VIRTUAL KEYBOARD OF A MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100313160A1
• Filed: 11/27/2008
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile International AG (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Mossakowski, Gerd
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for representing a virtual keyboard on the display of a mobile terminal, as for example a cell phone, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a camera for capturing image data, a display for representing the image data and a keyboard for selecting menu functions or for inputting, for example, a text message The invention is characterized in that the keyboard is designed as a virtual keyboard on the display of the mobile terminal and that a cursor represented on the virtual keyboard is designed to the moveable, wherein the cursor moves according to the movements of the mobile terminal in the spatial axes to the corresponding keyboard field of the virtual keyboard.

Claims

1. A method for representing a virtual keyboard on the display of a mobile terminal, such as for example a cell phone, wherein the mobile terminal exhibits a camera for capturing image data, a display for representing the image data and a keyboard for selecting menu functions or for inputting, for example, a text message, wherein the keyboard is designed as a virtual keyboard on the display of the mobile terminal (1) and that a cursor represented on the virtual keyboard is designed to be moveable, wherein the cursor moves according to the movements of the mobile terminal in the spatial axes to the corresponding keyboard field of the virtual keyboard, characterized in that image data of a first camera position (2) of the camera are captured, said image data being saved in prioritized pixel groups (4) to be formed, wherein the image data captured with a camera exhibit a matrix of individual picture points in the form of pixels, said pixels exhibiting a pixel value that is variable in time, said pixel value describing color or brightness information of the pixel, wherein each pixel is assigned a priority and is saved sorted in the matrix according to this priority, wherein the pixels and the pixel values are saved, wherein a pixel exhibits the highest priority when the color or brightness difference to the adjacent pixel is great, and wherein the highest prioritized pixel groups (4) automatically correspond to the relevant areas of an image, that in addition to the formed pixel groups (4) the corresponding position values (9) of the pixel groups of the first camera position (2) are saved, that in the case of a movement of the camera from the first camera position (2) to a second camera position (5) the image data in the case of the second camera position (5) are captured and prioritized pixel groups (8) with the associated position values (10) are formed, that the position values (9) of the prioritized pixel groups (4) of the first camera position (2) are compared to the position values of the prioritized pixel groups (8) of the second camera position (5), and that from the comparison of the position values of the first and second camera position (2, 5) displacement vectors (11) are determined, said displacement vectors moving the cursor on the display of the mobile terminal (1) (12) when the displacement vectors (11) are pointed in a direction.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the virtual keyboard represented on the display of the mobile terminal is represented as a moveable keyboard which moves according to the movements of the mobile terminal (1) on the display, wherein the cursor is arranged moveable and preferably centrally on the display.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the movement of the cursor on the keyboard represented on the display of the mobile terminal (1) constitutes the selection of a keyboard field, wherein the selection of the keyboard field is confirmed by means of an arranged operating button.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that after selection and confirmation of a keyboard field the represented virtual keyboard moves to a neutral position.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selection of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the movement of the cursor on the keyboard represented on the display of the mobile terminal (1) constitutes the selection of a keyboard field, wherein the selection of the keyboard field is confirmed by means of an arranged operating button.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that after selection and confirmation of a keyboard field the represented virtual keyboard moves to a neutral position.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that after selection and confirmation of a keyboard field the represented virtual keyboard moves to a neutral position.

9. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that after selection and confirmation of a keyboard field the represented virtual keyboard moves to a neutral position.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selection of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selection of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).

12. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selection of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).

13. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selection of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).

14. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selection of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).

15. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selection of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).

16. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the method configures a menu control wherein the selectin of a menu item can be carried out by means of a position change of the mobile terminal (1).