Input method application for a touch-sensitive user interface

• US 8,560,974 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yonge-Mallo, Davinci
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault, Steven B
• Application Number:
  US13/597,546
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 715841863-864, 715/784, 715/973, 345/156, 345/173, 382186-189
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In an aspect, a method includes the actions of displaying, at a touch-sensitive display, a plurality of characters that each represent a distinct consonant included in a language script; receiving, at the touch-sensitive display, a touch selection of a first character from the plurality of characters, the touch selection being received at a location on the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed; and in response to receiving the touch selection: detecting a gesture input, selecting a vowel marker based at least in part on an association of the gesture input with one or more vowel markers; and displaying, at the touch-sensitive display, an updated representation of the first character based at least in part on the selected vowel marker. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying, at a touch-sensitive display, a plurality of characters, each of the characters being a character in a language script;

receiving, at the touch-sensitive display, a touch selection for a first character from the plurality of characters, the touch selection being received at a location on the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed; and

in response to receiving the touch selection;

during a gesture input associated with the touch selection for the first character, precluding a touch selection for each other character from the plurality of characters displayed in the touch-sensitive display;

detecting at least a portion of the gesture input at a second, different location on the touch sensitive display, and wherein a portion of the gesture input overlaps a location of the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed during the gesture input;

accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers;

selecting a diacritic marker based at least in part on the association of gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers, wherein the respective diacritic markers are not displayed during the gesture input and the selected diacritic marker is the diacritic marker associated with the gesture input for which a portion is detected at the second, different location; and

displaying, at the touch-sensitive display, an updated representation of the first character based at least in part on the selected diacritic marker.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character while the touch selection is maintained during the gesture input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character when the gesture input is detected within a predefined time after a cessation of the touch selection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the touch selection:

displaying a bounded region surrounding the first character in the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying an image within the bounded region, the image corresponding to a path the gesture input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers comprises:

accessing data associating gesture inputs with diacritic markers for each character, wherein;

for each character, each gesture input associated with each diacritic marker for the character is different from each other gesture input associated with each other diacritic marker for the character; and

at least one diacritic marker for a first character and at least one diacritic marker for a second character are associated with a same gesture input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the language script is one selected from a group consisting of Korean, Arabic, and Hindi.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character when the gesture input is detected during the touch selection or within a predefined time after a cessation of the touch selection;

in response to receiving the touch selection, displaying a bounded region surrounding the first character in the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying an image within the bounded region, the image corresponding to a path of the gesture input.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers comprises:

accessing data associating gesture inputs with diacritic markers for each character, wherein;

for each character, each gesture input associated with each diacritic marker for the character is different from each other gesture input associated with each other diacritic marker for the character; and

at least one diacritic marker for a first character and at least one diacritic marker for a second character are associated with a same gesture input.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the first character and at least one other character during the gesture input.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer software instructions executable by data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

displaying, at a touch-sensitive display, a plurality of characters, each of the characters being a character in a language script;

receiving, at the touch-sensitive display, a touch selection for a first character from the plurality of characters, the touch selection being received at a location on the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed; and

in response to receiving the touch selection;

during a gesture input associated with the touch selection for the first character, precluding a touch selection for each other character from the plurality of characters displayed in the touch-sensitive display;

detecting at least a portion of the gesture input at a second, different location on the touch sensitive display, and wherein a portion of the gesture input overlaps a location of the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed during the gesture input;

accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers;

selecting a diacritic marker based at least in part on the association of gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers, wherein the respective diacritic markers are not displayed during the gesture input and the selected diacritic marker is the diacritic marker associated with the gesture input for which a portion is detected at the second, different location; and

displaying, at the touch-sensitive display, an updated representation of the first character based at least in part on the selected diacritic marker.

11. The medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character while the touch selection is maintained during the gesture input.

12. The medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character when the gesture input is detected within a predefined time after a cessation of the touch selection.

13. The medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising, in response to receiving the touch selection:

displaying a bounded region surrounding the first character in the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying an image within the bounded region, the image corresponding to a path the gesture input.

14. The medium of claim 10, wherein accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers comprises:

accessing data associating gesture inputs with diacritic markers for each character, wherein;

for each character, each gesture input associated with each diacritic marker for the character is different from each other gesture input associated with each other diacritic marker for the character; and

at least one diacritic marker for a first character and at least one diacritic marker for a second character are associated with a same gesture input.

15. The medium of claim 10, wherein the language script is one selected from a group consisting of Korean, Arabic, and Hindi.

16. The medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character when the gesture input is detected during the touch selection or within a predefined time after a cessation of the touch selection;

in response to detecting the touch selection, displaying a bounded region surrounding the first character in the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying an image within the bounded region, the image corresponding to a path of the gesture input.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers comprises:

accessing data associating gesture inputs with diacritic markers for each character, wherein;

for each character, each gesture input associated with each diacritic marker for the character is different from each other gesture input associated with each other diacritic marker for the character; and

at least one diacritic marker for a first character and at least one diacritic marker for a second character are associated with a same gesture input.

18. The medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising displaying the first character and at least one other character during the gesture input.

19. A system comprising:

data processing apparatus; and

a computer-readable medium storing computer software instructions executable by the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

displaying, at a touch-sensitive display, a plurality of characters, each of the characters being a character in a language script;

receiving, at the touch-sensitive display, a touch selection for a first character from the plurality of characters, the touch selection being received at a location on the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed; and

in response to receiving the touch selection;

during a gesture input associated with the touch selection for the first character, precluding a touch selection for each other character from the plurality of characters displayed in the touch-sensitive display;

detecting at least a portion of the gesture input at a second, different location on the touch sensitive display, and wherein a portion of the gesture input overlaps a location of the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed during the gesture input;

accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers;

selecting a diacritic marker based at least in part on the association of gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers, wherein the respective diacritic markers are not displayed during the gesture input and the selected diacritic marker is the diacritic marker associated with the gesture input for which a portion is detected at the second, different location; and

displaying, at the touch-sensitive display, an updated representation of the first character based at least in part on the selected diacritic marker.

20. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character while the touch selection is maintained during the gesture input.

21. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character when the gesture input is detected within a predefined time after a cessation of the touch selection.

22. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising, in response to receiving the touch selection:

displaying a bounded region surrounding the first character in the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying an image within the bounded region, the image corresponding to a path the gesture input.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers comprises:

accessing data associating gesture inputs with diacritic markers for each character, wherein;

for each character, each gesture input associated with each diacritic marker for the character is different from each other gesture input associated with each other diacritic marker for the character; and

at least one diacritic marker for a first character and at least one diacritic marker for a second character are associated with a same gesture input.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the language script is one selected from a group consisting of Korean, Arabic, and Hindi.

25. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character while the touch selection is maintained during the gesture input;

in response to detecting the touch selection, displaying a bounded region surrounding the first character in the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying an image within the bounded region, the image corresponding to a path of the gesture input.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective diacritic markers comprises:

accessing data associating gesture inputs with diacritic markers for each character, wherein;

for each character, each gesture input associated with each diacritic marker for the character is different from each other gesture input associated with each other diacritic marker for the character; and

at least one diacritic marker for a first character and at least one diacritic marker for a second character are associated with a same gesture input.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer software instructions executable by data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

displaying, at a touch-sensitive display, a plurality of characters, each of the characters being a character in a language script;

detecting a touch selection for a first character from the plurality of characters, the touch selection being received at a first region of the touch-sensitive display within which the first character is displayed;

in response to detecting the touch selection for the first character;

designating the first character for association with subsequent inputs detected at the touch-sensitive display;

during a gesture input associated with the touch selection, precluding a touch selection for each other character from plurality of characters displayed in the touch sensitive display;

detecting at least a portion of the gesture input at a second, different location on the touch sensitive display, and wherein a portion of the gesture input overlaps a location of the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed during the gesture input, the gesture input representing an accent marker to be associated with the first character;

in response to detecting the gesture input;

accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective accent markers;

identifying the accent marker represented by the gesture input based at least in part on the association of the gesture inputs with respective accent markers wherein the respective diacritic markers are not displayed during the gesture input and the selected accent marker is the accent marker associated with the gesture input for which a portion is detected at the second, different location, and

displaying, in the touch-sensitive display, an output character representing a combination of the first character and the accent marker.

28. The medium of claim 27, the operations further comprising:

detecting at least a portion of the gesture input comprises determining that the gesture input is associated with the touch selection for the first character while the touch selection is maintained during the gesture input;

in response to detecting the touch selection, displaying a bounded region surrounding the first character in the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying an image within the bounded region, the image corresponding to a path gesture input.

29. The medium of claim 27, wherein each distinct character is a character, and each accent marker is a diacritic marker, and accessing data associating gesture inputs with respective accent markers comprises accessing data associating gesture inputs with diacritic markers for each character, wherein:

for each character, each gesture input associated with each diacritic marker for the character is different from each other gesture input associated with each other diacritic marker for the character; and

at least one diacritic marker for a first character and at least one diacritic marker for a second character are associated with a same gesture input.