Abstract:
A touch screen has a keyboard which has several areas of keys. Each area is sizable, including enlarging and shrinking, and movable. Because the sizes of the keys areas are controllable, the keyboard does not occupy the whole screen and the areas are not too small to clearly see the keys. With the present invention, more room is left for flexible operations.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a keyboard on a touch screen; more particularly, relates to changing a display status of a key area to fulfill user&#39;s requests. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0002]    A general keyboard structure  5  for touch screen comprises a touch screen  51  and a keyboard  52  in the touch screen  51 . The keyboard  52  comprises a main key area  521 , a number key area  522  and a function key area  523 , where a user hits a key in the main key area  521 , the number key area  522  or the function key area  523  on the touch screen  51 ; after a recognition and an operation through an operation member, a key definition member feeds back a key definition to the operational member to be confirmed and then the key definition is outputted to be displayed on the touch screen  51 . 
         [0003]    Although the keyboard structure  5  displays the key on the touch screen  51 , the main key area  521 , the number key area  522  and the function key area  523  are horizontally fixed at the lower part on the touch screen  51 , whose sizes, shapes and arrangement are not changeable. Therefore, when a user wants to use the main key area  521 , the number key area  522  or the function key area  523  only, the main key area  521 , the number key area  522  and the function key area  523  are still displayed simultaneously. A great part of the touch screen  51  is still occupied and no additional room is left for flexibility. Hence, the prior art does not fulfill users&#39; requests on actual use. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The main purpose of the present invention is to input a key display status or a key usage status from an I/O control unit; after being computed in an algorithm unit coordinated with a memory unit and a key definition unit, to display the key display status or the key usage status by the I/O control unit; and then so to change the display statuses of key areas to fulfill user&#39;s requests. 
         [0005]    To achieve the above purpose, the present invention is a multi-functional keyboard on a touch screen, comprising an I/O control unit, an algorithm unit, a memory unit and a key definition unit, where the I/O control unit has a plurality of key areas to input a key display status or a key usage status; the algorithm unit is connected with the I/O control unit to receive the key display status or the key usage status; the memory unit has a display status database and is connected with the algorithm unit to receive signal of the key display status to be displayed by the I/O control unit; and the key definition unit is connected with the algorithm unit and receives signal of the key usage status to be displayed by the I/O control unit. Accordingly, a novel multi-functional keyboard on a touch screen is obtained. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is the perspective view showing the preferred embodiment according to the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is the block view; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is the first view showing changing the key display status; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is the block view showing the flow for the key display status; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is the view showing the key usage status; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is the block view showing the flow for the key usage status; 
           [0013]      FIG.7  is the second view showing changing the key display status; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is the third view showing changing the key display status; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is the perspective view of the prior art. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0016]    The following description of the preferred embodiment is provided to understand the features and the structures of the present invention. 
         [0017]    Please refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  which are a perspective view and a block view showing a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. As shown in the figures, the present invention is a multi-functional keyboard on a touch screen, comprising an input/output (I/O) control unit  1 , an algorithm unit  2 , a memory unit  3  and a key definition unit  4 , where statuses of key areas are changed to fulfill user&#39;s requests. 
         [0018]    The I/O control unit  1  is a touch screen and comprises a key area zone  10 , where the key area zone  10  comprises a main key area  11 , a number key area  12  and a function key area  13 ; and inputs a key display status  14  or a key usage status  15 . 
         [0019]    The algorithm unit  2  is connected with the I/O control unit  1  and receives the key display status  14  or the key usage status to be recognized and computed. 
         [0020]    The memory unit  3  is connected with the algorithm unit  2  and comprises a display status database  30 , where the memory unit  3  receives the key display status  14  after the key display status  14  is computed by the algorithm unit  2 ; the key display status  14  is fed back to the algorithm unit  2  to be confirmed; and then the key display status  14  is outputted by the I/O control unit  1 . 
         [0021]    The key definition unit  4  is connected with the algorithm unit  2 , where the key definition unit  4  receives the key usage status  15  after the key usage status  15  is computed by the algorithm unit  2 ; the key usage status  15  is fed back to the algorithm unit  2  to be confirmed; and then the key usage status  15  is outputted by the I/O control unit  1 . Thus a novel multi-functional keyboard on a touch screen is obtained. 
         [0022]    Please refer to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , which are a first view showing changing a key display status and a block view showing a flow for the key display status. As shown in the figures, when operating a key display status  14  in a key area zone  10  of an I/O control unit  1 , a user directly in puts the key display status  14  from the key area zone  10 , where the key display status  14  is an operation signal for enlarging, shrinking, decomposing, moving, combining, border changing, normalizing, and position changing; and the key area zone  10  comprises a main key area  11 , a number key area  12  and a function key area  13 . The operation signal of the key display status  14  is then transferred to and received by an algorithm unit  2  by the I/O control unit  1  to be recognized and computed. And then the computed key display status  14  is transferred to a memory unit  3  by the algorithm unit  2 . Corresponding data to the operation of the key display status  14  is obtained from operation libraries in a display status database  30  of the memory unit  3 , where the operation libraries comprises an area enlarging library  31 , an area shrinking library  32 , an area decomposing library  33 , an area moving library  34 , an area combining library  35 , an area border library  36 , a normal area library  37  and a key positioning library  38 . After the data to the operation of the key display status  14  are fed back to the algorithm unit  2 , the operation for the key display status  14  is outputted by the I/O control unit  1  to show the status of the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13  as the user operates. 
         [0023]    Please refer to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , which are a view showing a key usage status and a block view showing a flow for the key usage status. As shown in the figures, when operating a key usage status  15  in a key area zone  10  of an I/O control unit  1 , a user inputs the key usage status  15  from the key area zone  10 , where the key area zone  10  comprises a main key area  11 , a number key area  12  and a function key area  13 . The operation signal of the key usage status  15  is then transferred to and received by an algorithm unit  2  by the I/O control unit  1  to be recognized and computed. And then the computed key usage status  15  is transferred to a key definition unit  4  by the algorithm unit  2 . After a key definition is fed back to the algorithm unit  2 , the key definition for the key usage status  15  is outputted by the I/O control unit  1  to show the key hit amidst the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13  as the user operates. 
         [0024]    Please refer to  FIG. 7 , which is a second view showing changing a key display status. As shown in the figure, a main key area  11 , a number key area  12  and a function key area  13  of a key area zone  10  each has a hidden key  16  at a default position. The hidden key  16  is generally hidden at a space of the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  and the function key area  13 . When using the hidden key  16 , a user touches at the space of the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13 ; and the hidden key  16  displays an enlarging icon, a shrinking icon and a moving icon. The user chooses an icon among the enlarging icon, the shrinking icon and the moving icon according to a request; then the enlarging icon, the shrinking icon and the moving icon are removed. In the process, an operation of enlarging, shrinking or moving of the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13  is chosen by the user through the I/O control unit  1 . A signal of enlarging, shrinking or moving is then transferred from the hidden key  16  to the algorithm unit  2  to be recognized and computed. And then the signal for the key display status  14  after being computed is transferred to a memory unit  3  by the algorithm unit  2 . At last, data for displaying the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13  are obtained from the display status database  30  of the memory unit  3  to be displayed by the I/O control unit  1 . 
         [0025]    Please refer to  FIG. 8  which is a third view showing changing a key display status. As shown in the figure, a main key area  11 , a number key area  12  and a function key area  13  of a key area zone  10  each has a displayed key  17  at a default position. The displayed key  17  is generally displayed at an upper position of the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  and the function key area  13 . When using the displayed key  17 , a user touches at the upper position of the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13 ; and the displayed key  17  displays an enlarging icon, a shrinking icon and a moving icon. The user chooses an icon among the enlarging icon, the shrinking icon and the moving icon according to a request; then the enlarging icon, the shrinking icon and the moving icon are removed. In the process, an operation of enlarging, shrinking or moving of the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13  is chosen by the user through the I/O control unit  1 . A signal of enlarging, shrinking or moving is then transferred from the displayed key  17  to the algorithm unit  2  to be recognized and computed. And then the signal for the key display status  14  after being computed is transferred to a memory unit  3  by the algorithm unit  2 . At last, data for displaying the main key area  11 , the number key area  12  or the function key area  13  are obtained from the display status database  30  of the memory unit  3  to be displayed by the I/O control unit  1 . 
         [0026]    To sum up, the present invention is a multi-functional keyboard on a touch screen, where a key display status or a key usage status is inputted from an I/O control unit; after being computed in an algorithm unit coordinated with a memory unit and a key definition unit, the key display status or the key usage status is displayed by the I/O control unit; and the display statuses of key areas are changeable to fulfill user&#39;s requests. 
         [0027]    The preferred embodiment herein disclosed is not intended to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, simple modifications or variations belonging to the equivalent of the scope of the claims and the instructions disclosed herein for a patent are all within the scope of the present invention.