An electronic apparatus

Abstract: An improved small electronic apparatus such as an electronic organizer is disclosed. In the appa­ ratus, data to be kept stored is prevented from being erroneously deleted. This apparatus comprises: a memory, a plurality of input keys; a temporary deletion means for, when a first predetermined key operation is performed, setting desired data which is stored in the memory into a temporary deletion state; a deletion means for, when a second predetermined key operation is performed, deleting the data which has been set into the temporary deletion state from the memory means; and a release means for, when a third predetermined key operation is performed, releasing the temporary dele­ tion state of the data which has been set into the temporary deletion state.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention: This invention is related to an electronic apparatus, and more particularly to an electronic apparatus having a memory means such as an electronic organizer. 2. Description of the prior art: Compact electronic apparatus equipped with a memory means and a display means, and capable of storing data and displaying the recorded data using these means have come into wide use. Since these electronic apparatus are capable of recording telephone numbers, schedules and other data, they are expected to be used as a recording means for replacing the conventional paper pocket notebook. Below, as a typical example of such electronic apparatus, an electronic organizer will be described. An electronic organizer is provided with keys including numeral keys and character keys. The user uses these keys to store schedules, telephone numbers, memos and other data in an internal memory. The data entered using the character keys can also be converted to kanji (chinese characters) using a kanji conversion function. Further, data stored in the memory can be displayed as desired by operating keys. When deleting data stored in the memory, the data to be deleted (hereinafter, such data is referred to as "target data") is read from the memory to be displayed on a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and then the delete key is pressed to delete the target data from the memory. Since the storage capacity of the memory means is limited in an electronic organizer, unnecessary data must be deleted. Once data is deleted in an electronic organizer, it is completely erased, so in order to recover deleted data, it must be re-entered. When deleting data, therefore, the user must carefully determine that he is deleting the data which is really unnecessary, in order to avoid accidentally deleting necessary data. This kind of problem in data deletion detracts from the availability or usability of an electronic organizer. An attempt to address this problem is disclosed in Benutzer-Handbuch für Bürokommunikationssysteme, Siemens AG, 1986, no. A30820-A5803-V10-2-18, pages 0/1, 2/4, 9/3, 9/5-9/8, which discloses a workstation comprising memory means, temporary deletion means for setting desired data that is stored in the memory means into a temporary deletion state, deletion means for deleting the data that has been set into the temporary deletion state from memory means, and release means for alternatively releasing the temporary deletion state of the data that has been set into the temporary deletion state. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The electronic apparatus of this invention, which overcomes the above-discussed and numerous other disadvantages of the prior art, comprises memory means and a plurality of input keys, and further comprises: temporary deletion means for, when a first predetermined key operation is performed, setting desired data that is stored in said memory means into a temporary deletion state; deletion means for, when a second predetermined key operation is performed, deleting said data that has been set into the temporary deletion state from said memory means; and release means for, when a third predetermined key operation is performed, releasing the temporary deletion state of said data that has been set into the temporary deletion state. The apparatus is characterized in that: said electronic apparatus is a compact electronic apparatus; said memory means comprises a plurality of data fields and temporary deletion fields, said temporary deletion fields corresponding to data fields, respectively; said temporary deletion means writes information into the temporary deletion field that corresponds to one of said data fields that stores data to be set to the temporary deletion state, said information being indicative that data stored in said data field corresponding to said temporary deletion field is in tne temporary deletion state; and said release means rewrites information stored in the temporary deletion field to other information, said temporary deletion field corresponding to one of said data fields that stores data to be released from the temporary deletion state, said other information being indicative that said data stored in said corresponding data field is not in the temporary deletion state. In another embodiment, said deletion means deletes data stored in data fields which correspond respectively to temporary deletion fields storing said information. In a further embodiment, said apparatus further comprises: a display device; a display means for reading desired data from said memory means and displaying said desired data on said display device; and a temporary deletion means for, when a first predetermined key operation is performed, setting data which is displayed on said display means to a temporary deletion state. In the above-mentioned construction, said apparatus further may comprise a marking means for, when data set to the temporary deletion state is displayed on said display device, displaying one or more marks together with the data displayed on said display device, said one or more marks being indicative that displayed data is in the temporary deletion state. In a further embodiment, said deletion means deletes data stored in data fields which correspond respectively to temporary deletion fields storing said information. Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the objectives of: (1) providing an electronic apparatus in which the user can delete target data with peace of mind; and (2) providing an electronic apparatus in which target data can be temporarily deleted, and thereafter the user can decide to delete or to retain the target data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This invention may be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings as follows: Figure 1A shows diagrammatically the configuration of a memory means used in one embodiment of the invention. Figure 1B shows diagrammatically the contents of the memory means of Figure 1A. Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the embodiment. Figures 3A to 3C show the key operation sequences and the corresponding displays. Figure 4 is a block diagram of the embodiment. Figure 5 is a front view of the embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 4 shows an electronic organizer according to the invention. The electronic organizer of Figure 4 comprises a CPU 1, a program ROM 2, a work RAM 3, a C.G. ROM 4, and an LCD 5, an LCD driver 6, a display RAM 7, a communication unit 8, a key unit 9, and a data RAM 10. The CPU 1 controls the entire electronic organizer by executing the program stored in the program ROM 2. The work RAM 3 is a RAM used as the work area when the CPU 1 conducts the control process. The C.G. ROM 4 is a ROM in which character patterns for display are stored. The LCD driver 6 converts character patterns in the display RAM 7 into electric signals, and supplies them to the LCD 5. Each bit in the display RAM 7 corresponds to one pixel in the LCD 5. The communication unit 8 sends and receives data to and from other apparatus. As shown in Figure 5, the key unit 9 includes numeral keys 91, character keys 92 (alphabet, kana (Japanese characters), etc.), SEARCH keys 93, a delete (DEL) key 94, an EDIT key 95, a SPECIAL FUNCTION key 96, and an ENTER key 97. The configuration of the data RAM 10 is shown in Figure 1A. The data RAM 10 has a plurality of data fields 11 and temporary deletion fields 12 which respectively correspond to the data fields 11. The data fields 11 store data, and the temporary deletion fields 12 store a special code or normal code. The temporary deletion fields 12 are used to distinguish whether or not the data in their corresponding data fields are in a temporarily deleted state (hereinafter, referred to as "temporary deletion state"). The temporary deletion state is an intermediate data state in which the data has not been actually deleted; i.e., the data has not been erased from the data RAM 10. The special code is indicative that data stored in the data field 11 corresponding to the temporary deletion field 12 storing the special code stores data which is set to the temporary deletion state. The normal code is a predetermined code which is other than the special code, and indicates that data stored in the data field 11 corresponding to the temporary deletion field 12 storing the normal code stores data which is not set to the temporary deletion state. The data field 11 can be either a fixed length or a variable length. In the case of variable length, the temporary deletion field 12 may be allocated to the delimiter area between data. Figure 1B shows the contents of the data RAM 10. In Figure 1B, two units of telephone directory data (a person's name and telephone number) are respectively stored in first and second data fields 11. in this case, the first temporary deletion field 12 stores the special code, and therefore data stored in the first data field 11 is in the temporary deletion state. By contrast, data stored in the second data field 11 is not set to the temporary deletion state, and the second temporary deletion field 12 stores the normal code. The operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2. When any key is pressed in step S1, the kind of pressed key is discriminated in step S2. When a key other than the DEL key 94 or EDIT key 95 is pressed, the process corresponding to the key pressed in step S1 is executed in step S3. For example, if one of the SEARCH keys 93 is pressed in step S1, the data is read out from the storage means in step S3 and displayed on the LCD 5 (this process is referred to as "call"). (A) Setting of the temporary deletion state When the DEL key 94 is pressed in step S1 after data has been called, the temporary deletion field 12 corresponding to the data field 11 storing that data is checked in step S51 to determine whether or not that the data is in the temporary deletion state (ie., whether or not the temporary deletion field 12 stores the special code). If the data is not in the temporary deletion state (the temporary deletion field 12 stores the normal code), the process proceeds to step S52 in which the data is set to the temporary deletion state (i.e., the special code is stored in the corresponding temporary deletion field 12), and horizontal lines 20 are displayed over the data displayed in the LCD 5 as shown in Figure 3A to indicate that the data has been set to the temporary deletion state. The key operation for setting data to the temporary deletion state and the display of the LCD 5 corresponding to the key operation are shown in Figure 3A. The key operation shown in Figure 3A causes the data RAM 10 to attain the state shown in Figure 1B. In this embodiment, the same key (the DEL key 94) is used for setting data to the temporary deletion state and also for actually deleting data which is the temporary deletion state. The present invention is not limited to this configuration. (B) Cancel of the temporary deletion state When the EDIT key 95 is pressed in step S1 after data has been called, the temporary deletion field 12 corresponding to the data field 11 storing that data is checked in step S41 to determine whether or not that the data is in the temporary deletion state. If the data is in the temporary deletion state (i.e., the corresponding temporary deletion field 12 stores the special code), the contents of the corresponding temporary deletion field 12 are rewritten (from the special code to the normal code), and the temporary deletion state of the data is canceled (step S42). The horizontal lines 20 over the data in the LCD 5 are erased. The data edit mode is automatically set after the temporary deletion state of the data is canceled (step S43). When the present data is to be retained in the data RAM 10, the ENTER key 97 is then pressed. When the called data is not in the temporary deletion state, the process jumps step S42 to advance from step S41 to step S43. An example of key operations used in this embodiment to cancel the temporary deletion state of data and retain the data, and an example of the corresponding display are shown in Figure 3C. As described above, in the electronic organizer of this embodiment, target data or data considered unnecessary can be tentatively set to the temporary deletion state, and after a certain period has elapsed, data which is truly unnecessary can be confirmed and deleted. Therefore, the danger of accidentally deleting data that are really necessary, which may occur in a prior art electronic apparatus, is avoided. Alternatively, the process may proceed to step S1 after the temporary deletion state is canceled in step S42. In this case, it is preferable to provide a key for canceling the temporary deletion state which key is separate from the EDIT key. The electronic organizer may be designed so that the combined key operation of the SPECIAL FUNCTION key 96 and another key causes the batch deletion of all data which are in the temporary deletion state. It may be possible to dispose old data including temporarily deleted data by transferring them to an external storage device connected to the electronic organizer through the communication unit 8. According to the invention, stored data considered to be unnecessary can be tentatively deleted, and then the decision to actually delete the data or recover it can be made later. The electronic apparatus of this invention has the utility of a paper notebook not found in prior art electronic apparatus, so it can be used with the same peace of mind as a paper notebook. An operator using the electronic apparatus of this invention can avoid the danger of accidentally deleting necessary data.

Claims: In an electronic apparatus comprising memory means (2, 3, 4, 7, 10) and a plurality of input keys (9), said apparatus further comprises: temporary de!etion means (94) for, when a first predetermined key operation is performed, setting desired data that is stored in said memory means into a temporary deletion state; deletion means (94) for, when a second predetermined key operation is performed, deleting said data that has been set into the temporary deletion state from said memory means; and release means (95) for, when a third predetermined key operation is performed, releasing the temporary deletion state of said data that has been set into the temporary deletion state; characterized in that said electronic apparatus is a compact electronic apparatus; said memory means comprises a plurality of data fields (11) and temporary deletion fields (12), said temporary deletion fields corresponding to data fields, respectively; said temporary deletion means writes information into the temporary deletion field that corresponds to one of said data fields that stores data to be set to the temporary deletion state, said information being indicative that data stored in said data field corresponding to said temporary deletion field is in the temporary deletion state; and said release means rewrites information stored in the temporary deletion field to other information, said temporary deletion field corresponding to one of said data fields that stores data to be released from the temporary deletion state, said other information being indicative that said data stored in said corresponding data field is not in the temporary deletion state. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said deletion means deletes data stored in data fields that correspond respectively to temporary deletion fields storing said information. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises: a display device (5); display means (6) for reading desired data from said memory means and displaying said desired data on said display device; and said temporary deletion means, when said first predetermined key operation is performed, sets data that is displayed on said display means to the temporary deletion state. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said apparatus further comprises marking means (94) for, when data set to the temporary deletion state is displayed on said display device, displaying one or more marks together with the data displayed on said display device, said one or more marks being indicative that displayed data is in the temporary deletion state. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said deletion means deletes data stored in data fields that correspond respectively to temporary deletion fields storing said information.

Inventors: INUI KENICHI, INUI, KENICHI
Applicants: SHARP KK, SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1990
Main classification: G06F15
IPC codes: G06F12, G06F15