Controlling a user's interaction with a keyboard of a multi-application electronic device

• US 20070214393A1
• Filed: 03/09/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products for controlling a user'"'"'s interaction with a keyboard of a multi-application electronic device such as a personal digital assistant. In one embodiment, a keyboard usage statistic for the user is determined and compared with a usage limit. Responsive to the comparison, an input mode capability of the device may be altered by throttling keyboard input to a first application such as a text input application while permitting unlimited input to a second application such as a speech input application. Altering an input mode capability may include at least one of: disabling a keyboard function, enabling an alternate input mechanism, and instructing the user to use the alternate input mechanism.

Claims

1. A method suitable for controlling a user'"'"'s interaction with a keyboard of a multi-application electronic device, said method comprising:

determining a keyboard usage statistic for the user;

comparing the usage statistic with a usage limit; and

altering an input mode capability of the electronic device responsive to comparing the usage statistic with the usage limit by throttling keyboard input to a first application while permitting substantially unlimited input to a second application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein throttling comprises limiting a rate at which keyboard strokes are accepted to a reduced rate that is greater than zero.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein altering an input mode capability further comprises at least one of:

disabling a keyboard function, enabling an alternate input mechanism, and instructing the user to use the alternate input mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application is substantially a text input application and the second application is substantially a voice input application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting profile information entered by the user and determining the usage limit based on the profile information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the usage statistic comprises determining a moving average of the number of keystrokes entered by the user over a specified time.

7. A computer program product suitable for execution by a server for controlling a user'"'"'s interaction with a keyboard of a multi-application electronic device that is capable of operating as a client to the server, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embedded therein, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code configured to determine a keyboard usage statistic for the user;

computer readable program code configured to compare the usage statistic with a usage limit; and

computer readable program code configured to alter an input mode capability of the electronic device responsive to comparing the usage statistic with the usage limit by throttling keyboard input to a first application while permitting substantially unlimited input to a second application.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code configured to alter an input mode capability comprises computer readable program code configured to throttle keyboard input to the first application by limiting a rate at which keyboard strokes are accepted to a reduced rate that is greater than zero.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code configured to alter an input mode capability comprises computer readable program code configured to generate at least one control signal for at least one of:

disabling a keyboard function, enabling an alternate input mechanism, and instructing the user to use the alternate input mechanism.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first application is substantially a text input application and the second application is substantially a voice input application.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising computer readable program code configured to accept profile information provided by the user, and computer readable program code configured to determine the usage limit based on the profile information.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code configured to determine the usage statistic comprises computer readable program code configured to determine a moving average of the number of keystrokes entered by the user over a specified time.

13. A multi-application electronic device with provision for controlling a user'"'"'s interaction with a keyboard of the electronic device, said electronic device comprising:

logic for determining a keyboard usage statistic for the user;

logic for comparing the usage statistic with a usage limit; and

logic for altering an input mode capability of the electronic device responsive to comparing the usage statistic with the usage limit by throttling keyboard input to a first application while permitting substantially unlimited input to a second application.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein throttling comprises limiting a rate at which keyboard strokes are accepted to a reduced rate that is greater than zero.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the logic for altering an input mode capability comprises logic for at least one of:

disabling a keyboard function, enabling an alternate input mechanism, and instructing the user to use the alternate input mechanism.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the alternate input mechanism recognizes voice input.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the first application is substantially a text input application and the second application is substantially a voice input application.

18. The device of claim 13, further comprising logic for accepting profile information entered by the user and determining the usage limit based on the profile information.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the logic for determining the usage statistic comprises logic for determining a moving average of the number of keystrokes entered by the user over a specified time.