Object entry into an electronic device

• US 7,424,683 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Leeuwen, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao “Kevin”
• Application Number:
  US10/514,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20060095844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 715/700, 715/759, 715/834, 715/840, 715/863, 715/856, 715/862
• US Class Current: 715/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 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 system for entering objects from a set of objects into an electronic device is arranged to determine a first pointer position (11) on a display (10) and display, surrounding the first point position, a first plurality of individually selectable fields (12), each of which represents a subset of objects from the set of objects. Selection of a subset is performed by moving the pointer to the field (12a) containing the desired subset. The system then alternately displays, surrounding a selected field (12a), at least one additional plurality of individually selected fields (13), each of which represents either an individual object or a further subset of objects from the subset of objects represented in the previously selected field, and moving the pointer for selecting an additional field, until a field (13a) which represents an individual object has been selected. The selected individual object can then be entered by the user.

Claims

1. A system for selecting and entering objects from a set of objects into an electronic device, said system comprising:

display means and input means, wherein said input means are operatively arranged to determine an initial point position, said display means are operatively arranged for display, surrounding the initial point position, a first plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which represents a subset of objects from the set of objects, said input means are operatively arranged to allow movement of the pointer to either of the first individually selectable fields for performing a selection of the indicated field, the display and input means being further operatively arranged to alternately display, surrounding a selected field, an additional plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which represents either an individual object or a further subset of objects from the subset of objects represented in the previously selected field and allowing movement of the pointer to either of the additional individually selectable fields for performing a selection of the indicated additional field until the additional field selected represents an individual object, whereupon said input means are further operatively arranged to allow performance of entry of this individual object into the electronic device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of objects is a set of graphical characters and an individual object is an individual graphical character.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

dictionary storage means storing a plurality of candidate words, retrieval means for retrieving a subset of candidate words from the dictionary storage means based either on the character represented in the selected additional field or on the character represented in the selected additional field and at least one previously entered character, wherein said display means are operatively arranged to display, surrounding the selected field representing an individual character, a further plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which represents one candidate word from the subset of candidate words, said input means are operatively arranged to allow movement of the pointer to either of the further individually selectable fields for performing a selection of the indicated further field, whereupon said input means are further operatively arranged to allow performance of entry of the candidate word represented in the selected further field.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said display means are operatively arranged to display the individual characters represented hi the additional plurality of individually selectable fields with an enlarged font size compared to the font size of the subset of graphical characters represented in the first plurality of individually selectable fields.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said input means are operatively arranged to allow reverse movement of the pointer from a currently selected field to a previous pointer position for annulling a performed selection.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means are operatively arranged to provide a magnified version of the additional plurality of individually selectable fields in response to use of the input means to initiate movement of the pointer towards either of the additional individually selectable fields.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means are operatively arranged to display the additional plurality of individually selectable fields and at least partially overlaid, the previously displayed plurality of individually selectable fields.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means and said input means are arranged in a handset of a wireless communication system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means and said input means are arranged in a personal digital assistant.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means and said input means are arranged in a handheld electronic device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said display means and said input means are arranged in a remote control appliance.

12. A method for entering objects from a set of objects into an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a first pointer position and displaying on a display, surrounding the first pointer position, a first plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which represents a subset of objects from the set of objects;

moving the pointer to either of the first individually selectable fields for selection of the indicated field;

alternately displaying on the display, surrounding a selected field, an additional plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which either represents an individual object or a further subset of objects from the subset of objects represented in the previously selected field, and moving the pointer to either of the additional individually selectable fields for selection of the indicated additional field until the additional field selected represents an individual object;

performing an entry into the electronic device of this individual object.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of objects is a set of graphical characters and an individual object is an individual graphical character.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

providing dictionary storage means for storing a plurality of candidate words;

providing retrieval means for retrieving a subset of candidate words from the dictionary storage means based either on the character represented in the selected additional field or on the character represented in the selected additional field and at least one previously entered character;

displaying on the display, surrounding the selected additional field, a further plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which represents one candidate word from the subset of candidate words;

moving the pointer to either of the further individually selectable fields for performing a selection of the indicated further field;

performing an entry of the candidate word represented into the selected further field.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of moving the pointer further allows a reverse movement of the pointer from a currently selected field to a previous pointer position for annulling a performed selection.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of displaying on the display, surrounding the selected field, an additional plurality of selectable fields further comprises displaying the individual characters represented in the additional plurality of individually selectable fields with an enlarged font size compared to the font size of the subset of graphical characters represented in the first plurality of individually selectable fields.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of displaying on the display, surrounding the selected field, an additional plurality of selectable fields further comprises providing, for display, a magnified version of the additional plurality of individually selectable fields in response to movement of the pointer towards either of the additional individually selectable fields.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of displaying on the display, surrounding the selected field, an additional plurality of selectable fields further comprises displaying the additional plurality of individually selectable field, and, at least partially, overlaid the previously displayed plurality of individually selectable fields.

19. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer-readable program code means for causing a computer to perform the following steps:

determining, on a display, a first pointer position and displaying, on the display, surrounding the first pointer position, a first plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which represents a subset of objects from a set of objects;

moving the pointer to either of the first individually selectable fields for selecting the indicated field based on user input;

alternately displaying, on the display, surrounding the selected field, an additional plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which either represents an individual object or a further subset of objects from the subset of objects represented in the previously selected field, and moving the pointer to either of the additional individually selectable fields for selecting the indicated additional field based on user input until the additional field selected represents an individual object;

performing an entry of the individual object represented into the selected additional field based on user input.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising computer-readable program code means for causing a computer to perform the following steps:

providing a set of objects being a set of graphical characters, where an individual object is an individual graphical character;

retrieving a subset of candidate words from a dictionary storage means based on either the character represented in the selected additional field or the character represented in the selected additional field and at least one previously entered character;

displaying, on the display, surrounding the selected additional field, a further plurality of individually selectable fields, each of which represents one candidate word from the subset of candidate words;

moving the pointer to either of the further individually selectable fields for performing a selection of the indicated further field based on user input;

performing an entry of the candidate word represented into the selected further field based on user input.