Zooming keyboard/keypad

• US 8,289,286 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Stallings, Heath, Hwang, Sok Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSON, JASON C
• Application Number:
  US12/340,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20100156807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 device detects an input object that is one of in contact with or adjacent to a touch screen of the computing device, calculates a location on the touch screen that is associated with the detected input object, and enlarges a display element, associated with the location, to a first size larger than sizes associated with one or more other display elements displayed on the touch screen. The device also enlarges one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, to a second size smaller than the first size, and displays, on the touch screen, the display element enlarged to the first size and the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, enlarged to the second size.

Claims

1. A computing device-implemented method, comprising:

detecting an input object that is one of in contact with or adjacent to a touch screen of the computing device;

calculating a location on the touch screen that is associated with the detected input object;

enlarging a display element, associated with the location, to a first size larger than sizes associated with one or more other display elements displayed on the touch screen;

enlarging one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, to a second size smaller than the first size;

displaying, on a first portion of the touch screen, the display element enlarged to the first size and the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, enlarged to the second size, the display element overlapping the one or more other display elements; and

displaying, on a second portion of the touch screen, one or more first characters and a second character, the second character being associated with the display element and a font size of the second character being larger than a font size of the one or more first characters based on the second character being associated with the display element.

2. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the input object comprises at least one of:

a finger, or

a stylus.

3. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the display element comprises at least one of:

a key associated with a keyboard displayed on the touch screen,

a key associated with a keypad displayed on the touch screen, or

an icon displayed on the touch screen.

4. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting removal of the input object from the location on the touch screen;

receiving, as an input, a character associated with the display element; and

restoring the display element to its original size.

5. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where calculating a location on the touch screen comprises:

calculating a first input object coordinate based on information received from a first detector;

calculating a second input object coordinate based on information received from a second detector; and

calculating the location on the touch screen that is associated with the detected input object based on the calculated first and second input object coordinates.

6. The computing-device implemented method of claim 5, where:

each of the first and second detectors comprises a light detector, and

the first and second detectors are aligned perpendicularly to one another.

7. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where enlarging a display element comprises:

sensing a pressure associated with the input object at the location; and

enlarging the display element, associated with the location, based on the sensed pressure.

8. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where enlarging one or more other display elements comprises:

determining a proximity, to the display element, of the one or more other display elements provided adjacent to the display element; and

enlarging the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, based on the determined proximity.

9. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, are enlarged based on a radial distance from the display element.

10. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where the computing device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a remote control,

a portable gaming system,

a global positioning system (GPS) device,

a printer,

a facsimile machine,

a pager,

a camera,

a video camera,

a calculator,

binoculars,

a telescope,

a personal computer, or

a laptop computer.

11. The computing device-implemented method of claim 1, where a shape associated with the first size and a shape associated with the second size are the same.

12. A device comprising:

a touch screen;

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

detect an input object that is one of in contact with or adjacent to the touch screen,

calculate a location on the touch screen that is associated with the detected input object,

enlarge a display element, associated with the location, to a first size larger than sizes associated with one or more other display elements displayed on the touch screen,

enlarge one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, to a second size smaller than the first size,

display, on a first portion of the touch screen, the display element enlarged to the first size and the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, enlarged to the second size, the display element overlapping the one or more other display elements, and

display, on a second portion of the touch screen, one or more first characters and a second character, the second character being associated with the display element and a font size of the second character being larger than a font size of the one or more first characters based on the second character being associated with the display element.

13. The device of claim 12, where the device comprises one or more of:

a radiotelephone,

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal,

a personal digital assistant (PDA),

a remote control,

a portable gaming system,

a global positioning system (GPS) device,

a printer,

a facsimile machine,

a pager,

a camera,

a video camera,

a calculator,

binoculars,

a telescope,

a personal computer, or

a laptop computer.

14. The device of claim 12, where the input object comprises at least one of:

a finger,

a stylus,

a pen, or

a pencil.

15. The device of claim 12, where the display element comprises at least one of:

a key associated with a keyboard displayed on the touch screen,

a key associated with a keypad displayed on the touch screen, or

an icon, associated with an executable application, displayed on the touch screen.

16. The device of claim 12, where the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

detect removal of the input object from the location on the touch screen,

receive, as an input, a character associated with the display element, and

restore the display element to its original size.

17. The device of claim 12, further comprising:

a first detector; and

a second detector,

where, when calculating a location on the touch screen, the processor further executes instructions in the memory to;

calculate a first input object coordinate based on information received from the first detector,

calculate a second input object coordinate based on information received from the second detector, and

calculate the location on the touch screen that is associated with the detected input object based on the calculated first and second input object coordinates.

18. The device of claim 17, where:

each of the first and second detectors comprises a light detector, and

the first and second detectors are aligned perpendicularly to one another.

19. The device of claim 12, where, when enlarging a display element, the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

sense a pressure associated with the input object at the location, and

enlarge the display element, associated with the location, based on the sensed pressure.

20. The device of claim 12, where, when enlarging one or more other display elements, the processor further executes instructions in the memory to:

determine a proximity, to the display element, of the one or more other display elements provided adjacent to the display element, and

enlarge the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, based on the determined proximity.

21. The device of claim 12, where the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, are enlarged based on a radial distance from the display element.

22. The device of claim 12, further comprising:

one or more pressure sensors associated with the touch screen, and

where, when calculating a location on the touch screen, the processor further executes instructions in the memory to;

detect, with the one or more pressure sensors, a pressure associated with the input object, and

determine the location on the touch screen that is associated with the detected input object based on the detected pressure.

23. The device of claim 12, where the display element and the one or more other display elements are associated with a QWERTY-like layout keyboard displayed on the touch screen.

24. The device of claim 12, where a shape associated with the first size and a shape associated with the second size are the same.

25. A system comprising:

means for detecting an input object that is one of in contact with or adjacent to a touch screen of the computing device;

means for calculating a location on the touch screen that is associated with the detected input object;

means for enlarging a display element, associated with the location, to a first size larger than sizes associated with one or more other display elements displayed on the touch screen;

means for enlarging one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, to a second size smaller than the first size;

means for displaying, on the touch screen, the display element enlarged to the first size and the one or more other display elements, provided adjacent to the display element, enlarged to the second size, the display element overlapping the one or more other display elements;

means for displaying, on a portion of the touch screen, one or more first characters and a second character, the second character being associated with the display element and a font size of the second character being larger than a font size of the one or more first characters based on the second character being associated with the display element;

means for detecting removal of the input object from the location on the touch screen;

means for receiving, as an input, a character associated with the display element; and

means for restoring the display element to its original size.