Portable electronic device and method of controlling same

• US 9,116,616 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kyprianou, Nikos, Kanj, Houssam, Gu, Huanhuan, Warden, James Paul, Ivanovic, Aleksandar, Polyakin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nadkarni, Sarvesh J
• Application Number:
  US13/369,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 715/773
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

A method includes detecting a first touch at a first location, and a second touch at a second location, on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device. In response to detecting the first and second touches, a first section of a virtual keyboard having a first boundary associated with the first location and a second section of the virtual keyboard having a second boundary associated with the second location are displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device, a first touch at a first location and a second touch at a second location;

in response to detecting the first touch and the second touch;

displaying a first section of a virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the first location to a first edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the first location to a second edge perpendicular to the first edge, wherein the first section has a first boundary that is generally parallel with the first edge and extends from the first location, and a second boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the first location; and

displaying a second section of the virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the second location to a third edge perpendicular to the second edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the second location to the second edge, wherein the second section has a third boundary that is generally parallel with the third edge and extends from the second location, and a fourth boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the second location, wherein the second section is different than the first section;

wherein the first section comprises keys from a right side of an alphabetical keyboard layout and the second section comprises keys from a left side of the alphabetical keyboard layout such that, together, the first section and the second section comprise all keys of a full alphabetical keyboard layout.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting comprises detecting the first touch and the second touch within an area of the touch-sensitive display associated with the virtual keyboard.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first touch and the second touch overlap at least partially in time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first location is determined from a concluding end point of the first touch and the second location is determined from a concluding end point of the second touch.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first location is an origin point of the first touch and the second location is an origin point of the second touch.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising resizing one of the first section and the second section in response to input associated with one of the first boundary and the second boundary.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the electronic device to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A method comprising:

detecting, on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device, a first touch at a first location and a second touch at a second location;

in response to detecting the first touch and the second touch;

displaying a first section of a virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the first location to a first edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the first location to a second edge perpendicular to the first edge, wherein the first section has a first boundary that is generally parallel with the first edge and extends from the first location, and a second boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the first location; and

displaying a second section of the virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the second location to a third edge perpendicular to the second edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the second location to the second edge, wherein the second section has a third boundary that is generally parallel with the third edge and extends from the second location, and a fourth boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the second location, wherein the second section is different than the first section;

wherein the first section comprises keys from a right side of an alphabetical keyboard layout and the second section comprises keys from a left side of the alphabetical keyboard layout such that, together, the first section and the second section comprise all keys of a full alphabetical keyboard layout;

detecting a third touch having a third location associated with the first boundary;

in response to the detecting the third touch, displaying the first section with a modified boundary associated with the third location.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the third touch has an origin point and a concluding end point.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the modified boundary is associated with the concluding end point.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor coupled to the touch-sensitive display and configured to;

detect, on the touch-sensitive display, a first touch at a first location and a second touch at a second location;

in response to detecting the first touch and the second touch;

display a first section of a virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the first location to a first edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the first location to a second edge perpendicular to the first edge, wherein the first section has a first boundary that is generally parallel with the first edge and extends from the first location, and a second boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the first location; and

display a second section of the virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the second location to a third edge perpendicular to the second edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the second location to the second edge, wherein the second section has a third boundary that is generally parallel with the third edge and extends from the second location, and a fourth boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the second location, wherein the second section is different than the first section;

wherein the first section comprises keys from a right side of an alphabetical keyboard layout and the second section comprises keys from a left side of the alphabetical keyboard layout such that, together, the first section and the second section comprise all keys of a full alphabetical keyboard layout.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the first touch and the second touch are detected within an area of the touch-sensitive display associated with the virtual keyboard.

13. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the first touch and the second touch overlap at least partially in time.

14. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the first location is determined from a concluding end point of the first touch and the second location is determined from a concluding end point of the second touch.

15. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the first location is determined from an origin point of the first touch and the second location is determined from an origin point of the second touch.

16. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to resize one of the first section and the second section in response to input associated with one of the first boundary and the second boundary.

17. A method comprising:

detecting at least one touch on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device;

determining a first and a second location in response to the at least one touch;

in response to the determining;

displaying a first section of a virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the first location to a first edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the first location to a second edge perpendicular to the first edge, wherein the first section has a first boundary that is generally parallel with the first edge and extends from the first location, and a second boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the first location; and

displaying a second section of the virtual keyboard on the touch-sensitive display, from the second location to a third edge perpendicular to the second edge of the touch-sensitive display and from the second location to the second edge, wherein the second section has a third boundary that is generally parallel with the third edge and extends from the second location, and a fourth boundary that is generally parallel with the second edge and extends from the second location;

wherein the first section comprises keys from a right side of an alphabetical keyboard layout and the second section comprises keys from a left side of the alphabetical keyboard layout such that, together, the first section and the second section comprise all keys of a full alphabetical keyboard layout.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the first location is a location associated with the at least one touch, and wherein the second location is a mirrored location of the first location.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the electronic device to perform the method of claim 17.