Data processing: presentation processing of document – operator i – Presentation processing of document – Layout
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-08
2003-09-09
Herndon, Heather R. (Department: 2178)
Data processing: presentation processing of document, operator i
Presentation processing of document
Layout
C715S252000, C704S009000, C704S010000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06616703
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention-relates to a character input apparatus and a storage medium in which a character input program is stored. In particular, the present invention relates to a character input apparatus and a storage medium which realize a search function of smoothly and rapidly searching a character string consisting of at least one character, forming a sentence and having a meaning, from a character string dictionary, storing such character strings for searching.
The present invention relates to a structure in which, for example, in a portable terminal apparatus and a word processor having a pointing device such as a pressure-sensitive tablet instead of a keyboard, an ordinary input of sentences is performed for writing papers and E-mail by using the pointing device. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a structure and a program for allowing disabled people who have difficulty in inputting sentences by using a keyboard to input sentences in information equipment which requires an ordinary input of sentences for performing the above-mentioned operation.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, as a sentence forming apparatus, a word processor
10
as shown in
FIG. 23
is generally widespread. Such a word processor
10
has a keyboard
11
including a plurality of keys
11
a
which have such a size that people can easily operate by pressing them with their fingers, whereby input processing of sentences can be performed by using the keyboard
11
. In
FIG. 23
, reference numerals
12
and
13
denote insert slots for floppy disks and a liquid crystal panel, respectively.
In recent years, a portable terminal apparatus such as an electronic organizer equipped with a sentence input function of the word processor as described above has been put to practical use. Representative examples of methods for performing input of sentences in such a portable terminal apparatus will be described below.
According to a first method, input of sentences is performed by using a keyboard which is much smaller than the keyboard
11
of the ordinary word processor
10
shown in
FIG. 23
(e.g., which has a size of the palm of a hand).
According to a second method, a small keyboard is displayed on a display screen of the above-mentioned portable terminal apparatus, pressing of a displayed portion of a key on the display screen is detected by a pressure-sensitive sheet, and input processing of sentences is performed by using the displayed keyboard.
According to a third method, a handwriting detection portion utilizing a pressure-sensitive sheet is provided in the above-mentioned portable terminal apparatus, handwriting formed on the pressure-sensitive sheet is detected to recognize a pattern of characters, and input processing of sentences is performed by utilizing the recognition of such a character pattern.
However, the above-mentioned sentence input methods in the portable terminal apparatus have the following problems.
First, in the first method using a small keyboard, the keyboard is too small for people to manipulate the keys with their fingers, which makes it difficult to perform a key operation. Furthermore, it is required for those who are not familiar with a keyboard to look for a character on the top of each key for a key operation, and in inputting Japanese, after characters are input, they are required to be converted into appropriate kanji characters (i.e., Chinese characters), which results in a very bothersome input operation.
The second method in which a small keyboard is displayed on a display screen of a portable terminal apparatus also has the problems similar to those in the first method using a keyboard operation.
In the third method in which a pattern of input characters is recognized from handwriting by using a pressure-sensitive sheet, in the case where an unknown kanji character is input, it is required that the kanji character is once phonetically input by handwriting in the form of hiragana characters (i.e. , Japanese phonetic characters), and the hiragana characters are converted into a kanji character. Thus, input of kanji characters is not necessarily performed efficiently by pattern recognition. Furthermore, in the case where there is a problem of a recognition ratio of handwritten characters (i.e., in the case where a recognition ratio is small), handwriting input is required to be frequently re-done. In order to enhance a recognition ratio, it is required to contrive a structure for performing pattern recognition of handwritten characters, leading to an increase in cost.
It is needless to say that the above-mentioned first to third methods can make it difficult for visually impaired people to perform input operation of characters.
Furthermore, to input characters by using a keyboard becomes very bothersome work for disabled people even in a tabletop information equipment equipped with an ordinary keyboard, as well as the above-mentioned portable terminal apparatus.
On the other hand, there is a game machine or the like in which characters can be input by using a pointing device such as a cross-pad, a trackball or a joystick, and a selection button. According to this method for inputting characters, hiragana characters are specified one by one, using the cross-pad and the selection button, for example, on a table in which all the hiragana characters are disposed in a predetermined arrangement, and a character name in a game, simple instruction sentences are input.
Accordingly, the method for inputting characters used in such a game machine is not intended for writing ordinary papers, E-mail, etc., and to write papers by using this method for inputting characters is very inefficient and impractical.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its objective is to provide a character input apparatus and a recording medium in which a character input program is stored, which enable characters to be input at a high speed only by a pointing operation on a display screen, whereby characters can be input without using a keyboard and even when kanji characters in a phrase which is desired to be input are unknown.
A character input apparatus of the present invention includes: a character string dictionary which stores a number of character strings, consisting of at least one character and having a predetermined meaning, in a predetermined storage order; and an operation input unit which generates various instructing signals in accordance with an operation of an operator, the apparatus selecting a character string from the character string dictionary based on the instructing signal and inputting the character string, the apparatus comprising: display means having a display screen for displaying the selected character string and listing candidate character strings from which the character string is selected; a candidate character string extracting portion including selection means for selecting a predetermined character string from a plurality of the listed candidate character strings, based on a selection instructing signal generated by an operation in the operation input unit, and extraction threshold value changing means for continuously changing an extraction threshold value of character strings, based on a threshold value change instructing signal generated by an operation in the operation input unit, the candidate character string extracting portion extracting character strings from all the character strings stored in the character string dictionary as the candidate character strings, based on a large and small relationship between extraction priorities of the character strings and the extraction threshold value; and display control means for controlling the display means in such a manner that the candidate character strings extracted from the candidate character string extracting portion are listed and the character string selected by the selecting means is displayed on the display screen, wherein the operation input unit has a position specifying member for specifying a position on the display scre
Herndon Heather R.
Huynh Conglac
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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