Input precision method for minimizing erroneous entries stemming from instability of a mobile device using an accelerometer and apparatus to detect a shake and apparatus and computer program thereof

• US 8,988,365 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Andersson, Ola, Huber, Michael, Kwarnmark, Johan, Svedberg, Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIYABU, KARIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/982,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20120050188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• 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: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A method of correcting an error in user input is described. The method includes monitoring for an occurrence of a shake in a user equipment, detecting a shake, comparing the detected shake with a threshold value, evaluating characters within a pre-determined distance of a character entered by the user during the shake, selecting a replacement character from the evaluated characters and replacing the entered character with the replacement character.

Claims

1. A user equipment comprising:

a transceiver for communicating data;

a memory for storing the data;

a sensor for detecting unintended movement of the user equipment, the movement being caused by factors external to the user equipment;

a graphical user interface with a virtual onscreen keyboard; and

a processor for;

evaluating the detected unintended movement;

evaluating characters within a distance of a character entered by a user via the virtual onscreen keyboard during the detected unintended movement;

selecting a replacement character from the evaluated characters; and

replacing the entered character with the replacement character,

wherein the distance is variable and based on a magnitude of the detected unintended movement or a number of a plurality of detected unintended movements.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an accelerometer.

3. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the accelerometer is configured to detect a shake associated with the user equipment.

4. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises:

a database of words.

5. The user equipment of claim 4, wherein the database of words is used to determine an erroneous character entry of a user, said erroneous character entry of the user being in any position of a word.

6. A method of correcting an error in user input comprising:

detecting a shake in a user equipment which includes a virtual keyboard;

comparing the detected shake with a threshold value;

notifying a user of the user equipment of an erroneous character entry from the virtual keyboard by the user upon the detected shake exceeding the threshold value to prompt the user to provide a corrected character;

if the corrected character is not entered by the user;

evaluating a plurality of characters within a distance of a character entered by the user during the shake;

selecting a replacement character from the evaluated characters;

replacing the entered character with the replacement character; and

replacing the erroneous character entered by the user with the selected replacement corrected character,

wherein the distance is variable and based on a magnitude of the shake or a number of a plurality of shakes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of characters are evaluated if the detected shake is greater than the threshold value.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

measuring the magnitude of the shake;

determining the distance based on the magnitude of the shake.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the distance is a linear distance on the virtual keyboard of the user equipment.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

providing a notification to the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the notification is an aural notification.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the notification is a visual notification.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the shake is monitored by a sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensor is an accelerometer.

15. The method of claim 6 wherein if the corrected character is not entered by the user, the method further comprises:

displaying the selected replacement character from the evaluated characters to the user to provide a second prompt to the user to correct the displayed selected replacement character.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a user equipment to perform a method comprising:

detecting a shake in the user equipment, wherein the user equipment includes a virtual keyboard;

comparing the detected shake with a threshold value;

notifying a user of the user equipment of an erroneous character entry from the virtual keyboard by the user upon the detected shake exceeding the threshold value to prompt the user to provide a corrected character;

if the corrected character is not entered by the user;

evaluating a plurality of characters within a distance of a character entered by the user during the shake;

selecting a replacement character from the evaluated characters; and

replacing the entered character with the replacement character; and

replacing the entered character with the corrected character entered by the user,

wherein the distance is variable and based on a magnitude of the shake or a number of a plurality of shakes.