INPUT METHOD, INPUT APPARATUS, AND TERMINAL DEVICE

• US 20140082546A1
• Filed: 11/22/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honor Device Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yang, Yun
• Granted Patent: US 10,331,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0216 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of a keyboard for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1664
• 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

An input method is provided by embodiments of the present invention, relating to the communications field, and invented to improve the input experience of a user. The input method includes: providing an input interface on a touch display screen, where the input interface includes a virtual soft keyboard distributed in a sector area around a lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface; receiving an input instruction which is input by a user through the virtual soft keyboard; and displaying input information corresponding to the input instruction. An input apparatus and a terminal device are also provided by embodiments of the present invention. The present invention is applicable to a mobile device or a handheld device.

Claims

1. An input method, comprising:

providing an input interface on a touch display screen, wherein the input interface comprises a virtual soft keyboard distributed in a sector area around a lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface;

receiving an input instruction which is input by a user through the virtual soft keyboard; and

displaying input information corresponding to the input instruction.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual soft keyboard comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes distributed in sequence from outside to inside in the sector area, and the key bars are provided with keys in triangular or rectangular or irregular polygonal shapes.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

the virtual soft keyboard comprises a term selection area, a character key area, and a function key area, wherein the term selection area comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes outermost in the sector area, the character key area comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes in the middle of the sector area and is adjacent to the term selection area, and the function key area comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes innermost in the sector area and is adjacent to the character key area;

or

the virtual soft keyboard comprises a term selection area and a character key area, wherein the term selection area is distributed in an outmost sector ring in the sector area and comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes, and the character key area is distributed in an innermost sector section or sector ring in the sector area, comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes, and is adjacent to the term selection area.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the displaying input information corresponding to the input instruction comprises:

determining candidate terms corresponding to the input instruction according to the input instruction;

displaying the candidate terms in sequence from the middle to two ends of the term selection area in descending order of use frequency of the candidate terms, or, according to a position of a last keystroke corresponding to the input instruction, displaying a most frequently used candidate term closest to the position of the last keystroke in the term selection area.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the displaying input information corresponding to the input instruction comprises:

displaying, in the term selection area, input information corresponding to the input instruction, wherein the input information comprises at least one of candidate single characters or candidate associated terms corresponding to the input instruction;

receiving a term selection area display manner instruction issued by the user, wherein the term selection area display manner instruction indicates that a finger of the user presses a specified position in the term selection area and slides in one direction; and

displaying, in the term selection area, only the candidate single characters or candidate associated terms corresponding to the input instruction according to the term selection area display manner instruction issued by the user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein before providing the input interface, the method further comprises:

receiving an initialization instruction issued by the user for the virtual soft keyboard, wherein the initialization instruction indicates that a thumb of the user slides on the input interface, with the root of the thumb fixed in a position close to the lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface and with the root of the thumb as a center; and

determining a distribution area of the virtual soft keyboard on the input interface according to the initialization instruction for the virtual soft keyboard, wherein the distribution area is a sector area with a track corresponding to the initialization instruction as a boundary and the root of the thumb close to the lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface as a vertex.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a closing instruction issued by the user, wherein the closing instruction indicates that a finger of the user slides along an outer arc boundary of the sector area corresponding to the virtual soft keyboard; and

closing the input interface according to the closing instruction.

8. An input apparatus, comprising:

an inputting unit, configured to provide an input interface on a touch display screen, wherein the input interface comprises a virtual soft keyboard distributed in a sector area around a lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface;

a receiving unit, configured to receive an input instruction input by a user through the inputting unit; and

a displaying unit, configured to display input information corresponding to the input instruction received by the receiving unit.

9. The input apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the virtual soft keyboard provided by the inputting unit comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes distributed in sequence from outside to inside in the sector area, and the key bars are provided with keys in triangular or rectangular or irregular polygonal shapes.

10. The input apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the virtual soft keyboard provided by the inputting unit comprises a term selection area, a character key area, and a function key area, wherein the term selection area comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes outermost in the sector area, the character key area comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes in the middle of the sector area and is adjacent to the term selection area, and the function key area comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes innermost in the sector area and is adjacent to the character key area;

or

the virtual soft keyboard provided by the inputting unit comprises a term selection area and a character key area, wherein the term selection area is distributed in an outmost sector ring in the sector area and comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes, and the character key area is distributed in an innermost sector section or sector ring in the sector area, comprises one or more key bars in sector ring shapes, and is adjacent to the term selection area.

11. The input apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the displaying unit specifically comprises:

a determining module, configured to determine candidate terms corresponding to the input instruction according to the input instruction; and

a displaying module, configured to display the candidate terms in sequence from the middle to two ends of the term selection area in descending order of use frequency of the candidate terms, or, according to a position of a last keystroke corresponding to the input instruction, display a most frequently used candidate term closest to the position of the last keystroke in the term selection area.

12. The input apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the displaying unit is specifically configured to display, in the term selection area, input information corresponding to the input instruction, wherein the input information comprises at least one of candidate single characters or candidate associated terms corresponding to the input instruction;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a term selection area display manner instruction issued by the user, wherein the term selection area display manner instruction indicates that a finger of the user presses a specified position in the term selection area and slides in one direction; and

the displaying unit is further configured to display, in the term selection area, only the candidate single characters or candidate associated terms corresponding to the input instruction according to the term selection area display manner instruction issued by the user.

13. The input apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the receiving unit is further configured to receive an initialization instruction issued by the user for the virtual soft keyboard, wherein the initialization instruction indicates that a thumb of the user slides on the input interface, with the root of the thumb fixed in a position close to the lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface and with the root of the thumb as a center; and

the input apparatus further comprises;

an initializing unit, configured to determine a distribution area of the virtual soft keyboard on the input interface according to the initialization instruction received by the receiving unit, wherein the distribution area is a sector area with a track corresponding to the initialization instruction as a boundary and the root of the thumb close to the lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface as a vertex.

14. The input apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a closing instruction issued by the user, wherein the closing instruction indicates that a finger of the user slides along an outer arc boundary of the sector area corresponding to the virtual soft keyboard; and

the input apparatus further comprises a closing unit, configured to close, according to the closing instruction received by the receiving unit, the input interface provided by the inputting unit.

15. A terminal device, comprising an input apparatus, wherein the input apparatus is the input apparatus according to claim 8.