CONCURRENTLY DISPLAYING MULTIPLE CHARACTERS FOR INPUT FIELD POSITIONS

• US 20140132518A1
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wilairat, Weerapan
• Application Number:
  US13/858,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20140132518A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques

Abstract

For each of multiple user inputs, multiple keys of a keyboard that are touched as part of the user input are identified. Additionally, for each of the multiple user inputs, multiple characters that are to be displayed concurrently are determined based on the multiple keys that are touched as part of the user input. Both a character input field and the multiple characters determined for each of the multiple user inputs are displayed. One or more suggested inputs can also be displayed, and a user-selected one of the suggested inputs identified as an input to the character input field.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a single user input comprising a selection of two or more keys; and

displaying a character corresponding to each of the two or more keys in a character field list adjacent a character input field such that the character field list and the character input field are concurrently displayed.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising displaying, in a suggestion list field, one or more suggested inputs based, at least in part, on one or more characters in the character list field.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the one or more characters is not a top-listed character.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, the suggestion list field being displayed concurrently with the character list field and the character input field.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising displaying, in a suggestion list field and prior to a user selection of a character in the character list field, a suggested input that includes one of the characters in the character list field.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising assigning, to each of the characters corresponding to each of the two or more keys selected via the first user input, a ranking based, at least in part, on an area portion of the one of the multiple keys corresponding to the character that was selected.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising displaying the characters in the character list field according to the rankings of the characters.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a character in the character list field; and

entering the user selected character from the character list field into a first position of the character input field.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the character list field is displayed partially overlapping a first position of the character input field.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second user input comprising a selection of two or more keys; and

responsive to receiving the second user input, concurrently displaying, in another character list field adjacent a second position of the character input field, a set of characters corresponding to the two or more keys selected via the second user input.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the characters in the character list field is larger than corresponding character in a soft keyboard of selectable characters.

12. A device comprising:

a user input module configured to identify multiple keys of a keyboard that are touched as part of a single user input;

a character determination module configured to determine multiple characters that are to be displayed concurrently based on the multiple keys that are touched as part of the single user input; and

a user interface display module configured to concurrently display both a character input field and an overlapping character list field comprising the multiple characters determined for the single user input.

13. A device as recited in claim 12, wherein the user input module is further configured to receive a user selection of one of the multiple characters displayed corresponding to a position of the character input field, and wherein the character determination module is further configured to remove non-selected characters from the multiple characters displayed corresponding to the position of the character input field.

14. A device as recited in claim 13, wherein the input suggestion module is further configured to remove, from the one or more input suggestions, an individual input suggestion having a non-selected character in a position corresponding to the position of the character input field.

15. A computer readable storage memory having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a first user input comprising a selection of two or more keys; and

responsive to receiving the first user input, display a character corresponding to each of the two or more keys selected via the first user input in a first character list field adjacent a first position of a character input field, the displayed characters in the first character input field being selectable via a surface area larger than a surface area of the corresponding key.

16. A computer readable storage memory of claim 15, having stored further instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

receive a second user input comprising a selection of two or more keys; and

responsive to receiving the second user input, display a character corresponding to each of the two or more keys selected via the second user input in a second character list field adjacent to a second position of the character input field.

17. A readable storage memory of claim 16, having stored further instructions that cause the one or more processors to identify, based, at least in part, on the first user input and the second user input, a suggestion list that includes at least one character from the first character list field and at least one character from the second character list field.

18. A readable storage memory of claim 15, having stored further instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine a rank for each character in the first character list field and display each character in the first character list field according to the determined rank.

19. A readable storage memory of claim 15, having stored further instructions that cause the one or more processors to determine an ordering of multiple suggested inputs displayed in a suggestion list field based, at least in part, on the determined rank for each character in the first character list field.

20. A readable storage memory of claim 15, the first character list field adjacent to the first position of a character input field including the first character list field visually overlapping the first position of a character input field.