Patent ID: 7420544

Claim:
An information processing apparatus controlled by an operating system including a keyboard driver and a utility separate from the keyboard driver, comprising: a keyboard including a plurality of keys arranged thereon including a predetermined specific key; a display configured to display information in response to pressing one of the plurality of keys; a key lock enabling device configured to switch the information processing apparatus between a key lock disabled state and a key lock enabled state; a specific key locking device configured to switch the information processing apparatus between a specific key locked state to a specific key unlocked state, the specific key locked state being a state in which the predetermined specific key is considered by the information processing apparatus to be pressed down when the predetermined specific key is not actually pressed, the specific key unlocked state being a state in which the predetermined specific key is not considered by the information processing apparatus to be pressed down when the predetermined specific key is not actually pressed, the specific key locking device being functional only when the key lock enabled state is set; and a built-in controller including a keyboard controller configured to inform the keyboard driver that a key other than the predetermined specific key has been pressed or released when the specific key locked state is not set, and a special key controller configured to inform the utility separate from the keyboard driver that the predetermined special key has been pressed, wherein the specific key locking device is configured to instruct the utility via the special key controller to execute a predetermined locked state hotkey operation when the specific key locked state is enabled and after a second predetermined key is pressed, and the specific key locking device is configured to switch the information processing apparatus from the specific key locked state to the specific key unlocked state when the predetermined specific key is pressed and released, the key other than the predetermined specific key is pressed and released while the predetermined specific key is not pressed, or the predetermined specific key is pressed and held, and the second predetermined key is pressed, said built-in controller further configured, after the specific key locked state is enabled and after the second predetermined key is pressed, to cause the display to display a menu including a menu icon assigned to the predetermined locked state hotkey operation, wherein the built-in controller is further configured to cause the display to display or remove the menu in response to pressing or releasing of the predetermined specific key singly.