Keypad navigation selection and method on mobile device

• US 8,863,037 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Moosavi, Vahid
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/966,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,482 Days
• Field of Search: 715/864, 715/810, 715/850, 715/752, 345/173, 345 23- 25
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08

Abstract

A handheld electronic communication device includes a plurality of text entry keys arranged in a keyfield. A user navigates among alphabetic selections shown on a display by moving his fingers across keys lying within a navigation travel region and other wise generally used to effect text entry into the device.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a body comprising;

a display area;

a cursor navigation area; and

a keyfield area comprising;

a reduced keyboard comprising a plurality of input keys, at least a portion of said input keys each having a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith; and

a microprocessor communicatively connected between said input keys and a display screen of the display area and communicatively connected between the cursor navigation area and the display screen, said microprocessor configured to;

receive input data indicative of a detected contact with a particular input key having a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith;

identify the particular input key associated with the detected contact;

in response to identifying the particular input key, determine at least one of a plurality of associated alphabetic characters associated with the identified particular input key using a disambiguation software;

display at least two associated alphabetic characters corresponding with the identified particular input key;

determine that the detected contact uninterruptedly continues as sweeping motion from the identified particular input key across to the cursor navigation area;

determine where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops; and

in response to determining where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion stops, select one of the at least two associated alphabetic characters corresponding to where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion stops.

2. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the cursor navigation area is coincidently located relative said input keys.

3. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the cursor navigation area is defined by a capacitance sensitive sheet capable of sensing sweeping motion executed proximate thereto.

4. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is located beneath the keyfield area.

5. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is overlaid atop the keyfield area.

6. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible key.

7. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of displayed alphabetic characters in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

8. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 7, wherein the alphabetic characters associated with the input keys are letters that in the aggregate, are arranged in a QWERTY order.

9. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 3, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of words displayed by the disambiguation software routine in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

10. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible input key having a contact-sensitive top surface.

11. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet.

12. The handheld electronic communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet and each of said input keys being a virtual, non-depressible key visually defined on said common capacitance sensitive sheet.

13. A method for operating a disambiguation routine on a handheld electronic communication device, said method comprising:

receiving, at the handheld electronic communication device, input data indicative of a detected contact with a particular input key of a reduced keyboard on the handheld electronic communication device, wherein the particular input key has a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith;

identifying the particular input key associated with the detected contact;

in response to identifying the particular input key, determining at least one of a plurality of associated alphabetic characters associated with the identified particular input key using the disambiguation software;

displaying the plurality of associated alphabetic characters corresponding with the identified particular key on a display screen of the handheld electronic device;

determining that the detected contact uninterruptedly continues as sweeping motion from the identified particular input key across to the cursor navigation area;

determining where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops; and

in response to determining where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion stops, selecting one of the plurality of associated alphabetic characters corresponding to where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion stops.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the cursor navigation area is coincidently located relative said input keys.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the cursor navigation area is defined by a capacitance sensitive sheet capable of sensing sweeping motion executed proximate thereto.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is located beneath the keyfield area.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is overlaid atop the keyfield area.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible key.

19. The method as recited in claim as recited in claim 15, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of displayed alphabetic characters in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

20. The method as recited in claim as recited in claim 19, wherein the alphabetic characters associated with the input keys are letters that in the aggregate, are arranged in a QWERTY order.

21. The method as recited in claim as recited in claim 15, wherein said software program is further programmed to select one of the plurality of words displayed by the disambiguation software routine in dependence upon where uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the capacitance sensitive sheet stops and coincident disengagement away from said capacitance sensitive sheet occurs.

22. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein each of the input keys is a physically depressible input key having a contact-sensitive top surface.

23. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet.

24. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the keyfield area and the cursor navigation area share a common capacitance sensitive sheet for sensing input key contacts and sweeping motion executed proximate said capacitance sensitive sheet and each of said input keys being a virtual, non-depressible key visually defined on said common capacitance sensitive sheet.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions for execution by a microprocessor of an electronic device, the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that when executed by the microprocessor control the handheld electronic device to:

receive, at the handheld electronic communication device, input data indicative of a detected contact with a particular input key of a reduced keyboard on the handheld electronic communication device, wherein the particular input key has a plurality of alphabetic characters associated therewith;

identify the particular input key associated with the detected contact;

in response to identifying the particular input key, determine at least one of a plurality of associated alphabetic characters associated with the identified particular input key using a disambiguation software;

display the plurality of associated alphabetic characters corresponding with the identified key on a display screen of the handheld electronic device;

determine that the detected contact uninterruptedly continues as sweeping motion from the identified particular input key across to the cursor navigation area;

determine where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion across the cursor navigation area stops; and

in response to determining where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion stops, select one of the plurality of associated alphabetic characters corresponding to where the uninterruptedly sweeping motion stops.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein at least a portion of the cursor navigation area is coincidently located relative said input keys.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the cursor navigation area is defined by a capacitance sensitive sheet capable of sensing sweeping motion executed proximate thereto.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 27, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is located beneath the keyfield area.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 27, wherein the capacitance sensitive sheet is overlaid atop the keyfield area.