GESTURE-INITIATED KEYBOARD FUNCTIONS

• US 20140078063A1
• Filed: 12/12/2012
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bathiche, Steven Nabil, Buxton, William A., Lutz, Moshe R.
• Application Number:
  US13/712,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20140078063A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0234 using switches operable in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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

Gesture-initiated keyboard operations are described. In one or more implementations, one or more touch inputs that involve interaction with a key of a keyboard are identified. Touch inputs can be identified using touchscreen functionality of a display device or using one or more pressure-sensitive touch sensors. Based on this touch input(s), a gesture is recognized. The gesture is configured to initiate an operation that corresponds to at least one key that is not included in the keys of the keyboard. In one or more implementations, the operation is a shift, caps lock, backspace, enter, tab, or control operation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting one or more touch inputs using one or more touch sensors associated with one or more keys of a keyboard;

recognizing a gesture from the one or more touch inputs by a computing device, the gesture indicative of a keyboard function; and

responsive to the gesture, generating, by the computing device, an input that corresponds to the indicated keyboard function for processing, the indicated keyboard function not available for input using the keys of the keyboard absent the recognition of the gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the keyboard function is associated with a key of a keyboard format with which the keyboard complies substantially but is not included as part of the keyboard.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the keyboard function is conventionally associated with a key of the keyboard format that is selectable in combination with another key of the keyboard format to provide an input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the keyboard function is a shift, control, alt, or caps lock keyboard function.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the keyboard function is an editing function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more touch sensors are configured as pressure-sensitive touch sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more touch sensors are configured as capacitive touch sensors.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising responsive to the recognizing of the gesture:

presenting a radial menu;

receiving a touch input associated with the radial menu; and

performing, based on the touch input associated with the radial menu, the keyboard function.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the keyboard function is associated with a key of a keyboard format with which the keyboard complies substantially but is not included as part of the keyboard.

10. A system comprising a computing device and a pressure-sensitive keyboard, the computing device configured to identify a keyboard function from a gesture, the gesture recognized from touch inputs detected using a plurality of keys of the pressure-sensitive keyboard.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the keyboard function comprises an editing function.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the editing function is a shift, tab, backspace, or enter function.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the keyboard function comprises a navigation function.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the keyboard function is a shift, caps lock, tab, backspace, enter, escape, or control function.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the pressure-sensitive keyboard is configured in a QWERTY keyboard format and does not include at least one key that is conventionally located at an edge of the keyboard format.

16. A method comprising:

recognizing a gesture from one or more touch inputs detected by one or more touch sensors associated with a plurality of keys of a keyboard, the gesture indicative of a mousing function; and

responsive to the gesture, generating, by a computing device, an input that corresponds to the indicated mousing function for processing.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more touch sensors are configured as pressure-sensitive touch sensors.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the mousing function is a function configured to click, scroll, pan, zoom, move a cursor or pointer displayed on a display device, or cause a menu to be displayed on a user interface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the recognizing is configured to differentiate between gestures indicative of a mousing function and gestures indicative of a keyboard function.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more touch sensors are associated with keys that are selectable to also initiate a keyboard function via a key press.