TOUCH SCREEN INPUT RECOGNITION AND CHARACTER SELECTION

• US 20100333011A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Zavitaev, Alexey, Kornev, Alexey, Kudrjavceva, Kristina
• Granted Patent: US 8,745,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 system and method of character input using a virtual keyboard, which may have a reduced number of keys. The virtual keyboard may be displayed on a touch screen and may include a plurality of keys. The virtual keyboard may have a plurality of keys, each key having a number of characters or symbols. Characters associated with a particular key may be selected through a series of related touch screen inputs.

Claims

1. In an electronic device having a touch screen and device driver controlling the touch screen, the device driver running on a processor, a method for receiving user input, comprising:

receiving, through the touch screen, a first touch screen input corresponding to a first touch position, the first touch position corresponding to a virtual key, the virtual key having a primary key character and a plurality of secondary key characters;

displaying, by the device driver, a character menu on the touch screen, the character menu having a plurality of menu characters corresponding to the secondary key characters of the virtual key;

receiving, through the touch screen, a second touch screen input corresponding to a second touch position on the touch screen;

displaying, by the device driver, a character on the touch screen based on the second touch position.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

plotting, by the device driver, a menu character region on the touch screen, the menu character region oriented with respect to a first menu character; and

determining, by the device driver, that the second touch position on the touch screen is located within the menu character region;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying the secondary key character corresponding to the menu character enclosed by the menu character region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

plotting, by the device driver, a slide region based on the first touch position on the touch screen, wherein the slide region defines an area on the touch screen in which the second touch position must be located in order for the first touch screen input to be related to the second touch screen input;

wherein the operation of displaying a character menu includes displaying the character menu in an upper area of the slide region.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

plotting, by the device driver, a slide region based on the first touch position on the touch screen, wherein the slide region defines an area on the touch screen in which the second touch position must be located in order for the first touch screen input to be related to the second touch screen input;

determining, by the device driver, that the second touch position is located outside of the slide region; and

wherein the step of displaying the character includes displaying the primary key character of the virtual key.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

plotting, by the device driver, a first touch position region on the touch screen, the first touch position region enclosing at least the first touch position; and

determining, by the device driver, if the second touch position is located within the first touch position region;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying a primary key character if the second position is located within the first touch position region;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying an secondary key character if the second position is not located within the first touch position region.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

plotting, by the device driver, a first touch position region on the touch screen, the first touch position region enclosing at least the first touch position; and

receiving, through the touch screen, an intermediate touch screen input occurring between the first touch screen input and the second touch screen input, the intermediate touch screen input corresponding to an intermediate touch screen position located outside of the first touch position region; and

determining that the second touch position is located within the first touch position region;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying a primary key character.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

plotting, by the device driver, a plurality of slide region sectors on the touch screen, the slide region sectors being separated by a plurality of slide region sector boundaries, the slide region sector boundaries intersecting at the first touch position;

associating, by the device driver, a first slide region sector with a first secondary key character of the virtual key; and

determining, by the device driver, that the second touch position is within the first slide region sector;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying the first secondary key character.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the device driver, that a continuous contact with the touch screen was maintained between the first touch screen input and the second touch screen input; and

in response to determining that a continuous contact was maintained with the touch screen, determining that the first touch screen input is related to the second touch input;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying an secondary key character.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the device driver, that a duration of a break in a continuous contact with the touch screen between the first touch screen input and the second touch screen input was below a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the duration of the break was below a predetermined threshold, determining, by the device driver, that the first touch screen input is related to the second touch input;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying an secondary key character.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the device driver, that a duration of a break in a continuous contact with the touch screen between the first touch screen input and the second touch screen input was above a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the duration of the break was above a predetermined threshold, determining, by the device driver, that the first touch screen input is not related to the second touch input;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying a primary key character.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the device driver, that an elapsed time between the first touch screen input and the second touch screen input is greater than a determined threshold;

in response to determining that the elapsed time is greater than the predetermined threshold, determining, by the device driver, that the first touch screen input is not related to the second touch input;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying a primary key character.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the device driver, that an elapsed time between the first touch screen input and the second touch screen input is less than a determined threshold;

in response to determining that the elapsed time is less than the predetermined threshold, determining, by the device driver, that the first touch screen input is related to the second touch input;

wherein the operation of displaying a character includes displaying an secondary key character.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor in communication with at least one memory for storing computer executable code;

a device driver stored in the memory and executing on the processor;

a touch screen under the control of the device driver, the touch screen operable to receive a first touch screen input corresponding to a first touch screen location and a second touch screen input corresponding to a second touch screen location;

at least one virtual key displayed on the touch screen, the virtual key having a primary key character and a plurality of secondary key characters;

a character menu displayed on the touch screen, the character menu having a plurality of menu characters corresponding to the secondary key characters of the virtual key;

an output window displayed on the touch screen and operable to display a character based on the second touch screen location.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of virtual keys arranged in a key pad, wherein the primary key characters of the virtual keys are numbers and the off-primary key characters of the virtual keys are letters.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of virtual key arranged in a line, wherein the primary key characters and the secondary key characters of the virtual keys are arranged to form a QWERTY keyboard.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a menu character region on the touch screen, the menu character region enclosing at least a first menu character;

wherein if second touch position on the touch screen is located within the menu character region, the output window displays the secondary key character corresponding to the menu character enclosed by the menu character region.

17. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a slide region oriented with respect to the first touch position on the touch screen, wherein the slide region defines an area on the touch screen in which the second touch position must be located in order for the first touch screen input to be related to the second touch screen input;

wherein the character menu is displayed in an upper area of the slide region.

18. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a first touch position region on the touch screen enclosing at least the first touch position;

wherein the output window displays a primary key character if the second position is located within the first touch position region;

wherein the output window displays an secondary key character if the second position is not located within the first touch position region.

19. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a slide region oriented with respect to the first touch position on the touch screen, wherein the slide region defines an area on the touch screen in which the second touch position must be located in order for the first touch screen input to be related to the second touch screen input;

wherein the output window displays the primary key character of the virtual key when second touch position is located outside of the slide region.

20. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of slide region sectors on the touch screen, the slide region sectors being separated by a plurality of slide region sector boundaries, the slide region sector boundaries intersecting at the first touch position;

wherein a first slide region sector is associated with a first secondary key character of the virtual key;

wherein the output window displays the first secondary key character, when the second touch position is within the first slide region sector.