Electronic device and method for simplifying text entry using a soft keyboard

• US 20060232551A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matta, Farid
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device predicts a target key on a soft keyboard for selection by a user and enlarges the target key to make it easier for the user to select the target key. The electronic device includes a display that displays a cursor and keys that constitute a soft keyboard and a cursor control device for controlling movement of the cursor on the display. The electronic device further includes a processor operable to receive a cursor control signal representing movement of the cursor on the display from the cursor control device. In response to the cursor control signal, the processor predicts one of the keys likely to be next selected as the target key and enlarges the target key relative to other keys on the display.

Claims

1. A method for simplifying text entry in an electronic device having a display operable to display a cursor and a soft keyboard, e soft keyboard comprising keys, said method comprising:

receiving a cursor control signal representing movement of said cursor on said display;

in response to said cursor control signal, predicting one of said keys likely to be next selected as a target key; and

enlarging said target key on the display relative to others of said keys.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said predicting further comprises:

determining a cursor velocity in response to said cursor control signal; and

predicting said target key when said cursor velocity is greater than zero.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said predicting further comprises:

determining a cursor acceleration in response to said cursor control signal; and

predicting said target key when said cursor acceleration is less than or equal to zero.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each of said keys has a footprint;

and

said predicting further comprises;

determining a current position of said cursor on said display based on said cursor control signal; and

determining whether said current position of said cursor on said display is outside said footprint of said target key on said display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said predicting further comprises:

representing movement of said cursor by a cursor movement vector having a magnitude and a direction;

representing lines between said current position of said cursor and centers of ones of said keys as respective key center vectors, each having respective magnitudes and directions;

defining a set of said keys such that the direction of said cursor movement vector is within an angular tolerance of the direction of said respective key center vectors of each of said keys within said set; and

identifying from said set a potential key having a minimum magnitude of said respective key center vectors.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said predicting further comprises:

identifying said potential key as said target key when said minimum magnitude associated with said potential key is greater than a radius of an escribed circle of said potential key.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said predicting further comprises:

identifying an additional potential key from said set when said minimum magnitude associated with said potential key is less than said radius, said additional potential key having a second minimum magnitude of said respective key center vectors; and

identifying said additional potential key as said target key when said second minimum magnitude associated with said additional potential key is greater than said radius

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

restoring the size of said enlarged target key when said minimum magnitude associated with said target key is less than said radius and said target key is not selected within a defined time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said predicting comprises:

monitoring entry of a series of selected ones of said keys representing the characters of a partial word; and

identifying said target key from said partial word.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said identifying comprises:

comparing said partial word with a list of complete words beginning with said partial word;

selecting a word from said list of complete words; and

identifying a key corresponding to a first character in said word after said partial word as said target key.

11. A electronic device, comprising:

a display operable to display a cursor and keys constituting a soft keyboard;

a cursor control device for controlling movement of said cursor on said display; and

a processor operable to receive a cursor control signal from said cursor control device, said cursor control signal representing movement of said cursor on said display, and wherein said processor is further operable to predict one of said keys likely to be next selected as a target key in response to said cursor control signal and to enlarge said target key relative to others of said keys.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said processor is further operable to determine a cursor velocity and a cursor acceleration in response to said cursor control signal and to predict said target key when said cursor velocity is greater than zero and said cursor acceleration is less than or equal to zero.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein each of said keys has a footprint, and wherein said processor is further operable to determine whether a current position of said cursor is outside said footprint of said target key on said display.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein said processor is further operable to represent movement of said cursor by a cursor movement vector having a magnitude and a direction, to represent lines between said current position of said cursor and centers of ones of said keys as respective key center vectors, each having respective magnitudes and directions, and define a set of said keys such that the direction of said cursor movement vector is within an angular tolerance of the direction of said respective key center vectors of each of said keys within said set, and wherein said processor is further operable to identify a potential key from said set having a minimum magnitude of said respective key center vectors.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said processor is further operable to identify said potential key as said target key when said minimum magnitude associated with said potential key is greater than a radius of an escribed circle of said potential key.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein said processor is further operable to identify an additional potential key from said set as said target key when said minimum magnitude associated with said potential key is less than said radius, said additional potential key having a second minimum magnitude of said magnitudes of said respective key center vectors, said second minimum magnitude associated with said additional potential key being greater than said radius.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said processor is further operable to monitor entry of a series of selected ones of said keys representing the characters of a partial word and to identify said target key from said partial word.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein said processor is further operable to compare said partial word with a list of complete words beginning with said partial word, to select a word from said list of complete words and to identify a key corresponding to a first character in said word after said partial word as said target key.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein said target key is enlarged by less than or equal to thirty percent on each side of said target key.