Coded data generation or conversion – Bodily actuated code generator – Including keyboard or keypad
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-17
2003-02-25
Horabik, Michael (Department: 2635)
Coded data generation or conversion
Bodily actuated code generator
Including keyboard or keypad
C341S027000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06525676
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a character input device and a character input method and more particularly, to the character input device and method adopted for a device such as mobile information terminals for which the number of keys is restricted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the prior art, various character input devices such as cellular telephone are provided using mobile information terminals. First, as shown in
FIG. 83
it is known to use ten key (dial key)
203
disposed four by three from the center toward the bottom on the front of a of a cellular telephone handset
201
. Regarding input methods the following two methods are known.
In the first method, a character matrix table as shown in
FIG. 84
is employed. The correspondence between a pair of digits and a character (symbol) should be memorized. Referring to the table, a character (symbol) may be input by entering a pair of digits corresponding to the matrix of the desired character (symbol). For instance, for entering “clock”, “1837301836” should be pushed on a ten key
208
as shown in FIG.
85
. Then, “clock” corresponding to the string of numeric pairs would be displayed on a display section
202
of a cellular telephone shown in FIG.
83
.
In the second method, the correspondence between numeric codes and fixed phrases is memorized; and a code corresponding to the desired fixed phrase is entered by pressing the ten key
203
referring to a fixed-phrase code table. For example, suppose that fixed phrase character code strings are stored to correspondence with binary codes as shown in FIG.
88
. In this case, if “call office” should is the desired entry, “01” should be input by operating the ten key
208
.
Then “call office” corresponding to the input code would be displayed in the display section
202
of the cellular telephone shown in FIG.
83
.
In the character input methods, however, key input can not be executed. In principle, without a conversion table. On the other hand, a cellular telephone is known wherein a plurality of alphabets is distributed to respective key of the ten key
203
as shown in FIG.
87
. In such a device, the correspondence between the frequency of key presses and characters is memorized. When the frequency of key operation of each key is equal to one, the leftmost one of corresponding indicated characters is input; and when the frequency is increased by one, the character which will be input shifts by one column to the right. For instance, for entering “clock”, “22255566622255” should be pressed on the ten key
203
as shown in FIG.
88
. As the result, “clock” corresponding to the frequency of key operation will be displayed in the display section
202
of the cellular telephone shown in FIG.
83
.
Such a character input device makes the forementioned conversion table unnecessary, but the key operation frequency increases considerably so as to, sometimes, provoke entering error if one falls to count operation frequency exactly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,196 discloses another method, but it requires also some troublesome key operation.
For entering Japanese language, the pun method is adopted to play on words with numbers for arranging numbers to input the readings of number for pager or others. For instance, the numeral “1” can read as “ichi” and “9” as “ku”; so the reading “i” may be adopted for the numeral “1” and combined with the reading “ku” of the numeral “9”, the numeric string “19” can read as “iku”. As the Japanese word “iku” means “go” in English, “19” is entered to obtain a Chinese character meaning “go”. In this method, however, it is presumed that one is familiar with such complicated numerical play on words and the message contained therein. An additional objection is that such unreasonable readings of numeric strings may not always transmit the contents of the messages and therefore the interlocutor will not always understand one's intent.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a character input method and a character input device requiring no conversion table and allowing one to input necessary messages or other inputs without increasing key operation frequency and
Another object of the present invention is to provide a character input device requiring no convention table though characters are inputs through numeric keys and allowing the input of necessary messages without increasing key operation frequency independent of languages used.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a character input device allowing confirmation of the operation of an intended key by means of a display.
Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a character input device allowing selection of the desired word by displaying candidates when a plurality of words correspond to the key operation.
Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a character input device allowing selection of the intended word or character from among a plurality of candidate words or characters corresponding to the key operation, by touching the portion of a display screen corresponding to the intended word or character.
Additionally, still another object is to provide a character input device allowing to obtain an appropriate word or character even if the input is not correct.
Furthermore, still another object is to provide a character input device allowing to limitation of the transmitted character code to an appropriate range among a plurality of character systems when the concerned language is composed of a plurality of character systems such as Japanese.
Moreover, still another object is to provide a character input device outputting candidate character or candidate word considering the property of the input character or the input character string.
Also, still another object is to provide a character input device outputting a phrase with a capital initial.
Moreover, still another object is to provide a character input device allowing to input Japanese.
The character input device on the present invention comprises a dictionary means storing the correspondence of input character or input character string and candidate character or candidate character string obtained as the result of conversion, an input means for entering characters or character strings including a plurality of keys to which a plurality of characters is distributed, a conversion
ext candidate key for directing character conversion and a decision key for deciding the conversion result, an output means for at least displaying and outputting candidate character or candidate character string obtained as the result of conversion, and a character conversion means for obtaining candidate character or candidate character string, by retrieving the said dictionary means, for the input character or the input character string entered from said input means as the result of conversion and for supplying this candidate character or candidate character string to the said output means. As a result of such composition, when one operates keys to which a plurality of characters is distributed and presses the conversion
ext candidate key, for the input character or character string, the dictionary means will be retrieved to obtain the candidate character or candidate character string and this candidate character or candidate character string will be supplied to the output means. Numeric keys to which a plurality of characters is distributed are adopted as the plurality of keys.
In the foregoing, kana are distributed to the plurality of key for composing a character input device for Japanese input. In another composition, alphabets are distributed to the plurality of keys for composing a character input device for alphabetic input. In other compositions, characters of a desired language are distributed to the plurality of keys for composing a character input device for the input of the corresponding language.
In the character input device of the present invention, when a key of the input means to which characters are distributed is operated, a
Inoue Nobuhiro
Iwaki Jitsu
Kisaichi Kazuhiro
Nannichi Toshihiko
Nose Toshiro
Horabik Michael
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Wong Albert K.
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