Information processing method and electronic device

• US 9,916,027 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd (Lenovo Group Ltd.), Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhou, Zhiqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Paras D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blankenagel, Bryan S
• Application Number:
  US14/195,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention discloses an information processing method and an electronic device. An action by an operator including a user'"'"'s finger is collected and identified to determine location information and sound information associated with the action, so that only information corresponding to the location information and the sound information associated with the action is inputted. In this way, the user can input different types of information by performing different touch actions, simplifying the user'"'"'s operation, and improving operation efficiency.

Claims

1. A method for inputting a character in an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display unit of the electronic device, symbols representing different portions of an operator for performing a touch operation, wherein the operator comprises a finger, and a plurality of virtual keys, wherein at least two characters are displayed on each of the virtual keys and include a capital form of an alphabetic character and also a lowercase form of the alphabetic character;

collecting, by a touch collector of the electronic device, location information of the operator relative to the touch collector when the operator performs a touch operation on the display unit, the location information indicating a position where the operator touches the display unit of the electronic device;

collecting, by an audio collector of the electronic device, sound information generated by the operator touching the display unit, the sound information indicating which of the different portions of the operator contacts with the display unit, wherein contact of the different portions with the display unit generates different sound information for selecting different input characters; and

determining an input character based on both the location information and the sound information by

selecting one of the plurality of virtual keys displayed on the display unit of the electronic device based on the location information, and

selecting either the capital form or the lowercase form of the alphabetic character displayed on the selected virtual key based on the collected sound information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a first component having a transmittance in a first direction that satisfies a threshold, the first component being provided on a side of the touch collector, the first direction being a direction from the touch collector to the first component, and

wherein said collecting, by the touch collector, the location information of the operator relative to the touch collector comprises collecting, by the touch collector, the location information of the operator relative to the touch collector when the operator touches the first component, and the location information indicates a projection location obtained by projecting the touch location at which the operator touches the first component onto a plane in which the touch collector lies, and

wherein said collecting, by the audio collector, the sound information generated by the operator during the operation comprises collecting, by the audio collector, the sound information generated by the operator'"'"'s touch with the first component when the operator touches the first component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display unit overlaps the touch collector, and when the display unit displays an image, the touch collector does not obstruct the image from being perceived by a user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the display unit, an identifier of at least one item of information in the candidate character set;

or

displaying, on the display unit, an identifier of each character in the candidate character set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

when there are at least two keys in the virtual keypad, each of the keys corresponds to at least two identifiers, and

the at least two identifiers corresponding to a first key of the at least two keys is displayed in a layout identical to that of the at least two identifiers corresponding to a second key of the at least two keys.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the candidate character set corresponding to one of the keys comprises at least a first candidate character subset associated with first sound information and a second character information subset associated with second sound information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first sound information and the second sound information are different sound information generated by different portions of the operator touching the first component.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a display unit configured to display symbols representing different portions of an operator for performing a touch operation, wherein the operator comprises a finger, and a plurality of virtual keys, wherein at least two characters are displayed on each of the virtual keys and include a capital form of an alphabetic character and also a lowercase form of the alphabetic character;

a touch collector configured to collect location information of the operator relative to the touch collector when the operator performs a touch operation on the display unit, the location information indicating a position where the operator touches the display unit;

an audio collector configured to collect sound information generated by the operator touching the display, the sound information indicating which of the different portions of the operator contacts with the display unit, wherein contact of the different portions with the display unit generates different sound information for selecting different input characters; and

a processor configured to determine an input character based on both the location information and the sound information by

selecting one of the virtual keys displayed on the display unit based on the location information, and

selecting either the capital form or the lowercase form of the alphabetic character displayed on the selected virtual key based on the collected sound information.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the electronic device comprises a first component having a transmittance in a first direction that satisfies a threshold, the first component being provided on a side of the touch collector, the first direction being a direction from the touch collector to the first component, and

wherein the touch collector is configured to collect the location information of the operator relative to the touch collector when the operator touches the first component, and the location information indicates a projection location obtained by projecting the touch location at which the operator touches the first component onto a plane in which the touch collector lies, and

wherein the audio collector is configured to collect the sound information generated by the operator'"'"'s touch with the first component when the operator touches the first component.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the display unit overlaps the touch collector, and when the display unit displays an image, the touch collector does not obstruct the image from being perceived by a user.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the display unit is further configured to display an identifier of at least one character in the candidate character set, or to display an identifier of each character in the candidate character set.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein

when there are at least two keys in the virtual keys, each of the keys corresponds to at least two identifiers, and

the at least two identifiers corresponding to a first key of the at least two keys is displayed in a layout identical to that of the at least two identifiers corresponding to a second key of the at least two keys.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein

the candidate character set corresponding to each key comprises at least a first candidate character subset associated with first sound information and a second candidate character subset associated with second sound information.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the first sound information and the second sound information are different sound information generated by different portions of the operator touching the first component.