Patent ID: 9361022
Filing Date: 2016-06-07
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A character input apparatus comprising: a display having a touch panel and that displays a plurality of characters which are candidates for entry on a display surface corresponding to an operation surface of the touch panel, each of the characters being displayed in a corresponding area of the display that is associated with the character; a first touch panel control circuit configured to judge whether a user touches one of the corresponding areas of the operation surface that is associated with a particular one of the characters either with a single point or with plural points; a second touch panel control circuit configured to judge whether the user comes close to the one of the corresponding areas of the display surface that is associated with the particular one of the characters either with the single point or with the plural points without contacting the display surface; and a processor coupled to the display and to the first and second touch panel control circuits, the processor configured to (i) control the display to display a first version of the particular one of the characters in the corresponding area associated with the particular one of the characters when the user comes close to the corresponding area in the display surface associated with the particular one of the characters with the single point without contacting the display surface, and to display a second version of the particular one of the characters, different from the first version, in the corresponding area associated with the particular one of the characters when the user comes close to the corresponding area in the display surface associated with the particular one of the characters with the plural points without contacting the display surface, and (ii) receive an entry of the particular one of the characters associated with the corresponding area touched by the user among the plurality of characters, wherein the processor (a) receives the entry of the first version of the particular one of the characters when the user touches the corresponding area in the operation surface associated with the particular one of the characters with the single point and (b) receives the entry of the second version of the particular one of the characters when the user touches the corresponding area in the operation surface associated with the particular one of the characters with the plural points.