INPUT METHOD, TERMINAL APPARATUS APPLYING INPUT METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM PERFORMING THE SAME

• US 20140181722A1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Sang-Hyup, KIM, Yu-Na
• Granted Patent: US 9,851,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/02 Devices for Braille writing typewriters for Braille B41J3/32
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/025 wherein one tactile input is associated to a single finger

Abstract

An input method usable by a terminal including a touch screen display, identifies first touch input locations on a touch screen. The first touch input locations comprise a predetermined number of concurrent multiple touches. A predetermined number of input buttons comprising a predetermined number of areas on the touch screen are associated with corresponding identified first touch input locations. A touch pattern is detected comprising a second touch input of one or more of the predetermined number of input buttons and an alphanumeric input corresponding to the detected touch pattern is processed.

Claims

1. An input method usable by a terminal including a touch screen display, the input method comprising:

identifying first touch input locations on a touch screen and comprising a predetermined number of concurrent multiple touches;

associating a predetermined number of input buttons comprising a predetermined number of areas on the touch screen with corresponding identified first touch input locations; and

detecting a touch pattern comprising a second touch input of one or more of the predetermined number of input buttons and processing an alphanumeric input corresponding to the detected touch pattern.

2. The input method of claim 1, further comprising providing a character input mode including an English input mode and a number input mode.

3. The input method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of input buttons is set based on a Braille input method.

4. The input method of claim 1, wherein the alphanumeric input corresponds to an input of characters allocated in accordance with a Braille input method.

5. The input method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an input gesture of a user; and

processing a function key input corresponding to the input gesture.

6. The input method of claim 5, wherein the input gesture corresponds to at least one of a terminal motion gesture including tilting, rotation, and movement of the terminal, and a touch gesture including a touch input of the touch screen display.

7. The input method of claim 5, wherein the processing of the function key input corresponding to the input gesture comprises processing at least one of a character input mode change function for changing a type of a character to be input, a cursor movement function for moving a position of a cursor, a character input completion function for prompting completion of a character input, a character deletion function for deleting an input character, and an input end function for prompting an end of a character input.

8. The input method of claim 6, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture comprising at least one of a single touch and a multi touch, and the processing of the function key input corresponding to the input gesture comprises moving a position of a cursor according to a movement direction and a size of displacement of the touch drag gesture.

9. The input method of claim 6, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture in which multiple touches move in substantially the same direction, and the processing of the function key input corresponding to the input gesture comprises deleting an input character in a position corresponding to a movement direction and displacement of the touch drag gesture.

10. The input method of claim 6, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture where concurrent touches move in different directions within a predetermined angle range, and the processing of the function key input corresponding to the input gesture comprises ending a standby state for at least one of, an alphanumeric input and a function key input.

11. The input method of claim 10, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture where concurrent multiple touches move in different directions beyond the predetermined angle range.

12. A terminal apparatus comprising:

a touch screen display unit;

one or more controllers; and

a memory that stores at least a user interface key input program,

wherein the key input program is configured to be executed by the controller and includes instructions for,

identifying first touch input locations on a touch screen associated with a identifying first touch input locations on a touch screen and comprising a predetermined number of concurrent multiple touches; and

detecting a touch pattern comprising a second touch input of one or more of the predetermined number of input buttons and processing an alphanumeric input corresponding to the detected touch pattern.

13. The terminal apparatus of claim 12, wherein the key input program further includes a command for providing a character input mode including an English input mode and a number input mode.

14. The terminal apparatus of claim 12, wherein the predetermined number for the key input and the input buttons are determined based on a Braille coding.

15. The terminal apparatus of claim 12, wherein the key input program recognizes an input gesture of a user and processes an input corresponding to the input gesture.

16. The terminal apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a motion sensor that detects a terminal motion gesture including tilting, rotation, and movement of the terminal apparatus, wherein the input gesture includes the terminal motion gesture.

17. The terminal apparatus of claim 15, wherein the input gesture includes a touch gesture including a touch input of the touch screen display.

18. The terminal apparatus of claim 16, wherein the input corresponding to the input gesture corresponds to at least one of a character mode change that changes a type of a character to be input, a cursor movement that moves a position of a cursor, a character input completion prompts completion of a character input, a character deletion that deletes an input character, and an input end prompts end of a character input.

19. The terminal apparatus of claim 17, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture of one or more touch inputs, and processing a key input corresponding to the input gesture comprises moving a position of a cursor according to a movement direction and a size of displacement of the touch drag gesture.

20. The terminal apparatus of claim 17, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture in which a plurality of touch inputs move in substantially the same direction, and processing a key input corresponding to the input gesture comprises deleting an input character in a position corresponding to a movement direction and a size of displacement of the touch drag gesture.

21. The terminal apparatus of claim 17, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture in which a plurality of touch inputs move in different directions, and processing a key input corresponding to the input gesture comprises processing an end of the key input.

22. The terminal apparatus of claim 21, wherein the touch gesture is a drag gesture in which a plurality of touch inputs move in opposite directions.

23. A computer-readable recording medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

identifying first touch input locations on a touch screen and comprising a predetermined number of concurrent multiple touches;

associating input buttons in areas on the touch screen with corresponding identified first touch input locations; and

detecting a touch pattern comprising a second touch input of one or more of the predetermined number of input buttons and alphanumeric input corresponding to the detected touch pattern.