Multimodal text input by a keyboard/camera text input module replacing a conventional keyboard text input module on a mobile device
First Claim
1. A method of multimodal text input in a mobile device, the method comprising:
- using an original communication interface between an original keyboard module of the mobile device and a third party application to enable communication between a multimodal input module, that replaces the original keyboard module, and the third party application by;
executing the multimodal input module by;
steadily running the multimodal input module in the background of the mobile device and constantly monitoring in the background of the mobile device to detect when a text input field of the third party application is activated; and
responding to detecting that the text input field of the third party application is activated by;
activating a keyboard mode;
displaying an A-Z-keyboard in a first field of a display for text input;
automatically activating a camera mode when the keyboard mode is activated;
capturing an image of written text having characters different from characters of the A-Z-keyboard, reducing a size of the A-Z-keyboard, displaying the A-Z-keyboard reduced in a reduced first field, and displaying the captured image with the written text in a second field of the display of the mobile device, the reduced first field and the second field together occupying a same field size as the first field;
converting the captured image to character text by optical character recognition (OCR) and displaying the recognized character text on the display; and
outputting a selected part of the recognized character text as the input text to the third party application receiving the input text upon a selection of the part of the recognized character text, wherein the outputting to the third party application from the multimodal input module is via the original communication interface to the third party application as between the original keyboard module and the third party application, and wherein the multimodal input module is configured to enable the respective selection to take place by a single keypress or control command, or by a single gesture.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and modules for a multimodal text input in a mobile device are provided. Text may be input via keyboard or camera mode by holding the camera over written text. An image is taken of the written text, text is recognized, and output to an application by: activating a keyboard mode; providing an A-Z-keyboard in a first input field; activating the camera mode; capturing the text image and displaying the captured image in a second field of a device display; converting the captured image to character text by OCR and displaying the recognized character text on the display; outputting a selected character as the input text to the application upon a character selection, or outputting a selected part of the recognized character text as the input text to the application upon a selection of the part of the recognized character text via by a single keypress, control command, or gesture.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of multimodal text input in a mobile device, the method comprising:
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using an original communication interface between an original keyboard module of the mobile device and a third party application to enable communication between a multimodal input module, that replaces the original keyboard module, and the third party application by; executing the multimodal input module by; steadily running the multimodal input module in the background of the mobile device and constantly monitoring in the background of the mobile device to detect when a text input field of the third party application is activated; and responding to detecting that the text input field of the third party application is activated by; activating a keyboard mode; displaying an A-Z-keyboard in a first field of a display for text input; automatically activating a camera mode when the keyboard mode is activated; capturing an image of written text having characters different from characters of the A-Z-keyboard, reducing a size of the A-Z-keyboard, displaying the A-Z-keyboard reduced in a reduced first field, and displaying the captured image with the written text in a second field of the display of the mobile device, the reduced first field and the second field together occupying a same field size as the first field; converting the captured image to character text by optical character recognition (OCR) and displaying the recognized character text on the display; and outputting a selected part of the recognized character text as the input text to the third party application receiving the input text upon a selection of the part of the recognized character text, wherein the outputting to the third party application from the multimodal input module is via the original communication interface to the third party application as between the original keyboard module and the third party application, and wherein the multimodal input module is configured to enable the respective selection to take place by a single keypress or control command, or by a single gesture. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A mobile device arranged to facilitate multimodal text input, the mobile device comprising:
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a display; a camera having a camera mode; and a processor in communication with the display and the camera, the processor implementing a multimodal input module that uses an original communication interface between an original keyboard module of the mobile device and a third party application to enable communication between the multimodal input module, that replaces the original keyboard module, and the third party application by; executing the multimodal input module by; steadily running the multimodal input module in the background of the mobile device and constantly monitoring in the background of the mobile device to detect when a text input field of the third party application is activated; and responding to detecting that the text input field of the third party application is activated by; activating a keyboard mode and displaying a keyboard in a first field of the display; automatically activating a camera mode when the keyboard mode is activated; detecting the camera being held over written text, such that an image is taken of the written text having characters different from characters of the keyboard; reducing a size of the keyboard and displaying the keyboard reduced in a reduced first field; displaying the image with the written text in a second field of the display, the reduced first field and the second field together occupying a same field size as the first field; converting the image to character text by optical character;
recognition (OCR);causing the recognized character text to be displayed on the display; and outputting a selected part of the recognized character text as the input text to the third party application receiving the input text upon a selection of the part of the recognized character text, wherein the output to the third party application from the multimodal input module is via the original communication interface to the third party application as between the original keyboard module and the third party application, and wherein the multimodal input module is configured to enable the respective selection to take place by a single keypress or control command, or by a single gesture. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer program product for performing multimodal text input in a mobile device, the computer program product comprising:
one or more non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage devices, the program instructions, when loaded and executed by a processor, cause the mobile device associated with the processor to implement a multimodal input module that uses an original communication interface between an original keyboard module of the mobile device and a third party application to enable communication between the multimodal input module, that replaces the original keyboard module, and the third party application by; executing the multimodal input module by; steadily running the multimodal input module in the background of the mobile device and constantly monitoring in the background of the mobile device to detect when a text input field of the third party application is activated; and responding to detecting that the text input field of the third party application is activated by; activating a keyboard mode; displaying an A-Z keyboard in a first field of a display for text input; automatically activating a camera mode when the keyboard mode is activated; capturing an image of written text having characters different from characters of the A-Z-keyboard, reducing a size of the A-Z keyboard, displaying the A-Z-keyboard reduced in a reduced first field, and displaying the captured image with the written text in a second field of the display, the reduced first field and the second field together occupying a same field size as the first field; converting the captured image to character text by optical character recognition (OCR) and displaying the recognized character text on the display; and outputting a selected part of the recognized character text as the input text to the third party application receiving the input text upon a selection of the part of the recognized character text, wherein the outputting to the third party application from the multimodal input module is via the original communication interface to the third party application as between the original keyboard module and the third party application, and wherein the multimodal input module is configured to enable the respective selection to take place by a single keypress or control command, or by a single gesture.
Specification