Dynamically modifiable keyboard-style interface

• US 20050141752A1
• Filed: 12/31/2003
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Chioiu, Alfred, Bjorgan, Stephen Dana
• Application Number:
  US10/748,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20050141752A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1673 Arrangements for projecting a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• 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 system for providing a configurable user-input device in the form of a keyboard input device. In one embodiment, a projection unit projects a dynamically configurable keyboard pattern onto a planar or non-planar surface. Interactions with that pattern are monitored by at least one motion sensor to identify how a user is using the pattern.

Claims

1. A dynamically configurable user-input interface for interacting with a user, comprising:

a projection unit for projecting (1) a first virtual interface including at least one of a virtual keyboard, a virtual mousepad and at least one virtual mouse button and (2) a second virtual interface including at least one of a virtual keyboard, a virtual mousepad and at least one virtual mouse button to be displayed in place of at least a portion of said first virtual interface;

a motion sensor for determining a position on the first and second virtual interfaces that is interacted with by a user;

a communications controller for communicating the position on the first and second virtual interfaces outside of the user-input interface; and

a controller for controlling the projection unit to switch from the first virtual interface to the second virtual interface.

2. The dynamically configurable user-input interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first virtual interface comprises a keyboard interface in a first language and the second virtual interface comprises a keyboard interface in a second language.

3. The dynamically configurable user-input interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first virtual interface comprises a keyboard interface and the second virtual interface comprises a mousepad.

4. The dynamically configurable user-input interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first virtual interface comprises a keyboard interface and the second virtual interface comprises a mousepad and at least one mouse button.

5. The dynamically configurable user-input interface as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a telephone interface for communicating by phone between the user and a remotely located telephone customer.