Device, method, and graphical user interface for manipulating soft keyboards

• US 8,659,562 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Koch, Jonathan, Victor, B. Michael, Cieplinski, Avi E., Missig, Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US13/076,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345173-183, 345/168, 345/169, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/20.01, 715/773
• 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 method includes, at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface: concurrently displaying a first text entry area and an unsplit keyboard on the display; detecting a gesture on the touch-sensitive surface; and, in response to detecting the gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, replacing the unsplit keyboard with an integrated input area. The integrated input area includes a left portion with a left side of a split keyboard, a right portion with a right side of the split keyboard, and a center portion in between the left portion and the right portion.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touch-sensitive surface;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

concurrently displaying on the display

an application content area that includes one or more text entry fields, and

an input area with a keyboard that is displayed over the application content area;

detecting a drag gesture on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display;

in response to detecting the drag gesture, moving the input area on the display in accordance with the drag gesture;

detecting a flick gesture on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display; and

,

in response to detecting the flick gesture, moving the input area on the display with inertia in accordance with the flick gesture such that the input area comes to rest at a location adjacent to and just below a text entry field in the application content area.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein moving the input area on the display with inertia in accordance with the flick gesture includes:

calculating a trajectory of the input area based on the flick gesture;

searching for one or more text entry areas-fields in the application content area that meet predefined candidate criteria; and

,

when one or more candidate text entry fields are found, identifying a respective candidate text entry field as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below and adjusting the trajectory accordingly.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the respective candidate text entry field is identified as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below based on proximity of the respective candidate text entry field to a termination point of the trajectory.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the trajectory is calculated based on simulated physical properties of the input area.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the candidate criteria are met for a respective text entry field if the respective text entry field is within a predefined distance of a termination point of the trajectory.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein identifying one of the candidate text entry fields as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below includes selecting a respective candidate text entry field that is closest to a termination point of the trajectory as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below.

7. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface;

concurrently displaying on the display

an application content area that includes one or more text entry fields, and

an input area with a keyboard that is displayed over the application content area;

detecting a drag gesture on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display;

in response to detecting the drag gesture, moving the input area on the display in accordance with the drag gesture;

detecting a flick gesture on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display; and

,

in response to detecting the flick gesture, moving the input area on the display with inertia in accordance with the flick gesture such that the input area comes to rest at a location adjacent to and just below a text entry field in the application content area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein moving the input area on the display with inertia in accordance with the flick gesture includes:

calculating a trajectory of the input area based on the flick gesture;

searching for one or more text entry fields in the application content area that meet predefined candidate criteria; and

,

when one or more candidate text entry fields are found, identifying a respective candidate text entry field as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below and adjusting the trajectory accordingly.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the respective candidate text entry field is identified as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below based on proximity of the respective candidate text entry field to a termination point of the trajectory.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the trajectory is calculated based on simulated physical properties of the input area.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the candidate criteria are met for a respective text entry field if the respective text entry field is within a predefined distance of a termination point of the trajectory.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying one of the candidate text entry fields as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below includes selecting a respective candidate text entry field that is closest to a termination point of the trajectory as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below.

13. A graphical user interface on an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, a memory, and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory, the graphical user interface comprising:

concurrently displayed;

an application content area that includes one or more text entry fields, and

an input area with a keyboard that is displayed over the application content area;

wherein;

a drag gesture is detected on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display;

in response to detecting the drag gesture, the input area is moved on the display in accordance with the drag gesture;

a flick gesture is detected on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display; and

,

in response to detecting the flick gesture, the input area is moved on the display with inertia in accordance with the flick gesture such that the input area comes to rest at a location adjacent to and just below a text entry field in the application content area.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, cause the device to

concurrently display on the display

an application content area that includes one or more text entry fields, and

an input area with a keyboard that is displayed over the application content area;

detect a drag gesture on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display;

in response to detecting the drag gesture, move the input area on the display in accordance with the drag gesture;

detect a flick gesture on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the input area on the display; and

,

in response to detecting the flick gesture, move the input area on the display with inertia in accordance with the flick gesture such that the input area comes to rest at a location adjacent to and just below a text entry field in the application content area.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, including instructions which, when executed by the electronic device, cause the device to:

calculate a trajectory of the input area based on the flick gesture;

search for one or more text entry fields in the application content area that meet predefined candidate criteria; and

,

when one or more candidate text entry fields are found, identify a respective candidate text entry field as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below and adjusting the trajectory accordingly.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the respective candidate text entry field is identified as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below based on proximity of the respective candidate text entry field to a termination point of the trajectory.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the trajectory is calculated based on simulated physical properties of the input area.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the candidate criteria are met for a respective text entry field if the respective text entry field is within a predefined distance of a termination point of the trajectory.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions to identify one of the candidate text entry fields as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below include instructions to select a respective candidate text entry field that is closest to a termination point of the trajectory as the text entry field that the input area will come to rest adjacent to and just below.