VIRTUAL KEYBOARD WITH VISUALLY ENHANCED KEYS

• US 20100115448A1
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andriy Pavliv, Dmytro Lysytskyy
• Original Assignee: Andriy Pavliv, Dmytro Lysytskyy
• Inventors: Pavliv, Andriy, Lysytskyy, Dmytro
• Granted Patent: US 8,413,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• 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 of presenting keys of a touchscreen device, to facilitate correct actuation. Following depression of a key, the device determines likelihood of selection of a subsequent key. Keys determined to be more likely to be subsequently selected are visually enhanced. Enhancement may be by presenting the keys as relatively large relative to keys not so determined, by adjusting coloring, and introducing dynamic effects, among others. Also, keys surrounding keys determined to be likely to be subsequently selected may be visually enhanced. Visually enhanced surrounding keys may have enhanced brightness relative to keys not surrounding keys so determined. Keys may be further categorized in an intermediate category as being of equal likelihood rather than of relatively great or relatively unlikely subsequent selection. Visual presentation may intuitively reflect the three categories.

Claims

1. A method of presenting switching areas of a touchscreen to an observer, comprising the steps of:

providing an electronic device having a touchscreen, memory, and data processing apparatus;

visually displaying switching areas of the touchscreen as keys initially having visual characteristics;

responsively to a first switching area being depressed, determining and identifying as a first group switching areas which are more likely to be subsequently selected for depressing after the first switching area has been depressed, and determining and identifying as a second group switching areas which are less likely to be subsequently selected for depressing after the first switching area has been depressed; and

visually enhancing display of the member switching areas of the first group relative to display of the member switching areas of the second group.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining and identifying as a first group switching areas which are more likely to be subsequently selected for depressing comprises the further step of determining members of the first group by considering past switching history.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining and identifying as a first group switching areas which are more likely to be subsequently selected for depressing comprises the further step of determining members of the first group by considering likelihood of each potentially selected character and associated switching area contributing to a known linguistic character progression.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of visually enhancing switching areas which are immediately adjacent to a switching area which has been determined as more likely to be subsequently selected.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method of visually enhancing immediately adjacent switching areas is different from that of visually enhancing switching areas which have been determined to be members of the first group.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of visually enhancing display of the members of the switching areas of the first group comprises the further step of causing each visually enhanced switching area to be presented as an enlarged key relative to visual presentation of the keys of the second group.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting of a switching area causes members of the second group to be displayed in a size less than the size of their original depiction.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of causing each visually enhanced switching area to be presented as an enlarged key comprises a further step of increasing width of the image of an enlarged key but not increasing height of the image of an enlarged key.

9. The method of claim 6, comprising the further steps of determining and identifying as a third group switching areas which are equally likely to be subsequently selected for depressing after the first switching area has been depressed;

and

visually distinguishing the third group from the first group and the second group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of visually enhancing display of the members of the switching areas of the first group comprises the further step of causing each visually enhanced switching area to be presented as of color different from that used for visual presentation of the keys of the second group.