Automatically adaptable virtual keyboard

• US 8,576,173 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Verhaegh, Wilhelmus Franciscus Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, III, Robert E
• Application Number:
  US10/519,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20050225538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,791 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345168-178, 178 1801- 1811, 715/773
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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

The invention relates to a data processing device (100) enabling a user to input characters, the device comprising a touch-sensitive member (200) arranged to function as a virtual keyboard, said member including at least one touch sensor (160) for detecting touched zones on said member. The device further comprises key allocation means (110) for allocating at least two reference keys (220) of the virtual keyboard in response to said detection of the touched zones. The device comprises at least one pressure sensor (170) for sensing a finger (250) causing a force on the touch-sensitive member higher than other fingers when more than one finger touches said member. A recognition of a key stroke may be realized. The reference keys may be reallocated upon a user'"'"'s request or detection of a predetermined condition. The invention also relates to a method of enabling a user to input characters.

Claims

1. A data processing device enabling a user to input characters, the device comprising:

a touch-sensitive member arranged to function as a virtual keyboard, said member including touch sensors for detecting a plurality of touched zones on said member, the touch sensors sensing a force of at least one finger on the touch-sensitive member;

a stroke recognition means which recognizes a key stroke by analyzing a relative position of a zone touched by a finger causing a higher force on the touch-sensitive member relative to positions of zones concurrently touched by other fingers with a lower force, such that the key stroke is determined by the relative position of the higher force touched zone relative to the lower force concurrently touched.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said virtual keyboard has a QWERTY-type layout.

3. A data processing device for enabling a user to input characters, the device comprising:

a touch-sensitive member arranged to function as a virtual keyboard, said member including sensors for detecting touched zones on said member and for sensing a force of at least one finger on the touch-sensitive member, the sensors being configured to identify a finger causing a force on the touch-sensitive member zone that is higher than a force from other fingers when more than one finger touches said member;

a key allocation means for allocating at least two reference keys of the virtual keyboard to respective zones on said member in response to said detection of touched zones; and

a key stroke recognition means configured to recognize a key stroke by analyzing a relative position of the zone touched with a higher force with respect to a position of at least one other zone concurrently touched with a lower force.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the touch sensors is further arranged to determine a parameter of a respective one of the touched zones, said key allocation means being arranged to allocate the reference keys having a size and/or form on said touch-sensitive member depending on said parameter of the respective detected zone.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein said key allocation means is arranged to allocate said other keys having a size and orientation on said touch-sensitive member depending on relative locations of the detected touched sensitive zones.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein said key allocation means is arranged to allocate four or eight reference keys upon detecting four fingers of the user'"'"'s left hand and/or four fingers of the user'"'"'s right hand touching the touch-sensitive member.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein said at least one zone touched with the lower force corresponds to at least one of said reference keys.

8. The device of claim 3, further comprising:

a key correction means for correcting a location of at least one of the reference keys by repeatedly allocating at least one of the reference keys.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said key correction means functions upon detecting a change of position of at least one of said other fingers.

10. The device of claim 3, wherein said touch-sensitive member further comprises:

a display means arranged to display a representation of at least one reference key and/or other key of the virtual keyboard.

11. A method enabling a user to input characters, the method comprising:

a step of detecting touched zones on a touch-sensitive member configured to function as a virtual keyboard, and

a step of allocating at least two reference keys of the virtual keyboard to respective zones on said member in response to said detection of touched zones, and,

a step of sensing a force of at least one finger on a touched zone of the touch-sensitive member,

a step of identifying a finger causing a force on the touched zone of the touch-sensitive member higher than a force caused by other fingers on the touched zone when more than one finger touches said member, and

a step of recognizing a key stroke by analyzing a relative position of the zone touched with the higher force with respect to a position of at least one other zone concurrently touched with a lower force.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions that are executed on a computer, to perform the method as defined in claim 11.