Device, method, and graphical user interface for entering characters

• US 9,141,200 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bernstein, Jeffrey Traer, Missig, Julian K., Zambetti, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Gerald
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOHLMAN, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US13/681,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20140035824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard with one or more character keys: displays a text entry area; detects a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key, enters a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard: determines one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and displays a candidate character selection interface that includes at least one of the candidate characters; while displaying the candidate character selection interface, detects a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting the second input, enters the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touch-sensitive keyboard;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying a text entry area on the display;

detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys;

in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area;

in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a first portion of a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard and in accordance with detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard that is a smaller subset of area than the entire keyboard area and that includes one or more character keys;

determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn first portion of the character; and

displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface;

while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and

in response to detecting the second input, entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive keyboard is a soft keyboard.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device includes a touch-sensitive surface distinct from the touch-sensitive keyboard, wherein the touch-sensitive surface is in a cursor manipulation mode when the first input is detected, the device including instructions for:

in response to detecting the first input, maintaining the touch-sensitive surface in the cursor manipulation mode.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting the second input selecting the respective candidate character includes detecting an input on a key in the touch-sensitive keyboard that corresponds to the respective candidate character.

5. The device of claim 1, including instructions for:

detecting activation of a plurality of character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the plurality of activated character keys corresponding to a romanization of one or more characters;

identifying two or more candidate characters corresponding to the romanization;

displaying at least one of the identified candidate characters corresponding to the romanization;

detecting a third input that corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard of a first candidate character corresponding to the romanization;

in response to detecting the third input, entering the first candidate character corresponding to the romanization into the text entry area.

6. The device of claim 1, including instructions for:

after entering the first character, detecting activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard;

in response to detecting activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys into the text entry area;

detecting a fourth input;

in response to detecting the fourth input, displaying one or more characters that correspond to a romanization corresponding to the sequence of the first character and the characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys;

while displaying the one or more characters that correspond to the romanization, detecting a fifth input that selects a respective character of the displayed characters that correspond to the romanization; and

in response to detecting the fifth input, entering the selected respective character into the text entry area.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the candidate characters are Chinese characters, Japanese characters, Korean characters, Vietnamese characters, Hindi characters, or Thai characters.

8. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard;

displaying a text entry area on the display;

detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys;

in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area;

in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a first portion of a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard and in accordance with detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard that is a smaller subset of area than the entire keyboard area and that includes one or more character keys;

determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn first portion of the character; and

displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface;

while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and

in response to detecting the second input, entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard, cause the device to:

display a text entry area on the display;

detect a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys;

in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, enter a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area;

in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a first portion of a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard and in accordance with detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard that is a smaller subset of area than the entire keyboard area and that includes one or more character keys;

determine one or more candidate characters for the drawn first portion of the character; and

display a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface;

while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and

in response to detecting the second input, enter the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area.