Description

INPUTTING APPARATUS AND METHOD

Technical Field

[1] This invention is as for an input device of a terminal, in more detail, an input device and methods for letters in educational program by special keys.

[2] For instance, when you want to study mathematics with a terminal, you need to input various numbers and mathematical symbols easily. Also, when you want to study physics and chemical with the terminal written above mentioned, you need to input special symbols of physics using the terminal.

[3] But as described as above mentioned, since the keyboard size is limited and there are many symbols and letters to input, a keyboard for effective input is required. Background Art

[4] Recently mobile terminals became a necessity for modern life with their rapid growth of use. This kind of mobile terminals are equipped with usual phone functions as well as input and transfer functions for various kind of information. Recently, SMS (Short Message Service) are widely used. To use this function, a user type in letters in Korean and English using multiple keys in the keypad of a terminal.

[5] On the other hand, there are various terminals for education purposes in the market besides the above mentioned mentioned mobile terminals. For this kind of educational terminals, letter input is to be considered a "must" and the size of these terminals become smaller and lighter, development of an effective input device in a limited space is required.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Solution

[6] A device to fulfill the above mentioned mentioned purposes has characteristics ; a keypad consisted of one or more mode changing keys to input letters and symbols using external key input devices, a keypad consisted of one or more shift keys and multiple general keys; an input part to recognize an input signal of a key when there is a key input from the above mentioned mentioned keypad and create an electric signal ; a control part to receive a signal from the input part and check to find whether a shift key and a general key input is made at the same time; a memory to sort the above mentioned received signals into letters and symbols by matching the signals with pre- stored code table and convert them to the corresponding code.

[7] Another characteristic is to include an automaton to generate a Korean code by assembling each code when the above mentioned received code is a Korean code.

[8] The above mentioned keypad has a characteristic that when a key mapped with a

preset normal tone letter is input with the first shift key, a loud tone letter corresponding to the normal tone letter and when a key mapped with a the above mentioned mentioned normal tone is input with the second shift key, a hard tone letter corresponding to the above mentioned normal tone letter.

[9] The characteristic thing of the changed input mode through the above mentioned mentioned mode changing keys is it is one selected among Korea, English, numbers, chemical symbols, physical symbols, electronic or electric symbols and other various foreign languages.

[10] The above mentioned mentioned keypad has a characteristic that it is consisted of 4 rows , 4 columns and 16 buttons.

[11] The above mentioned input device has a characteristic that it has a separate attachable device which has its own interface.

[12] As a method to fulfill the above mentioned purposes, a keypad to input letters or symbols using an external key input device having one or more mode conversion keys, one or more shift keys and multiple normal keys, the above mentioned keypad has a characteristic that when a key mapped with a preset normal tone letter is input with the first shift key, a loud tone letter corresponding to the normal tone letter and when a key mapped with a preset normal tone letter is input with the second shift key, a hard tone letter corresponding to the above mentioned normal tone letter.

[13] The characteristic thing of the changed input mode through the above mentioned mentioned mode changing keys is it is one selected among Korea, English, numbers, chemical symbols, physical symbols, electronic or electric symbols and other various foreign languages.

[14] The above mentioned mentioned keypad has a characteristic that it is consisted of 4 rows , 4 columns and 16 buttons.

[15] This invention suggests a method to input letters or symbols on a terminal designed to easily input special symbols and etc to learn subjects like English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, electrics, electronics and etc. To achieve this objective, the keypad is equipped with multiple normal keys to input specific letters and one or more shift keys to input new preset letters or symbols together with each normal key.

[16] On the other hand, the above mentioned keypad can be consisted of general type of hand press input keys or can be in a form of a touch screen with a pen input. Furthermore, it can be in a form of holographic input device, too.

[17] For a more detailed explanation of the invention, please refer to an example and attached drawings. But please note that the examples can be in various cases and the scope of the invention shall not be interpreted as restricted to the following examples. The application examples of this invention are given to help people with average knowledge in this field with more complete understanding. When the detail ex-

planation of related notice function or composition is thought to unnecessarily confuse the essence of this invention, the detailed explanation will be skipped.

[18] Drawing 1 is an isometric perspective of the terminal in this invention. Referring to the above mentioned Drawing 1, there is an input part (110) for various letters and symbols in the terminal (100) in this invention. Especially, since the terminal in this invention should be small in size and have a simply designed input structure, it is desired to have a 4 rows and 4 columns structure.

[19] In other word, in the above mentioned limited 4 rows and 4 columns key arrangement structure, the keypad should be effectively used to input English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, electric signals,

[20] electronic signals and other various languages (like Japanese, Chinese, Arabics,

Russian, Greek, etc).

[21] In the below, a detailed explanation of key arrangement to easily input various letters and numbers on an educational terminal (100) referring to Drawing 2 and 3.

[22] Drawing 2 shows the keypad structure for application example 1 in this invention.

Referring to the above mentioned mentioned Drawing 2, the keypad for the above mentioned mentioned terminal will has 4 rows and 4 columns, 16 buttons total.

[23] On the other hand, the number of buttons is set forth to show an application example for better understanding, it can be increased or reduced. For example, it can be consisted of 9 buttons - 3 rows and 3 columns or 25 buttons - 5 rows and 5 columns.

[24] The above mentioned mentioned keypad can be consisted of one or more mode conversion keys(201, 204), one or more shift keys(202, 203) and multiple general keys(205 or 216).

[25] The above mentioned mentioned mode conversion keys(201, 204) are used for mode conversion. For example, the above mentioned mentioned first mode conversion key(201) is used to change between Korean and English. And the above mentioned mentioned second mode conversion key(204) is used to change the mode to number regardless of the above mentioned mentioned first mode conversion key(201).

[26] And the above mentioned mentioned multiple general keys (205 or 216) are used to print a specific letter mapped with each input.

[27] And the above mentioned mentioned one or more shift keys(202, 203) are special keys to expand input of letters or symbols in this invention, with the input of the above mentioned mentioned general keys(205 or 216) at the same time, various preset letters and symbols are input. The above mentioned mentioned shift keys used for new functions with the above mentioned mentioned simultaneous input are used for general PC's but are not used for small educational devices like the ones in this invention. And in the small devices like mobile phones etc, since the keypad size is quite small, all the conversion keys are used but shift keys are hard to be used. But in this invention, shift

keys are used for small devices like the ones in PC's for user's input convenience. [28] For example, in the Korean input mode, when you input the above mentioned first shift key(202) and a general key mapped with number 1(205) at the same time,

' =i 'shown next to ' π ' will be input with the input of letter 1. As the same token, when you input number 2 and a general key mapped(209) at the same time, 's 'shown next to ' T— ' will be input with the input of letter 2. [29] Also, when you input the above mentioned second shift key(203) and a general key

(205) mapped with number 1, ¹ Ti 'shown next to 'π ' and [30] ^{l =} i ' will be input with the input of letter 1. As the same token, when you input number 3 and a general key mapped(213) at the same time, 'rc' shown next to ' ¹ ^ ' and

'Έ ' will be input with the input of letter 3. [31] And in the English input mode, the same shift key (202, 203) function can be applied samely in this invention [32] For example, when you input the above mentioned first shift key(202) and a general key mapped with number 1(205) at the same time, 'b' shown next to 'a' will be input with the input of letter 1. As the same token, when you input the above mentioned first shift key(202) and a general key mapped with number 1(209) at the same time,

'e' shown next to 'd' will be input with the input of letter 2. [33] Also, when you input the above mentioned second shift key(203) and a general key

(205) mapped with number 1, 'c' shown next to 'a' and [34] 'b' will be input with the input of letter 1. As the same token, when you input number

3 and a general key mapped(213) at the same time, 'i' shown next to 'g' and 'h' will be input with the input of letter 3. [35] In other word, the input of the first shift key(202) and the second shift key (203) together with the above mentioned each general keys(205 or 216) makes it possible to input preset other letters or symbols. [36] Drawing 3 shows the keypad structure of the terminal for the second application example in this invention. Referring to the above mentioned Drawing 3, as described in Drawing 2, the keypad for the above mentioned terminal can be composed of a total of 16 buttons, 4 rows and 4 columns. On the other hand, the number of buttons is set to show an application example for better understanding, it can be increased or reduced.

For example, it can be consisted of 9 buttons, 3 rows and 4 columns or 25 buttons, 5 rows and 5 columns. [37] The above mentioned keypad can be consisted of one or more mode conversion keys(301, 304), one or more shift keys(302, 303) and multiple general keys(305 or

316). [38] The above mentioned mode conversion key(301, 304) is used for mode conversion.

For example, the above mentioned first mode conversion key(301) is used to change

among mathematics, physics and chemistry (or electric signal, electronic signal possibly). And the above mentioned multiple general keys are used to print a specific letter mapped with each input.

[39] And the above mentioned one or more shift keys(302, 303) are special keys to expand input of letters or symbols in this invention, with the input of the above mentioned general keys (305 or 316) together, various preset letters and symbols are input.

[40] For example, in the mathematics input mode, when you input the above mentioned first shift key(302) and a general key mapped with number 4(306) at the same time, '% 'shown next to '4' will be input with the input of letter 4. As the same token, when you input number 5 and a general key mapped(310) at the same time, '-'shown next to '5 ' will be input with the input of letter 4.

[41] Also, when you input the above mentioned second shift key(303) and a general key

(306) mapped with number 1, '+' shown next to '4' and

[42] '%' will be input with the input of letter 1. As the same token, when you input number 5 and a general key mapped(310) at the same time, '='shown next to '5' and '-' will be input with the input of letter 5.

[43] And in the mathematics, physics, chemistry, electric/electronic signal input mode, using the above mentioned the first mode conversion key (301) or the second mode conversion key (304), the same shift key (301, 303) function can be applied samely in this invention.

[44] Drwaing 4 is a block diagram showing detailed composition of input device of the terminal for application example in this invention. Referring to Drawing 4, the input device for application example in this invention can be composed of keypad(400), input part(410), control part(420), memory(430), automata(440) and display(450) and etc. And the above mentioned control part (420) includes a simultaneous input sensing part (421) for the shift keys in this invention and the above mentioned memory (430) can include a code table(431) and a program memory (432), etc.

[45] The code table (431) included in the above mentioned memory(430) has codes for every possible consonants, vowels and special symbols which can be input by this invention and the above mentioned memory(432) includes a programmed code to perform various functions in the terminal(lOO).

[46] The above mentioned keypad(400) is equipped with various input keys (for example, mode conversion keys, general keys, shift keys) described on the above mentioned Drawing 2 and 3, and is outside the terminal for the user of the above mentioned terminal (100) to input letters or symbols.

[47] When a key on the above mentioned keypad (400)is made by the user of the terminal

(100), the above mentioned input part (410) recognizes it and sends electric signal for

the input to the control part (420).

[48] And the above mentioned control part (420) includes a simultaneous input sensing part (421) as described earlier, the above mentioned simultaneous sensing part (421) checks the electric signals from the above mentioned input part(410) and performs a decision making function on whether shift key and general key input is made simultaneously or not.

[49] Now, the above mentioned control part(421) matches the received electric signal from the above mentioned input part (410) with the codes stored in the code table (431) previously, sort the above mentioned received signal is a letter or a symbol, converts into the corresponding code and sends the above mentioned code to automata (440).

[50] Therefore, in this invention, when a shift key and general key input is made on the keypad (400) at the same time, the simultaneous input sensing part (421) of the above mentioned control part(420) recognizes the simultaneous input situation and sends the result to the memory part (430), then the above mentioned memory (430) confirms the matching code of the simultaneous shift key and general key input referring the above mentioned- mentioned code table (431). The above mentioned matching code in sent to the above mentioned automata through the above mentioned control part.

[51] The above mentioned automata(440) performs a function of generating Korean code by assembling each received code when the received code from the control part (420) is a Korean code, the above mentioned Korean code is printed in a readable information on the above mentioned display (450).

[52] Drawing 5 and 6 is a isometric perspective the terminal which has an attachable extended input device for the application example in this invention.

[53] Referring to the above mentioned Drawing 5 and 6, as described earlier, other input device can be included as an exclusive input device for the terminal in this invention and as an auxiliary input device attachable to the terminal.

[54] In other word, by attaching an extended input device (510,610) to the lower part of side of the terminal in the Drawing 5 and 6(500, 600), easy input of various letters and symbols which are inconvenient to input with the basic input device.

[55] The key input method described in this invention can be used not only for educational terminals but also for general phones, mobile phones, internet phones and computers (for example mini computers). In other word, it can be used for any input device which has restricted number of input buttons.

[56] Furthermore, as described earlier, the input method of the above mentioned keypad can be consisted of general type of hand pressing input keys or can be in a form of touch screen with a pen input, it can be in a form of holographic input device and laser input devices, too.

Industrial Applicability

[58] Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide key input devices and methods for entering many letters or symbols easily for educational terminals which has restricted number of keys.

[59] Also, the objective of this invention is to provide input devices and methods for entering letters and symbols easily using shift keys which can input preset letters and symbols when they are used with normal key input at the same time on an educational terminals.

[60] Also, the objective of this invention is to provide input devices and methods for entering various special symbols used in mathematics, physics, chemistry and etc using mode conversion keys on an educational terminals which has restricted input keys.

[61]