Input method, input apparatus, and terminal device

• US 10,795,574 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2019
• Issued: 10/06/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honor Device Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yang, Yun
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Liang Y
• Application Number:
  US16/410,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20190265887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0216 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of a keyboard for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1664
• 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

An input method is provided by embodiments of the present invention, relating to the communications field, and invented to improve the input experience of a user. The input method includes: providing an input interface on a touch display screen, where the input interface includes a virtual soft keyboard distributed in a sector area around a lower left corner or lower right corner of the input interface; receiving an input instruction which is input by a user through the virtual soft keyboard; and displaying input information corresponding to the input instruction. An input apparatus and a terminal device are also provided by embodiments of the present invention. The present invention is applicable to a mobile device or a handheld device.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch display screen;

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to;

display an input interface on the touch display screen, wherein the input interface includes a virtual soft keyboard displayed as a circular shape surrounding a corner of the input interface, wherein the virtual soft keyboard includes a character key area comprising at least one inner sector ring of the circular shape and a term selection area displayed in an outermost sector ring of the circular shape adjacent to the character key area;

receive a plurality of user input operations through the character key area;

determine a location of a most recent user input to the character key area;

display a plurality of candidate terms in the term selection area in response to the determination, wherein the plurality of candidate terms are ranked based on a frequency of usage, wherein a most frequently used candidate term is displayed at a position in the term selection area closest to the location of the most recent user input, and wherein less frequently used terms are displayed sequentially on either side of the most frequently used candidate term;

receive an input selection to the term selection area selecting a candidate term from among the plurality of candidate terms displayed in the term selection area; and

display, in an area of the input interface, the candidate term selected according to the input selection received to the term selection area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual soft keyboard includes one or more key bars in sector ring shapes distributed in sequence in a direction from outside to inside of the virtual soft keyboard, and wherein the one or more key bars are provided with keys in triangular, rectangular, or irregular polygonal shapes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

receive a sliding operation along an outer arc boundary of the virtual soft keyboard; and

remove the virtual soft keyboard from the touch display screen in response to the sliding operation received along the outer arc boundary of the virtual soft keyboard.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual soft keyboard further includes a function key area displayed in another sector ring of the virtual soft keyboard and including one or more key bars in sector ring shapes, and wherein the function key area is displayed in an innermost sector ring of the virtual soft keyboard and is adjacent to the character key area.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the function key area includes at least one of a menu key, language selection key, or a punctuation key.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the character key area displays various characters to be used to input instructions by a user, and wherein the plurality of user input operations received through the virtual soft keyboard is received via the character key area.

7. A method, comprising:

displaying an input interface on a touch display screen, wherein the input interface includes a first virtual soft keyboard displayed as a first circular shape surrounding a first corner of the input interface and a second virtual soft keyboard displayed as a second circular shape surrounding around a second corner of the input interface, wherein the first virtual soft keyboard includes a first character key area comprising at least one inner sector ring of the first circular shape and a first term selection area displayed in an outermost sector section of the first circular shape adjacent to the first character key area of the first virtual soft keyboard, and wherein the second virtual soft keyboard includes a second character key area comprising at least one inner sector ring of the second circular shape and a second term selection area displayed in an outermost sector section of the second circular shape adjacent to the second character key area of the second virtual soft keyboard;

receiving a first plurality of user inputs through the first character key area and a second plurality of user inputs through the second character key area;

determining a location of a most recent user input to the first character key area;

displaying a plurality of candidate terms in the first term selection area in response to the determination, wherein the plurality of candidate terms is ranked based on a frequency of usage, wherein a most frequently used candidate term is displayed at position in the first term selection area closest to the location of the most recent user input, and wherein less frequently used terms are displayed sequentially on either side of the most frequently used candidate term;

receiving an input selection to the first term selection area selecting a first candidate term from the plurality of candidate terms displayed in the first term selection area; and

displaying, in an area of the input interface, the first candidate term selected according to the input selection received to the first term selection area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first character key area is adjacent to the first term selection area and includes one or more key bars.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying a first function key area in an innermost sector section of the first virtual soft keyboard and adjacent to the first character key area, wherein the first function key area includes one or more key bars in sector ring shapes.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the key bars of the first character key area are provided with keys in triangular, rectangular, or irregular polygonal shapes.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a sliding operation along an outer arc boundary of the first virtual soft keyboard; and

removing the first virtual soft keyboard and the second virtual soft keyboard from the touch display screen in response to the sliding operation received along the outer arc boundary of the first virtual soft keyboard.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying a second function key area in an innermost sector section of the second virtual soft keyboard and adjacent to the second character key area, wherein the second function key area includes one or more key bars in sector ring shapes.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch display screen;

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to;

display an input interface on the touch display screen, wherein the input interface includes a first virtual soft keyboard displayed as a first circular shape surrounding a first corner of the input interface and a second virtual soft keyboard displayed as a second circular shape surrounding a second corner of the input interface, wherein the first virtual soft keyboard includes a first character key area comprising at least one inner sector ring of the first circular shape and a first term selection area displayed in an outermost sector section of the first circular shape adjacent to the first character key area of the first virtual soft keyboard, and wherein the second virtual soft keyboard includes a second character key area comprising at least one inner sector ring of the second circular shape and a second term selection area displayed in an outermost sector section of the second circular shape adjacent to the second character key area of the second virtual soft keyboard;

receive a first plurality of user inputs through the first character key area and a second plurality of user inputs through the second character key area;

determine a location of a most recent user input to the first character key area;

display a plurality of candidate terms in the first term selection area in response to the determination, wherein the plurality of candidate terms are ranked based on a frequency of usage, wherein a most frequently used candidate term is displayed at position in the first term selection area closest to the location of the most recent user input, and wherein less frequently used terms are displayed sequentially on either side of the most frequently used candidate term;

receive an input selection to the first term selection area selecting a first candidate term from the plurality of candidate terms displayed in the first term selection area; and

display, in an area of the input interface, the first candidate term selected according to the input selection received to the first term selection area.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to:

receive a sliding operation along an outer arc boundary of the first virtual soft keyboard; and

remove the first virtual soft keyboard and the second virtual soft keyboard from the touch display screen in response to the sliding operation received along the outer arc boundary of the first virtual soft keyboard.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first character key area is adjacent to the first term selection area displayed in the outermost sector section of the first virtual soft keyboard, and wherein the first character key area includes one or more key bars.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first virtual soft keyboard further includes a first function key area displayed in an innermost sector section of the first virtual soft keyboard and adjacent to the first character key area, and wherein the first function key area includes one or more key bars in sector ring shapes.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the key bars of the first character key area are provided with keys in triangular, rectangular, or irregular polygonal shapes.