KR20080071522A - Apparatus and method for inputing characters in terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

A device and a method for inputting characters in a terminal are provided to enable a user to input characters easily through the keyboard of the terminal by magnifying and displaying an extended key set as a popup window including the characters to be inputted after an inputted key on a touch keyboard, which is displayed in a small screen of the terminal. A touch screen(810) displays an extended key set including a basic key set having predetermined consonant keys and character keys combinable with a consonant inputted through the basic key set. A controller(850) enables the touch screen to display the extended key set on the key corresponding to the inputted consonant key when the consonant key is received through the basic key set, and receives at least one character through the basic and extended key sets. The extended key set is removed from the touch screen when the other consonant key is inputted through the basic key set while the extended key set is displayed. The controller enables the touch screen to combine/display the consonant corresponding to the consonant key and the character corresponding to the character key when at least one character key is received through the extended key set.

Description

Character input device and method of terminal {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INPUTING CHARACTERS IN TERMINAL}

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for inputting a character of a terminal, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for inputting a character through a touch keyboard of a terminal.

 The personal terminal is a term for all portable small terminals, and includes a PDA (Personal Data Assistant), a wireless communication terminal, an MP3 player, a Bluetooth device, a digital camera, and the like.

Generally, PDA is equipped with various software and peripherals based on the central processing unit (CPU), memory, operating system (OS), and operating system that are the basis of the computer, and performs information collection, storage, creation, and retrieval functions. In recent years, the mobile phone module has been developed to enable a voice call and data communication (using the Internet).

In general, a PDA includes a touch screen, which is composed of a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel installed thereon. A user executes an application by touching an icon displayed on a touch screen with a finger or a pointer, or touches a touch keyboard displayed on a predetermined area on a touch screen to input characters.

1 is a diagram illustrating a general keyboard arrangement method of a touch keyboard arrangement method of a conventional terminal.

Referring to FIG. 1, a touch screen of a terminal includes a display unit for displaying input characters on a screen and a touch keyboard for receiving characters, and the keyboard arrangement of a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a PC) is provided on the touch keyboard. The method is applied.

When the conventional keyboard arrangement method is applied to the touch screen of the terminal as described above, the size of the touch keyboard implemented in the touch screen is inevitably reduced due to the limited size of the touch screen. Therefore, in the case of the input method using a conventional touch screen, the size of each key of the touch keyboard implemented on the touch screen is reduced, which makes it difficult to see the text and is inconvenient to touch. Degrades.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method of inputting a character using a touch keyboard to facilitate character input on a touch screen of the terminal.

The present invention provides a character input device and method for inputting a character on the touch screen of the terminal to facilitate character input.

The apparatus for inputting a character in a terminal according to the present invention includes a basic key set including predetermined consonant keys and character keys including characters which can be combined with consonants corresponding to one consonant key input through the basic key set. A touch screen displaying an extended key set, and controlling the touch screen to display the extended key set on the input consonant key when the consonant key is input through the basic key set, and through the basic key set and the extended key set. It includes a control unit for receiving at least one character.

In addition, the method for inputting a character in the terminal according to the present invention, the process of displaying a basic key set including a predetermined consonant keys, receiving a consonant key of one of the consonant keys through the basic key set, the consonant And displaying, on the input consonant key, an extended key set including character keys including characters that can be combined with a consonant corresponding to a key, and receiving at least one letter key through the extended key set.

The present invention can facilitate the input of characters by displaying the extended key set as a pop-up window including the next inputtable characters for the key input from the touch keyboard.

In addition, the present invention enlarges and displays an extended key set including the next inputtable characters in the terminal of a small screen, so that the user can easily input a desired character quickly.

In addition, the present invention can minimize the number of character keys arranged on the initial input screen through the touch screen by using the extended key set in the terminal.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

The main subject of the present invention is to display all the consonant keys on the touch keyboard for inputting a character, and when one consonant key is touched on the touch keyboard, the pop-up window including the letter keys that can be combined with the input consonant key is enlarged. To display.

Hereinafter, in the present specification, an initial screen of a touch keyboard including all consonant keys is defined as a 'basic key set', and a popup window including character keys that can be combined with the consonant keys input through the basic key set is defined as an 'extension key set'. This will be described.

In this specification, a specific example of a touch keyboard including consonant or vowel keys will be mentioned, but the number of keys arranged on the touch keyboard may increase or decrease according to the frequency of use or purpose of each key, and other key arrangements may be used. It may be. In addition, a method of inputting Chinese and English among the method of inputting a character will be described, but the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to any language as long as the character has a vowel and a consonant.

2A and 2B are diagrams showing examples of a basic key set for Chinese input according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The basic key set for Chinese input is B, C, D, F, by placing consonants excluding vowels (a, e, I, o, u) in alphabetical order in a 6 * 4 arrangement method as shown in FIG. A QWERTY keyboard arrangement such as G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, W, X, Y, Z, or the consonants as shown in FIG. 2B. Q, W, R, T, Y, U, I, O, P, A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, Z, X, C, V , B, N, M. In addition to the consonants, the key bone set further includes an Er key which is an initial inputable character for Chinese Pinyin configuration. In addition, the basic key set may further include a, u, e, i, o keys for direct input of a key serving as a space bar, a key serving as a backspace, and a vowel, in addition to the consonants and the Er key. .

In the basic key set shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the C, S, and Z keys are used to input C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh, respectively. When a touch or a short drag in the corresponding key area is displayed, C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh are displayed on the touch screen.

On the other hand, when the basic key set is applied to other languages such as Chinese and English, h in the subscripts on the C, S, Z keys and r in the E key in the touch keyboard shown in Figures 2a and 2b This can be omitted.

When one consonant key is input in the basic key set of FIG. 2A or 2B, an extended key set is displayed on the input consonant key or a display area, and an example will be described below in which the extended key set is displayed in the touch keyboard area. Shall be. Examples of extension keysets that can be used for the basic keysets of FIG. 2A or 2B are shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D below.

3A to 3D are diagrams illustrating examples of an extension keyset for Chinese input according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this case, each key of the extension keyset has a size that is not inconvenient to point, and the area of the extension keyset has a size that is not inconvenient to point to another consonant through the basic keyset.

In the extended key set as shown in FIG. 3A, a key (for example, M) inputted from the basic key set is disposed at the center, and a, e, i, o, u, keys, which are vowel keys combinable with the input key, The n-key and g-key, which are keys used frequently in Chinese, are arranged around the input key.

In the extended key set as shown in FIG. 3B, the a, e, i, o, u keys, which are vowel keys that can be combined with the input key, are arranged by the input key (for example, M) in the basic key set. It is arranged around the configuration.

In the extended key set as shown in FIG. 3C, a, e, i, o, and u keys, which are vowel keys that can be combined with an input key, are arranged.

In the extended key set as shown in FIG. 3D, a, e, i, o, u, and y keys, which are combination keys that can be combined with an input key, are arranged.

And, although not shown in the drawing, the extended key set may additionally include n keys and g keys, which are commonly used as a support in Chinese, are dynamically arranged according to a situation, and a function key that can be combined with an input key (for example, For example, the device may further include a space key and a <-(Back) key.

의 입력에 사용되며, 상기 u키가 해당 키 영역 내에서 포인터로 터치 혹은 짧은 드래그되면 상기 터치스크린에 u 혹은

로 표시된다. 또한 상기 e키가 해당 키 영역 내에서 포인터로 터치 혹은 짧은 드래그되면 상기 터치스크린에 e 혹은 er로 표시된다.Also, in the extension key set shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the u key is u and

It is used for input of u, and if u is touched or short dragged with the pointer in the corresponding key area, u or

Is displayed. In addition, when the e key is touched or short dragged with the pointer in the corresponding key area, the e key is displayed as e or er on the touch screen.

When one of the vowel keys a, e, i, o, and u vowels is input in the extended key set, the input vowel key is changed to n-key which is frequently used as a support, and the changed n-key is inputted. In this case, the n-key entered is changed to g-key, which is often used as a support. The modified extended keyset including the changed key is returned to the initial extended keyset after a predetermined time.

4A and 4B illustrate a touch keyboard using a basic key set and an extended key set according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

When the M key is input through a basic key set using a 6 * 4 array as shown in FIG. 4A, the input M keys are arranged at the center and can be combined with the input M keys (eg, Chinese vowels). A, e, i, o, u, y) and a key of a commonly used character (e.g., a n key and a g key which are commonly used as a support in Chinese) are arranged around the M key. An extension keyset is displayed overlapping the M key input on the basic keyset.

When the M key is input through the basic key set using the QWERTY keyboard arrangement as shown in FIG. 4B, the input M key is disposed and vowel keys combinable with the input M key (for example, Chinese vowel a, e, i, o, u) is displayed in which the extended key set disposed around the input M key overlaps the input M key in the basic key set.

5 to 7 are views illustrating a method of inputting a character through a touch keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a case in which a user wants to input NiHao through a touch keyboard having a basic key set arranged in a 6 * 4 arrangement method will be described. In order to input the consonant N, which is the first letter of the NiHao, on the basic key set displayed on the touch keyboard as shown in FIG. 5A, the user finds the N key 501 and touches it with a point or touches the pointer for a predetermined time. If it is not released, the consonant N is displayed on the display unit 500, and as shown in (b) of FIG. After waiting for the next key input by the user, as shown in FIG. 5B, the user touches the i key 503 among the keys included in the extended key set 502 with the pointer or touches the pointer for a predetermined time. If not released, or drag and drop from the N key 501 to the i key 503, Ni is displayed on the display unit 500.

When the user wants to input the next letter, the consonant H, as shown in (c) of FIG. 5, the user finds the H key 504 in the basic key set displayed on the touch keyboard and touches the point, or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after the touch, When dragging and dropping from the i key 503 to the H key 504, H is displayed on the display unit 500, and as shown in FIG. 5D, the H key 504 is displayed on the touch keyboard. Extended keyset 505 is displayed. In this case, since Ni corresponds to Pinyin of Chinese, the corresponding Chinese characters and H may be displayed on the display unit 500 instead of Ni. In the touch keyboard, the extended key set 502 for the N key 501 may be removed when another consonant (ie, the consonant H) is displayed on the display. In another embodiment, the consonant (ie, the N) may be removed. It may be removed when deleted from the display unit. Next, as shown in (d) of FIG. 5, the user touches the a key 506 among the keys included in the extended key set 505 with the pointer, or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after the touch. When dragging and dropping from the H key 504 to the a key 506, Ha is displayed on the display unit. In this case, the corresponding Chinese characters and Ha may be displayed on the display unit 500 instead of Ni.

And when the user wants to input the next character vowel o, as shown in (e) of FIG. 5, the user touches the o key 508 in the extended key set 507 with the pointer, or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after the touch, When dragging and dropping from the a key 506 to the o key 508, Hao is displayed on the display unit 500. In this case, when a specific key is touched, the corresponding Chinese character instead of Ni and the Hao correspond to the Pinyin of Chinese. Therefore, the Chinese character may be displayed on the display unit 500 instead of Hao.

Referring to FIG. 6, a case where a user wishes to input Shuang through a touch keyboard having a basic key set arranged in a 6 * 4 arrangement method will be described. In order to simultaneously input the consonant S and the consonant h, which are the first letters of the Shuang, from the basic key set displayed on the touch keyboard as shown in FIG. If you drag briefly in a specific area (ie, within the area of the S-key) without releasing for a time, Sh is displayed on the display, and as shown in (b) of FIG. 6, the extended keyset 602 for the S-key 601 is displayed on the touch keyboard. Is displayed. As shown in FIG. 6B, when the user touches the u key 603 among the keys included in the extension key set 602 with the pointer, or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after touching, the S key 601. ) And drag to the u-key 603, Shu is displayed on the display unit. At this time, the extended key set 602 is changed to an extended key set 604 including n keys instead of the u key 603.

And when the user wants to input the next letter vowel a, as shown in (c) of FIG. 6, the a key 605 is touched with the pointer in the extended key set 604, or the touch is not released for a predetermined time, When dragging and dropping from the u-key 603 to the a-key 605, Shua is displayed on the display unit, and the changed extended key set 606 is displayed. The modified extension keyset 606 means that the a key 605 of the extension keyset 602 is converted to the n key 607. If the user touches the n key 607 in the extension key set 606 with the pointer or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after touching, Shuan is displayed on the display and the changed extension key set 608 is displayed. The modified extension keyset 608 means that the n key 607 of the extension keyset 606 is converted into the g key 609. If the user touches the g key 609 in the extended key set 608 with the pointer or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after the touch, the display shows Shuang or the corresponding Chinese character.

Referring to FIG. 7, a case in which the user inputs Chinese S 중국어 through a touch keyboard having a basic key set arranged in a 6 * 4 array will be described. In order to input the consonant S, which is the first letter of the letter S, in the basic key set displayed on the touch keyboard as shown in FIG. 7A, the user finds the S key 701 and touches it with a point or touches the pointer for a predetermined time. If not released, the consonant S is displayed on the display unit, and as shown in FIG. 7B, the extended key set 702 for the S key 701 is displayed on the touch keyboard. In order to input the vowel, which is the next character, in the extended keyset 702, the user finds the u key 703 and touches it with a point, or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after the touch, or from the S key 701. Short drag and drop as shown by the arrow to the u-key 703 shows S or the corresponding kanji on the display.

8 is a block diagram illustrating a character input device using a touch keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, a character input apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a touch screen 810 including an unillustrated touch keyboard and a display unit, an input sensing unit 830, and a controller 850. .

The touch screen 810 displays the touch keyboard as a basic key set or a combination of a basic key set and an extended key set under the control of the controller 850, and displays a character corresponding to a key input through the touch keyboard on the display unit. .

In addition, the input detecting unit 830 does not touch the specific key of the touch keyboard displayed on the touch screen 810 with the pointer, or does not release the pointer for a predetermined time after touching, or the pointer is dragged and dropped. If the pointer is dragged in a specific area without releasing the pointer for a predetermined time, the controller detects an input of the specific key and transfers the input key to the controller 850.

The controller 850 controls the text corresponding to the received key or a combination thereof to be displayed on the touch keyboard and / or the display area of the touch screen 810, and the basic key set or a combination of the basic key set and the extended key set on the touch screen. Control to be displayed on the display unit 810. That is, the controller 850 initially displays the basic key set and controls the touch screen 810 to display the extended key set on the basic key set when the character corresponding to the key input from the basic key set is a consonant. Here, the displaying of the combination on the touch keyboard is for displaying the previously touched character and the combination state. Hereinafter, the character input according to the embodiment of the present invention performed by the controller 850 with reference to FIG. 9. The method will be described.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a text input method using a touch keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, in step 901, the controller 850 waits for a user's key input by controlling the touch screen 810 to display a basic keyset or a combination of a basic keyset and an extended keyset.

In step 903, the controller 850 receives the detection result when the input of the specific key displayed on the touch screen 810 is detected by the input detector 830, and confirms the key input through the basic key set or the extended key set. In this case, the detection result indicates whether the specific key has been touched by the pointer, the pointer has not been released for a predetermined time after being touched, the pointer has been dragged and dropped, or has been dragged in a specific area without releasing the pointer for a predetermined time. And the like.

In step 905, the controller 850 determines whether the input key is a character. If the character is a character, the controller 850 proceeds to step 909. If the character is not a character, the controller 850 proceeds to step 907 and performs a corresponding operation on the input key.

In step 909, the controller 850 checks whether a character corresponding to the input key is combinable with a character corresponding to a previously input key, and if it is combinable, it corresponds to a character corresponding to the input key and a previously input key. Character is combined to check the combined character as the character to be displayed on the touch screen 810, and if it is not combinable (that is, when there is no previous input key), the character corresponding to the input key is touched. The character to be displayed at 810 is confirmed.

For example, in the case of Chinese input, the controller 850 checks whether the result of combining the characters corresponding to the input key with the characters corresponding to the previously input key corresponds to the pinyin of Chinese, and then the corresponding Chinese character is entered. If so, the corresponding Chinese character may be checked as a character to be displayed on the touch screen 810. In addition, in the case of Chinese input, the controller 850 briefly drags the pointer touched by the user to C, S, and Z within a specific region (ie, within the regions of the C, S, and Z keys). When receiving the result, the combined characters (Ch, Sh, Zh) are identified as characters to be displayed on the touch screen 810 by combining h with the characters corresponding to the input key. In addition, the control unit 850, as a result of the detection that the user dragged the pointer touched on the u key of the extended key set in a specific area (that is, within the area of the U key), the character to display the character Check it.

In step 911, the controller 850 controls the checked text to be displayed on the touch screen 810.

In step 913, the controller 850 determines whether a character for the input key is input in the basic key set, and if it is input in the basic key set, the controller 850 proceeds to step 915 to display an extended keyset for the input key. If it is not input from the keyset (ie, if it is input from the extension keyset), the process proceeds to step 917 to determine whether the preset extension keyset is changed.

In step 915, the controller 850 controls the touch screen 810 to display the extended key set for the input key overlapping the input key, and then proceeds to step 901 to wait for a user's key input. . In this case, in step 915, the controller 850 includes only the extended keyset for the currently input key by removing the extended keyset for the previously input key when the extended keyset for the previously input key exists on the touch keyboard. The touch screen 810 is controlled to display the touch keyboard.

 If it is input from the extended keyset, in step 917, the control unit 850 determines whether to change the extended keyset, and if it changes the extended keyset, the flow proceeds to step 1021 to change the extended keyset and does not change the extended keyset. The flow proceeds to step 901 to wait for a user's key input.

Meanwhile, in the detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described, but various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. As an example of variation, the present invention can be easily applied to languages other than Chinese having consonants and vowels without major modifications. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the scope of the following claims, but also by those equivalent to the scope of the claims.

1 is a view illustrating a general keyboard arrangement method of a touch keyboard arrangement method of a conventional terminal;

2A and 2B illustrate examples of a basic key set for Chinese input according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3A to 3D illustrate examples of an extension keyset for Chinese input according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4A and 4B illustrate a touch keyboard using a basic key set and an extended key set according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 to 7 are views illustrating a method for inputting a character through a touch keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a block diagram illustrating a character input device using a touch keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a flowchart illustrating a text input method using a touch keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (24)

In the device for inputting characters in the terminal, A touch screen displaying a basic key set including predetermined consonant keys, an extended key set including character keys including characters combinable with consonants corresponding to one consonant key input through the basic key set; And a controller configured to control the touch screen to display the extended key set on the input consonant key when the consonant key is input through the basic key set, and receive at least one character through the basic key set and the extended key set. Character input device characterized in that. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary keyset, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, W, X, Y, Z keys, Here, the C, S, Z keys are used for inputting C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh, respectively. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary keyset, Q, W, R, T, Y, U, I, O, P, A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, Z, X, C, V, B, N, M keys Including, Here, the C, S, Z keys are used for inputting C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh, respectively. 4. The character input device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the primary key set further comprises Er. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein when the C, S, and Z keys are touched with a pointer or a short drag within the corresponding key area, C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh are displayed on the touch screen. Character input device characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of claim 1, wherein the expansion keyset, contains the a, e, I, o, u keys, The u key is u and

Character input device, characterized in that used for the input of. The method of claim 6, wherein the expansion keyset, And at least one of the input consonant key, y key, n key, and g key. 8. The touch screen of claim 7, wherein when the u key is touched or shortly dragged with a pointer in the corresponding key area, u or

Character input device characterized in that the display. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the input key is changed to the n key when at least one of the a, e, i, o, and u keys is input through the extension key set, and the n key when the n key is input. Is changed to the g-key is displayed on the touch screen. The character input device of claim 1, wherein when the consonant key of the consonant keys is input through the basic key set while the extended key set is displayed, the extended key set is removed from the touch screen. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit, And when the at least one character key is input through the extended key set, controlling the touch screen to display a combination of consonants corresponding to the consonant keys and characters corresponding to the character keys. The character input device of claim 11, wherein when the combined character is displayed, the extended keyset is removed from the touch screen. In the method for inputting a character in the terminal, Displaying a basic key set including predetermined consonant keys on a touch screen; Receiving a consonant key of one of the consonant keys through the basic key set; Displaying an extended key set on the input consonant key, the extended key set including character keys including characters that can be combined with the consonant key; And receiving at least one character key through the extension key set. The method of claim 13, wherein the primary keyset, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, W, X, Y, Z keys, Here, the C, S, Z keys are used for inputting C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh, respectively. The method of claim 13, wherein the primary keyset, Q, W, R, T, Y, U, I, O, P, A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, Z, X, C, V, B, N, M keys Including, Here, the C, S, Z keys are used for inputting C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh, respectively. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the primary key set further comprises Er. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein if the C, S, Z keys are touched with a pointer or a short drag in the corresponding key area, C or Ch and S or Sh and Z or Zh are displayed on the touch screen. Character input method characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of claim 13, wherein the expansion keyset, contains the a, e, i, o, u keys, The u key is u and

Character input method, characterized in that used for the input of. The method of claim 18, wherein the expansion keyset, And at least one of the input consonant key, y key, n key, and g key. The touch screen of claim 18, wherein when the u key is touched or short dragged with the pointer in the corresponding area, u or

Character input method characterized in that is displayed. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the input key is changed to the n key when at least one of the a, e, i, o, and u keys is input through the extension key set, and the n key is input when the n key is input. Is changed to the g-key is displayed on the touch screen. The character input method of claim 13, wherein when the consonant key of the consonant keys is input through the basic keyset while the extended keyset is displayed, the extended keyset is removed from the touch screen. The method of claim 13, Character input comprising the step of displaying the combined character by combining the consonant corresponding to the consonant key and the character corresponding to the character key when the at least one character key is input through the extended key set. Way. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein when the combined text is displayed, the extended keyset is removed from the touch screen.

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