Input device enhanced interface
First Claim
1. A method for providing a user interface (UI) that enhances computer interactions when using a keyboard, the computer having at least a processor, a display, and a keyboard comprising a plurality of physical keys each with a switching mechanism that is operated by a user physically manipulating the key between a resting up position and a depressed down position, the method comprising:
- by operation of at least the computer processor;
presenting on the display, a plurality of graphical keys that correspond to the plurality of physical keys of the keyboard;
defining a plurality of symbols for a plurality of output actions that are invocable by manipulating one or more physical keys of the keyboard; and
presenting a set of the plurality of symbols over a set of the plurality of graphical keys based on an active operational mode of a plurality of operational modes of the UI, wherein the set of graphical keys over which the set of symbols are presented identify a set of physical keys of the keyboard that correspond to the set of graphical keys and that are usable to directly invoke a set of output actions identified by the set of symbols while said operational mode remains active, wherein the set of output actions identified by the set of symbols are different than default output actions indicated by the set of physical keys of the keyboard.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Some embodiments provide an interactive viewer for an input device interface. Specifically, some embodiments provide a Keyboard Enhanced Interface (KEI) system that includes a KEI viewer. The KEI viewer includes multiple graphical keys that correspond to keys of a key based input device. The KEI viewer also includes multiple symbols that identify different output actions and logic for presenting a set of symbols over a set of graphical keys to identify a set of keys of the key based input device that are usable to directly invoke a set of output actions based on an active operational mode of the KEI system. A symbol identifies a particular output action that is directly invocable with a press of a key of the key based input device that corresponds to a graphical key over which said symbol is presented.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for providing a user interface (UI) that enhances computer interactions when using a keyboard, the computer having at least a processor, a display, and a keyboard comprising a plurality of physical keys each with a switching mechanism that is operated by a user physically manipulating the key between a resting up position and a depressed down position, the method comprising:
by operation of at least the computer processor; presenting on the display, a plurality of graphical keys that correspond to the plurality of physical keys of the keyboard; defining a plurality of symbols for a plurality of output actions that are invocable by manipulating one or more physical keys of the keyboard; and presenting a set of the plurality of symbols over a set of the plurality of graphical keys based on an active operational mode of a plurality of operational modes of the UI, wherein the set of graphical keys over which the set of symbols are presented identify a set of physical keys of the keyboard that correspond to the set of graphical keys and that are usable to directly invoke a set of output actions identified by the set of symbols while said operational mode remains active, wherein the set of output actions identified by the set of symbols are different than default output actions indicated by the set of physical keys of the keyboard. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of accessing output actions for an application that is not frontmost through a key driven user interface (UI), wherein the key driven UI comprises a plurality of graphical keys that correspond to a plurality of physical keys of a keyboard, each physical key with a switching mechanism that is operated by a user physically manipulating the physical key between a resting up position and a depressed down position, the method comprising:
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detecting a hold of a particular physical key of the keyboard while a first application is frontmost with key focus; presenting on a display, the plurality of graphical keys that correspond to the plurality of physical keys of the keyboard; retrieving from a data store, (i) a mapping of a set of the plurality of physical keys of the keyboard that can be used to invoke output actions of a second application while the particular physical key is held and (ii) a set of symbols identifying the output actions of the second application, wherein the second application is not frontmost and does not have key focus; and displaying while the first application remains frontmost with key focus, the set of symbols corresponding to the output actions of the second application over a set of the plurality of graphical keys corresponding to the set of physical keys of the keyboard based on the particular physical key hold, wherein each symbol in the set of symbols identifies an output action of the second application that is accessible using a physical key other than the particular physical key of keyboard that corresponds to a graphical key over which the symbol is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for enabling access to different sets of output actions in a key driven user interface (UI) for a computer system comprising a keyboard with a plurality of physical keys each with a switching mechanism that is operated by a user physically manipulating the key between a resting up position and a depressed down position, the method comprising:
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monitoring system state information of the computer system; determining which of a plurality of operational modes to activate based on said system state information; enabling access to a first set of output actions when a first operational mode is active; enabling access to a second set of output actions when a second operational mode is active; presenting, on a display, a plurality of graphical keys that correspond to the plurality physical keys of the keyboard and a different set of symbols over a different set of the plurality of graphical keys based on the operational mode that is active, wherein the set of symbols identify the first set of output action when the first operational mode is active and the second set of output actions when the second operational mode is active, and wherein the set of graphical keys over which the set of symbols are presented identify a set of physical keys of the keyboard that correspond to the set of graphical keys and that are usable to directly invoke the set of output actions identified by the set of symbols while the operational mode is active; generating within the key driven UI, a first message in response to pressing of a particular keyboard physical key when the first operational mode is active and a second message in response to pressing of the particular keyboard physical key when the second operational mode is active, wherein the first message comprises a first identifier identifying the first operational mode and a second identifier identifying the particular keyboard physical key, and wherein the second message comprises a second identifier identifying the second operational mode and a second identifier identifying the particular keyboard physical key; and executing at least one of a first output action in response to the first message matching to a first message-to-output action mapping of the key driven UI and a different second output action in response to the second message matching to a second message-to-output action mapping of the key driven UI. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification