Abstract:
A method is provided for controlling the input of characters and numbers using function switches installed on a mobile digital device. In particularly, a method of controlling a mobile digital device so that a user can input characters and numbers to the mobile digital device, which includes a display panel and input switches that are arranged around the display panel is provided. The method includes: displaying icons for inputting characters that correspond to the input switches on the display panel, and when an input switch is pressed, receiving a signal related to the icon that corresponds to the pressed input switch.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-93169, filed on Dec. 18, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.  
         [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a method of controlling a mobile digital device, and more particularly, to a method of controlling the input of characters into a mobile digital device.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     There has been a rise in the usage of mobile digital devices as their functionalities have improved. The ability to enter characters, utilizing a user-friendly method, to edit the device functionality has become an essential part of these mobile digital devices.  
         [0006]     A method of inputting characters in mobile devices, such as digital cameras, is disclosed in Korea Utility Model Publication Nos. 1997-0063983 and 1997-0063993. The former discloses a digital video camera that displays a character window on a display panel, and the characters are sensed by and input into the digital video camera by touching the character window with one&#39;s fingers. The latter discloses a digital video camera that displays a character window on a display panel. Characters are then input into the digital video camera by moving the characters into the input window with a cursor. Also, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2001-0052934 discloses a digital camera that produces characters using voice recognition.  
         [0007]     The digital video camera of Korea Utility Model Publication No. 1997-0063983 requires a separate device to sense a touch of the fingers on the digital video camera, and the digital video camera of Korea Utility Model Publication No. 1997-0063993 has the problem of having to move each character using the cursor. Furthermore, the digital camera of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2001-0052934 requires a separate voice recognition device and memory to recognize a user&#39;s voice.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention provides a method of controlling and editing the functionality of a mobile digital device by using input buttons located on the device to input characters into the device.  
         [0009]     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a mobile digital device so that a user can input characters and numbers into the device using a display panel and input buttons located on the device. The method includes displaying, in the display panel, icons for inputting characters or numbers that correspond to the input buttons located on the mobile digital device and, when an input button is pressed, receiving the signal related to the icon that corresponds to the pressed input button.  
         [0010]     According to an aspect of the present invention, the cost of the mobile digital device is reduced because it does not require an additional input device. In addition, the user may conveniently input characters and numbers into the mobile digital device using the input buttons included in the mobile digital device. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]     The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a back view of one example of a mobile digital device, a digital camera, that illustrates an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the display panel, in this case a liquid crystal display, illustrating an example of when the English capital letter character mode is selected;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the display panel illustrating an example of when the English small letter character mode is selected;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the display panel illustrating an example of when the number mode is selected;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a front view of a display panel illustrating an example of when the modification mode is selected; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a display panel illustrating an example of when the end-input confirmation mode is selected. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is the rear view of a mobile digital device, a camera,  200  according to the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a liquid crystal display panel  220  is located in the lower left side of the camera case  210 . A plurality of input buttons are arranged around the liquid crystal display panel. A “play &amp; pause” button  260 , a “MF/delete” button  270 , and a “LCD/information” button  280  are respectively located from top to bottom on the left side of the liquid crystal display panel  220 . A “wide/thumbnail” button  240  and a “tele” button  250  are located near the top right of the case  210  and, located to the right of the display panel  220 , is a five-function mechanism  230  comprised of a “menu/OK” button  231  and four directional buttons  232 ,  233 ,  234 , and  235 . In addition, a play button  290  is located near the bottom right corner of the liquid crystal display panel  220 . When a user presses an input button, a controller (not shown) of the digital camera  200  receives a signal corresponding to the pressed input button.  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates the icons that are displayed by the controller on the liquid crystal display panel  300  when the English capital letter character mode of this invention is selected by the user. The liquid crystal display panel  300  is divided into two main windows, first and second regions  301  and  302 . In the top portion of the first region  301 , an English small letter character mode icon  306 , an English capital letter character mode icon  307 , and a number mode icon  308  are displayed. The shaded icon indicates the input mode that is currently activated. In the present example, the English capital letter character mode icon  307  is activated. The English capital letter character mode is the default input mode. The relative locations of the plurality of icons displayed in the first region  301  correspond to the relative locations of the input buttons shown in  FIG. 1 . Therefore, icons  360 ,  370 , and  380 , which respectively correspond to the “play &amp; pause” button  260 , the “MF/delete” button  270 , and the “LCD/information” button  280 , are displayed from top to bottom to the left the icon  320  which corresponds to the liquid crystal display panel  220 . Also, the icons  331 ,  332 ,  333 ,  334 , and  335  that correspond respectively to the “menu/OK” button  231  and the four directional buttons  232 ,  233 ,  234 , and  235  of the five-function mechanism  230  shown in  FIG. 1  are located to the right of the liquid crystal display panel icon  320  in  FIG. 2 . Icon  340  and icon  350  that correspond to the “wide/thumbnail” button  240  and the “tele” button  250 , respectively, are displayed above the icon  331 , icon  332 , icon  333 , icon  334 , and icon  335 . Icon  390  that corresponds to the play button  290  is displayed at the bottom right corner of icon  320 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , English capital letter characters from “A” to “Z” and characters “@”, “:”, “/”, “-”, “.”, “,”, “?”, and “!” are written on icons  340 ,  350 ,  334 ,  335 ,  332 ,  333 ,  360 ,  370 ,  380 , and  390  such that each character may be input by pressing the input buttons that correspond to the displayed icons  340 ,  350 ,  334 ,  335 ,  332 ,  333 ,  360 ,  370 ,  380 , and  390 . If there is a character a user wants to input, the user finds the icon on the liquid crystal display panel  300  that corresponds to the character and presses the input button that corresponds to that icon. The controller then receives a signal from the input button and displays the corresponding character in the second region  302 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates the icons that are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel  400  when the English small letter character mode is selected by the user. Referring to  FIG. 3 , in the top portion of region  401 , the English small letter character mode icon  406 , the English capital letter character mode icon  407 , and the number mode icon  408  are displayed. The English small letter character mode icon  406  is shaded and is therefore activated in the present example. Similar to the icons displayed when the English capital letter character mode icon  307  is activated, icons  431 ,  440 ,  450 ,  434 ,  435 ,  432 ,  433 ,  460 ,  470 ,  480 ,  490 , and  420  are displayed when the English small letter character mode icon is activated. English small letter characters from “a” to “z” and characters “@”, “:”, “/”, “-”, “.”, “,”, “?”, and “!” are written on icons  440 ,  450 ,  434 ,  435 ,  432 ,  433 ,  460 ,  470 ,  480 , and  490  such that each character may be input by pressing the input buttons that correspond to the displayed icons  440 ,  450 ,  434 ,  435 ,  432 ,  433 ,  460 ,  470 ,  480 , and  490 . When the input button that corresponds to an icon is pressed, the controller receives a signal from the input button and displays the appropriate character in region  402 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  illustrates the icons that are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel  500  when the number mode is selected by the user. Referring to  FIG. 4 , in the top portion of region  501 , the English small letter character mode icon  506 , the English capital letter character mode icon  507 , and the number mode icon  508  are displayed. The number mode icon  508  is shaded and is therefore activated in the present example. Similar to the English capital letter character mode and the English small letter character mode, icons  531 ,  540 ,  550 ,  534 ,  535 ,  532 ,  533 ,  560 ,  570 ,  580 ,  590 , and  520  are displayed. Numbers from “0” to “9” are written on icons  540 ,  550 ,  534 ,  535 ,  532 ,  533 ,  560 ,  570 ,  580 , and  590 , such that each number may be input by pressing the input button that correspond to the appropriate icon. When the input button that corresponds to the icon is pressed, the controller receives a signal from the input button and displays the corresponding number in region  502 .  
         [0022]     If the user is in the English small letter character mode, the English capital letter character mode or the number mode and wants to change the input mode or wants to correct an input character or number, the user presses button the “menu/OK” button  231 , which corresponds to icons  331 ,  441  and  531  respectively, for a predetermined amount of time, for example, about one second. This causes the icons for the modification mode to be displayed on the display panel  600  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , icons  631 ,  640 ,  650 ,  634 ,  635 ,  632 ,  633 ,  660 ,  670 ,  680 ,  690 , and  620  that correspond to the input buttons and the display panel are displayed in a first region  601 . In addition, the icons for the English small letter character mode  606 , the English capital letter character mode  607 , and the number mode  608  are displayed in the top portion of region  601 . In the present example illustrated by  FIG. 5 , the English small letter character mode icon  606  is shaded and is the input mode that is activated.  
         [0023]     The icons  640  and  650  show the scrolling direction for the “wide/thumbnail” button  240  and the “tele” button  250  that are used to select the input mode. When the “wide/thumbnail” button  240  that corresponds to icon  640  is pressed, the icon to the left of the currently shaded input mode icon becomes shaded, and when the “tele” button  250  that corresponds to icon  650  is pressed, the icon to the right of the currently shaded input mode icon becomes shaded. When the “menu/OK” button  231 , which corresponds to icon  631 , is then pressed for a predetermined amount of time, the controller changes the input mode to that indicated by the newly shaded icon.  
         [0024]     In addition to changing the input mode, characters or numbers can also be changed while in the modification mode. As an example of correcting characters, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , when the “play &amp; pause” button  260  that corresponds to icon  660  is pressed, a cursor (not shown) in region  602  moves to the last character. When the directional buttons  232 ,  233 ,  234 , and  235  that correspond to the directional icons  632 ,  633 ,  634 , and  635  are pressed, the cursor moves up, down, left or right, respectively, to move to the desired character shown in region  602 . When the play button  290  that corresponds to icon  690  is pressed, the character in front of the cursor is deleted. The controller displays the input mode again when the “menu/OK” button  231  that corresponds to icon  631  is pressed for a predetermined amount of time after the input characters are corrected.  
         [0025]     In the input mode or the modification mode, when the “menu/OK” button  231  that corresponds to icons  331 ,  431 ,  531 , and  631  is pressed for a predetermined amount of time, for example more than one second, a liquid crystal display panel  700  as illustrated in  FIG. 6  corresponding to an end-input confirmation mode is displayed. Referring to  FIG. 6 , an “OK” icon  706  and a “cancel” icon  707  are displayed in the top portion of the liquid crystal display panel  700 . Icons  731 ,  740 ,  750 ,  734 ,  735 ,  732 ,  733 ,  760 ,  770 ,  780 ,  790 , and  720  that correspond to input buttons and the display panel are also displayed. The user can shade the “OK” icon  706  and the “cancel” icon  707  using the directional buttons  234  and  235  that correspond to directional icons  734  and  735 . That is, the directional button  234  that corresponds to icon  734  will shade the icon to the left, and directional button  235  that corresponds to icon  735  will shade the icon to the right. If the “menu/OK” button  231  that corresponds to icon  731  is pressed when the “OK” icon  706  is shaded, the controller ends the character or number inputting mode. Conversely, if the “menu/OK” button  231  that corresponds to icon  731  is pressed when the “cancel” icon  707  is shaded, the controller displays the character or number input mode again.  
         [0026]     In a method of controlling a mobile digital device according to the present invention, icons that correspond to input buttons are displayed on a display panel and characters or numbers are input when a user presses input buttons that correspond to the displayed icons. Therefore, the convenience of the user is increased. In addition, a mobile digital device that adopts the method of the present invention does not require a separate sensor for inputting information, thereby lowering the cost of the mobile digital device. Furthermore, since it is possible to input characters or numbers by using the input buttons on the mobile digital device, the user may use the mobile digital device with ease.  
         [0027]     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.