Virtual keypad for touchscreen display

• US 20050275633A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Varanda, Marcelo
• Granted Patent: US 7,515,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 for changing a transparency level of a virtual keypad on a display, comprising the steps of: activating a pointing device on the display; and dragging the pointing device along the display for a predetermined distance; whereby said dragging step causes the transparency level of the virtual keypad on the display to change. The keypad can be arranged to include a stacked intuitive layout for keys, where the left side of a qwerty keyboard is placed over the right side of a qwerty keyboard to created a stacked virtual keyboard.

Claims

1. A method for changing a transparency level of a virtual keypad on a display, comprising the steps of:

activating a pointing device on the display; and

dragging the pointing device along the display for a predetermined distance;

whereby said dragging step causes the transparency level of the virtual keypad on the display to change.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pointing device is a stylus.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display is a touchscreen.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the activating step comprises pressing the stylus on the display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pointing device is a mouse.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the activating step comprises clicking a mouse button.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the pointing device up after said activating step causes the transparency level to decrease.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the pointing device down after said activating step causes the transparency level to increase.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein dragging the pointing device sideways causes the transparency level to change.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a change in transparency is determined by a length said pointing device is dragged during said dragging step.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said dragging step causes the transparency level of an icon on the display to change inversely to the transparency level of the virtual keyboard.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein if said dragging step is wholly within a key of said virtual keyboard the transparency level is not changed.

13. A device with a variable transparency virtual keypad, said device comprising:

a display;

a pointing device for input on said display; and

a processor for registering when a pointing device is activated on the display and said pointing device is dragged along the display for a predetermined distance, whereby said processor causes the transparency level of the virtual keypad on the display to change.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said pointing device is a stylus.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the display is a touchscreen.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the stylus is activated by pressing the stylus on the touchscreen.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein said pointing device is a mouse.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the mouse is activated by clicking a mouse button.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein said processor decreases the transparency level of the virtual keypad when the pointing device is dragged up.

20. The device of claim 13, wherein said processor increases the transparency level of the virtual keypad when the pointing device is dragged down.

21. The device of claim 13, wherein said processor changes the transparency level of the virtual keypad when the pointing device is dragged sideways.

22. The device of claim 13, wherein said processor determines a change in transparency by a length along said display said pointing device is dragged.

23. The device of claim 13, wherein said processor varies the transpancy of icons displayed on said display inversely to the transparency level of said virtual keypad.

24. A method of creating pulsation in a virtual keyboard comprising the steps of:

setting a maximum transparency level, a minimum transparency level, and a delta transparency level;

while the virtual keyboard is visible,

checking whether the current keyboard transparency level is greater than the maximum transparency level or less than the minimum transparency level, and if yes, changing the sign of the delta transparency level;

adding the delta transparency level to the current keyboard transparency level to form a new current keyboard transparency level;

displaying the virtual keyboard at the new current keyboard transparency level;

waiting for a predetermined time period; and

looping back to the checking step.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said displaying step further displays icons with a transparency inversely proportional to said current keyboard transparency level.

26. A method of arranging a virtual keypad on a narrow display comprising the steps of:

breaking a standard keyboard layout into a left hand and a right hand portion; and

creating a virtual keypad by placing the left hand portion over the right hand portion.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the virtual keypad further includes a button to switch between a virtual keypad with capital letters and a virtual keypad with lowercase letters.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the virtual keypad further includes a button to switch between a virtual keypad with letters and a virtual keypad with symbols.