User input method for mobile station having a touchscreen display
First Claim
1. A method of receiving user input of data on a mobile station having a touchscreen display and a function key separate from the touchscreen display, comprising steps of:
- simultaneously displaying at least two separate key input sectors, each displayed sector including displayed representations of a plurality of data characters available for user input, and each displayed sector being spatially separated from the other by a distance greater than a distance between the display representation of adjacent data characters within the sectors, such that the two key input sectors are visually separate and distinct,wherein the first and second key input sectors are displayed at locations for touch by the user'"'"'s thumbs, have a predetermined size, and have a predetermined shape that is curved to approximately follow outer perimeters of the users'"'"' thumbs and to display the data characters in curved bands, andwherein at least one of the size and the shape of the first and second key input sectors is able to be changed by the mobile station;
sensing touch of a user'"'"'s digit at a location on the touchscreen display corresponding to one of the data characters displayed in one of the key input sectors;
responsive to the sensed touch, highlighting the displayed representation of the data character at the displayed location in the one of the key input sectors displayed on the touchscreen display;
while the data character is highlighted, sensing user activation of the function key, as the user'"'"'s selection of the data character at the displayed location of the sensed touch; and
processing data corresponding to the selected data character, as the user input data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mobile station having a touchscreen display and function key allows users to quickly input data. The mobile station displays key input sectors including displayed representations of data characters for the user to select. Upon touch by the user, the mobile station senses the location of the touch and highlights the displayed representation of the corresponding data character. While the data character is highlighted, the user further activates the mobile station and the mobile station senses the user'"'"'s selection of the highlighted data character. The mobile station processes data corresponding to the selected data character as the user input data.
27 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of receiving user input of data on a mobile station having a touchscreen display and a function key separate from the touchscreen display, comprising steps of:
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simultaneously displaying at least two separate key input sectors, each displayed sector including displayed representations of a plurality of data characters available for user input, and each displayed sector being spatially separated from the other by a distance greater than a distance between the display representation of adjacent data characters within the sectors, such that the two key input sectors are visually separate and distinct, wherein the first and second key input sectors are displayed at locations for touch by the user'"'"'s thumbs, have a predetermined size, and have a predetermined shape that is curved to approximately follow outer perimeters of the users'"'"' thumbs and to display the data characters in curved bands, and wherein at least one of the size and the shape of the first and second key input sectors is able to be changed by the mobile station; sensing touch of a user'"'"'s digit at a location on the touchscreen display corresponding to one of the data characters displayed in one of the key input sectors; responsive to the sensed touch, highlighting the displayed representation of the data character at the displayed location in the one of the key input sectors displayed on the touchscreen display; while the data character is highlighted, sensing user activation of the function key, as the user'"'"'s selection of the data character at the displayed location of the sensed touch; and processing data corresponding to the selected data character, as the user input data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A mobile station comprising:
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a touchscreen display configured to display representations of data characters and detect occurrence and position of a user touch to the touchscreen display; a first function key separate from the touchscreen display; a second function key separate from the touchscreen display; a processor configured to correlate detected user touch to the touchscreen display and user activation of at least one of the function keys as user input; and a machine readable non-transitory storage medium bearing programming instructions for the processor to configure the mobile station to; (a) simultaneously display, on the touchscreen display, at least two separate key input sectors, each displayed sector including displayed representations of a plurality of data characters available for user input, and each displayed sector being spatially separated from the other by a distance greater than a distance between the display representation of adjacent data characters within the sectors, such that the two key input sectors are visually separate and distinct, wherein the first and second key input sectors are displayed at locations for touch by a user'"'"'s digits, have a predetermined size, and have a predetermined shape that is curved to approximately follow outer perimeters of the users'"'"' digits and to display the data characters in curved bands, and wherein at least one of the size and the shape of the first and second key input sectors is able to be changed by the mobile station; (b) detect touch of the user'"'"'s digit at a location on the touchscreen display corresponding to one of the data characters displayed; (c) responsive to the sensed touch, display a highlighted representation of the data character at the sensed location on the touchscreen display; (d) while the data character is highlighted, detect user activation of at least one of the function keys, as the user'"'"'s selection of the data character at the location of the sensed touch; and (e) correlate, with the processor, the touch of the touchscreen and the activation of the at least one of the function keys as user input data, and select the highlighted character for processing, wherein the first function key is configured to, activate a plurality of the displayed data characters; and wherein the second function key is configured to, upon user activation, select as an input another data character being touched by the user, the another data character being one of activate another plurality of the displayed data characters that are different from the plurality of data characters selected by the first function key. - View Dependent Claims (12, 15)
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13. A method of entering data into a mobile station having a touchscreen display, comprising steps of:
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simultaneously displaying, on the touchscreen display, at least two separate key input sectors, each displayed sector including displayed representations of a plurality of data characters available for user input, and each displayed sector being spatially separated from the other by a distance greater than a distance between the display representation of adjacent data characters within the sectors, such that the two key input sectors are visually separate and distinct, wherein the first and second key input sectors are displayed at locations for touch by a user'"'"'s digits, have a predetermined size, and have a predetermined shape that is curved to approximately follow outer perimeters of the users'"'"' digits and to display the data characters in curved bands, and wherein at least one of the size and the shape of the first and second key input sectors is able to be changed by the mobile station; highlighting a first data character displayed on the touchscreen display in response to detecting a user touching, with a first digit, the location on the touchscreen display where the first data character is displayed; selecting the highlighted data character as a first data character input for processing, in response to the user activating a first function key separate from the touchscreen display while the first data character is highlighted; highlighting a second data character displayed on the touchscreen display in response to detecting the user touching, with a second digit, the second data character that is displayed; and selecting the second highlighted data character as a second data character input for processing, in response to the user activating a second function key while the second data character is highlighted. - View Dependent Claims (14, 16, 17)
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18. A method of receiving user input of data on a mobile station having a touchscreen display, a sensor and a processor, the method comprising steps of:
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simultaneously displaying, by the touchscreen display, two separate key input sectors, each displayed sector being for touch by a respective digit of each of the user'"'"'s hands, each displayed sector being curved to approximately follow an outer perimeter of the respective digit, each displayed sector including displayed representations of a plurality of data characters available for user input by touch with the respective digit, and each displayed sector being spatially separated from the other by a distance greater than a distance between the display representation of adjacent data characters within the sectors, such that the two key input sectors are visually separate and distinct, wherein the first and second key input sectors are displayed at locations for touch by the user'"'"'s thumbs, have a predetermined size, and have a predetermined shape that is curved to approximately follow outer perimeters of the users'"'"' thumbs and to display the data characters in curved bands, and wherein at least one of the size and the shape of the first and second key input sectors is able to be changed by the mobile station; sensing, by the sensor, touch of a user'"'"'s digit at a location on the touchscreen display corresponding to one of the data characters displayed in one of the key input sectors; responsive to the sensed touch, highlighting, by the processor, the displayed representation of the data character at the displayed location in the one of the key input sectors displayed on the touchscreen display; while the data character is highlighted, sensing a further user activation of the mobile station, as the user'"'"'s selection of the data character at the displayed location of the sensed touch; and processing, by the processor, data corresponding to the selected data character, as the user input data. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification