COMPUTER INPUT-OUTPUT DEVICE

摘要

A computer input-output device (19) for permitting a user to control the operation of an application program on a host computer (11, 13). The device includes a display divisible into a plurality of sections for displaying the names of the options then available to the user at any point in the operation of the application program. Selection keys associated with each section allow the user to select the option displayed in the corresponding section. In response to the selection, the input device sends a series of keystroke codes to the keyboard input port (17) of the host computer (11, 13) to cause the application program to execute the selected option. The host computer keyboard (15) is connected to the input-output device (19) which intercepts keystroke codes generated by the keyboard and transmits them to the computer only if the codes are designated as permissable ones. A set of programmable arrow keys controls the pointer functions of the application program on the host computer screen (13).