Electronic device and method for managing its keyboard

• US 20040009788A1
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation, Daewoo Electronics Service Co., Ltd. (WINIADiMCHAE Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Himberg, Johan, Mantyjarvi, Jani
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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

The invention relates to an electronic device and a method for managing the keyboard of the electronic device. The electronic device comprises a keyboard and a processing unit connected to the keyboard over a data transmission connection, the processing unit being configured to determine the appearance of the keyboard, receive information generated by pressing of a keyboard key and identify the key that was pressed on the basis of the information. The processing unit is also configured to collect information on the key presses and carry out an analysis of them, and to re-determine the appearance of the keyboard on the basis of the collected information and the analysis carried out so as to make the keyboard more ergonomic for the user, which makes the use of the keyboard easier and/or the pressing of a wrong key less likely.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising

a keyboard and

a processing unit connected to the keyboard over a data transmission connection,

the processing unit being configured to determine the appearance of the keyboard, receive information generated by pressing of a keyboard key and identify the key that was pressed on the basis of the information,

the processing unit is further configured to collect information on the key presses and carry out an analysis of them, and re-determine the appearance of the keyboard on the basis of the collected information and the analysis carried out so as to make the keyboard more ergonomic for the user, which makes it easier to use the keyboard and/or the pressing of a wrong key less likely.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of the following:

key press coordinates, keyboard control data and force of the key press.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the analysis is used to generate at least one of the following results:

coordinates of an acceptable key press, coordinates of a rejected key press, coordinates of a corrected key press, time used for successive key presses, mean of the coordinates of presses of one key, variance of the presses of one key, statistical variable describing the presses of one key.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit is configured to identify a press at the border of two keys or outside the keyboard as a rejected key press.

5. A device according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit is configured to identify the following sequence as a corrected key press:

the first key press is deleted by the delete key, after which another key is pressed.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the appearance comprises at least one of the following:

key size, key shape, key location.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit is configured to define limits for the keyboard appearance which the keyboard appearance cannot exceed.

8. A device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit is configured to change the key shape in the main directions.

9. A device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit is configured to change the key shape arbitrarily.

10. A device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit is configured to move the key centre point according to the mean of the coordinates of key presses.

11. A device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit is configured to change the key shape according to the variance of the coordinates of key presses.

12. A device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit is configured to changed the key shape using vector quantization, expectation maximization or clustering.

13. A method for managing a keyboard of an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining the keyboard appearance;

receiving information generated by pressing of a keyboard key and identifying the key pressed on the basis of the information;

collecting information on the key presses and carrying out an analysis of them; and

re-determining the appearance of the keyboard on the basis of the collected information and the analysis carried out so as to make the keyboard more ergonomic for the user, which makes the use of the keyboard easier and/or the pressing of a wrong key less likely.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the information comprises at least one of the following:

key press coordinates, keyboard control data and force of the key press.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the analysis is used to generate at least one of the following results:

coordinates of an accepted key press, coordinates of a rejected key press, coordinates of a corrected key press, time used for successive key presses, mean of the coordinates of the presses of one key, variance of the presses of one key, statistical variable describing the presses of one key.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a press at the border of two keys or outside the keyboard as a rejected key press.

17. A method according to claim 15, further comprising:

identifying the following sequence as a corrected key press;

the first key press is deleted by the delete key, after which another key is pressed.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein the appearance comprises at least one of the following:

key size, key shape, key location.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein limits are defined for the keyboard appearance that the keyboard appearance cannot exceed.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein the key shape is changed in the main directions.

21. A method according to claim 18, wherein the key shape is changed arbitrarily.

22. A method according to claim 18, wherein the key centre point is moved according to the mean of the coordinates of key presses.

23. A method according to claim 18, wherein the key shape is changed according to the variance of the coordinates of key presses.

24. A method according to claim 18, wherein the key shape is changed using vector quantization, expectation maximization or clustering.