Abstract:
An input device for an information terminal includes an operational experience determining device for determining the operational experience of a user in accordance with the speed of inputting data by the user to a data input screen and a display control device for changing the content on the data input screen in accordance with a result of the determination by the operational experience determining device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an input device for an information terminal, such as an automatic ticket vending machine installed in a station or an information retrieval terminal installed in a convenience store. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Recently, various services have been offered via information terminals. For example, tickets can be routinely purchased using automatic ticket vending machines at stations, and various information services are available using information terminals installed in convenience stores and the like. 
     However, since the user interface of an information terminal is implemented based on specifications of venders, a person unfamiliar with the operation of an information terminal is sometimes puzzled. Although a user interface in which operations of the information terminal are explicitly explained to novices may be designed, such a user interface may be annoying to experienced users, which may reduce the utility thereof. Furthermore, since conventional information terminals only display predetermined screens in accordance with a sequence of operations, there is a sense of artificiality and coldness. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an easy-to-use input device for an information terminal for both inexperienced and experienced users by changing operation guidance in accordance with the level of a user&#39;s experience with the input device for the information terminal. 
     To this end, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an input device for an information terminal which has an operational experience determining device for determining the operational experience of a user in accordance with the speed of inputting data by the user to a data input screen; and a display control device for changing the content on the data input screen in accordance with a result of the determination by the operational experience determining device. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention, an input device for an information terminal has an image display device, a data input device, and a display control device connected to the image display device and the data input device for creating images displayed on the image display device. In the input device, the display control device displays a predetermined operation guidance on the image display device when no data is input to the data input device within a predetermined period after a predetermined image is displayed on the image display device, while the display control device skips the operational guidance when data is input to the data input device within the predetermined period. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention, an input device for an information terminal includes an image display device including a touch panel, a microcomputer capable of receiving one of map data and music data from a host computer by means of communication in accordance with input data from the touch panel of the image display device, and a storage medium writing device for writing one of the map data and the music data received at the microcomputer onto a storage medium. 
    
    
     Other and further aspects of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a construction of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the outline of the screen transition in the information terminal; 
     FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the input device of the information terminal according to the present embodiment; 
     FIG. 4 is an illustration of an initial screen; and 
     FIGS. 5A to  5 D are illustrations of actions by an animated character in a display. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the attached drawings. 
     FIG. 1 shows the construction of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. This information terminal distributes map data or music data by writing map data for an area desired by a user or music data desired by a user onto a storage medium carried by the user. In the present embodiment, a semiconductor storage device, such as a smart card, a memory card or the like is used as the storage medium. Apart from the semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage medium or a magneto-optical storage medium may be used as the storage medium. 
     By loading the storage medium having the map data into an automobile navigation device, the latest map information of the desired area can be displayed on a display of the automobile navigation device. By loading a storage medium having the music data into automobile audio equipment, desired music can be listened to in an automobile. The storage medium can repeatedly be used by deleting unwanted data because it is rewritable. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the information terminal includes a microcomputer  11 , a display  12  having a cathode-ray tube (CRT) and the like, a transparent touch panel  13  provided on the front of the display  12 , a rewritable storage device  14 , and a proximity sensor  15 . The microcomputer  11  is connected via a communication line to a host computer (not shown) where data can be exchanged therebetween. Also, the microcomputer  11  has a built-in ROM (read-only memory)  16  which stores programs. In accordance with instructions of a program stored in the ROM  16 , the microcomputer  11  generates an image to be displayed on the display  12  and communicates with the host computer. 
     When the microcomputer  11  requests a user to input data, the display  12  displays buttons in accordance with an input item. The user presses a button on the display  12  and the microcomputer  11  senses the pressed button via the touch panel  13 . Data assigned to the pressed button is input to the microcomputer  11  as input data. 
     A storage medium is removable from the rewritable storage device  14 . When a storage medium is loaded into the rewritable storage device  14  and desired data is selected by pressing an appropriate button on the display  12 , the microcomputer  11  requests the host computer to send the desired data thereto. When the desired data is sent from the host computer, the rewritable storage device  14  writes the data onto the medium. 
     FIG. 2 shows the outline of the screen transition in the information terminal. The microcomputer  11  senses the approach of a user by the proximity switch  15  and displays “map-music selection menu” as an initial screen  21 . When the user selects “map” at the initial screen  21 , a medium-insertion-request-screen  22 , which requests the user to load a storage medium into the rewritable storage device  14 , is displayed. The user loads the storage medium into the rewritable storage device  14  and then a prefecture-name-selection-screen  23  containing a list of prefecture names is displayed. When the user selects the name of a desired prefecture from among the list of prefecture names, a city-name-selection-screen  24 , which contains a list of city names corresponding to the selected prefecture, is displayed. When the user selects the name of a desired city from among the list of city names, a map-data-download-screen  25  is displayed. When the map-data-download-screen appears, map data for the selected city is downloaded from the host computer and is written onto the storage medium loaded in the rewritable storage device  14 . Subsequently, an operation-completion-screen  30  is displayed. Thus, the process is completed. 
     When the user selects “music” at the initial screen  21 , a medium-insertion-request-screen  26  which requests the user to load a storage medium into the rewritable storage device  14  is displayed. The user loads the storage medium into the rewritable storage device  14  and then a performer-selection-screen  27  containing a list of names of performers is displayed. When the user selects the name of a desired performer from among the list of performer names, a song-selection-screen  28 , which contains a list of the titles of songs performed by the selected performer, is displayed. When the user selects the title of a desired song from among the listed song titles, a music-data-download-screen  29  is displayed. When the music-data-download-screen appears, music data for the selected song is downloaded from the host computer and is written onto the storage medium loaded in the rewritable storage device  14 . Subsequently, the operation-completion-screen  30  is displayed, and the process ends. 
     FIG. 3 shows the operation of the input device of the information terminal shown in FIG.  1 . FIG. 4 shows an example of the initial screen  21 . FIGS. 5A to  5 D show actions of an animated character in the display  12 . The animated character may be an animal or a person as long as users find it to be friendly. 
     At step S 11 , when the proximity sensor  15  senses the approach of a user, the process proceeds to step S 12 . At step S 12 , the initial screen  21  in FIG. 4 is displayed. In the initial screen  21 , an animated character  17  is displayed with animated bowing while a spoken message “welcome” is generated. 
     The process proceeds to step S 13  and determines whether or not data is input within a predetermined period, namely, whether or not a map button  18  or a music button  19  has been pressed. If data is input within the predetermined period, the process proceeds to the step S 15 , otherwise it proceeds to the step S 14 . 
     When the process proceeds to step S 14 , operation guidance starts by means of animation of the animated character  17 . The animated character  17  moves to a point represented by “A” shown in FIG.  4 . Then, for example, the animated character  17  is displayed with an animated pointing action pointing to the map button  18  as shown in FIG. 5C while a spoken message, “If you would like to download map data, please press the button labeled ‘map’”, is generated. Subsequently, the animated character  17  is displayed with an animated pointing action pointing to the music button  19  while a spoken message, “If you would like to download music data, please press the button labeled ‘music’”, is generated. Then the process proceeds to step S 13 . However, as soon as the map button  18  or the music button  19  is pressed, even though animation is being displayed in the middle of the above operation guidance, the process stops displaying the animation of the animated character  17  on the display  12  and proceeds to step S 15 . 
     At step S 15 , the animated character  17  is displayed animated so as to appear to be looking at the input data through a magnifying glass, as shown in FIG.  5 D. After that, the process proceeds to step S 16  and determines whether or not the input data is valid. For example, when either the map button  18  or the music button  19  is pressed in the initial screen  21  shown in FIG. 4, the process determines at step S 16  that the input data is valid and then proceeds to step S 18 . When the animated character  17  is pressed instead of the above buttons, the process determines at step S 16  that the input data is invalid and then proceeds to step S 17 . At step S 17 , the animated character  17  is displayed with an animated puzzled expression as shown in FIG.  5 B. Shortly thereafter, the process proceeds to step S 14  where the above operation guidance starts by means of the animation of the animated character  17  while the spoken operation guidance is generated. 
     When the process proceeds from step S 16  to step S 18 , in other words, when valid data is input, the animated character  17  is displayed with an animated nodding action. The process proceeds to step S 19  where the process determines whether or not required data has been input. If the process determines that data input processing is not complete, the process proceeds to step S 20  where the next screen is displayed. At step S 20 , when the next screen, for example, the performer-selection-screen  27  is displayed, the microcomputer  11  communicates with the host computer and downloads a list of performer names therefrom. The process creates the content of the performer-selection-screen  27  based on the list and proceeds to step S 13  where the process determines whether or not data has been input within the predetermined period. The waiting period at step S 13  may be different from the waiting period at the initial screen  21  and can be varied in accordance with the contents of the screen. Also, the waiting period may be varied in accordance with the period between when the initial screen  21  appears and when data is input to the initial screen  21 . 
     Thus, the user sequentially inputs data into the microcomputer  11 . When at step S 19  the process determines that the required data has been input, the process proceeds to step S 21 . At step S 21 , the microcomputer  11  downloads map data of the desired area or music data of the desired song from the host computer. The rewritable storage device  14  writes the downloaded data onto the loaded storage medium therein. In the operation-completion-screen  30 , the animated character  17  is displayed with an animated bowing action while a spoken message “thank you” is generated. Finally, the series of operations for the information terminal is completed. 
     In the embodiment of the present invention, the process determines whether or not operation guidance processing (animation and voice output) should be skipped in accordance with the experience of the user, in other words, the period between when a data input screen appears and when a button is pressed. Accordingly, since experienced users can skip unnecessary processing, such as the operational guidance and the spoken guidance, and can input data into the microcomputer  11  quickly, favorable usability is realized. On the other hand, since inexperienced users can be aided by the operation guidance of the animated character  17  as well as the spoken guidance, even absolute novices to terminals can comfortably handle the input device for the information terminal. 
     Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, when a user inputs valid data, the animated character  17  is displayed animated to be smiling or nodding. When the user inputs invalid data, the animated character  17  is displayed animated with a puzzled expression. Accordingly, these animations intuitively convey to the user whether or not the input data is valid, and also convey to the user a sense of friendliness from the animated character  17 , which may lessen the operational difficulties of the user.