Input-key control device, and method and computer program product for controlling input key

US8928501B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-8928501-B2
Application numberUS-201213682817-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateNov 21, 2012
Priority dateJul 21, 2009
Publication dateJan 6, 2015
Grant dateJan 6, 2015

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  2. Abstract

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  5. First independent claim

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Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

An input-key control device is mounted on an apparatus having a plurality of operating modes and controls a plurality of input keys that receive input provided by a user. The input-key control device includes: a key-related-information storage unit that stores the operating modes and key-identifying information in association with each other, the key-identifying information being information for identifying an operable input key; an input-key identifying unit that identifies, when the operating mode is switched, an input key which has newly become operable as a result of the switching of the operating mode by comparing the key-identifying information associated with the operating mode before the switching and the key-identifying information associated with the operating mode after the switching; and a light-emission control unit that causes a lighting manner of a light-emitting element that illuminates the input key identified by the input-key identifying unit to differ.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. An input device, comprising: a plurality of sections, each section comprising at least one key and each section occupying a different region of a user interface; and a controller which causes illumination of the at least one key of a second section of the plurality of sections, in response to a key of a first section being activated, the at least one key which is illuminated providing input related to a function of the key of the first section which has be…

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What does patent US8928501B2 cover?
An input-key control device is mounted on an apparatus having a plurality of operating modes and controls a plurality of input keys that receive input provided by a user. The input-key control device includes: a key-related-information storage unit that stores the operating modes and key-identifying information in association with each other, the key-identifying information being information fo…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Matsuzawa Junji, Ricoh Co Ltd
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification G06F3/0202. Mapped technology areas include Physics.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Jan 06 2015 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).