Input method and device

• US 10,853,030 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 12/01/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Sogou Technology Development Co.,Ltd. (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Sogou Technology Development Co.,Ltd. (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Lin, Changqing
• Primary Examiner(s): Ell, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US15/749,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20180225087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an input method and device. The method specifically comprises: displaying an input interface, where the input interface includes at least one key; in response to a touch operation of a key by a user in an input process, playing an audio corresponding to the key and matching the characteristics of the input interface. Based on keystroke by the user in the input process, the disclosed embodiments provide feedback to the user with animation effect and dynamic audio matching a theme of the current input interface, and enhance key tones in the input process.

Claims

1. An input method, comprising:

recognizing a program environment upon detecting a user input according to an environment relationship map stored in a memory of a user device, the environment relationship map including a text editing environment, an instant messaging environment, and a gaming environment correlating to different user inputs via different input methods, wherein the different input methods are respectively embedded in the text editing environment, the instant messaging environment, and the gaming environment, and wherein the different input methods are respectively triggered upon capturing a touch operation on the user device;

displaying an input interface with a theme keyboard specific to the program environment as recognized according to keyboard theme maps stored in the memory of the user device, the keyboard theme maps including first, second, and third keyboard theme maps, wherein the input interface includes first keys, second keys, or third keys, and wherein the first keyboard theme map correlates the first keys with music theme audios, the second keyboard theme map correlates the second keys with gaming theme audios, and the third keyboard theme map correlates the third keys with bubble-film theme audios; and

in response to a touch operation of at least one key of the first, second, or third keys by a user in an input process, playing audio corresponding to the theme keyboard and matching characteristics of the input interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface includes at least one of:

a blue-and-white porcelain interface;

a Mahjong interface;

or

a bubble-film interface.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

in response to a click operation of a first key of the first, second, or third keys, highlighting the first key;

in response to a long press operation of a second key of the first, second, or third keys, highlighting the second key and displaying an alternative key corresponding to the second key;

or

in response to a slide operation of a third key of the first, second, or third keys, highlighting an alternative key corresponding to the third key.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the touch operation of the at least one of the first, second, or third keys by the user, determining a key value of the at least one of the first, second, or third keys; and

when the key value is consonant, playing the audio corresponding to the at least one of the first, second, or third keys and matching the characteristics of the input interface.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface further includes at least one toolbar icon, the method further comprising:

upon displaying the input interface, outputting an animation effect corresponding to the toolbar icon.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

outputting a color change effect of the toolbar icon; and

outputting an alternating display effect between sub-icons corresponding to the toolbar icon.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a sharing operation of a skin corresponding to the input interface, generating a sharing link for the skin corresponding to the input interface; and

sending the sharing link to a target user corresponding to the sharing operation.

8. The input method according to claim 1, wherein the first keys include a first key and a second key and the music theme audios include classic music theme audios, the method further comprising:

playing a first classic music theme audio upon detecting activation of the first key; and

playing a second classic music theme audio different than the first classic music theme audio upon detecting activation of the second key.

9. The input method according to claim 1, wherein the first, second, or third keys include a first key and a second key separately positioned from the first key, the method further comprising:

selecting the first key to present a first popup interface;

displaying on the first popup interface, at a first timepoint, at least one first popup key along with a copy of the first key, wherein the copy of the first key is separately positioned from the first key;

selecting the second key to present a second popup interface;

displaying on the second popup interface, at a second timepoint different than the first time point, at least one second popup key along with a copy of the second key, wherein the copy of the second key is separately positioned from the second key;

playing a first audio corresponding to a selection of the at least one first popup key; and

playing second audio corresponding to the at least one second popup key, wherein the first audio is different than the second audio, and wherein both the first audio and the second audio correspond to the keyboard theme map.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first and second popup interfaces is displayed above the first, second, or third keys when viewed from the user.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one first popup key includes one or more left popup keys and one or more right popup keys, and wherein the copy of the first key is positioned between the one or more left popup keys and the one or more right popup keys.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions for, when executed by one or more processors, performing an input method, the method comprising:

recognizing a program environment upon detecting a user input according to an environment relationship map stored in a memory of a user device, the environment relationship map including a text editing environment, an instant messaging environment, and a gaming environment correlating to different user inputs via different input methods, wherein the different input methods are respectively embedded in the text editing environment, the instant messaging environment, and the gaming environment, and wherein the different input methods are respectively triggered upon capturing a touch operation on the user device;

displaying an input interface with a theme keyboard specific to the program environment as recognized according to keyboard theme maps stored in the memory of the user device, the keyboard theme maps including first, second, and third keyboard theme maps, wherein the input interface includes first keys, second keys, and third keys, and wherein the first keyboard theme map correlates the first keys with music theme audios, the second keyboard theme map correlates the second keys with gaming theme audios, and the third keyboard theme map correlates the third keys with bubble-film theme audios; and

in response to a touch operation of at least one key of the first, second, or third keys by a user in an input process, playing audio corresponding to the theme keyboard and matching characteristics of the input interface.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the input interface includes at least one of:

a blue-and-white porcelain interface;

a Mahjong interface;

or

a bubble-film interface.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, further comprising:

upon a click operation of the at least one key of the first, second, or third keys, outputting an animation effect corresponding to the at least one key of the first, second, or third keys.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, further comprising at least one of:

in response to a click operation of a first key of the first, second, or third keys, highlighting the first key;

in response to a long press operation of a second key of the first, second, or third keys, highlighting the second key and displaying an alternative key corresponding to the second key;

or

in response to a slide operation of a third key of the first, second, or third keys, highlighting an alternative key corresponding to the third key.