Apparatus and method for changing input mode in portable terminal

• US 9,141,282 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ma, Dong-Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Kwang-Su
• Application Number:
  US11/840,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,958 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Provided are an apparatus and method for changing an input mode of a portable terminal according to the current state of the portable terminal during a character input operation using an input tool such as a stylus pen. The apparatus includes a touch sensor for detecting an input and a controller for controlling the touch sensor to receive the input from the touch sensor and changing the input mode if the input is a character input.

Claims

1. A portable terminal capable of changing an input mode, comprising:

a touch sensor for detecting an input; and

a controller for receiving the input from the touch sensor, identifying a text based character written in the input, and storing the text based character,

wherein when an application of receiving character input is not operating in a direct input mode in the portable terminal, the controller switches the application to operate in the direct input mode, reads the stored text based character, and displays the read stored text based character in an input area of the application.

2. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the direct input mode recognizes the text based character written in the input and directly inputs the recognized text based character in a predetermined font as if the recognized text based character was entered using a keyboard.

3. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a character database for storing character data for identifying the text based character written in the input through the touch sensor.

4. A portable terminal capable of changing an input mode, comprising:

a touch sensor for detecting an input; and

a controller for receiving the input from the touch sensor, identifying a text based character written in the input, storing the text based character, and determining whether an application capable of receiving character input is currently running in the portable terminal,

wherein when the application capable of receiving character input is currently running in the portable terminal, the controller determines whether the application is operating in a direct input mode, switches the application to operate in the direct input mode, when the application is not operating in the direct input mode, reads the stored text based character, and displays the read stored text based character in an input area of the application, and

wherein when there is no application capable of receiving character input currently running in the portable terminal, the controller executes a default application capable of receiving character input, in the direct input mode, reads the stored text based character, and displays the read stored text based character in an input area of the default application.

5. The portable terminal of claim 4, wherein the direct input mode recognizes the text based character written in the input and directly inputs the recognized text based character in a predetermined font as if the recognized text based character was entered using a keyboard.

6. The portable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller comprises a character database for storing character data for identifying the text based character written in the input through the touch sensor.

7. The portable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller receives a set default application command, displays a list of applications capable of receiving character input, receives a selection of one of the displayed applications capable of receiving character input, and sets the one of the displayed applications as the default application.

8. A method for changing an input mode in a portable terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting an input through a touch screen of the portable terminal;

identifying a text based character written in the input;

storing the text based character;

determining whether an application capable of receiving character input is currently running in the portable terminal;

when the application capable of receiving character input is currently running in the portable terminal, determining whether the application is operating in a direct input mode, switching the application to operate in the direct input mode, when the application is not operating in the direct input mode, reading the stored text based character, and displaying the read stored text based character in an input area of the application; and

when there is no application capable of receiving character input currently running in the portable terminal, executing a default application capable of receiving character input, in the direct input mode, reading the stored text based character, and displaying the read stored text based character in an input area of the default application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the direct input mode recognizes the text based character written in the input and directly inputs the recognized text based character in a predetermined font as if the recognized text based character was entered using a keyboard.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the text based character written in the input comprises:

comparing the input with character data included a character database; and

matching the text based character written in the input to a known text based character among the character data included the character database.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the portable terminal, a command for setting the default application;

displaying a list of applications capable of receiving character input;

receiving a selection of one of the displayed applications capable of receiving character input; and

setting the one of the displayed applications as the default application.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program changing an input mode in a portable terminal, comprising:

a first segment for detecting an input through a touch screen of the portable terminal;

a second segment for identifying a text based character written in the input;

a third segment for storing the text based character;

a fourth segment for determining whether an application capable of receiving character input is currently running in the portable terminal;

a fifth segment for, when the application capable of receiving character input is currently running in the portable terminal, determining whether the application is operating in a direct input mode, switching the application to operate in the direct input mode, when the application is not operating in the direct input mode, reading the stored text based character, and displaying the read stored text based character in an input area of the application; and

a sixth segment for, when there is no application capable of receiving character input currently running in the portable terminal, executing a default application capable of receiving character input, in the direct input mode, reading the stored text based character, and displaying the read stored text based character in an input area of the default application.