ADAPTIVE SOFT KEYBOARD

• US 20110267278A1
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wickström, Olof Gunnar
• Application Number:
  US12/769,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20110267278A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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 device may include a processor and a touch screen to display a soft keyboard. The processor may be configured to detect a touch within a touch-sensitive area within a first soft key of the soft keyboard, detect a keystroke corresponding to a second soft key of the soft keyboard, determine whether the second soft key is a backspace key, detect a keystroke corresponding to a third soft key of the soft keyboard when the processor determines that the second soft key is the backspace key, and adjust the touch-sensitive area when the processor determines that the first soft key neighbors the third soft key.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a touch within a touch-sensitive area of a first soft key displayed on a touch screen;

detecting a keystroke corresponding to a second soft key displayed on the touch screen;

determining whether the second soft key is a backspace key; and

adjusting the touch-sensitive area when a device determines that the second soft key is the backspace key.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the touch-sensitive area includes:

detecting a keystroke corresponding to a third soft key displayed on the touch screen when the device determines that the second soft key is the backspace key;

determining whether the third soft key neighbors the first soft key; and

adjusting the touch-sensitive area when the device determines that the third soft key neighbors the first soft key.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein adjusting the touch-sensitive area includes at least one of:

changing a size of the touch-sensitive area;

or

changing a location of the touch-sensitive area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein changing the location includes:

translating the touch-sensitive area away from the third soft key.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein changing the size of the touch-sensitive area includes:

decreasing the size of the touch-sensitive area.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting the touch includes:

obtaining a location of the touch;

identifying the first soft key based on the location; and

storing, in a memory, coordinates corresponding to the location and an identity of the first soft key.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

initializing the memory with a null value to indicate that no soft key has been touched before obtaining the location of the touch.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first soft key is one of soft keys whose touch-sensitive areas are adjustable.

9. A device comprising:

a touch screen to display a soft keyboard; and

a processor to;

detect a touch within a touch-sensitive area within a first soft key of the soft keyboard;

detect a keystroke corresponding to a second soft key of the soft keyboard;

determine whether the second soft key is a backspace key;

detect a keystroke corresponding to a third soft key of the soft keyboard when the processor determines that the second soft key is the backspace key; and

adjust the touch-sensitive area when the processor determines that the first soft key neighbors the third soft key.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the device comprises a tablet computer or a smart phone.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the first soft key includes a soft key corresponding to a special character or an alphanumeric character.

12. The device of claim 9, further comprising:

an application to receive, from the soft keyboard, an alphanumeric character corresponding to the first soft key.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the soft keyboard includes:

a QWERTY soft keyboard.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the backspace key is a delete key.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein when the processor adjusts the touch-sensitive area, the processor is further configured to at least one of:

change a size of the touch-sensitive area;

or

move the touch-sensitive area.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the touch-sensitive area is in shape of a circle, ellipse, rectangle, or square.

17. A computer-readable storage device, comprising computer-executable instructions, for causing one or more processors to:

detect a touch within a touch-sensitive area within a first soft key of a soft keyboard displayed on a touch screen;

detect a keystroke corresponding to a second soft key of the soft keyboard;

determine whether the second soft key is a delete key; and

adjust the touch-sensitive area when the one or more processors determine that the second soft key is not the delete key.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the instructions for causing the one or more processors to adjust the touch-sensitive area include instructions for causing the one or more processors to:

move the touch-sensitive to a location determined by averaging values of coordinates associated with the touch with values of coordinates of the touch-sensitive area.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions, for causing the one or more processors to:

determine whether the first soft key is one of soft keys whose touch-sensitive areas are adjustable.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the soft keys include alphanumeric keys.