JPH03189715A - Input key for electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the erasion of the important data by providing the color forming/light emitting means the keys with at least one of the color, the prinking cycle, and the luminance varied in accordance with the degree of danger to erase the data. CONSTITUTION:A red color forming/light emitting means is provided to a key that the danger to erase the data at operation together with a yellow light forming/light emitting means provided to a key having the possibility to erase data and needing the caution, and a blue color forming/light emitting means provided to a key having no danger to ears data respectively. Furthermore the color forming/light emitting means having rapid blinking operations are provided to the dangerous keys. Then is possible to provide the color forming/ light emitting means to the more dangerous keys. In such a way, the colors, the blinking cycles, and the luminance are combined. As a result, a user can recognize visually and intensively the danger to erase data with operation of those keys of different colors. Thus the important data are never erased.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] Regarding the input keys of electronic devices equipped with keys used as input devices of electronic devices, the present invention visually appeals to the user that there is a risk of data loss due to the operation of the keys. [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is used as an input device for electronic equipment, with the aim of ensuring safe key operations so as not to lose valuable data. The present invention relates to an input key of an electronic device including a key.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, with the wide spread of electronic devices such as information processing devices, electronic devices have become widespread even in fields that did not utilize electronic devices to a high degree, and opportunities to come into contact with electronic devices are increasing.

Since such electronic devices may be operated by inexperienced persons, valuable data may be lost due to an inadvertent erroneous operation of an input key.

Therefore, in order to prevent such data destruction, there is a need for a user interface that alerts users when performing dangerous operations such as deletion or resetting that could destroy data. A device has been proposed that displays a warning message on the display screen asking, ``Can I delete this data?'' when a key that instructs a dangerous process such as the one described above is operated.

[Problems that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in order to secure a message display area on the display screen for displaying such messages, there is a problem in that the display screen area used for actual data processing is reduced.

Furthermore, if the operator is concentrating on operating the keys, even if a message such as the one described above is displayed on the display screen, the operator may operate the keys incorrectly without looking at the message.

In addition, regarding the display on the key top, even though it is originally in the position that is most visible to the user, it simply displays the function name, so there is a risk of data loss due to that function. There was an inconvenience in that the necessary attention to the operation of the key was not aroused at all.

On the other hand, it has been proposed to visually distinguish the keys by coloring each key on the keyboard, but this coloring is used to facilitate the recognition of the operation range of the left and right fingers and the Japanese syllabary, for example. Therefore, there is an inconvenience in that it is not possible to visually distinguish between keys in which data is lost or at risk of being lost when the key is operated, and keys in which data does not disappear even when the key is operated.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned inconveniences.The present invention visually alerts the user to the risk of data loss by operating the key, and provides a safe way to prevent valuable data from being lost. This provides input keys that allow key operations to be performed.

[Means to solve the problem]

For the input keys of electronic devices with multiple keys, colors, blinking cycles,
The key is provided with a coloring/light-emitting means having at least one different brightness.

[For production]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the principle of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. Keys that may be erased and require caution are provided with a yellow coloring/light-emitting means, and safe keys with no risk of data loss are provided with a blue coloring/light-emitting means.

In addition, as shown in Figure 3), the dangerous keys mentioned above should be equipped with rapid-blinking colored/luminous means, the keys requiring caution should be fitted with slow-blinking colored/luminous means, and the above-mentioned safe keys should be fitted with colored/luminous means that blink slowly. Keys can be associated with non-blinking colored/light-emitting means.

Furthermore, as shown in the same figure (C), the above-mentioned dangerous keys are provided with a coloring/light-emitting means with low brightness, and the above-mentioned keys requiring caution are provided with a coloring/light-emitting means with intermediate brightness.
The above-mentioned safe key can also be associated with a color-emitting/light-emitting means with brighter brightness. Note that it is obvious that keys for instructing dangerous operations may be made brighter and safe keys may be made darker.

By combining color, blinking, and brightness as described above, the user is given a stronger visual appeal to the user about the risk of data loss by operating the key, and the key is used to prevent the loss of valuable data. You can perform operations.

〔Example〕

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment in which input keys according to the present invention are provided on a keyboard.
1 is provided with a plurality of keys 12 corresponding to various functions.
An LED is provided that emits a required color corresponding to the degree of risk of data loss.

The electronic device 21 includes a control section 22 for controlling and calculating data, and a storage section 23 for storing the initial state and changing state of the color, blinking, brightness, etc. of each of the plurality of keys 12. It goes without saying that this storage section can be used as part of a storage device for storing data, processing programs, and the like.

The keyboard II and the electronic device 21 are connected by a wired or wireless transmission path 31 for data transmission.

A color is assigned to each key 12 depending on the degree to which the function assigned to each key 12 has a risk of data loss.
Blinking or brightness is determined based on the above-mentioned FIG.

When the electronic device 21 is started by turning on the power, etc., the control unit 22 selects each of the plurality of keys 12 stored in the storage unit 23.
Since data for causing the LED to generate the color, blinking, or brightness of the initial state assigned to the key is sent to the keyboard 11, the LED provided in each key 12 emits light according to the predetermined initial state.

Therefore, when one key 12 is operated, that key 1
Since a signal indicating that the key 2 has been operated is sent to the control unit 22, the control unit 22 detects that the key 12 has been operated, and stores the change state data previously assigned to this key 12 from the storage unit 23. Since the signal is sent to the keyboard 11, the LED provided on the operated key 12 displays the color, blinking, or brightness according to a predetermined change state.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, by changing the color, flashing, or brightness of the LED provided on each key 12, the user is visually informed of the risk of data loss by operating that key. Key operations can be performed without losing valuable data.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which the input keys according to the present invention are applied to a keyboard for a Japanese word processor, and according to the present invention, these keys display colors according to the degree of risk of the operation instructed by each key. The case where this is done will be explained. It is assumed that the LED provided on each key does not emit light in an initial state, that is, a state in which no key is operated.

The keyboard 11A is provided with keys 12A1 to 12A6 for instructing movement, copying, insertion, deletion, and execution, respectively, and a kana key portion 12A consisting of a number of keys for inputting kana characters and the like.

The above-mentioned deletion key 12A is the one that instructs to erase data, so it has the highest degree of danger to the data, and is the first key.
When assigning a color as shown in Figure (a), it is desirable to assign the red shown on the right side, and also
This is because it gives an instruction to change data and has the possibility of causing some danger to the data.
It is desirable to assign the yellow color shown in the center of

On the other hand, a copy key 12A2 and an insert key 12A.

1 instructs copying and inserting without altering the data at all, so the data is safe even with that operation, and therefore the blue color shown on the left side in FIG. 1(a) can be assigned. Note that the LED of the execution key 12A is configured to change color as described later, and
Kana key part 12A6 has no operational danger, so
There is no need to provide an LED for display according to the invention.

To explain its operation, in order to delete a part of the created text data, for example, after specifying the deletion part in the text by moving the cursor, by pressing the delete key 12A4, the LED of the delete key 12A4 will turn on. It emits a predetermined red color to warn the user that a dangerous operation is being performed. At this time, the execution key 12A, LE
D may be controlled to maintain its initial non-emitting state, or to emit a blue color, for example, to indicate that an operation has been instructed.

If the user wishes to perform the deletion process despite the red warning, press the execution key 12A.

The data will be deleted by operating the execution key 1.
The 2AS LED is controlled to be extinguished and returned to its initial state.

FIG.
2Bs are provided.

These keys 12B1 to 12B8 are provided with LEDs that emit light in colors corresponding to the degree of risk of data loss, for example, the RESET keys 12B, ,
The DELETE key 128ff will cause data to be deleted or may be erased, so its operation will cause it to emit red light, and the 5AVE key 12B6 will perform the safe process of saving data. , can be made to emit blue light by operating it.

Also, other keys 128z, 12B4.12B,
Since the LED of 12B7 and 12B7 does not instruct a process that will result in data loss, there is no need to display the degree of risk according to the present invention, and therefore the LED that emits white light to simply indicate that the operation has been performed is not necessary. Although it is possible to provide an ED, it is not always necessary to provide an ED.

In addition, CR primary key 2 corresponding to the execution key in FIG.
8g does not need to be provided with an LED in the same manner as above, but since it has the function of executing an instruction using any key like this execution key, the keys 12B to 12B
, L that emits light in the appropriate color when any of the is operated.
An ED can also be provided.

Since the operation of the keyboard shown in FIG. 4 is similar to that of the keyboard shown in FIG. 3, the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the means for making the keys color and emit light is explained as an LED, but it may also be a liquid crystal display that functions in the same way, and the color change may be caused by the blinking of a single LED. Not just, but multiple L
It will be obvious that the ED may be provided within one key, and the hue may be varied by selectively emitting some of these LEDs, or by individually controlling the amount of light emitted by each LED. .

For example, if something goes wrong with electronic equipment,
It is possible to stop the light emitting device provided according to the present invention from emitting light to notify an abnormality in the electronic device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to a keyboard for a Japanese word processor, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to a simple keyboard for computer input.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, at least one of the color, blinking period, and brightness of the input key is selected in accordance with the risk of data loss.
It is possible to visually warn the user of the risk of data loss due to the operation of the key by using different keys, so that the user can be instructed to perform safe key operations to avoid losing valuable data. .

Claims (1)

[Claims] An input key of an electronic device having a plurality of keys, characterized in that the key is provided with a color/light emitting means that differs in at least one of the color, blinking cycle, and brightness in accordance with the degree of risk of data loss. input keys for electronic devices.