Patent ID: 6731227
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: G06F,H03M,H04M

Abstract:
A ten-key board type character input device for use with a wireless or a wired information terminal, which comprises:ten keys provided on said character input device, a switching means for switching allocation of characters to the respective ten keys, and a sensor for detecting a state of the switching allocation and an electronic circuit for switching the allocation of characters based on a signal from the sensor; wherein said switching means includes three switching functions to reproduce a qwerty arrangement, and said three switching functions comprise: a first switching function for allocating 9 characters positioned at 3 lateral keys and 3 vertical lines on a left side of 26 characters in the qwerty arrangement to 3 lateral keys and 3 vertical lines at same positions on said ten-key board among lateral keys and 4 vertical lines of the ten-key board; a second switching function for allocating 9 characters positioned in a central portion of the 26 characters in the qwerty arrangement to the keys on said ten-key board; and a third switching function for allocating 8 remaining characters on a right side of the qwerty arrangement to the keys on said ten-key board; wherein said sensor for detecting the state of the switching allocation comprises one of an inclination sensor and an angular velocity sensor provided at the character input device; wherein said one of said inclination sensor and said angular velocity sensor senses whether said character input device is one of inclined to the left, inclined to the right and at a normal position; and wherein said electronic circuit controls said switching means (i) to reproduce a predetermined number of characters on the left side of the qwerty arrangement on said ten-key board when said sensor senses that said character input device is inclined to the left, (ii) to reproduce the predetermined number of characters in the central portion of the qwerty arrangement when said sensor senses that said character input device is at the normal position, and (iii) to reproduce the remaining characters on the right side of the qwerty arrangement when said sensor senses that said character input device is inclined to the right.