Wireless mobile phone with key stroking based input facilities

• US 20020137550A1
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wildseed Mobile LLC
• Original Assignee: Wildseed LLC
• Inventors: Graham, Tyrol R., Engstrom, G. Eric
• Granted Patent: US 6,952,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods

Abstract

A wireless mobile phone, is provided with an input keypad having a number of touch sensitive keys, and complementary logic to facilitate entry of alphanumeric data through stroking of the touch sensitive keys of the input keypad. Alphanumeric data or commands are entered through selected ones of down, up, right, left, and a number of other patterns of stroking of the touch sensitive keys. As a result, a user may enter alphanumeric data or commands in a much more user friendly manner.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile phone comprising:

an input keypad having a plurality of touch sensitive keys; and

means coupled to the input keypad to interpret stroking patterns of said touch sensitive keys by a user to facilitate entry of alphanumeric data or commands.

2. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said wireless mobile phone further comprises a transceiver to send and receive signals, including signals encoded with said alphanumeric data/commands entered through stroking of said touch sensitive keys.

3. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said wireless mobile phone further comprises a display, and said means further echoes on said display said alphanumeric data entered through stroking of said touch sensitive keys.

4. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said touch sensitive keys are physical keys, each having one or more light emitting diodes (LED), and said means further lights said LEDs of said touch sensitive keys to visually echo the key stroking patterns being imparted by a user of said wireless mobile phone.

5. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a downward stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in a downward direction.

6. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include an upward stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in an upward direction.

7. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a right stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in a rightward direction.

8. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a left stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in a leftward direction.

9. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a down right stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a downward direction then in a rightward direction.

10. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a down left stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a downward direction then in a leftward direction.

11. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include an up right stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in an upward direction then in a rightward direction.

12. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include an up left stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in an upward direction then in a leftward direction.

13. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a right down stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a rightward direction then in a downward direction.

14. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a right up stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a rightward direction then in an upward direction.

15. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a left down stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a leftward direction then in a downward direction.

16. The wireless of keys of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a left up stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a leftward direction then in an upward direction.

17. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a top to bottom, left to right direction.

18. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a top to bottom, right to left direction.

19. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a bottom to top, left to right direction.

20. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a bottom to top, right to left direction.

21. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said input keypad is a touch pad, and said touch sensitive keys are logically partitioned regions of said touch pad.

22. In a wireless mobile phone, a method of operation comprising:

monitoring a user'"'"'s stroking pattern of touch sensitive keys of an input keypad; and

in response, determining alphanumeric data or commands corresponding to the stroking pattern, and generating digital representations of the determined alphanumeric data/commands.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said method further comprises transmitting said alphanumeric data/commands.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said method further comprises visually echoing on a display, said alphanumeric data.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said touch sensitive keys are physical keys, each having one or more light emitting diodes (LED), and said method further comprises lighting said LEDs of said touch sensitive keys to visually echo an observed key stroking pattern.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a downward stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in a downward direction.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include an up stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in an upward direction.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a right stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in a rightward direction.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a left stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys in a leftward direction.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a down right stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a downward direction then in a rightward direction.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a down left stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a downward direction then in a leftward direction.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include an up right stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in an upward direction then in a rightward direction.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include an up left stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in an upward direction then in a leftward direction.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a right down stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys first in a rightward direction then in a downward direction.

35. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a right up stroking pattern where the user strokes one or more of said touch sensitive keys first in a rightward direction then in an upward direction.

36. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a left down stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a leftward direction then in a downward direction.

37. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a left up stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys first in a leftward direction then in an upward direction.

38. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a top to bottom, left to right direction.

39. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a top to bottom, right to left direction.

40. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a bottom to top, left to right direction.

41. The method of claim 22, wherein said key stroking patterns include a diagonal stroking pattern where the user strokes a plurality of said touch sensitive keys in a bottom to top, right to left direction.

42. The method of claim 22, wherein said input keypad is a touch pad, and said touch sensitive keys are logically partitioned regions of said touch pad;

further, said monitoring comprises monitoring stroking of said logically partitioned regions of said touch pad.

43. In a wireless mobile phone, a method of operation comprising:

performing a first operation associated with an ancillary function of said wireless mobile phone including entry of a first data or command by imparting a first stroking pattern of one or more touch sensitive keys of an input keypad of said wireless mobile phone; and

performing a second operation associated with said ancillary function of said wireless mobile phone including entry of a second data or command by imparting a second stroking pattern of one or more touch sensitive keys of said input keypad of said wireless mobile phone.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the method further comprises:

performing a second operation associated with a second ancillary function of said wireless mobile phone including entry of a second data or command by imparting a second stroking pattern of one or more touch sensitive keys of said input keypad of said wireless mobile phone.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein said ancillary function is a selected one of telephone directory, calendar, email and web browsing function.

46. A wireless mobile phone comprising:

an input keypad having a plurality of touch sensitive keys; and

a micro-controller and associated memory, including programming instructions stored therein, coupled to the input keypad to interpret stroking patterns of said touch sensitive keys by a user to facilitate entry of alphanumeric data or commands.