or keypad ". For example, when the [+] button on the keypad is pressed, or when the [F1] button on the keyboard is pressed, it is possible to enter the unstiffened number mode. However, there is a disadvantage that [+] can not be input through the keypad in the state where the overlock is not turned on (that is, the direction mode). In addition, the "promised operation" may be performed by a predetermined operation (button press or mouse click) through a UI (User Interface) displayed on the liquid crystal display of the notebook computer. In this case, when the [Num Lock] key is pressed, it is possible to enter the above-mentioned "non-interlocked numeric mode ", but this has a disadvantage in that it can not be turned on by pressing the stop button of the numeric keypad. Therefore, it is not preferable that the operation in the step (a) is performed by pressing the [Num Lock] button alone, which is also one of the main points of the present invention. In the present invention, since the purpose of using the keypad of the interlocking type is to use the arbitrary button on the keypad (e.g., [0] button) except for the NumLock button, Button, or by pressing the [Num Lock] button at the same time without distinguishing it from the [0] button. Pressing the second button (eg [R]) while holding down the first button (eg [Shift]), as if pressing the [R] . Hereinafter, "[Shift + R]" and "[Ins + Num Lock]" are expressed and expressed as "Simultaneously pressed" or "Simultaneously pressed". Likewise, it can be defined as a combination of simultaneous button presses such as "[Ins + /]". And may be made as part of a mode transition of the text input technique in the applicant's prior application. For example, it has been proposed to switch to the Hangul mode, English mode, numeric mode, ... by repeatedly pressing the [/] button at the applicant's initial application, so that the numeric mode is set to the " will be.

Since the above process is performed in a state in which the keyboard and the keypad are not turned on, means for informing the user of the entry into the unadorned numeric mode is required as in the step (b), which can be displayed on a liquid crystal have. FIG. 2A is an example of informing the user of the state of the screen when the user enters the unstructured number mode. It may be informed by means of an icon shape (eg, [number]) as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2a, or by means of a sign that the keyboard on the liquid crystal has been replaced by a number plate.

Next, there are various methods for implementing the processing in steps (c) and (d). One of the simple methods is to detect the input signal (that is, the scan code) through the keypad and change it. Typically, a window can be implemented by a technique called hooking, which can check and change button input values.

The advantage of the unlearned method of the present invention is that the conventional non-interlocking keypad can be used as it is, but it is somewhat vulnerable to visual cognitive effects because the overdisplay lamp is not turned on in the " unmodified number mode ". In order to compensate for this, it is an alternative to turn on the "scroll lock" lamp (the third lamp of the top three lamps in FIG. 1b), which is present in virtually all unused computer keyboards. The scroll lock is a function that moves the screen while fixing the position of the cursor in software such as "Excel (Microsoft Excel)". However, almost no function is supported in programs other than Excel, and almost even in Excel . Therefore, when you press a specific button (eg [/] or [Scroll Lock] button) or a combination of specific buttons (eg [Ins + Num Lock]) on the keypad as shown in the above example, It is possible to tell that the In this case, it is also possible to simultaneously notify the user through the UI of the program that the " asynchronous number mode "

2. The  Unlit Letter input  avatar

The applicant has presented an implementation of a character input device through a numeric keypad in the prior art. As suggested in the earlier application (Application No. 10-2005-0100461), if not implemented as firmware, it would be easy for anyone to make the text input tool work in "overloaded" state. It is because visually good cognitive effect is given that the overdrive lamp is turned on first. The applicant had so implemented. However, this is not a problem when the above-mentioned interlocking keypad is only used, but the products actually sold in the market are non-interlocking keypads. In the non-interlocking mode, even when the keypad overflow indicator lamp is turned on, the keypad character input device can not operate because of the fact that the window (OS) recognizes that the overlock is not turned on.

Therefore, in order to accommodate both the numeric keypad of the present invention and the numeric keypad of the non-interlocking type, it is necessary to implement the character input device in a state in which the keyboard is not turned on. In other words, the character input (eg, Hangul mode, English capital letter mode, English lower case mode, Orientation mode, and / or the "unstarted number mode") can be performed in a state where the overlock is not turned on And when the overlock is turned on, the buttons on the keypad are used for numeric input (basic function).

To summarize, in order to implement a character input device using a numeric keypad (eg, a Windows program rather than a firmware type), the character input mode is set to a state in which the overlock is not turned on (such as a disconnection of a non- The procedure is as follows.

(a) entering into a logical character input mode by "committed operation" in a physical direction mode state in which no excess is turned on;

(b) displaying on the liquid crystal screen a predetermined mode of entering the character input mode;

(c) recognizing an input value (direction button) of a button input in the character input mode;

(d) processing the input value by inputting a character according to a predetermined character input method;

The "predetermined means" in the step (b) can similarly be displayed on a program on a liquid crystal (screen). 2b, 2c. It can also be informed in the form of an icon, or it can be informed by a keyboard on the liquid crystal (figure 2b = Korean keyboard, figure 2c = English lowercase letterboard). The actual program has separate English uppercase mode and directional mode, but it is not shown in the drawing. The above description has the effect of providing a compatible character input device to both the interlocking method and the non-interlocking numeric keypad, which are currently commercially available numeric keypad products.

For reference, FIG. 3 shows a case in which a keypad for a letter input device of the applicant is displayed on a conventional numeric keypad, and a portion in blue is further printed on a conventional numeric keypad.

3. In character input mode  Kanji conversion and input of direction / function

To enter a number in text entry mode, switch to the numeric entry mode and enter a number. For example, press the [/] button to enter the number mode, enter the number, and then press the [/] button to switch to the Hangul input mode. However, there are actually a number of modes, such as Hangul mode, English upper case mode, English lower case mode, direction key mode, etc. In this case, enter a number or a specific direction key (eg [←] or [Home]) once or twice It is very tiring to switch modes and switch to text input mode. For example, if you are typing a sentence and want to enter it once, press the [/] button three times to enter it once, as shown in the [4] button on the numeric keypad, Press the direction key to enter "←" and press [/] once again to enter Hangul mode. As another example, if you enter "This is the time for this meeting is at 3 pm", enter in Hangul mode, press [Num Lock] once to enter number mode, enter number "3" Press to enter Hangul mode. It is desirable to be able to input numbers and directions (and functions) in a character input mode such as Hangul, for a user who mainly uses Hangul on the numeric keypad.

You can enter various functions (Home, End, PgUp, ...) as well as direction keys (eg → ← ↑ ↓) in "Direction Mode" instead of Numeric mode on the numeric keypad. Called "direction / function mode".

As shown in Figure 1c, the existing numeric keypad has a number at the top of the button and a direction and function (eg [←] or [Home]) at the bottom of the button. To increase the intuitiveness, press the [+] button on the upper right side of the numeric keypad and the numeric buttons (eg, [+ 7] Is input. Similarly, press the [Enter] button and the directional button (eg [Enter + Home]) located at the bottom of the [+] button (lower right of the numeric keypad) It is preferable to input it. Hereinafter, all numbers and directions / functions can be input in the same manner. Of course, the corresponding character or function ("+" or "Enter") is input when the [+] button or the [Enter] button is depressed alone without being pressed together with the promised button.

Interestingly, in the standard numeric keypad of Figure 1c, the [5] button has only numbers and no direction / function. Therefore, pressing [Enter + 5] together can be used as the "Hanja conversion" function. To select a Hanja list, hold down the [Enter] button and press the left and right arrow buttons have.

What is important here is that the first combination of buttons (eg the [Enter] button) and the combination of the direction (eg "PgDn" = [Enter + PgDn]) for the Hanja conversion Button (eg [Enter] button) must be the same button to display the Hanja list by inputting the Hanja conversion function (eg [Enter + 5]) and then releasing the combination button You can switch the Hanja list by pressing the direction button (eg, [PgDn] button) (resulting in [Enter + PgDn]) while pressing only the common destination combination button It is. In summary, in the character input mode of the numeric keypad, the button to be combined with the "Simultaneous pressing" to enter the non-numeric direction / function and Chinese character conversion must be the same button (eg [Enter] button). In other words,

A method for inputting a Chinese character and a direction / function by simultaneous pressing in a character input mode in a character input method using a numeric keypad,

In order to input the Chinese character conversion and direction / function, the buttons to be combined in the simultaneous pressing are the same button

And a direction / function input method

It is also one of the contents of the present invention.

Numerous keypads are being used as an inexpensive supplemental user interface means in the increasing use of similar devices (UMPC, tablet PC, PMP, navigation, etc.) including notebook computers. The text input technology developed by the applicant for decades and the technology of the present invention will be implemented as a program and distributed to the individual user through the site http://www.simplecode.net for free use.

It is hoped that it will be useful for people with disabilities who are alienated from information technology in the Republic of Korea, which is a powerhouse of information and communication. I hope that it will be an opportunity to narrow the gap between people with and without disabilities.

1a. Typical form of standard keyboard for desktop computers

1b. Typical form of keyboard for notebook computer

1c. Typical form of numeric keypad for notebooks

2a. An example of representing an asynchronous numeric mode

2b. Example of expressing Hangul input mode

2c. Example of expressing English lower case input mode

3. Example of keypad for character input

Claims (6)

A numeral input method in a numeric keypad in which a numeric keypad of a computer main keyboard and a numeral lamp of a numeric keypad are interlocked with each other, (a) entering into a logical unstructured number mode without turning on the overturn lamp by any button press other than the overtop button in the physical direction mode in which the overtop lamp of the numeric keypad is not turned on (b) displaying in the physical direction mode logically that the unlocked numeric mode has been entered, as an icon on the screen screen or as a scroll lock lamp on (c) recognizing the depression of a button of the numeric keypad in the logical unstructured number mode (d) processing by numeric input corresponding to pressing of a button (direction button) of the numeric keypad The method according to claim 1, delete delete A method of inputting characters using a numeric keypad in which a num lock lamp of a computer main keyboard and a numeral lamp of a numeric keypad are interlocked with each other, and / or a mutually interlocked numeric keypad, (a) entering the logical character input mode without turning on the over lamp by an arbitrary button press other than the over button in the physical direction mode in which the over lamp of the numeric keypad is not turned on (b) displaying the entry into the logical character input mode as an icon on a computer screen (screen) (c) recognizing that the button of the numeric keypad is pressed in the logical character input mode in which the overcommitment lamp is not turned on (d) processing a character input corresponding to the depression of the button (direction button) of the numeric keypad And a character input method using a numeric keypad for interlocking and / or non-interlocking numeric keypad delete delete

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