Intelligent touch screen keyboard

• US 8,599,152 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Wurtenberger, Andrew Mark, Halferty, Clark Douglas, Hyde, Caleb Sisson
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US12/823,276
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for orienting a keyboard layout onto a touch screen of a computing device. In particular, the keyboard layout is received at the computing device. Based on the keyboard layout, at least one anchor key is identified. The at least one anchor key is associated with haptic feedback. Further, the haptic feedback associated with the at least one anchor key is presented on the keyboard layout on the touch screen of the computing device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of orienting a keyboard layout onto a touch screen of a computing device, the method comprising:

in the computing device, receiving the keyboard layout having a configuration comprising an initial plurality of anchor keys;

in the computing device, receiving an user instruction to reconfigure the initial plurality of anchor keys to a subsequent plurality of anchor keys comprising different keys than the initial plurality of anchor keys;

in the computing device, associating the subsequent plurality of anchor keys with a first haptic feedback; and

presenting the first haptic feedback associated with the subsequent plurality of anchor keys on the keyboard layout on the touch screen of the computing device.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising:

in the computing device, receiving an user instruction to configure a second subsequent plurality of anchor keys comprising different keys than the subsequent plurality of anchor keys.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 2, further comprising:

in the computing device, associating the second subsequent plurality of anchor keys with a second haptic feedback; and

presenting the second haptic feedback associated with the second subsequent plurality of anchor keys on the keyboard layout on the touch screen of the computing device.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising:

in the computing device, associating a plurality of auxiliary keys with a third haptic feedback; and

presenting the third haptic feedback associated with the plurality of auxiliary keys on the keyboard layout on the touch screen of the computing device.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback is presented as border-based emphasis of the anchor keys.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback is presented as center-based emphasis within the anchor keys.

7. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback is generated at a haptic interface.

8. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the subsequent plurality of anchor keys comprises keys within a same row of the keyboard layout.

9. The computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein a category of haptic feedback is assigned to an anchor key of the subsequent plurality of anchor keys based on the proximity of the anchor key to the center of the keyboard layout.

10. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first haptic feedback comprises pulses.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the first haptic feedback comprises vibrations.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, facilitate a method of orienting a keyboard layout onto a touch screen of a computing device, the method comprising:

in the computing device, receiving the keyboard layout;

in the computing device, receiving an user instruction to reconfigure an initial plurality of anchor keys to a first set of anchor keys and a second set of anchor keys, wherein the first and second sets of anchor keys comprise different keys than the initial plurality of anchor keys and further wherein the first set of anchor keys and the second set of anchor keys comprise at least one primary anchor key and at least one secondary anchor key;

in the computing device, associating each primary anchor key with a first category of haptic feedback; and

in the computing device, associating each secondary anchor key with a second category of haptic feedback; and

presenting the first and second categories of haptic feedback associated with the primary and secondary anchor keys on the keyboard layout on the touch screen of the computing device.

13. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the first set of anchor keys is associated with a left hand of a user and the second set of anchor keys is associated with a right hand of the user.

14. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein each anchor key is one of a primary anchor key and a secondary anchor key.

15. The computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein each primary anchor key is the anchor key of each set of anchor keys that is closest to the center of the keyboard.