Soft keyboard control

• US 9,041,660 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Markiewicz, Jan-Kristian, Townsend, Reed, Matthews, David, Sivaji, Vishnu
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, NELSON C
• Application Number:
  US12/330,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,359 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

This document describes tools associated with soft keyboard control functions. In some implementations, the tools recognize a keyboard launch gesture on a touch sensitive screen and present a preview of a keyboard on the touch sensitive screen responsive to the launch gesture. The tools can also display the keyboard on the touch sensitive screen responsive to cessation of the launch gesture.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing a keyboard launch gesture of a user on a touch sensitive screen;

presenting a semi-transparent keyboard preview of a keyboard on the touch sensitive screen responsive to the keyboard launch gesture, wherein the semi-transparent keyboard preview has relatively more transparency than the keyboard;

while the user maintains contact with one or more digits on the touch sensitive screen and slides the one or more digits on the touch sensitive screen, repositioning the semi-transparent keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen according to the sliding of the one or more digits on the touch sensitive screen, wherein the semi-transparent keyboard preview remains semi-transparent during the repositioning;

determining that the one or more digits have ceased making contact with the touch sensitive screen; and

when the one or more digits have ceased making contact with the touch sensitive screen, replacing the semi-transparent keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen with the keyboard.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognizing the keyboard launch gesture comprises recognizing one of:

three fingers of one hand in a typing position, four fingers of one hand in a typing position, four fingers and a thumb of one hand in a typing position, four fingers from each hand of a pair of hands in a typing position or four fingers and a thumb from each hand of a pair of hands in a typing position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the keyboard shows symbols on individual keys of the keyboard that are not shown on the semi-transparent keyboard preview.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting comprises initially presenting the semi-transparent keyboard preview at a location on the touch sensitive screen where the keyboard launch gesture is received.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the keyboard when the keyboard launch gesture is repeated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the semi-transparent keyboard preview allows the user to see both keys on the semi-transparent keyboard preview and objects positioned behind the semi-transparent keyboard preview, and

the replacing the semi-transparent keyboard preview with the keyboard causes the objects positioned behind the semi-transparent keyboard preview to be obscured by the keyboard.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the objects comprise icons positioned behind the semi-transparent keyboard preview.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting the semi-transparent keyboard preview in an ergonomic configuration established by relative position of keys of the semi-transparent keyboard preview, the relative position of the keys of the semi-transparent keyboard preview being established by positions of the one or more digits of the user.

9. One or more computer-readable memory devices or storage devices comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform acts comprising:

recognizing a keyboard launch gesture by a hand of a user on a touch sensitive screen;

presenting a semi-transparent keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen responsive to the keyboard launch gesture, wherein the semi-transparent keyboard preview is a semi-transparent representation of a keyboard;

while the hand of the user moves along the touch sensitive screen while maintaining contact with the touch sensitive screen, repositioning the semi-transparent keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen according to the movement of the hand of the user along the touch sensitive screen, wherein the semi-transparent keyboard preview remains semi-transparent during the repositioning;

detecting that the hand of the user has ceased making contact with the touch sensitive screen; and

responsive to detecting that the hand of the user has ceased making contact with the touch sensitive screen, replacing the semi-transparent keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen with the keyboard, wherein the keyboard has relatively less transparency than the semi-transparent keyboard preview.

10. The one or more computer-readable memory devices or storage devices of claim 9, the acts further comprising:

spacing certain keys relatively widely toward the top of the semi-transparent keyboard preview of the keyboard and spacing other keys relatively closely toward the bottom of the semi-transparent keyboard preview, the spacing being based upon positions of digits of the hand of the user on the touch sensitive screen.

11. The one or more computer-readable memory devices or storage devices of claim 9, the acts further comprising:

updating the semi-transparent keyboard preview according to the user adjusting positions of digits of the hand of the user.

12. The one or more computer-readable memory devices or storage devices of claim 9, wherein the semi-transparent keyboard preview is repositioned responsive to the user sliding the hand on the touch sensitive screen.

13. The one or more computer-readable memory devices or storage devices of claim 9, the acts further comprising:

resizing the semi-transparent keyboard preview responsive to the user sliding the hand and another hand apart from one another.

14. The one or more computer-readable memory devices or storage devices of claim 13, wherein the resizing comprises widening the semi-transparent keyboard preview when the user slides the hand apart from the another hand along an x-axis of the touch sensitive screen.

15. The one or more computer-readable memory devices or storage devices of claim 13, the acts further comprising maintaining finger-to-key relationships during the resizing.

16. A system comprising:

a keyboard gesture identifier module configured to;

recognize a keyboard launch gesture of one or more fingers of a user on a touch sensitive screen;

present a keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen responsive to the keyboard launch gesture, wherein an object positioned behind the keyboard preview is at least partially visible through the keyboard preview;

while the user maintains contact with at least one of the fingers on the touch sensitive screen and moves the at least one of the fingers on the touch sensitive screen, reposition the keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen according to the movement of the at least one of the fingers, wherein the object positioned behind the keyboard preview remains at least partially visible during the repositioning;

determine that the at least one of the fingers has ceased making contact with the touch sensitive screen; and

after the at least one of the fingers has ceased making contact with the touch sensitive screen, replace the keyboard preview on the touch sensitive screen with a keyboard that blocks at least part of the object such that the at least part of the object is no longer visible through the keyboard; and

one or more hardware processors configured to execute the keyboard gesture identifier module.

17. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a geometry tracking module configured to track the one or more fingers using contact detectors of the touch sensitive screen.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the keyboard preview comprises an outline of the keyboard.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the outline of the keyboard does not include keys.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the keyboard gesture identifier module is further configured to reposition the keyboard preview responsive to the user sliding their hands on the touch sensitive screen.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein multiple objects are visible behind the keyboard preview and are blocked by the keyboard.