Rapid entry of data and information on a reduced size input area

• US 20030189553A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Michael Goren
• Inventors: Goren, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 6,980,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method and device designed to improve the speed, accuracy, and ease of entry of characters and other symbols by a user. The device is designed to use a reduced size input area as an input source and optionally as a display screen. A set of characters or other symbols is divided into subsets, each subset being represented by a control button for display on the reduced size input area for user selection. A user'"'"'s selection of a control button produces a secondary set of buttons representing the characters or other symbols in the selected subset for user selection, storage, and display.

Claims

1. A device for use in inputting a set of characters or symbols, comprising:

a set of control input mechanisms each of which has one character or symbol displayed thereon initially and is associated with a respective subset of characters or symbols;

a set of secondary input mechanisms, wherein each secondary input mechanism is associated with a respective control input mechanism, and wherein each secondary input mechanism represents a specific character or symbol in said respective subset of characters or symbols;

a display area for display of a user-selected character or symbol associated with a selected secondary input mechanism; and

an input source for user selection of a control input mechanism and a secondary input mechanism.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said set of secondary input mechanisms become available to a user upon activation of one of said control input mechanisms.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said input source is an on-screen keyboard and said control input mechanisms are represented on said input source.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said input source is a touch-sensitive screen.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said input source is a keypad and said control input mechanisms are represented on said keypad.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said input source further comprises a keypad and a touch-sensitive input screen, wherein said control input mechanisms are represented on said keypad, and wherein said secondary input mechanisms are represented on said touch-sensitive screen upon activation of one of said control input mechanisms.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second input source, wherein said secondary input mechanisms are displayed on said second input source upon activation of one of said control input mechanisms.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein

said control input mechanisms are control buttons;

and

said secondary input mechanisms are secondary buttons.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein

said set of control input mechanisms are one or more mechanisms responsive to the touch of one, two, three, four, or five fingers.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein:

the touch of one finger is associated with a first subset of characters or symbols;

the touch of two fingers are associated with a second subset of characters or symbols;

the touch of three fingers are associated with a third subset of characters or symbols;

the touch of four fingers are associated with a fourth subset of characters or symbols; and

the touch of five fingers are associated with a fifth subset of characters or symbols.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein

said control input mechanisms and said secondary input mechanisms are one or more mechanisms responsive to voice input.

12. A device for use in inputting a set of characters or other symbols, comprising:

a viewing area including an input source and a display source;

a plurality of control buttons each of which has one character or symbol displayed thereon initially and is associated with a respective subset of characters or symbols, and wherein said input source is used to activate said control buttons;

a plurality of secondary buttons, wherein each secondary button is associated with a respective control button, and wherein each secondary button represents a specific character or symbol in said respective subset of characters or symbols; and

wherein said display source is used to display a user-selected character or symbol associated with a selected secondary button.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein said plurality of secondary buttons become available to a user for selection on said input source upon activation of one of said control buttons, and wherein the non-user-selected control buttons are removed from said input source.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein said input source is an on-screen keyboard and said control buttons are represented on said input source.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein said input source is a touch-sensitive screen.

16. The device of claim 12, further comprising a second input source, wherein said secondary buttons are represented on said second input source upon activation of one of said control buttons.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein a storage medium stores said character or symbol represented by a selected secondary button.

18. A device comprising:

a touch-sensitive input screen;

a plurality of control buttons each of which has one character or symbol displayed thereon initially and is associated with a respective subset of characters or symbols, wherein said touch-sensitive input screen is used to display and activate said control buttons; and

a plurality of secondary buttons, wherein each secondary button is associated with a respective control button, wherein each secondary button represents a specific character or symbol, and wherein said touch-sensitive input screen is used to display and activate said secondary buttons.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein a storage medium stores said character or symbol represented by a selected secondary button.

20. The device of claim 18, further comprising a display area, wherein said character or symbol represented by a selected secondary button is displayed.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein said display area is physically separate from said device.

22. A method for receiving input with respect to and displaying information selected from a set of characters or symbols comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of control buttons on an input source of a device, wherein each control button has one character or symbol displayed thereon initially and is associated with a respective subset of the set of characters or symbols;

receiving a user selection of one of said control buttons from said input source;

in response to receiving a user selection of one of said control buttons, displaying on said input source a plurality of secondary buttons each of which represents a respective character or symbol from the subset associated with said selected control button;

receiving a user selection of one of said secondary buttons from said input source; and

displaying the character or symbol represented by said selected secondary button on a viewing area of said device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

storing said character or symbol represented by said selected secondary button on a storage medium.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said input source is a touch-sensitive display.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

removing the non-user-selected control buttons from said input source in response to receiving a user selection of one of said control buttons.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

waiting a predetermined amount of time for a user to select one of said secondary buttons in response to displaying a plurality of secondary buttons;

removing said secondary buttons from said input source in response to a user not selecting one of said secondary buttons within said predetermined amount of time; and

restoring said plurality of control buttons to said input source in response to removing said secondary buttons from said input source.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

removing said secondary buttons from said input source, restoring said control buttons to said input source, and awaiting user selection of one of said control buttons, in response to said user selecting from said secondary buttons.

28. A method for receiving input with respect to and displaying information selected from a set of characters or symbols comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of control buttons on a first input source, wherein each button has one character or symbol displayed thereon initially and is associated with a respective subset of the set of characters or symbols;

receiving a user selection of one of said control buttons from said first input source;

displaying a plurality of secondary buttons on a second input source, wherein each secondary button represents a specific character or symbol from the subset associated with said selected control button;

receiving a user selection of one of said secondary buttons from said second input source;

storing said selected character or symbol on a storage medium; and

displaying the selected character or symbol.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said first input source is a keypad and said second input source is a touch-sensitive screen.

30. A computer readable medium having instructions stored therein which when executed causes the following steps to be performed:

displaying a plurality of control buttons on an input source of a device, wherein each control button has one character or symbol displayed thereon initially and is associated with a respective subset of the set of characters or symbols;

receiving a user selection of one of said control buttons from said input source;

in response to receiving a user selection of one of said control buttons, displaying on said input source a plurality of secondary buttons each of which represents a respective character or symbol from the subset associated with said selected control button;

receiving a user selection of one of said secondary buttons from said input source; and

displaying the character or symbol represented by said selected secondary button on a viewing area of said device.