TEXT INPUT METHOD IN TOUCH SCREEN TERMINAL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

• US 20170115875A1
• Filed: 01/05/2017
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ha, Tae-Gon, Zhang, Hairong
• Granted Patent: US 9,921,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• 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

Abstract

A method and an apparatus input test in a touch screen terminal. The method comprises designating a certain region on a keyboard interface picture, not permitting text input through a keyboard when touch drag started from the designated region is sensed and acquiring a path of the touch drag, acquiring a path of following touch drag when at least the one or more following touch drag are sensed, and reading out at least the acquired one or more paths by cursive character recognition, deducing a character, determining the deduced character as an input target, and permitting the text input through the keyboard.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device, comprising:

a touch screen; and

a processor configured to;

present, via the touch screen, an input window and a virtual keypad including a plurality of keys,

receive a user input forming a path from a starting position to an ending positon with respect to the touch screen, and

display a character, a numeral, or a symbol corresponding to the path in the input window based at least in part on a determination that the starting position is included in a specified area of the virtual keypad, and that the ending position is included in the virtual keypad.

2. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive, via the touch screen, another user input corresponding to at least one key of the plurality of keys, and

display a character, a numeral, or a symbol corresponding to the at least one key in the input window in response to the other user input.

3. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

display, via the touch screen, the path as at least partially overlapped with the virtual keypad in response to the user input.

4. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the virtual keypad is divided into the specified area and another area, and wherein the processor is configured to:

disregard the user input based at least in part on a determination that the user input is started from the other area.

5. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive at least one additional user input within a specified time after the user input, the at least one additional user input forming another path with respect to the virtual keypad, and

change the character, numeral, or symbol corresponding to the path into a character, a numeral, or a symbol corresponding to the path and the other path in response to the additional user input.

6. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

disable a text input function to receive another user input corresponding to at least one key of the plurality of keys in response to a determination that at least one portion of the user input is detected.

7. The mobile communication device of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to:

enable a text input function to receive another user input corresponding to at least one key of the plurality of keys after the displaying of the path is stopped.

8. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine the character, numeral, or symbol corresponding to the path using a character recognition.

9. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises a drag input, a cursive input, a handwritten input, or any combination thereof.

10. The mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein the character comprises an alphabet, a cursive character, a Chinese character, or any combination thereof.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a touch screen; and

a controller configured to;

provide a user interface on the touch screen having an input window and a keyboard,

detect whether a touch input is started from the keyboard or a region outside the keyboard,

in response to detecting the touch input starting from the keyboard, identify a first character on the keyboard that corresponds to the detected touch input,

in response to detecting the touch input starting from the region outside the keyboard, disable a text input mode through the keyboard to allow the touch input to extend into the keyboard, acquire at least one or more paths of the detected touch input, and identify a second character using character recognition based on the acquired one or more paths, and

input the first or second character in the input window.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to maintain a form of the keyboard while a handwriting input mode is enabled.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to maintain a character key of the keyboard while the text input mode is disabled.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to, in response to detecting the touch input starting from the region outside an English keyboard,

disable the text input mode through the English keyboard,

recognize a Chinese character as the second character using character recognition based on the acquired one or more paths, and

enable the text input mode to receive another touch input corresponding to at least one key of the English keyboard after the inputting of the second character.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine a range or position of the touch input in the region outside the keyboard.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine an entire display area of the touch screen as the region for character recognition.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen; and

a processor configured to;

provide a user interface on the touch screen having an input window and a keyboard,

in response to a touch input starting from a region outside the keyboard, enable a handwriting input mode and disable a text input mode through the keyboard to allow the touch input to extend into the keyboard,

while in the handwriting input, acquire one or more paths of the touch input, and identify a first character using character recognition based on the acquired one or more paths, and

input the first character in the input window.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein, after the first character is identified, the processor is configured to disable the handwriting input mode and enable the text input mode through the keyboard, and

while the text input mode through the keyboard is enabled, and in response to a touch input starting from the keyboard, the controller is configured to identify a second character on the keyboard that corresponds to the touch input, and input the second character in the input window.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to maintain an image of the keyboard while the handwriting input mode is enabled.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to use both an area of the keyboard and the region outside the keyboard of the touch screen as a region for receiving one or more paths of the touch input for character recognition.