Text Entry for Electronic Devices

• US 20090304281A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: 2011 Intellectual Property Asset Trust (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Yipu, Gao
• Granted Patent: US 8,428,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/187
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32

Abstract

A method of inputting a series of characters into an electronic device 1 comprising a display 11, the method comprising: detecting a first input associated with a first one of a plurality of discrete areas 53 of the display 11 for entering characters on the display 11; and recognizing the first input in the first one of the plurality of discrete areas 53 as a first character input 59 while a second one of the plurality of discrete areas 53 is operable to detect a second input for recognition as a second character input 59, the recognition of the second character input 59 occurring separately to the recognition of the first character input 59.

Claims

1. A method of inputting a series of characters into an electronic device comprising a display, the method comprising:

detecting a first input associated with a first one of a plurality of discrete areas of the display for entering characters on the display; and

recognizing the first input in the first one of the plurality of discrete areas as a first character input while a second one of the plurality of discrete areas is operable to detect a second input for recognition as a second character input, the recognition of the second character input occurring separately to the recognition of the first character input.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of discrete areas is distinct from the other discrete areas such that the character input associated with each discrete area is processed separately from the character inputs in the other discrete areas.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a character input comprises a single character.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a character input comprises a plurality of characters.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a character is any written symbol used to convey information.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first input comprises an initiation stage and a composition stage.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the composition stage of the first input creates a trace which is displayed on the display.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the position of the initiation stage of the first input determines which of the plurality of discrete areas the first input is associated with.

9. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the composition stage of the first input may extend outside of the discrete area in which the initiation stage occurred.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input associated with the first discrete area is detected as finished when an initiation stage of the second input occurs in the second discrete area.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input associated with the first discrete area is determined to be finished when no further input occurs after a predetermined time.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein once a character input has been recognized a user input trace is erased and the display displays the recognized character in the discrete area with which the recognized character is associated.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein a recognized character is erased by inputting another character in the discrete area associated with the recognized character.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recognized characters are entered, as a series of characters, into a portion of text.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a prolonged initiation stage of an input action causes the display to display the plurality of discrete areas.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an initiation stage outside of one of the plurality of discrete areas is recognized as a gesture.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein a list of gestures includes a circle.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a display having a plurality of discrete areas for entering a series of characters;

a user input for entering characters via the plurality of discrete areas;

detector for detecting a first input associated with a first one of the plurality of discrete areas; and

processor for recognizing the first input in the first one of the plurality of discrete areas as a first character input while the detector is operable to detect a second input, in a second one of the plurality of areas, for recognition as a second character input, the recognition of the second character input occurring separately to the recognition of the first character input.

19. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of discrete areas is distinct from the other discrete areas such that the character input associated with each discrete area is processed separately from the character inputs in the other discrete areas.

20. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a character input comprises a single character.

21. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a character input comprises a plurality of characters.

22. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a character is any written symbol used to convey information.

23. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first input comprises an initiation stage and a composition stage.

24. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the composition stage creates a trace which is displayed on the display.

25. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the position of the initiation stage of the first input determines which of the plurality of discrete areas the first input is associated with.

26. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the composition stage of a first input may extend outside of the discrete area in which the initiation stage occurred.

27. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first input associated with the first discrete area is detected as finished when an initiation stage of the second input occurs in the second discrete area.

28. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the input associated with the first discrete area is determined to be finished when no further input occurs after a predetermined time.

29. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein once a character input has been recognized a user input trace is erased and the display displays the recognized character in the discrete area with which the recognized character is associated.

30. A device as claimed in claim 29, wherein a recognized character is erased by inputting another character in the discrete area associated with the recognized character.

31. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the recognized characters are entered, as a series of characters, into a portion of text.

32. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a prolonged initiation stage of an input action causes the display to display the plurality of discrete areas.

33. A device as claimed in claim 18, wherein an initiation stage outside of one of the plurality of discrete areas is recognized as a gesture.

34. A device as claimed in claim 33, wherein a list of gestures includes a circle.

35. A memory stored with program instructions for controlling an electronic device comprising a display which, when loaded into a processor, cause detecting a first input associated with a first one of a plurality of discrete areas of a display for entering characters;

and

recognizing the first input in the first one of the plurality of discrete areas as a first character input while a second one of the plurality of discrete areas is operable to detect a second input for recognition as a second character input, the recognition of the second character input occurring separately to the recognition of the first character input.

36. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

38. (canceled)

39. A graphical user interface, comprising a display, that:

enables the detection of a first input associated with a first one of a plurality of discrete areas of the display for entering characters on the display; and

enables the recognition of the first input in the first one of the plurality of discrete areas as a first character input while a second one of the plurality of discrete areas is operable to detect a second input for recognition as a second character input, the recognition of the second character input occurring separately to the recognition of the first character input.

40. A method of inputting a series of characters comprising an ordered sequence of characters including a first character, a second character and a third character comprising:

displaying an ordered sequence of areas including a first area, a second area and a third area on a display, where there is a correspondence between each character and each area of the display such that the first character is associated with the first area, the second character is associated with the second area and the third character is associated with the third area; and

wherein a traced input in the first area defines the first character, a traced input in the second area defines the second character and a traced input in the third area defines the third character and the input in each area is processed separately from the inputs in the other areas.