초록 ▼

Calculator having a keyboard in which one or more keys have labels created by a display and subject to changing interactively as the user desires. Typically, advanced scientific-programmable calculators may have too many functions to be adequately included on the keys of the keyboard associated ther

Calculator having a keyboard in which one or more keys have labels created by a display and subject to changing interactively as the user desires. Typically, advanced scientific-programmable calculators may have too many functions to be adequately included on the keys of the keyboard associated therewith. In such calculators, certain functions require a plurality of keys to be actuated in order to be performed. Thus, such keyboards tend to be cluttered an confusing to the user. Thus, a keyboard is proposed having a small number of keys labeled with different functional labels as the user proceeds through a menu or tree structure containing all the desired functions. Keys in a certain group of keys on the keyboard are thereby subject to redefinition or relabeling so as to provide a variety of functions.

대표청구항 ▼

A data processing apparatus comprising: a data processing unit for receiving data inputs and providing data outputs indicative of the data inputs and/or computation from such data inputs; a keyboard coupled to said data processing unit and having a plurality of individual keys for providing data inp

A data processing apparatus comprising: a data processing unit for receiving data inputs and providing data outputs indicative of the data inputs and/or computation from such data inputs; a keyboard coupled to said data processing unit and having a plurality of individual keys for providing data inputs to said data processing unit in response to actuation of individual keys; said keyboard including a dedicated keyboard portion of said plurality of individual keys providig a plurality of dedicated definable-function keys distinct from the remaining plurality of individual keys of said keyboard, each of said dedicated definable-function keys being subject to recharacterization to any one of a plurality of different functions; means for defining respective different specific functions assigned to each of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys, said function-defining means including a mode-define key on said keyboard separate from said dedicated definable-function keys and operable upon actuation to enable data inputs from keys other than the dedicated definable-function keys to define the functions attributable to each said dedicated definable-function key; said data processing unit including means responsive to said function-defining means to assign respective function labels to each of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys, the function labels of each of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys being replaceable by any one of a plurality of different function labels respectively corresponding to a different one of said plurality of functions to which each of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys may be assigned by said function-defining means; display means coupled to said data processing unit on which the data inputs from the actuation of individual keys and/or computations resulting from such data inputs visually appear, said display means including a dedicated display portion corresponding to said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys of said keyboard for visually indicatig a key label symbol for each of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys defining the function attributable to each respective dedicated definable-function key; and graphic means responsive to said function label-assigning means for providing visual symbols on said dedicated display portion of said display means as respective labels indicative of the functions assigned to each of said dedicated definable-funtion keys, said graphic means providing a different visual symbol on said dedicated display portion of said display means as a different label for each of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys in response to the assignment of a respective different specific function to any one of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys by said function-defining means, whereby each of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys may be relabeled to be designated by a different visual symbol when any one of said plurality of dedicated definable-function keys is reassigned to a respective different specific function by said function-defining means.