Method and device for character input by direction key

• US 9,524,035 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foxit Corporation
• Original Assignee: Foxit Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Hang, Xiong, Yuqian
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US13/511,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20120235838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,560 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 341/21, 341/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0234 using switches operable in different directions

Abstract

A method and a device for character input by direction key are disclosed. The method comprises: a mapping relation between characters in input character set and direction key input sequences is constructed, and at least a code table representing the mapping relation is established; the character is inputted by a code table selection key and a direction key, the character input comprises the following steps: a code table as a current code table is determined according to the input of a code table selection key (S10); a prompting message of the current code table is displayed on a display screen (S20); an input character is determined in the current code table according to a direction key input sequence (S30). The used direction key, the confirmation key and the code table selection key are based on an existing key of an existing e-book reader, media player and other electronic devices.

Claims

1. A method for character input by arrow keys, wherein, a mapping relationship between characters in an input character set and a sequence of arrow keys input is constructed, and at least one code table is established to indicate said mapping relationship;

a character is input by code table selection keys and arrow keys, the method comprising;

determining a current code table according to the input of the code table selection keys;

displaying a prompt message of the current code table on a display screen;

displaying characters that have already been input on the display screen; and

displaying a current key input of the sequence of arrow keys that have been input on the display screen;

determining the character input in the current code table according to the sequence of arrow keys input;

wherein, the mapping relationship between the characters in the input character set and the sequence of arrow keys input is that;

the characters in the input character set is distributed over every code table;

that every character in every code table is assigned a different code value C;

that for every code table, different sequence of arrow keys input is mapped with a different code value C, wherein the code value C is a number;

wherein, a corresponding relationship between the sequence of arrow keys, a vector S=(S1, S2, . . . , Sn), input and the code value C in every code table is;

if an i-th arrow key is assigned a key-value Si, a row vector S that consist of key-values of the keys in the sequence of arrow keys input has a linear relationship with the code value C;

C=S×

B^T, wherein B is a coefficient vector of a corresponding dimension, and a superscript “

T”

represents “

transpose”

.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the step of determining the character input in the current code table further comprising:

selecting a current character in the current code table according to the sequence of arrow keys input;

judging whether a selecting condition is satisfied;

If yes, going forward to a step of confirming the current character as the character input;

if no, going back to the step of selecting a current character in the current code table;

confirming the current character as the character input.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein, a selecting condition is that the sequence of arrow keys input is saturated;

wherein the “

saturated”

means that the sequence of arrow keys input already reaches the given length and the sequence of arrow keys input has a corresponding character in the current code table.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein, the method further comprises using a confirmation key and taking pressing the confirmation key down as a selecting condition in the step of judging.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1. wherein, a number of the arrow keys is 4.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, a maximum length of the sequence of arrow keys input is 3.

7. A method for character input by arrow keys, wherein, a mapping relationship between characters in an input character set and a sequence of arrow keys input is constructed, and at least one code table is established to indicate said mapping relationship;

a characters is input by code table selection keys, arrow keys and a confirmation key, the method for character input comprising;

detecting whether there is any new key input;

if no, keeping on waiting;

if yes, going to a next step of judging a type of the key input;

judging a type of the key input and executing the following operations respectively according to the type;

when code table selection keys are input, switching a current code table according to the key input, and controlling a display screen to display a prompt message of the current code table, then going back to the step of detecting whether there is any new key input;

when an arrow key is input, recognizing a key-value of the arrow key input and updating the sequence of arrow keys input accordingly;

displaying characters that have already been input on the display screen; and

displaying a current key input of the sequence of arrow keys that have been input on the display screen;

selecting a current character in the current code table according to the sequence of arrow keys input, and then going back to the step of detecting whether there is any new key input;

when a confirmation key is input, confirming that the current character is the character input, and going to an end of a process to input a character;

wherein, the mapping relationship between the characters in the input character set and the sequence of arrow keys input is that;

the characters in the input character set is distributed over every code table;

that every character in every code table is assigned a different code value C;

that for every code table, different sequence of arrow keys input is mapped with a different code value C, wherein the code value C is a number;

wherein, a corresponding relationship between the sequence of arrow keys, a vector S=(S1, S2 , . . . , Sn), input and the code value C in every code table is;

if an i-th arrow key is assigned a key-value Si, a row vector S that consist of key-values of the keys in the sequence of arrow keys input has a linear relationship with the code value C;

C=S×

B^T, wherein B is a coefficient vector of a corresponding dimension, and above superscript “

T”

represents “

transpose”

.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, in the step of judging the type of the key input;

when an arrow key is input, the method further comprising a step of judging whether the sequence of arrow keys input is saturated after updating the sequence of arrow keys input and determining the current character;

if no going back to detecting whether there is any new key input;

if yes, confirming that the current character is the character input and finish inputting one character;

wherein “

saturated”

means that the sequence of arrow keys input reaches a given length and the sequence of arrow keys input has a corresponding character in the current code table.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, a number of the arrow keys is 4.

10. The method as claimed claim 9, wherein, the sequence of arrow keys input has at most 3 elements.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein, a length of the sequence of arrow keys input is 3.

12. A device for character input by arrow keys comprising a character input module and a group of keys input, a display screen and a memory that communicate with the character input module, wherein:

the group of keys input comprising at least one code table selection key, a plurality of arrow keys and at least one confirmation key;

a content to control the display screen and the character input module to execute the following steps is stored in the memory;

confirming a current code table according to the input of the code table selection key;

displaying a prompt message of the current code table on the display screen; and

displaying a current key input of the sequence of arrow keys that have been input on the display screen;

confirming the character input in the current code table according to a sequence of arrow keys input; and

a mapping relationship between a characters in an input character set and the sequence of arrow keys input and at least one code table to indicate said mapping relationship are stored in the memory, characters in the input character set is distributed over every code table;

that every character in every code table is assigned a different code value C, that different sequence of arrow keys input is mapped with the different code value C, wherein the code value C is a number; and

a corresponding relationship between the sequence of arrow keys, a vector S=(S1 , S2 . . . . Sn) input and the code value C in every code table is;

if an i-th arrow key is assigned of arrow keys input has a linear relationship with the code value C;

C=S×

B^T, wherein B is a coefficient vector of a corresponding dimension, and a superscript “

T”

represents “

transpose.

13. The device for character input by arrow keys as claimed in claim 12, wherein, the character input module comprising:

a key recognition unit for receiving the key input and recognize which key is pressed;

an input judgment unit for judging a type of the key input;

an analysis processing unit for executing the corresponding operation according to the type of the key input;

wherein, when a code table selection key is input, the current code table is switched according to the key input and the prompt message of the current code table is sent to a display control unit;

when an arrow key is input, the key-value of the arrow key input is recognized, the sequence of arrow keys input is hereby updated and a current character is determined in the current code table according to the sequence of arrow keys input;

when a continuation key is input, it is confirmed that the current character is the character input, and the character input is sent to a character input temporary memory unit;

the display control unit for controlling the display screen to display correspondingly according to the received message; and

the character input temporary memory unit for storing the confirmed character input.