INPUT METHOD AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE THEREOF

• US 20170315663A1
• Filed: 05/01/2017
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2016
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: ZHANG, Xiaoping, YANG, Chunlong, CAO, Lu
• Granted Patent: US 10,268,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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. The method includes receiving a touch operation in a first region of a touch screen, the first region corresponding to an input region of a virtual input unit; measuring a pressure of the touch operation; determining a first input key corresponding to a location of the touch operation; and determining an instruction corresponding to the touch operation based on the measured pressure and the first input key.

Claims

1. An input method, comprising:

receiving a touch operation in a first region of a touch screen, the first region corresponding to an input region of a virtual input unit;

measuring a pressure of the touch operation;

determining a first input key corresponding to a location of the touch operation; and

determining an instruction corresponding to the touch operation based on the measured pressure and the first input key.

2. The input method according to claim 1, further including:

determining whether the measured pressure is higher than a threshold value;

determining that the first input key corresponds to a first instruction if the measured pressure is lower than the threshold value; and

determining that the first input key corresponds to a second instruction if the measured pressure equals to or is higher than the threshold value.

3. The input method according to claim 2, wherein the first instruction is different from the second instruction and the first and the second instructions correspond to instructions associated with the first input key.

4. The input method according to claim 3, wherein the virtual input unit supports a first input mode and a second input mode;

under each input mode, an input key of the virtual input unit corresponds to two or more instructions, each instruction having a different priority level.

5. The input method according to claim 4, further including:

determining an input mode of the virtual input unit; and

determining instructions associated with the first input key based on the input mode.

6. The input method according to claim 5, further including:

determining that the virtual input unit is in the first input mode;

determining that first instruction under the first input mode is an instruction to display a character corresponding to the first input key in a first display mode; and

determining the second instruction under the first input mode is an instruction to display a character corresponding to the first input key in a second display mode.

7. The input method according to claim 5, further including:

determining that the virtual input unit is in the second input mode;

determining that the first instruction under the second input mode is an instruction to display a character corresponding to the first input key in a second display mode; and

determining the second instruction under the second input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a first display mode.

8. An input device, comprising:

a touch screen, the touch screen displaying a virtual input unit in a first region, the first region corresponding to the input region of the virtual input unit; and

a processor, the processor receiving input operations from the first region, measuring a pressure of the touch operation;

determining a first input key corresponding to a location of the touch operation; and

determining an instruction corresponding to the touch operation based on the measured pressure and the first input key.

9. The input device accordingly claim 8, the processor further:

determining whether the measured pressure is higher than a threshold value;

determining that the first input key corresponds to a first instruction if the measured pressure is lower than the threshold value; and

determining that the first input key corresponds to a second instruction if the measured pressure equals to or is higher than the threshold value.

10. The input device accordingly claim 9, wherein the first instruction is different from the second instruction and the first and the second instructions correspond to instructions associated with the first input key.

11. The input device accordingly claim 10, wherein the virtual input unit supports a first input mode and a second input mode;

under each input mode, an input key of the virtual input unit corresponds to two or more instructions, each instruction having a different priority level.

12. The input device accordingly claim 11, the processor further:

determining an input mode of the virtual input unit; and

determining instructions correspond to the first input key based on the input mode.

13. The input device accordingly claim 12, the processor further:

determining that the virtual input unit is in the first input mode;

determining that first instruction under the first input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a first display mode; and

determining the second instruction under the first input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a second display mode.

14. The input device accordingly claim 12, the processor further:

determining that the virtual input unit is in the second input mode;

determining that the first instruction under the second input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a second display mode; and

determining the second instruction under the second input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a first display mode.

15. A computer-readable medium including contents that are configured to cause a computing system to receive input by performing a method comprising:

receiving a touch operation in a first region of a touch screen, the first region corresponding to an input region of a virtual input unit;

measuring a pressure of the touch operation;

determining a first input key corresponding to a location of the touch operation; and

determining an instruction corresponding to the touch operation based on the measured pressure and the first input key.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, the method further including:

determining whether the measured pressure is higher than a threshold value;

determining that the first input key corresponds to a first instruction if the measured pressure is lower than the threshold value; and

determining that the first input key corresponds to a second instruction if the measured pressure equals to or is higher than the threshold value.

17. The computer-readable medium according to according to claim 16, wherein the first instruction is different from the second instruction and the first and the second instructions correspond to instructions associated with the first input key.

18. The computer-readable medium according to according to claim 17, wherein the virtual input unit supports a first input mode and a second input mode;

under each input mode, an input key of the virtual input unit corresponds to two or more instructions, each instruction having a different priority level.

19. The computer-readable medium according to according to claim 18, the method further including:

determining an input mode of the virtual input unit; and

determining instructions associated with the first input key based on the input mode.

20. The computer-readable medium according to according to claim 19, the method further including:

determining that the virtual input unit is in the first input mode;

determining that first instruction under the first input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a first display mode; and

determining the second instruction under the first input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a second display mode.

21. The computer-readable medium according to according to claim 19, the method further including:

determining that the virtual input unit is in the second input mode;

determining that the first instruction under the second input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a second display mode; and

determining the second instruction under the second input mode is an instruction to display the first input key in a first display mode.