KEYPAD NAVIGATION SELECTION AND METHOD ON MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20090172604A1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: MOOSAVI, Vahid
• Granted Patent: US 8,863,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08

Abstract

A handheld electronic communication device includes a plurality of text entry keys arranged in a keyfield. A user navigates among alphabetic selections shown on a display by moving his fingers across keys lying within a navigation travel region and other wise generally used to effect text entry into the device.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic communication device, comprising:

a body having a display area, a cursor navigation area and a keyfield area, said keyfield area comprising a plurality of input keys, at least a portion of said input keys each having a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith;

a microprocessor communicatively connected between said input keys and a display screen of the display area and communicatively connected between the cursor navigation area and the display screen, said microprocessor configured to;

receive input data indicative of detected contact with a particular input key that uninterruptedly continues as sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area, and

output corresponding instructional data to the display screen;

said software program configured to run on said microprocessor and programmed to identify a contacted input key having a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith and to display the plurality of associated alphabetic characters on the display screen, said software program further programmed to execute at least one of the following;

select one of said plurality of alphabetic characters in dependence upon where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops; and

select one of a plurality of words displayed on the display screen by a disambiguation software routine in dependence upon where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops.

2. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one input key has a plurality of alphabetic characters associate therewith.

3. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the cursor navigation area is coincidentally located relative said input keys.

4. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the cursor navigation area is defined by a capacitance sensitive sheet capable of sensing sweeping motion executed proximate thereto.

5. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is located beneath the keyfield area.

6. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is overlaid atop the keyfield area.

7. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible key.

8. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of displayed alphabetic characters in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

9. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein the alphabetic characters associated with the input keys are letters that in the aggregate, are arranged in a QWERTY order.

10. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of words displayed by the disambiguation software routine in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

11. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible input key having a contact-sensitive top surface.

12. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet.

13. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet and each of said input keys being a virtual, non-depressible key visually defined on said common capacitance sensitive sheet.

14. A method for operating a disambiguation routine on a handheld electronic communication device, said method comprising:

receiving input data indicative of detected contact with a particular input key that uninterruptedly continues as sweeping motion across a cursor navigation area, wherein the input key and the cursor navigation area are components of a body of the handheld electronic communication device which further comprises a display area and a keyfield area, said keyfield area comprising a plurality of engageable input keys of which at least a portion of said input keys each have a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith;

processing said input data utilizing a software program run on a microprocessor communicatively connected between said input keys and a display screen of the display area and communicatively connected between the cursor navigation area and the display screen, wherein said software program is programmed to identify a contacted input key having a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith and to display the plurality of associated alphabetic characters on the display screen, said software program further programmed to execute at least one of the following;

select one of said plurality of alphabetic characters in dependence upon where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops; and

select one of a plurality of words displayed on the display screen by a disambiguation software routine in dependence upon where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops; and

outputting corresponding instructional data to the display screen.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein at least one input key has a plurality of alphabetic characters associate therewith.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the cursor navigation area is coincidentally located relative said input keys.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the cursor navigation area is defined by a capacitance sensitive sheet capable of sensing sweeping motion executed proximate thereto.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is located beneath the keyfield area.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is overlaid atop the keyfield area.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible key.

21. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 17, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of displayed alphabetic characters in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

22. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 21, wherein the alphabetic characters associated with the input keys are letters that in the aggregate, are arranged in a QWERTY order.

23. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 17, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of words displayed by the disambiguation software routine in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

24. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible input key having a contact-sensitive top surface.

25. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet.

26. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 14, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet and each of said input keys being a virtual, non-depressible key visually defined on said common capacitance sensitive sheet.

27. A software program for operating a disambiguation routine on a handheld electronic communication device, said software program configured to run on a microprocessor and programmed to identify a contacted input key having a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith and to display the plurality of associated alphabetic characters on a display screen of the handheld electronic communication device, wherein said microprocessor is a component on a device body comprising a display area and a keyfield area, said keyfield area comprising a plurality of engageable input keys of which at least a portion of said input keys each have a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith and said device body further comprises a cursor navigation area, wherein said microprocessor is communicatively connected between said input keys and the display screen of the display area and communicatively connected between the cursor navigation area and the display screen, said microprocessor configured to:

(i) receive input data indicative of detected contact with a particular input key that uninterruptedly continues as sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area, (ii) process said input data utilizing the software program, and (iii) output corresponding instructional data to the display screen, and wherein said software program is further programmed to execute at least one of the following subroutines;

select one of said plurality of alphabetic characters in dependence upon where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops; and

select one of a plurality of words displayed on the display screen by a disambiguation routine of the software in dependence upon where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops.

28. The software program as recited in claim 27, wherein at least one input key has a plurality of alphabetic characters associate therewith.

29. The software program as recited in claim 27, wherein at least a portion of the cursor navigation area is coincidentally located relative said input keys.

30. The software program as recited in claim 27, wherein the cursor navigation area is defined by a capacitance sensitive sheet capable of sensing sweeping motion executed proximate thereto.

31. The software program as recited in claim 30, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is located beneath the keyfield area.

32. The software program as recited in claim 30, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is overlaid atop the keyfield area.