METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING TOUCH SCREEN KEYBOARD

• US 20090237359A1
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Pil-seung, Choi, Myoung-soon, Kim, Dae-hyun, Han, Kuk-hyun, Kim, Bo-mi, Han, Sang-jun, Kim, Hark-joon, Kyung, Bo-hyun
• Granted Patent: US 8,624,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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

Provided are a method and apparatus for displaying various types of touch screen keyboards at various positions according to an information input condition of a user. The method includes recognizing a point on a touch screen which a reference finger of at least one hand of a user touches, and displaying a touch screen keyboard including keys arranged according to the recognized point. Accordingly, a user-based touch screen keyboard which can be easily used, allow information to be quickly input, and reduce touch error, can be provided.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a touch screen keyboard, the method comprising:

recognizing a point on a touch screen which a reference finger of at least one hand of a user touches; and

displaying a touch screen keyboard comprising keys arranged according to the recognized point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the user'"'"'s right hand is used, the reference finger is an index finger of the right hand, and if the user'"'"'s left hand is used, the reference finger is an index finger of the left hand.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the displaying of the touch screen keyboard comprises:

displaying a first touch screen keyboard controlled by the right hand according to a first point on the touch screen which the index finger of the right hand touches; and

displaying a second touch screen keyboard controlled by the left hand according to a second point on the touch screen which the index finger of the left hand touches.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, if there exists a first key having a touch area whose center point is not controlled, each of the displaying of the first touch screen keyboard and the displaying of the second touch screen keyboard comprises adjusting the center point of the touch area of the first key.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusting of the center point of the touch area of the first key comprises:

if it is determined that a real touch position of the first key is closer to a touch area of a second key which the reference finger controls than the center point of the touch area of the first key, moving the center point of the touch area of the first key to a position closer to the touch area of the second key; and

when it is determined that the real touch position of the first key is farther from the touch area of the second key than the center point of the touch area of the first key, enlarging a display area of the first key.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the adjusting of the center point of the touch area of the first key comprises:

if it is determined that a real touch position of the first key is closer to a touch area of a second key which the reference finger controls than the center point of the touch area of the first key, moving the center point of the touch area of the first key to a position closer to the touch area of the second key; and

if it is determined that the real touch position of the first key is farther from the touch area of the second key than the center point of the touch area of the first key, separating a display area of the first key from displays areas of other keys and moving the separated display area of the first key.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first touch screen keyboard and the second touch screen keyboard are displayed by overlapping one or more keys.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognizing of the point is performed by using a puck.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the displaying of the touch screen keyboard comprises:

checking the movement of the finger of the user on the basis of the puck; and

changing the displayed touch screen keyboard according to the checking result.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the changing of the displayed touch screen keyboard comprises;

if the finger is moved upward on the basis of the puck, displaying the touch screen keyboard so as to emphasize an upper key row above a reference key row; and

if the finger is moved downward on the basis of the puck, displaying the touch screen keyboard so as to emphasize a lower key row below the reference key row.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the changing of the displayed touch screen keyboard comprises:

if the finger is not moved on the basis of the puck, displaying the touch screen keyboard so as to emphasize the reference key row.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

checking a distance between the first point and the second point; and

if it is determined that the distance is less than a predetermined distance, reducing the display size of each of the first touch screen keyboard and the second touch screen keyboard.

13. An apparatus for displaying a touch screen keyboard, the apparatus comprising:

a display unit which displays a touch screen keyboard;

a touch screen which recognizes a point that a user'"'"'s finger touches;

a storage unit which stores touch screen keyboard information; and

a control unit which displays the touch screen keyboard information read from the storage unit at a position on the display unit which is determined according to a point of a reference finger of one or both hands of the user which is recognized by the touch screen.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, when the user'"'"'s right hand is used, the reference finger is an index finger of the right hand, and when the user'"'"'s left hand is used, the reference finger is an index finger of the left hand.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the control unit displays on the display unit a first touch screen keyboard controlled by the right hand according to a first point on the touch screen which the index finger of the right hand touches, and

displays on the display unit a second touch screen keyboard controlled by the left hand according to a second point on the touch screen which the index finger of the left hand touches.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, if there exists at least one first key having a touch area whose center point is not controlled among keys included in the first touch screen keyboard and the second touch screen keyboard,

the control unit adjusts the center point of the touch area of the first key.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the control unit checks a distance between the first point and the second point, and

if it is determined that the distance is less than a predetermined distance, reduces the display size of each of the first touch screen keyboard and the second touch screen keyboard and displays the reduced first touch screen keyboard and the reduced second touch screen keyboard on the display unit.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the touch screen recognizes the point using a puck located on the touch screen.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the touch screen detects movement of a finger of the user on the basis of the puck and outputs a signal corresponding to the movement of the finger,

wherein the control unit changes the touch screen keyboard displayed on the display unit according to the signal corresponding to the movement of the finger.