Electronic apparatus

Claim 2

A portable electronic text creation and storage device having a display with a limited display area and a keyboard with a limited number of keys corresponding to various text creation symbols for permitting an operator to create and store text in a hierarchy of text levels beginning with a highest hierarchical text level followed by one or more subordinate hierarchical text levels by selectively depressing the keys on the keyboard, comprising: a text memory for storing strings of text data entered by the operator using the keyboard; a text management memory having a hierarchy field for each stored string of text data for storing a corresponding hierarchical text level and having a subordinate field for storing subordinate text information indicating whether a subsequent string of text data at a subordinate hierarchical text level exists; means for displaying on the display a first indicator near each displayed string of text data in accordance with the corresponding hierarchical text level and a second indicator near each displayed subordinate string of text data in accordance with the corresponding subordinate hierarchical text level; a selection key on the keyboard actuable by the operator for selecting a hierarchical text level; and means for storing in the text memory one or more strings of text data entered by the operator and for storing in the text management memory for each entered string of text data the selected hierarchical text level and subordinate text information indicating whether the entered string of text data is followed by a string of subordinate text data.

Claim 3

The device according to claim 1, further comprising: an insert key for adding a string of text data at the selected hierarchical text level.

Claim 4

An electronic text creation device having a display with a limited display area and a keyboard with a limited number of keys corresponding to various text creation symbols for permitting an operator to create, store, and process text in a hierarchy of text levels beginning with a highest hierarchical text level followed by one or more subordinate hierarchical text levels by pressing keys on the keyboard, comprising: a text memory for storing text creation symbols entered on the keyboard as strings of text data; a text management memory having a hierarchy field corresponding to each string of text data for storing one of the hierarchical text levels and having a subordinate field for storing a flag indicating whether a subsequent string of text data at a subordinate hierarchical text level exists; a selection key actuable by the operator for selecting an initial string of text data displayed at a particular hierarchical level; means for automatically determining a range of text strings including text strings at hierarchical levels subordinate to the initial string of text data selected by the selection key; and means for highlighting those text strings on the display included in the determined range.

Claim 5

An electronic text creation device having a display with a limited display area and a keyboard with a limited number of keys corresponding to various text creation symbols for permitting an operator to create, store, and process text in a hierarchy of text levels beginning with a highest hierarchical text level followed by one or more subordinate hierarchical text levels by pressing keys on the keyboard, comprising: a text memory for storing text creation symbols entered on the keyboard as strings of text data; a text management memory having a hierarchy field corresponding to each string of text data for storing one of the hierarchical text levels and having a subordinate field for storing a flag indicating whether a subsequent string of text data at a subordinate hierarchical text level exists; a selection key actuable by the operator for selecting an initial string of text data displayed at a particular hierarchical level; means for automatically determining a range of text strings including text strings at hierarchical levels subordinate to the initial string of text data selected by the selection key; and means for highlighting those text strings on the display included in the determined range.

Claim 6

The device according to claim 3, wherein the means for highlighting highlights the text strings with the determined range using a shade that contrasts with a background of the display.

Claim 7

The device according to claim 3, wherein the means for highlighting highlights the text strings with the determined range with a color different from a background of the display.

Claim 8

The device according to claim 3, wherein text processing operations are performed on the highlighted text strings.

Claim 9

An electronic text creation device having a display with a limited display area and a keyboard with a limited number of keys corresponding to various text creation symbols for permitting an operator to create and store text in a hierarchy of text levels beginning with a highest hierarchical text level followed by one or more subordinate hierarchical text levels by selectively depressing the keys on the keyboard, comprising: a text memory for storing strings of text data entered by the operator using the keyboard; a text management memory having a hierarchy field corresponding to each string of text data for storing one of the hierarchical text levels and having a subordinate field for storing subordinate text information indicating whether a subsequent string of text data at a subordinate hierarchical text level exists; a selection key on the keyboard actuable by the operator for selecting a hierarchical text level; means for storing in the text memory, displaying, and managing strings of text data entered by the operator based on the corresponding hierarchical text levels and subordinate text information stored in the text management memory; a data exchange memory connected to receive data stored in the text memory and text management memory; and an input/output terminal for connecting the data exchange to an external device, wherein the external device accesses data stored in the data exchange memory through the input/output terminal.

Claim 10

An electronic text creation device having a display with a limited display area and a keyboard with a limited number of keys corresponding to various text creation symbols for permitting an operator to create and store text in a hierarchy of text levels beginning with a highest hierarchical text level followed by one or more subordinate hierarchical text levels by selectively depressing the keys on the keyboard, comprising: a text memory for storing strings of text data entered by the operator using the keyboard; a text management memory having a hierarchy field corresponding to each string of text data for storing one of the hierarchical text levels and having a subordinate field for storing subordinate text information indicating whether a subsequent string of text data at a subordinate hierarchical text level exists; a selection key on the keyboard actuable by the operator for selecting a hierarchical text level; means for storing in the text memory, displaying, and managing strings of text data entered by the operator based on the corresponding hierarchical text levels and subordinate text information stored in the text management memory; a data exchange memory connected to receive data stored in the text memory and text management memory; and an input/output terminal for connecting the data exchange to an external device, wherein the external device accesses data stored in the data exchange memory through the input/output terminal.

Claim 11

An electronic text creation and storage device having a display with a limited display area and a keyboard with a limited number of keys corresponding to various text creation symbols for permitting an operator to create and store text in a hierarchy of text levels beginning with a highest hierarchical text level followed by one or more subordinate hierarchical text levels by selectively depressing the keys on the keyboard, comprising: a text memory for storing strings of text data entered by the operator using the keyboard; a text management memory having a hierarchy field corresponding to each string of text data for storing one of the hierarchical text levels and having a subordinate field for storing a flag indicating whether a subsequent string of text data at a subordinate hierarchical text level exists; a selection key on the keyboard actuable by the operator for selecting a hierarchical text level; means for storing in the text memory strings of text data entered by the operator and for storing in the text management memory for each entered string of text data the selected hierarchical text level and a flag to indicate whether the entered string of text data is followed by a string of subordinate text data; a display mode key for entering a first display mode where text at all hierarchical text levels is displayed and a second display mode where only text at the selected hierarchical text level is displayed; and means in response to entry of the second display mode for determining from the hierarchy field in the text management memory those text strings that correspond to the selected hierarchical level and displaying only those text strings retrieved from the text memory at the selected hierarchical level.

Claim 12

An electronic text creation and storage device having a display with a limited display area and a keyboard with a limited number of keys corresponding to various text creation symbols for permitting an operator to create and store text in a hierarchy of text levels beginning with a highest hierarchical text level followed by one or more subordinate hierarchical text levels by selectively depressing the keys on the keyboard, comprising: a text memory for storing strings of text data entered by the operator using the keyboard; a text management memory having a hierarchy field corresponding to each string of text data for storing one of the hierarchical text levels and having a subordinate field for storing a flag indicating whether a subsequent string of text data at a subordinate hierarchical text level exists; a selection key on the keyboard actuable by the operator for selecting a hierarchical text level; means for storing in the text memory strings of text data entered by the operator and for storing in the text management memory for each entered string of text data the selected hierarchical text level and a flag to indicate whether the entered string of text data is followed by a string of subordinate text data; a display mode key for entering a first display mode where text at all hierarchical text levels is displayed and a second display mode where only text at the selected hierarchical text level is displayed; and means in response to entry of the second display mode for determining from the hierarchy field in the text management memory those text strings that correspond to the selected hierarchical level and displaying only those text strings retrieved from the text memory at the selected hierarchical level.