Minimizing software based keyboard

• US 9,086,775 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tse, Alastair, Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Weng, Peiyong
• Application Number:
  US12/501,079
• Time in Patent Office: 2,202 Days
• Field of Search: 715/773
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a computer-implemented user interface method including displaying on a touchscreen display a representation of a keyboard defining a top edge and a bottom edge, and a content area adjacent to the keyboard. The method further includes receiving a user dragging input having motion directed to the bottom edge of the keyboard. The method further includes removing the keyboard from the touchscreen display and expanding the content area to an area previously occupied by the keyboard.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

outputting, on a touchscreen display, a virtual keyboard area and a content area that is adjacent to the virtual keyboard area, wherein the virtual keyboard area displays a virtual keyboard, and wherein the content area displays one or more query suggestions that match one or more characters that are entered using the virtual keyboard;

detecting a user dragging input that begins at a location within the content area on the touchscreen display;

determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a length that is greater than a reference length; and

hiding the virtual keyboard in response to the user dragging input;

detecting an additional user dragging input that begins at another location within the content area on the touchscreen display;

determining that the additional user dragging input corresponds to a command to scroll the one or more query suggestions in response to determining that the additional user dragging input has a length that is less than or equal to the reference length; and

scrolling the one or more query suggestions in response to the additional user dragging input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hiding of the virtual keyboard expands the content area.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, after hiding the virtual keyboard, receiving a user selection associated with a text entry area and automatically re-displaying the virtual keyboard in response to the user selection.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a speed that is faster than a reference speed.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a time duration that is shorter than a reference time.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has scrolled past an end of the content area.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input begins at a location within the content area on the touchscreen display and terminates at a location within the virtual keyboard area on the touchscreen display.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform actions comprising:

outputting, on a touchscreen display, a virtual keyboard area and a content area that is adjacent to the virtual keyboard area, wherein the virtual keyboard area displays a virtual keyboard, and wherein the content area displays one or more query suggestions that match one or more characters that are entered using the virtual keyboard;

detecting a user dragging input that begins at a location within the content area on the touchscreen display;

determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a length that is greater than a reference length; and

hiding the virtual keyboard in response to the user dragging input;

detecting an additional user dragging input that begins at another location within the content area on the touchscreen display;

determining that the additional user dragging input corresponds to a command to scroll the one or more query suggestions in response to determining that the additional user dragging input has a length that is less than or equal to the reference length; and

scrolling the one or more query suggestions in response to the additional user dragging input.

5. The data storage medium of claim 4, wherein the hiding of the virtual keyboard expands the content area.

6. The data storage medium of claim 5, wherein the actions further comprise, after hiding the virtual keyboard, receiving a user selection associated with a text entry area and automatically re-displaying the virtual keyboard in response to the user selection.

14. The data storage medium of claim 4, wherein the actions further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a speed that is faster than a reference speed.

15. The data storage medium of claim 4, wherein the actions further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a time duration that is shorter than a reference time.

16. The data storage medium of claim 4, wherein the actions further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has scrolled past an end of the content area.

17. The data storage medium of claim 4, wherein the actions further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input begins at a location within the content area on the touchscreen display and terminates at a location within the virtual keyboard area on the touchscreen display.

7. A system, comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

outputting, on a touchscreen display, a virtual keyboard area and a content area that is adjacent to the virtual keyboard area, wherein the virtual keyboard area displays a virtual keyboard, and wherein the content area displays one or more query suggestions that match one or more characters that are entered using the virtual keyboard;

detecting a user dragging input that begins at a location within the content area on the touchscreen display;

determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a length that is greater than a reference length; and

hiding the virtual keyboard in response to the user dragging input;

detecting an additional user dragging input that begins at another location within the content area on the touchscreen display;

determining that the additional user dragging input corresponds to a command to scroll the one or more query suggestions in response to determining that the additional user dragging input has a length that is less than or equal to the reference length; and

scrolling the one or more query suggestions in response to the additional user dragging input.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the hiding of the virtual keyboard expands the content area.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise, after hiding the virtual keyboard, receiving a user selection associated with a text entry area and automatically re-displaying the virtual keyboard in response to the user selection.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a speed that is faster than a reference speed.

19. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has a time duration that is shorter than a reference time.

20. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input has scrolled past an end of the content area.

21. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the user dragging input corresponds to a command to hide the virtual keyboard in response to determining that the user dragging input begins at a location within the content area on the touchscreen display and terminates at a location within the virtual keyboard area on the touchscreen display.