TEXT INPUT ON AN INTERACTIVE DISPLAY

• US 20150248235A1
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Published: 09/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Cathy, Mistry, Pranav, Sadi, Sajid, Offenberg, Eva, Huang, Link
• Granted Patent: US 10,691,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• 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

Abstract

In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage media contains instructions for displaying on a small display an interactive element that is or includes one or more characters. The instructions can identify, based on an input, one or more of the interactive elements or characters.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media embodying instructions that are operable when executed by one or more processors to:

display on a small display an interactive element, the interactive element having a plurality of positions that each correspond to a character from set of characters, wherein at least some of the characters from the set of characters are not displayed at the same time on the display;

identify, based on an input, a first position within the interactive element; and

display on the display a first character corresponding to the first position.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the set of characters comprises the English alphabet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive element does not comprise any characters from the set of characters.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein:

the display comprises a rectangular display; and

the interactive element comprises a first bar displayed along an edge of the rectangular display.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein:

the input from the user comprises contact between a finger of the user and a portion of the display corresponding to the first position; and

the instructions are further operable when executed to;

determine a movement of the finger from the first position to a second position within the interactive element, the movement comprising continuous contact with the display;

remove from the display the first character; and

display on the display a second character corresponding to the second position.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein:

the input from the user comprises contact between a finger of the user and a portion of the display corresponding to the first position;

the first character is displayed on a first portion of the display while the user'"'"'s finger contacts the portion of the display corresponding to the first position; and

the instructions are further operable when executed to;

determine that the user has removed the finger from the display; and

display the first character on a second portion of the display.

7. The media of claim 3, wherein:

the display comprises a circular display; and

the interactive element comprises a curved bar displayed along an edge of the circular display.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the interactive element comprises a first bar along an edge of the display.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein:

the interactive element further comprises a second bar parallel and adjacent to the first bar;

the first bar comprises one or more characters from the set of characters; and

the second bar comprises one or more suggested character strings.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further operable when executed to:

determine that the user has executed a swiping gesture on the second bar; and

in response to the swiping gesture, replace some of the one or more suggested character strings in the second bar with one or more other suggested character strings.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further operable when executed to:

determine that a finger of a user has contacted a first portion of the display corresponding to the first position; and

determine that the finger has made a continuous movement substantially perpendicular to the bar to a second position of the display outside of the bar.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further operable when executed to:

determine that the user has executed a swiping gesture on the first bar; and

in response to the swiping gesture, replace some of the one or more characters in the first bar with one or more other characters.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein:

the interactive element comprises a second bar parallel and adjacent to the first bar;

the first bar comprises one or more characters from the set of characters; and

the second bar comprises one or more icons operable to alter the characters displayed in the first bar.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein the one or more icons are operable to:

change a capitalization of the characters in the first bar;

change a typesetting of the characters in the first bar;

display numbers in the first bar;

display letters in the first bar;

or

display symbols in the first bar.

15. The media of claim 1, wherein the characters comprise character components.

16. The media of claim 1, wherein:

the display comprises a circular display;

the interactive element comprises a semi-circular portion of the display, the semi-circular portion comprising a display of least one of the characters.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the media is within a wearable device comprising:

the display;

a rotatable element about the display; and

a detector configured to detect rotation of the rotatable element; and

a band coupled to the device body.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the instructions are further operable when executed to:

determine a rotation of the rotatable element; and

replace, based on the rotation, at least one of the characters in the semi-circular portion with another one of the characters from the set of characters.

19. A device, comprising:

a small display configured to;

display an interactive element, the interactive element having a plurality of positions that each correspond to a character from set of characters, wherein at least some of the characters from the set of characters are not displayed at the same time on the display; and

a processor configured to;

identify, based on an input, a first position within the interactive element; and

instruct the display to display a first character corresponding to the first position.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the interactive element comprises a bar along an edge of the display.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein:

the input comprises a gesture made on the display; and

the processor identifies the first position based on the gesture.

22. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media embodying instructions that are operable when executed by one or more processors to:

display on a substantial part of an outer portion of a surface of small display a plurality of characters, the surface of the display having an inner portion that includes a center of the display surface;

identify, based on an input, one or more of the displayed characters; and

display on a portion of the display comprising inputted text the one or more identified characters.

23. The media of claim 22, wherein the display comprises a substantially circular display;

and

the outer and inner portions are substantially circular.

24. The media of claim 23, wherein the media is within a wearable device comprising:

the display;

a rotatable element about the display;

a detector configured to detect rotation of the rotatable element; and

a band coupled to a body of the device.

25. The media of claim 24, wherein the instructions are further operable when executed to:

determine a rotation of the rotatable element; and

select, based on the rotation, at least one of the characters displayed on the outer portion.

26. The media of claim 23, wherein the outer portion is near or at the outer edge of the surface of the display.

27. The media of claim 22, wherein the display comprises a substantially rectangular display;

and

the outer and inner portions are substantially rectangular.

28. The media of claim 27, wherein the outer portion is near or at the outer edge of the surface of the display.

29. The media of claim 22, wherein the input from the user comprises a swiping gesture made by a finger of the user on or around one or more displayed characters.

30. The media of claim 29, wherein the instructions that are operable when executed to identify, based on the input from a user, one or more of the displayed characters comprise instructions that are operable when executed to identify:

contact between the user'"'"'s finger and the inner portion;

a first movement of the user'"'"'s finger from the inner portion to the outer portion;

the first character swiped by the user'"'"'s finger after performing the first movement;

a second movement of the user'"'"'s finger from the outer portion to the inner portion;

a third movement of the user'"'"'s finger from the inner portion to the outer portion; and

the first character swiped by the user'"'"'s finger after performing the third movement.

31. The media of claim 30, wherein the third movement comprises swiping from the outer portion to or near to the center of the display.

32. The media of claim 22, wherein the instructions are further operable when executed to remove, highlight, or deemphasize, based on the identified characters, one or more characters displayed on the outer portion.

33. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media embodying instructions that are operable when executed by one or more processors to:

display on a first portion of a small display a plurality of interactive elements, each interactive element comprising;

a plurality of characters; and

a visual indicator indicating that the plurality of characters are grouped together;

display within interactive element at least one character from the plurality of characters of that interactive element;

identify, based on an input, one or more of the interactive elements.

34. The media of claim 33, wherein the plurality interactive elements comprise:

a first interactive element at a first layer of a hierarchy; and

a second interactive element at a second layer of the hierarchy.

35. The media of claim 34, wherein the plurality of characters of the first interactive element comprise characters that are more frequently used than the plurality of characters in the second interactive element.

36. The media of claim 34, wherein:

the first interactive element comprises;

a first row having a plurality of columns, each column comprising one or more characters;

or

a first column having a plurality of rows, each row comprising one or more characters; and

the second interactive element comprises;

a second row between an edge of the display and the first row, the second row having a plurality of columns, each column comprising one or more characters;

or

a second column between an edge of the display and the first column, the second column having a plurality of rows, each row comprising one or more characters.

37. The media of claim 36, wherein the instructions that are operable when executed to display the plurality of interactive elements comprises instructions that are operable when executed to:

display the first interactive element on the display; and

display, in response to a gesture made by a portion of the user'"'"'s hand on the display, the second interactive element on the display.

38. The media of claim 37, wherein the gesture comprises:

contact between a finger of the user and the first interactive element; and

a continuous movement from the first interactive element in the direction of the edge of the display.

39. The media of claim 33 wherein the visual indicator comprises one or more lines of a perimeter of the interactive element.

40. The media of claim 33, wherein the visual indicator comprises an icon near each of the plurality of characters in the interactive element.

41. The media of claim 33, wherein the visual indicator comprises a coloring of the plurality of characters in the interactive element.

42. The media of claim 33, wherein the visual indicator appears in response to the input from the user.

43. The media of claim 33, wherein:

the input from the user comprises contact between a finger of the user and an interactive element; and

the instructions are further operable when executed to;

display outside of the interactive element the characters of that interactive element; and

identify a motion of the finger of the user from the interactive element to one of the characters displayed outside of the interactive element; and

select that character for input to the display.

44. The media of claim 43, wherein:

the plurality of interactive elements comprise a row of interactive elements and the characters displayed outside of the interactive element comprise a column of characters;

or

the plurality of interactive elements comprise a column of interactive elements and the characters displayed outside of the interactive element comprises a row of characters.

45. The media of claim 33, wherein the input by the user identifies at least one of the characters of the identified interactive element, the input comprising one or more of:

a number of taps by a finger of the user on the interactive element, each character in the interactive element corresponding to a predetermined number of taps;

or

a duration of contact between the finger of the user and the interactive element, each character in the interactive element corresponding to one or more predetermined durations.