Input accepting device

An input accepting device comprising:

• a control unit constituted by a CPU;
• a plurality of operation keys corresponding to characters that differ from each other;
• an input signal processor connected to the control unit and to the plurality of operation keys, for receiving input of characters through user operation of the operation keys and accordingly determining, and transmitting to the control unit, which operation key is operated, thereby causing the control unit to detect user-input character content;
• a display connected to the control unit, for displaying the characters detected by the control unit;
• as functionality of the control unit, a converting unit for converting a combination of characters, corresponding to sequentially operated keys among the plurality of operation keys, into another character or word;
• electrical switches connected to the plurality of operation keys and to the control unit, the electrical switches therein constituting an operation-key state detection unit for detecting, when a user is operating the plurality of operation keys, a first point at which a state where a user is not touching an operation key turns into a state where the user has touched an operation key, and a second point at which the state after the first point turns into the user not touching the operation key;
• a timer connected to the control unit, for detecting elapsed time from the first point with respect to a preliminarily set standby time;
• as functionality of the control unit, a conversion control unit for alternatingly causing the converting unit to convert the combination of characters corresponding to the sequentially operated keys according to a first conversion action when the elapsed time at the second point is a predetermined first proportion of the standby time, and causing the converting unit to convert the combination of characters corresponding to the sequentially operated keys according to a second conversion action when the elapsed time at the second point is a predetermined second proportion, greater than the first proportion, of the standby time;
• and
• an elapsed-time display for proportionally indicating time elapsed from the first point relative to the standby time, in the form of a pie chart whose full area represents the standby time, to indicate the first proportion and the second proportion of the standby time.