Program for character input system, character input device, and information processing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10198179-B2
Application number	US-201615510896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2016
Priority date	Mar 3, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A non-transitory computer readable medium includes a character input system including a first band-shaped key area displayed including the characters of character groups including representative characters lined up one by one. When a touch point is detected in this area, a second band-shaped key area is displayed including the characters of the group including the representative characters lined up at that detection position. When movement of a touch point from the first band-shaped key area to the second band-shaped key area is detected, a band-shaped candidate area is displayed including candidate character strings matching the characters in a line at that movement position. These areas are arranged in the width direction and with their orientations aligned. When the touch point disappears after moving from the second band-shaped key area to the band-shaped candidate area, the candidate character string displayed at that disappearance position is confirmed as the input character string.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A non-transitory, computer readable medium, having stored thereon a program, the program including instructions for a character input system, the instructions for causing a computer connected to a touch screen to function as a character input device, the character input device comprising:
an input character reception component for displaying on the touch screen a key area in which a plurality of characters are arranged, and receiving as an input character a character that complies with a detection status of a touch point for the key area;
a candidate display component for displaying on the touch screen a candidate area that includes candidate character strings that match the input character received by the input character reception component; and
a confirmation component for confirming as an input character string a specific candidate character string that complies with a detection status of a touch point for the candidate area,
wherein the input character reception component has a first key area display component for displaying at a specific position on the touch screen a first band-shaped key area in which representative characters of a plurality of character groups in which the representative characters are given one by one are lined up, and a second key area display component for displaying, in response to a detection of a touch point at a display position of one of the characters within the first band-shaped key area, a second band-shaped key area in which characters including representative characters in character groups in which the representative characters are the characters displayed at this detection position are lined up, so that the second band-shaped key area is adjacent to the first band-shaped key area in a width direction and matches an orientation of the first band-shaped key area,
the candidate display component, in response to a movement of a touch point detected in the first band-shaped key area to a display position of one of the characters in the second band-shaped key area, displays a band-shaped candidate area in which candidate character strings that match the character displayed at that movement position are lined up, so that the band-shaped candidate area matches an orientation of the second band-shaped key area and is adjacent to the second band-shaped key area on the opposite side from the first band-shaped key area, and
the confirmation component, in response to a disappearance of the touch point that moves to the second band-shaped key area at the display position of one of the candidate character strings after moving to the band-shaped candidate area, confirms as the input character string the candidate character string displayed at the disappearance position.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the first key area display component displays the first band-shaped key area, which is formed linearly, to conform to one edge of the touch screen within a rectangular display area of the touch screen, and
the second key area display component displays the second band-shaped key area, which is formed linearly, at a position that is to the inside of the first band-shaped key area within the display area, and the candidate display component displays the band-shaped candidate area, which is formed linearly, at a position that is to the inside of the second band-shaped key area within the display area.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the first key area display component displays the first band-shaped key area, which is formed in an arc shape, at a position that is a specific distance away from the edge of the touch screen within the display area of the touch screen, and
the second key area display component displays the second band-shaped key area, which is formed in an arc shape, at a position that is to the outside of the second band-shaped key area within the display area, and the candidate display component displays the band-shaped candidate area, which is formed in an arc shape, at a position to that to the outside of the second band-shaped key area within the display area.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the character input device further comprises an input character string display component for displaying the character displayed at the position of a touch point that moves from the first band-shaped key area to the second band-shaped key area, as an input candidate at a specific position of the touch screen, while the touch point is within the second band-shaped key area, displaying the candidate character string displayed at a touch point that moves from the second band-shaped key area to the band-shaped candidate area, as an input candidate at a specific position of the touch screen, while the touch point is within the band-shaped candidate area, and switching the display of the character string of the input candidate immediately prior to the disappearance of the touch point within the band-shaped candidate area, in response to the disappearance, to a confirmed character string.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein the candidate display component, in response to the movement of a touch point that moves to the second band-shaped key area to the display position of one of the candidate character strings in the band-shaped candidate area, displays a second band-shaped candidate area, in which candidate character strings that are allowed to be inputted following the candidate character string displayed at the movement position are lined up, so as to match a direction of the first band-shaped candidate area displayed previously and so as to be adjacent to the first band-shaped candidate area on the opposite side from the second band-shaped candidate area, and
the confirmation component confirms as the input character string a character string with a configuration following the candidate character string displayed at the disappearance position of the touch point in the second band-shaped candidate area after the candidate character string displayed at the position of the touch point within the first band-shaped candidate area when the second band-shaped candidate area is displayed, when the touch point that moves to the first band-shaped candidate area further moves to the second band-shaped candidate area and then disappears at the display position of one of the candidate character strings within the second band-shaped candidate area.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium, having stored thereon a program, the program including instructions for a character input system, the instructions for causing a computer connected to a touch screen to function as a character input device, the character input device comprising:
an input character reception component for displaying on the touch screen a key area in which a plurality of characters are arranged, and receiving as an input character a character that complies with a detection status of a touch point for the key area;
a candidate display component for displaying on the touch screen a candidate area that includes candidate character strings that match the input character received by the input character reception component; and
a confirmation component for confirming as an input character string a specific candidate character string that complies with a detection status of a touch point for the candidate area,
wherein the candidate display component has a first candidate area display component for displaying at a specific position on the touch screen a first band-shaped candidate area in which candidate character strings that match the input character received by the input character reception component are lined up, and a second c

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Ukai Kenichi
• Nakayama Takuya
• Nakano Mayu
• Sakata Tomoya

Classifications

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/04886 Primary

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0237

  using prediction or retrieval techniques · CPC title

• G06F3/018

  Input/output arrangements for oriental characters · CPC title

• G06F3/0236

  using selection techniques to select from displayed items · CPC title