VIRTUAL KEY INPUT METHOD

• US 20090237360A1
• Filed: 01/28/2009
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: E-TEN Information Systems Company Limited (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E-TEN Information Systems Company Limited (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stewart, Jonathan Douglas
• Application Number:
  US12/361,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20090237360A1
• 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

A virtual key input method includes displaying a small virtual key that is marked with at least a first symbol, and displaying a large virtual key that is marked with a plurality of second symbols, that replaces the small virtual key, and that has a size larger than the small virtual key. An electronic device that performs the virtual key input method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A virtual key input method, comprising:

A) displaying a small virtual key that is marked with at least a first symbol; and

B) when a touch is detected on the small virtual key, displaying a large virtual key that is marked with a plurality of second symbols, that replaces the small virtual key, and that has a size larger than the small virtual key.

2. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first symbol on the small virtual key is identical to one of the second symbols on the large virtual key.

3. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second symbols on the large virtual key are spacedly disposed along a lengthwise direction of the large virtual key.

4. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

C) detecting selection of one of the second symbols on the large virtual key; and

D) executing a predefined action that corresponds to the selected one of the second symbols on the large virtual key.

5. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the small virtual key is marked with a plurality of the first symbols, each of which is identical to a respective one of the second symbols on the large virtual key.

6. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second symbols on the large virtual key are spacedly disposed along a lengthwise direction of the large virtual key.

7. The virtual key input, method as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the first symbols on the small virtual key defines a first distance with an adjacent one of the first symbols on the small virtual key, and each of the second symbols on the large virtual key defines a second distance greater than the first distance with an adjacent one of the second symbols on the large virtual key.

8. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first symbol on the small virtual key is identical to one of the second symbols on the large virtual key.

9. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the large virtual key extends in one of a crosswise direction and a lengthwise direction.

10. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step of displaying the selected one of the second symbols on the large virtual key in a prominent manner between steps C) and D).

11. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in step C), the selection of the second symbol on the large virtual key is detected when a touch is detected on the second symbol on the large virtual key for a duration that exceeds a predetermined duration.

12. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, in step C), the selection of the second symbol on the large virtual key is detected when a pressure exerted on the second symbol on the large virtual key exceeds a predetermined pressure.

13. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the second symbols on the large virtual key is a character.

14. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

C) detecting selection of one of the second symbols on the large virtual key; and

D) executing a predefined action that corresponds to the selected one of the second symbols on the large virtual key.

15. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the small virtual key is marked with a plurality of the first symbols, each of which is identical to a respective one of the second symbols on the large virtual key,

each of the first symbols on the small virtual key defining a first distance with an adjacent one of the first symbols on the small virtual key,

each of the second symbols on the large virtual key defining a second distance greater than the first distance with an adjacent one of the second symbols on the large virtual key.

16. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second symbols on the large virtual key are spacedly disposed along a lengthwise direction of the large virtual key.

17. A virtual key input method, comprising:

A) displaying a virtual key that is marked with a plurality of symbols;

B) detecting selection of one of the symbols on the virtual key; and

C) displaying the selected one of the symbols on the virtual key in a prominent manner.

18. The virtual key input method as claimed in claim 17, wherein step C) is performed by one of displaying in boldface, flashing, highlighting, and enclosing within a frame the selected one of the symbols on the virtual key.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen operable so as to display a small virtual key that is marked with at least a first symbol, so as to detect a touch on the small virtual key, and so as to display a large virtual key that is marked with a plurality of second symbols, that replaces the small virtual key, and that has a size larger than the small virtual key.

20. A computer program product comprising:

a machine readable storage medium having program instructions stored therein which when executed cause an electronic device to perform a set of operations including;

A) displaying a small virtual key that is marked with at least a first symbol; and

B) when a touch is detected on the small virtual key, displaying a large virtual key that is marked with a plurality of second symbols, that replaces the small virtual key, and that has a size larger than the small virtual key.