Method and handheld electronic device including first input component and second touch sensitive input component

• US 8,289,277 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Moosavi, Vahid, Fyke, Steven H., Kornilovsky, Alexander, Lee, John Jong-Suk, Rak, Roman
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US13/276,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20120032890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-178, 178 1801- 1809, 341/22
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a housing having a surface; a first input component having input members disposed external to the surface; a second touch sensitive input component disposed about the input members, the touch sensitive input component being separate and distinct from the input members and the first input component and being structured to provide one of: a contact point with respect to the surface responsive to actuation of a first number of the input members, and a number of responses responsive to actuation of a second number of the input members. A processor cooperates with the first input component and the touch sensitive input component to determine if a plurality of the input members are actuated contemporaneously and to output a representation of a single one of the input members based upon one of: the contact point, and the number of responses.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a housing including a surface;

a first input component comprising a plurality of input members disposed external to the surface of said housing;

a second touch sensitive input component disposed about the input members of said first input component, said second touch sensitive input component being separate and distinct from said input members and said first input component and being structured to provide a contact point with respect to the surface of said housing responsive to actuation of a number of said input members; and

a processor cooperating with said first input component and said second touch sensitive input component to determine if a plurality of said input members are actuated contemporaneously and to output a representation of a single one of said input members based upon said contact point;

wherein said processor comprises a memory including a table having, for each of said input members, a representation of a corresponding one of said input members, at least one character associated with the corresponding one of said input members, a first coordinate of the corresponding one of said input members with respect to the surface of said housing, and a second coordinate of the corresponding one of said input members with respect to the surface of said housing;

wherein said second touch sensitive input component is further structured to provide said contact point by sensing a third coordinate and a fourth coordinate corresponding to said contact point with respect to the surface of said housing; and

wherein said processor is structured to output as said representation of the single one of said input members the at least one character associated with the closest pair of the first and second coordinates to the third and fourth coordinates.

2. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said second touch sensitive input component is disposed between said housing and the input members of said first input component;

wherein said second touch sensitive input component is structured to provide said contact point; and

wherein said processor is structured to output said representation based upon said contact point.

3. The handheld electronic device of claim 2, wherein said second touch sensitive input component is a touchpad;

and wherein said contact point is a first coordinate and a second coordinate with respect to the surface of said housing.

4. The handheld electronic device of claim 3, wherein said first coordinate is an X position with respect to the surface of said housing;

and wherein said second coordinate is a Y position with respect to the surface of said housing.

5. The handheld electronic device of claim 3, wherein said first input component is a keypad;

wherein said input members are a plurality of keys of said keypad; and

wherein said touchpad is disposed under said keypad to sense the first and second coordinates.

6. The handheld electronic device of claim 2, wherein said processor is structured to determine that a first number of said input members were actuated at a first time and to determine that only one of said input members was actuated at a later second time, which is within about a predetermined time after said first time, and to responsively output said representation of said only one of said input members based upon said contact point.

7. The handheld electronic device of claim 2, wherein said processor is structured to determine that said contact point is remote from all of said input members;

and wherein said processor comprises a predictive input routine structured to employ an identification of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously in order to output said representation of the single one of said input members based upon said identification.

8. The handheld electronic device of claim 7, wherein said predictive input routine is a disambiguation routine.

9. The handheld electronic device of claim 7, wherein said predictive input routine is further structured to evaluate said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously based upon at least one of:

(a) a count of words being predicted from each of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously, and (b) a measure of common usage of said words.

10. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said first input component is a keypad;

and wherein said input members are a plurality of keys of said keypad.

11. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein said keypad is a reduced keypad in which each of at least a portion of the keys have a plurality of letters assigned thereto.

12. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said first input component is a full keypad;

wherein said input members are a plurality of keys of said full keypad; and

wherein a plurality letters are not assigned to any one of the keys.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is structured to determine if a plurality of said input members are actuated at the same time or within about a predetermined time of each other.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is structured to determine that a number of said input members were actuated at a first time and to determine that only one of said input members was actuated at a later second time, which is greater than a predetermined time after said first time, and to responsively output a representation of said only one of said input members.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is structured to determine specific ones of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously before determining and outputting said representation of the single one of said input members based upon said contact point.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is further structured to ignore all of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously except for said single one of said input members.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is further structured to output said representation of the single one of said input members as selected from all of said input members.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is further structured to output said representation of the single one of said input members as selected from only said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 1, wherein, when the third coordinate is within a first predetermined value of the first coordinate of an input member and when the fourth coordinate is within a second predetermined value of the second coordinate of the input member, the processor determines the first and second coordinates of the input member as the closest pair of first and second coordinates to the third and fourth coordinates.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 19, wherein said input members include a width and a height;

wherein the first predetermined value is proportional to a percentage of said width; and

wherein the second predetermined value is proportional to a percentage of said height.

21. A method of outputting a selection of an input member of a handheld electronic device, said method comprising:

employing a housing including a surface;

disposing a plurality of input members of a first input component external to the surface of said housing;

disposing a second touch sensitive input component, which is separate and distinct from said input members and said first input component, about the input members of said first input component;

providing from said second touch sensitive input component a contact point with respect to the surface of said housing responsive to actuation of a number of said input members; and

determining if a plurality of said input members are actuated contemporaneously and responsively outputting a representation of a single one of said input members based upon said contact point

wherein outputting said representation of said single one of said input members comprises;

storing in a memory a table having, for each of said input members, a representation of a corresponding one of said input members, at least one character associated with the corresponding one of said input members, a first coordinate of the corresponding one of said input members with respect to the surface of said housing, and a second coordinate of the corresponding one of said input members with respect to the surface of said housing;

providing, by said second touch sensitive input component, said contact point by sensing a third coordinate and a fourth coordinate corresponding to said contact point with respect to the surface of said housing; and

outputting as said representation of the single one of said input members the at least one character associated with the closest pair of the first and second coordinates to the third and fourth coordinates.