VIRTUAL KEYPAD FOR TOUCHSCREEN DISPLAY

• US 20090158191A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: VARANDA, Marcelo
• Application Number:
  US12/389,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158191A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• 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 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 or by placing the right hand portion over the left hand portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keypad further includes a button to switch between a virtual keypad with capital letters and a virtual keypad with lowercase letters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keypad further includes a button to switch between a virtual keypad with letters and a virtual keypad with symbols.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the standard keyboard layout comprises one of QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY or DVORAK.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the narrow display is on a wireless communications device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the narrow display is a touchscreen display.

7. A wireless communications device comprising:

a narrow display; and

a processor, the processor configured to;

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

create a virtual keypad on the narrow display by placing the left hand portion over the right hand portion or by placing the right hand portion over the left hand portion.

8. The wireless communications device of claim 7, wherein the virtual keypad further includes a button to switch between a virtual keypad with capital letters and a virtual keypad with lowercase letters.

9. The wireless communications device of claim 7, wherein the virtual keypad further includes a button to switch between a virtual keypad with letters and a virtual keypad with symbols.

10. The wireless communications device of claim 7, wherein the standard keyboard layout comprises one of QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY or DVORAK.

11. The wireless communications device of claim 7, wherein the narrow display is a touchscreen display.