Method and system for providing a disambiguated keypad

• US 6,927,763 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: La Monica, Donald P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jorgensen, Leland R.
• Application Number:
  US10/331,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20040135774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 178 18- 20, 178/20.01, 345173-178, 341 22- 34, 235145-146, 708142-146, 340/407.2
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• 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 keypad system (FIG. 2) and corresponding method (FIGS. 3-4) suitable for use in a subscriber device (1) includes a capacitive touchpad 22 for detecting movement within a region, a driver device 12 coupled to the capacitive touchpad, wherein the driver device is for generating a touchpad data signal corresponding to the movement detected by the touchpad; and a controller 14 coupled to the driver device for receiving the touchpad data signal and for resolving the signal to one of a plurality of characters corresponding to the region. A keypad device 16 may be used for generating a key selection signal indicative of the region.

Claims

1. A keypad system comprising:

a mechanical keypad configured to select a region from a plurality of regions and provide a corresponding keypad selection signal;

a capacitive touchpad for detecting movement within the region;

a driver device electrically coupled to the capacitive touchpad, wherein the driver device is for generating a touchpad data signal corresponding to the movement detected by the capacitive touchpad; and

a controller electrically coupled to the corresponding keypad selection signal and the driver device for receiving the touchpad data signal generated by the driver device and for resolving the touchpad data signal as one of a plurality of character values corresponding to the region.

2. The keypad system of claim 1, wherein:

the capacitive touchpad is further for detecting a direction of the movement within the region; and

the driver device is for generating the touchpad data signal to correspond to the direction of the movement.

3. The keypad system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further for resolving the touchpad data signal in accordance with a lookup table stored in a memory, wherein the lookup table is comprised of touchpad data signal values and corresponding character values.

4. The keypad system of claim 1, wherein the driver device is further for sending a plurality of pulse signals to the capacitive touchpad for mapping the capacitive touchpad into a coordinate plane.

5. The keypad system of claim 4, wherein the capacitive touchpad is further for detecting a direction of the movement in a specific region by outputting a resultant signal induced by interaction between the movement and one or more of the plurality of pulse signals to the driver.

6. The keypad system of claim 5, wherein the driver device comprises a signal processing integrated circuit for processing the resultant signal and for generating the touchpad data signal to correspond to the resultant signal.

7. The keypad system of claim 5, wherein the mechanical keypad is adjacent and mechanically coupled to the capacitive touchpad and the mechanical keypad includes a plurality of mechanical keys that correspond, respectively, to the plurality of regions.

8. The keypad system of claim 7, wherein the controller is electrically coupled to the mechanical keypad and the controller is further for selecting one of a plurality of lookup tables stored in a memory, wherein the plurality of lookup tables correspond to the plurality of mechanical keys, respectively.

9. The keypad system of claim 7, further comprising:

a memory electrically coupled to the controller, wherein the memory includes a plurality of lookup tables stored therein and the plurality of lookup tables correspond to the plurality of mechanical keys.

10. The keypad system of claim 1, wherein the capacitive touchpad comprises a plurality of horizontal and vertical wires for defining a wire grid.

11. A keypad system comprising:

a keypad device that includes a plurality of keys and respective key switches for outputting a selection indication signal corresponding to a selection of one of the plurality of keys to a controller;

a memory electrically coupled to the controller, the memory including a plurality of lookup tables corresponding to the plurality of keys, respectively, whereby one of the plurality of lookup tables corresponds to the selection indication signal;

a capacitive touchpad adjacent and mechanically coupled to the keypad device; and

a driver device electrically coupled to the controller, wherein the driver device is for outputting a plurality of pulse signals to the capacitive touchpad sensor,

wherein;

the capacitive touchpad includes a wire grid for outputting a resultant signal induced by interaction between movement and one of the plurality of pulse signals to the driver device; and

the controller is for resolving the resultant signal to a character value in accordance with the one of the plurality of lookup tables.

12. The keypad system of claim 11, wherein the selection indication signal output by the keypad device is further corresponding to a time duration of the selection.

13. The keypad system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further for:

determining if a time duration of the selection indication is in accordance with a predetermined time period; and

resolving the signal received from the driver device in accordance with the one of the plurality of lookup tables only if the time duration is in accordance with the predetermined time period.

14. A method for disambiguating a plurality of characters for a mechanical keypad comprising:

detecting activation of one of a plurality of keys of the mechanical keypad and generating a key selection signal indicative of the one of the plurality of keys;

detecting movement on a capacitive touchpad and outputting a resultant signal indicative thereof; and

resolving the resultant signal as one of the plurality of characters based upon the resultant signal and the key selection signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the detecting of movement on a capacitive touchpad and outputting a resultant signal indicative thereof comprises driving a plurality of pulse signals to the capacitive touchpad and detecting the resultant signal induced by the movement on the capacitive touchpad interacting with one of the plurality of pulse signals.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting one of a plurality of lookup tables stored in a memory based upon the key selection signal, wherein;

the resolving of the resultant signal as one of the plurality of characters further comprises resolving the resultant signal based upon the one of the plurality of lookup tables.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the detecting activation of one of a plurality of keys of the mechanical keypad further comprises detecting a time duration of a pressure.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the detecting movement on a capacitive touchpad and outputting a resultant signal indicative thereof further comprises detecting a direction of the movement and outputting the resultant signal to be also indicative of the direction.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining if the time duration is in accordance with a predetermined time value; and

wherein the resolving of the resultant signal as one of a plurality of character values further comprises resolving the resultant signal only if the determining if the time duration is in accordance with a predetermined time value determines that the time duration is in accordance with the predetermined value.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the resolving the key selection signal as one of a plurality of character values further comprises:

displaying the plurality of character values; and

subsequently detecting a selection of the one of the plurality of character values.