Japanese character input device and terminal equipped therewith
The Japanese character input device simplifies Japanese input by using a series and sequence key system, reducing keystrokes and enhancing convenience for all users, including foreigners, on various terminals.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- リジョン ホン
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-11
AI Technical Summary
Current Japanese input devices require multiple keystrokes and are inconvenient for both Japanese speakers and foreigners due to the complexity of key arrangements and lack of scalability, leading to increased typing time and typo likelihood.
A Japanese character input device with a series representative key section and a sequence key section, allowing users to input Japanese characters using a minimum number of key combinations by selecting a series representative key and then a sequence key, accompanied by additional key sections for small keys and repeating signs.
Enables easy, quick, and accurate Japanese character input with optimized device size, facilitating convenient use on smartphones and other terminals by reducing keystrokes and minimizing typos.
Smart Images
Figure 2026076082000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for inputting Japanese, and more specifically, to a Japanese character input device that enables quick and accurate input of Japanese using a minimum number of combination keys when inputting Japanese through an input device such as a computer keyboard or a game keyboard, and a terminal device equipped with the same.
Background Art
[0002] Hangul is known as the most scientific language that expresses sounds consisting of an initial sound, a medial sound, and a final sound. In recent years, a keyboard has been developed as a character input device, but the order of the keys arranged on this keyboard is currently used as it is for the English keyboard of a computer. While such a keyboard was introduced in Korea, a keyboard with consonants arranged on the left side and vowels arranged on the right side was developed depending on the frequency of use of Hangul and input convenience. Recently, with the spread of smartphones, various types of simplified screen input devices have become popular, and research and development are actively underway.
[0003] From a global perspective, since the character input methods of each country may differ depending on the unique traditional characters, languages, and living habits, it is not easy to implement a unified character input device. However, by using the scientific nature and structural universality of Hangul, unity and convenience can be imparted to foreign language character input. For example, by applying Hangul to a Japanese input device, Japanese can be input more conveniently.
[0004] Currently, the input device of a smartphone, which is widely used as a Japanese character input device, has a structure of 4 rows × 5 columns as shown in FIG. 1. Using this input device, when trying to input " TIFF2026076082000002.tif961", press the " When trying to input TIFF2026076082000003.tif814, since there is no "o" key, you press the "a" key five times. That is, the word order of Japanese vowels is "a, i, u, e, o", but the typical initial vowel is Only TIFF2026076082000004.tif914 is set as the key, and the remaining vowels are displayed by repeatedly pressing this representative key. When trying to input "po" with this input device, first press "ho" To display TIFF2026076082000005.tif813, press the "ha" key five times, then find and press the "." key, and then press "ta". Press the TIFF2026076082000006.tif714 key three times and type "tsu". The file must be converted to TIFF2026076082000007.tif914, and then the key to convert it to the geminate consonant "っ" must be pressed. This requires a total of 11 keystrokes.
[0005] Therefore, current Japanese input devices are inconvenient not only for Japanese people but also for foreigners, as typing takes time and requires pressing the main key multiple times, which increases the likelihood of typos.
[0006] To alleviate the inconvenience of such Japanese character input, a patent has been disclosed for a method of inputting Japanese characters by separating them into consonant and vowel parts.
[0007] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1426643 (registered July 29, 2014) discloses an input device, as shown in Figure 2, in which a consonant key group 11' consisting of alphabet consonant keys such as "K", "H", "N", "T", "S", and "W", and a vowel key group 12' consisting of alphabet vowel keys such as "A", "I", "U", "E", "O", and "Y" are arranged, and central input keys 11a' and 12a' are arranged in the center, with numerous peripheral input keys 11b' and 12b' arranged around the central input keys 11a' and 12a'. When the central input key 11a' is pressed, the new consonant "M", "R", "P", "T", and "V" are displayed on the peripheral input keys 11b'. 11c' and 12c' are peripheral keys for changing keys. However, this patent has the problem that the display of consonants is cumbersome.
[0008] Korean Published Patent No. 10-2014-0050796 discloses a keypad arrangement, as shown in Figure 3, in which keys displaying vowels are arranged on the left side of the keyboard, keys displaying consonants are arranged in the remaining part, and voiced and geminate consonants are indicated by repeatedly pressing the consonant keys. However, because this patent primarily focuses on keyboard simplicity, it does not include the semi-vowel "ya" which is frequently used in Japanese. TIFF2026076082000008.tif913, "Yu" TIFF2026076082000009.tif813, "Yo" TIFF2026076082000010.tif813, "wa" TIFF2026076082000011.tif812, and "wo" One drawback is that inputting TIFF2026076082000012.tif812 is inconvenient.
[0009] Furthermore, the aforementioned patent uses a Roman alphabet keyboard as an example of an input device, and suffers from a lack of scalability and universality, meaning it cannot be applied to foreigners unfamiliar with Romanization, nor to Japanese or Koreans who are familiar with their own unique scripts. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a Japanese character input device and a terminal device equipped therewith that enable anyone to easily, quickly, and accurately input Japanese characters using a minimum number of key combinations when inputting Japanese through an input device such as a computer keyboard, mobile phone keyboard, or game keyboard. [Means for solving the problem]
[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the Japanese input device according to the present invention includes a series representative key section in which keys representing each series of Japanese characters, namely a, ka, ga, sa, za, ta, da, na, ha, ba, pa, ma, ra, and ya, are arranged; and a sequence key section equipped with keys for selecting the corresponding key in the sequence from among the keys belonging to each series; wherein after one key representing each series is touched by the user in the series representative key section, one sequence key in the sequence key section is touched by the user, thereby inputting a single Japanese character of the desired type.
[0012] It is further characterized by including additional key sections for inputting small keys, an "n" key, and a repeating sign key.
[0013] Furthermore, each of the aforementioned series is characterized by including the a, i, u, e, o keys of the series, the ka, ki, ku, ke, ko keys of the <ka> series, the ga, gi, gu, ge, go keys of the <ga> series, the sa, shi, su, se, so keys of the <sa> series, the za, ji, zu, ze, zo keys of the <za> series, the ta, chi, tsu, te, to keys of the <ta> series, the da, ji, zu, de, do keys of the <da> series, the na, ni, nu, ne, no keys of the <na> series, the ha, hi, fu, he, ho keys of the <ha> series, the ba, bi, bu, be, bo keys of the <ba> series, the pa, pi, pu, pe, po keys of the <pa> series, the ma, mi, mu, me, mo keys of the <ma> series, the ra, ri, ru, re, ro keys of the <ra> series, and the ya, yu, yo, wa, wo keys of the <ya> series.
[0014] Furthermore, the aforementioned sequence key section is Arabic numeral original text TIFF2026076082000013.tif762 is characterized by including one group from the key groups I, II, III, IV, V and a, i, u, e, o.
[0015] A terminal equipped with a Japanese input device according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objectives includes a Japanese character input device comprising: a series representative key section having keys representing each series of Japanese characters a, ka, ga, sa, za, ta, da, na, ha, ba, pa, ma, ra, and ya arranged therein, and a sequence key section having keys for selecting the corresponding key in the sequence from among the keys belonging to each series; and a control unit that recognizes Japanese characters entered through the Japanese input device and stores them in a memory section or displays them in a display section, wherein a single desired Japanese character is entered into the control unit when one key representing each series is touched in the series representative key section, and then one sequence key is touched in the sequence key section.
[0016] Furthermore, the terminal device is characterized by being one of the following: a PC, a tablet PC, or a smartphone.
[0017] Furthermore, if the terminal is a PC, the PC's keyboard is equipped with macro keys for inputting previously saved idiomatic phrases.
[0018] Furthermore, if the terminal is a tablet PC, the series representative key section is arranged on one side of the tablet PC screen, the sequence key section is arranged on the other side, and the display area is arranged in the intermediate area between the series representative key section and the sequence key section.
[0019] Furthermore, if the terminal is a smartphone, the series representative key section is arranged on one side of the smartphone's display, the sequence key section is arranged on the other side, and the display area is arranged in the intermediate area between the series representative key section and the sequence key section. [Effects of the Invention]
[0020] The Japanese character input device and the terminal device provided with the same according to the present invention have the following effects.
[0021] First, by including keys of a series representative key part and an order key part, after one key representing each series is touched in the series representative key part, and then one order key is touched in the order key part so that one desired Japanese character can be input, anyone can input Japanese characters easily, quickly, and accurately.
[0022] Second, by enabling Japanese characters to be input using a series representative key part having 14 keys and an order key part having 5 keys, the size of the Japanese character input device can be optimized.
[0023] Third, when the terminal device of the present invention is a smartphone, by arranging the series representative key part on one side and the order key part on the other side on the display part of the smartphone, and arranging the display area in the intermediate area between the series representative key part and the order key part, it is possible to input Japanese characters conveniently and quickly using the keys on the left and right sides while looking at the screen.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0024] [Figure 1] It is a drawing of a Japanese character input device of a conventional smartphone. [Figure 2] It is a drawing of a Japanese character input device according to the prior art. [Figure 3] It is a drawing of a Japanese character input pad according to the prior art. [Figure 4] It is an exemplary diagram of an embodiment of the Japanese character input device of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is another exemplary diagram of the order key part. [Figure 6] It is another exemplary diagram of the order key part. [Figure 7] It is a block diagram of a terminal device provided with a Japanese character input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of a PC keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] The display unit of a smartphone to which the present invention is applied is shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, it should be noted that when assigning reference numerals to the components in each drawing, the same reference numerals are used whenever possible for the same component, even if they are shown in other drawings. Furthermore, when describing the present invention, if a specific explanation of a known configuration or function is deemed to be obvious to a person skilled in the art or to be likely to obscure the gist of the present invention, such detailed explanation will be omitted.
[0026] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the Japanese input device of the present invention, and Figures 5 and 6 show other embodiments of the sequential key section.
[0027] Referring to Figure 4, the Japanese input device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a series representative key section 11, a sequence key section 12, and other key sections 13.
[0028] The Japanese input device according to the present invention, configured in this manner, will be described below with reference to Figures 5 and 6.
[0029] The series representative key section 11 has 14 keys that represent each series of Japanese characters, namely the keys a, ka, ga, sa, za, ta, da, na, ha, ba, pa, ma, ra, and ya. The keys that make up each series are as follows:
[0030] Series: A, I, U, E, O
[0031] <ka> series: ka, ki, ku, ke, ko
[0032] <ga> series: ga, gi, gu, ge, go
[0033] <sa> series: sa, shi, su, se, so
[0034] The "za" series: za, ji, zu, ze, zo
[0035] <ta> series: ta, chi, tsu, te, to
[0036] <da> series: da, ji, zu, de, do
[0037] <Na> series: na, ni, nu, ne, no
[0038] <ha> series: ha, hi, fu, he, ho
[0039] <ba> series: ba, bi, bu, be, bo
[0040] <pa> series: pa, pi, pu, pe, po
[0041] <ma> series: ma, mi, mu, me, mo
[0042] <ra> series: ra, ri, ru, re, ro
[0043] <ya> series: ya, yu, yo, wa, wo
[0044] What is noteworthy here is that the keys ya, yu, yo, wa, and wo, which do not correspond to consonants, have been grouped into a single <ya> series, and these keys can be input in the same way as the aforementioned a series to ra series keys. In other words, by grouping "ya, yu, yo, wa, wo" (excluding the a series to ra series keys) into the ya series by assigning a procedure according to the order of vowels, it has become possible to represent all Japanese characters according to the regular order of pronunciation.
[0045] The sequence key section 12 includes a key for selecting the corresponding key in order from among the five keys belonging to each series. That is, when a series is selected by the user from among the series a to ya (e.g., series a), the sequence key section 12 includes a key for selecting the desired key from among the five keys (a, i, u, e, o keys) of the selected series a.
[0046] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, an example of the five keys forming the sequence key section 12 is the Arabic numeral original text. The key TIFF2026076082000014.tif762 was used. The five keys that make up the sequence key section 12 are not limited to this, and various keys that represent sequence can be used. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 5, the Greek I, II, III, IV, and V keys were used as an example of the five keys that make up the sequence key section 12. Also, in the embodiment of Figure 6, the keys a, i, u, e, and o were used as an example of the five keys that make up the sequence key section 12.
[0047] The user can input (display) any one character from the 65 Japanese characters that make up each series by touching any one of the 14 keys arranged on the series representative key section 11 and any one of the 5 keys arranged on the sequence key section 12.
[0048] For example, when a user wants to input any single character from a series of characters such as a or b, they can input it through the following key operations.
[0049] (a) Input of <あ>: TIFF2026076082000015.tif9116<あ> is displayed.
[0050] (b) Input of <ki>: TIFF2026076082000016.tif8115<ki> is displayed.
[0051] (c) Input of <su>: TIFF2026076082000017.tif8115<su> is displayed.
[0052] (d) Input of <te>: TIFF2026076082000018.tif8115<te> is displayed.
[0053] (e) Input of <no>: TIFF2026076082000019.tif9116<no> is displayed
[0054] Furthermore, when a user attempts to input any single character from the remaining series or series, they can do so through the aforementioned key operations.
[0055] Similarly, when trying to input any one of the characters in the series mentioned above, it can be input through the following key operations.
[0056] (a) Input of < and >: TIFF2026076082000020.tif9116<ya> is displayed.
[0057] (b) Input of <yu>: TIFF2026076082000021.tif8115<ゆ> is displayed.
[0058] (c) Input of <yo>: TIFF2026076082000022.tif7116<よ> is displayed.
[0059] (d) Input of <wa>: TIFF2026076082000023.tif8115<わ> is displayed.
[0060] (e) Input <to>: TIFF2026076082000024.tif8115<to> will be displayed.
[0061] The other key section 13 is for inputting other keys not included in the a series to ya series, such as the small 'k' key, the 'n' key, and the repeating sign 'n' key. The keys of the other key section 13 can be input (displayed) in combination with the keys arranged in the sequence key section 12, as described above. The keys included in the other key section 13 are not limited to the 'k' and 'n' keys; other keys can also be registered and used in advance.
[0062] (a) Input of <っ>: TIFF2026076082000025.tif9130 ⇒ <っ> will be displayed.
[0063] (b) Input of <n>: TIFF2026076082000026.tif8129<ん> is displayed.
[0064] (c) Input of <々>: TIFF2026076082000027.tif8129<々> is displayed.
[0065] The lowercase versions of the aforementioned "a, i, u, e, o" are "ぁ, ぃ, ぅ, ぇ, ぉ", In TIFF2026076082000028.tif852, input can be done by pressing the corresponding key twice in succession. For example, the characters "ぁ, ぃ, ぅ, ぇ, ぉ" can be entered as follows:
[0066] (a) Input of <ぁ>: TIFF2026076082000029.tif9169<ぁ> is displayed.
[0067] (b) Input of : TIFF2026076082000030.tif8168<ぃ> is displayed.
[0068] (c) Input of : TIFF2026076082000031.tif9169<ぅ> is displayed.
[0069] (d) Input of <e>: TIFF2026076082000032.tif8170<ぇ> is displayed.
[0070] (e) Input of <o>: TIFF2026076082000033.tif10169<ぉ> is displayed.
[0071] The following table compares the number of keystrokes required when inputting Japanese using the present invention versus when inputting Japanese using the prior art (e.g., Figure 1).
[0072] [Table 1]
[0073] [Table 2]
[0074] [Table 3]
[0075] On the other hand, Figure 7 shows a terminal equipped with a Japanese character input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0076] Referring to Figure 7, the terminal 100 equipped with a Japanese input device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a Japanese input device 10, a control unit 20, a memory unit 30, and a display unit 40.
[0077] The operation of a terminal equipped with the Japanese input device according to the present invention, configured in this manner, is as follows.
[0078] The Japanese input device 10 has the same configuration as the Japanese input device 10 described in Figure 4, and its operation is also the same.
[0079] The control unit 20 recognizes Japanese characters input through the Japanese input device 10 and stores them in the memory unit 30 in a predetermined format (e.g., file format). At the same time, the control unit 20 can recognize Japanese characters input through the Japanese input device 10 and display them on the display unit 40.
[0080] Here, the type of terminal 100 is not particularly limited. For example, the type of terminal 100 may be either a mobile computer device or a fixed computer device. The mobile computer device may be any one of a smartphone, laptop, phablet, tablet PC, personal digital assistant (PDA), or e-book reader, but is not limited to these. The fixed computer device may be any one of a PC (desktop) (Personal Computer), workstation, or server, but is not limited to these.
[0081] Here, if the terminal 100 is a PC, the PC keyboard 110 may be equipped with the series representative key section 11, sequence key section 12, other key section 13, and macro key section 14 as described above, as shown in Figure 8. Here, the other key section 13 differs from the other key section 13 in Figure 4, and another embodiment is shown which includes small "っ" and "ん" keys.
[0082] In Figure 8, the macro key section 14 is equipped with macro keys Y, U, I, and OP. Users can use these to more conveniently input pre-saved idiomatic expressions (e.g., "masu.", "desu.", etc.).
[0083] On the other hand, Figure 9 shows an example of the application of the series representative key section 11 and the sequence key section 12 when the terminal device 100 is a smartphone. The series representative key section 11 can be placed on one side (e.g., the left side) of the smartphone's display section 40, the sequence key section 12 can be placed on the other side (e.g., the right side), and the display area 15 can be placed in the intermediate area between them.
[0084] When a user uses a smartphone like the one shown in Figure 9, they can input Japanese more conveniently by using their left finger to operate the series representative key section 11 and their right finger to operate the sequence key section 12. Furthermore, the user can input Japanese while confirming the Japanese they are entering through the display area 15.
[0085] Furthermore, if the user uses a smartphone as shown in Figure 9, they can input Japanese by operating the sequence representative key section 11 and the sequential key section 12 as described above while viewing the game screen through the display area 15.
[0086] As another example, even if the terminal 100 is a terminal equipped with a touchscreen (e.g., a Tablet PC), as shown in Figure 9, the series representative key section 11 can be placed on one side (e.g., the left side) of the screen (e.g., an LCD screen), the sequence key section 12 can be placed on the other side (e.g., the right side), and the display area 15 can be placed in the intermediate area between them, allowing it to be used as described above.
[0087] While preferred embodiments illustrating the technical concept of the present invention have been described and illustrated above, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the configuration and operation as illustrated and described herein, and that numerous changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the technical concept. Therefore, all such appropriate changes and modifications and their equivalents should also be considered within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0088] 10: Japanese input device 11: Key Representatives of the Group 12: Sequential Key Section 13: Other Key Sections 20: Control Unit 30: Memory section 40: Display section 100: Terminal 110: Keyboard
Claims
1. A series representative key section where the keys a, ka, ga, sa, za, ta, da, na, ha, ba, pa, ma, ra, and ya, which represent each series of Japanese characters, are arranged; and A sequence key section comprising keys for selecting the corresponding sequence key from among the keys belonging to each of the aforementioned series; After the user touches one key representing each series in the series representative key section, A Japanese character input device characterized in that when one sequence key on the sequence key section is touched by the user, a single Japanese character is entered.
2. The Japanese character input device according to claim 1, further comprising: a section of other keys for inputting small 'k' keys, 'n' keys, and repeating 'n' symbols;
3. Each of the aforementioned series is, Series: A, I, U, E, O Key <ka> series: ka, ki, ku, ke, ko <ga> series: ga, gi, gu, ge, gokey <Sa> series: Sa, Shi, Su, Se, So Key <za> series: za, ji, zu, ze, zo <Ta> series: ta, chi, tsu, te, to key <da> series: da, ji, zu, de, doki <Na> series: The keys na, ni, nu, ne <ha> series: ha, hi, fu, he, ho <ba> series: ba, bi, bu, be, bokey <Pa> series: Pa, Pi, Pu, Pe, Poki <ma> series: ma, mi, mu, me, mo key <Ra> series: ra, ri, ru, re, ro keys The Japanese character input device according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes the keys for the <ya> series: ya, yu, yo, wa.
4. The aforementioned sequence key section is Arabic numerals (original author) Key group; I, II, III, IV, V key groups; and The Japanese character input device according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes one of the following key groups: a, i, u, e, o.
5. A Japanese character input device including a series representative key section in which the keys a, ka, ga, sa, za, ta, da, na, ha, ba, pa, ma, ra, and ya, which represent each series of Japanese characters, are arranged, and an order key section having keys for selecting the corresponding order of keys from among the keys belonging to each series; and A control unit that recognizes Japanese characters input through the Japanese input device and either stores them in a memory unit or displays them in a display unit; After the user touches one key representing each series in the series representative key section, A terminal device equipped with a Japanese character input device, characterized in that when a sequence key on the sequence key section is touched by the user, a single Japanese character is input to the control unit.
6. The aforementioned terminal device is A terminal device equipped with a Japanese character input device as described in claim 5, characterized in that it is one of a PC, a tablet PC, or a smartphone.
7. If the terminal is a PC, The terminal device equipped with a Japanese character input device according to claim 6, characterized in that the keyboard of the PC is provided with macro keys for inputting previously saved idiomatic phrases.
8. If the terminal is a tablet PC, On the screen of the aforementioned tablet PC, the series representative key section is arranged on one side, and the sequence key section is arranged on the other side. A terminal device equipped with a Japanese character input device according to claim 6, characterized in that a display area is arranged in an intermediate area between the series representative key section and the sequence key section.
9. If the aforementioned device is a smartphone, On the display unit of the aforementioned smartphone, the series representative key section is arranged on one side, and the sequence key section is arranged on the other side. A terminal device equipped with a Japanese character input device according to claim 6, characterized in that a display area is arranged in an intermediate area between the series representative key section and the sequence key section.