Split screen keyboard emulator

• US 5,031,119 A
• Filed: 06/12/1989
• Issued: 07/09/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Tandy Corporation (RS Legacy Corp.)
• Inventors: Sanford, Lindsay, Dulaney, Kenneth L., Hawkins, Jeffrey C., McNamara, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US07/364,952
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/519, 364/521, 364/523, 340/706, 340/707, 340/710, 340/712, 340/713, 340/716, 340/720, 340/723, 340/734
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

A system for providing keystroke data to an application program without utilizing a keyboard that simultaneously displays application program graphics and a keyboard representation on different segments of a screen. Keys are selected by touching the screen at the location of the graphic representation of the key on the screen. The system is transparent to the application program.

Claims

1. In a general purpose computer of the type that executes an application program that generates a display output and includes a screen for displaying the display output of the application program being run on the computer and includes keystroke storage hardware, with the application program of the type that processes keystroke data entered by depressing and releasing a key on a keyboard connected to the computer and accesses keystroke data from the keystroke data storage hardware according to a predetermined standard process, a system for providing keystroke data to the application program without utilizing a keyboard, said system comprising:

means for dividing the screen into a first segment and a second segment;

means for displaying the application program display output in said first segment;

means for limiting the application program from interacting with said second segment;

interactive pointing means for generating screen coordinates of selected locations on the screen;

means, coupled to said interactive pointing means, for detecting said generated screen coordinates;

means, coupled to said means for detecting, for converting detected coordinates in said second segment to input keystroke data; and

means, coupled to said means for converting, for storing said converted input keystroke data and for emulating the standard keystroke storage hardware in the computer so that the application program can access said converted keystroke data utilizing the predetermined standard process.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said means for converting further comprises:

means for displaying a keyboard display including keystroke representations having coordinates corresponding to selected keystroke data.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said means for converting further comprises:

means for recognizing the coordinates forming a written character on said second segment; and

means for converting said formed written character to corresponding keystroke data.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said means for storing said converted input keystroke data and for emulating the standard keystroke storage hardware comprises:

keyboard scan register, having a same I/O port address as the keystroke storage hardware in the computer, that generates a hardware interrupt signal when loaded with keystroke data by said system for providing keystroke data without utilizing a keyboard so that the application program cannot detect that the keystroke data was not generated by utilizing a key on an actual keyboard;

means, coupled to said keyboard scan register, for selecting said keyboard scan register instead of the standard keyboard storage hardware when an actual keyboard is not being utilized.

5. In a general purpose computer of the type that executes an application program that generates a display output and includes a screen for displaying the display output of the application program being run on the computer and includes keystroke storage hardware, with the application program of the type that processes keystroke data entered by depressing and releasing a key on a keyboard connected to the computer and accesses keystroke data from the keystroke data storage hardware according to a predetermined standard process, a system for providing keystroke data to the application program without utilizing a keyboard, said system comprising:

means for dividing the screen into a first segment and a second segment;

means for simultaneously displaying the application program display output in said first segment and a keystroke data selection display in said second segment, with the keystroke data selection display including a region corresponding to a selected groups of keystrokes;

means for preventing the application program from affecting keystroke data selection display on said second

interactive pointing means for generating screen coordinates of a selected location on the screen;

means, coupled to said interactive pointing means, for detecting generated screen coordinates of said region;

means, coupled to said means for detecting, for converting said detected coordinates of said region to input keystroke data corresponding to said selected group of keystrokes; and

means, coupled to said means for converting, for storing said converted input keystroke data and for emulating the standard keystroke storage hardware in the computer so that the application program can access said converted keystroke data utilizing the predetermined standard process.

6. In a general purpose computer of the type that executes an application program that generates a display output and includes a screen for displaying the display output of the application program being run on the computer and includes keystroke storage hardware, with the application program of the type that processes keystroke data entered by depressing and releasing a key on a keyboard connected to the computer and accesses keystroke data from the keystroke data storage hardware according to a predetermined standard process, a system for providing keystroke data to the application program without utilizing keyboard, said system comprising:

means for dividing the screen into a first segment and a second segment;

means for simultaneously displaying the application program display output in said first segment and a keyboard display in said second segment, with the keyboard display including representations, at corresponding locations of said second segment, of the keys of a keyboard;

means for limiting the application program from affecting the keyboard display on said second segment;

interactive pointing means for generating screen coordinates of a selected location on the screen;

means, coupled to said interactive pointing means, for detecting said generated screen coordinates of said selected screen location of a key representation;

means, coupled to said means for detecting, for converting said detected coordinates to input keystroke data corresponding to the key representation at said detected coordinates on said screen; and

means, coupled to said means for converting, for storing said converted input keystroke data and for emulating the standard keystroke storage hardware in the computer so that the application program can access said converted keystroke data utilizing the predetermined standard process.

7. In a computer system that includes a display screen, that executes application programs that include a display output displayed on the screen and requires keystroke data as a data input, that utilizes standard software to access keystroke data stored in a keystroke data storage register when the application program requires keystroke data as input data, and that includes an interactive pointing interface to the screen for selecting screen coordinates as data inputs, a method for emulating a keyboard and providing keystroke data required by the application program without the use of a keyboard, said method comprising the steps of:

simultaneously displaying application the application program display output and a keyboard display on different segments of the screen;

preventing the application program from affecting the keyboard display when the application program changes the application program display output displayed on the screen;

selecting the coordinates of a given keystroke representation in said keyboard display;

translating said selected coordinates to selected keystroke data corresponding to said given keystroke;

providing a keyboard scan register that emulates the operation of the keystroke data storage register;

substituting said keyboard scan register for the keystroke data storage register so that the standard software accesses keystroke data from said keyboard scan register; and

storing said translated keystroke data in said keyboard scan register so that the access of said translated keystroke data is transparent to the application program.