Patent ID: 7948476

Claim:
An input method using a touch panel input apparatus in which a touch panel is laminated onto a display screen of a display apparatus, a sensor unit is formed so as to be expanded to the outside of one side of said display screen, an instruction according to a touching position of a finger or a touch pen onto said sensor unit is given, and a controller generates a control signal on the basis of said instruction, comprising the steps of: displaying a selection display, comprising a plurality of selection items along said side of said display screen, while the finger or the touch pen is initially touched and remains in contact with said sensor unit; highlighting said selection items when the finger or the touch pen is near said selection items without moving over a highlighted selection item as the finger or touch pen remains in contact with said sensor unit after the initial touch and is moved along said side on said sensor unit; automatically selecting said highlighted selection item upon lifting the finger or the touch pen from contact with said sensor unit at the position of the highlighted selection item after being moved along said side on said sensor unit; and cancelling a selection display when the finger or the touch pen is moved away from said sensor unit, wherein a single touch, move and release contact operation of the finger or the touch pen with the sensor unit executes a combined operation (a) to display the selection display and (b) to select a desired selection item in the selection display.