User input for an electronic device employing a touch-sensor

• US 20050240879A1
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dong, Sheng, Law, Ho Kee, Kikuchi, Toshiki, Prabhu, Amal
• Granted Patent: US 8,151,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A graphical text entry system for an electronic device is provided. The electronic device may be, for example, a portable or hand-held electronic device such as a cellular telephone, PDA, or the like. The system includes a graphical text entry screen and a graphical text entry ring displayed on the graphical text entry screen. A plurality of characters such as letters or numbers is positioned on the graphical text entry ring. The system also includes a touch sensor ring located on the graphical text entry screen for selecting individual characters from among the plurality of characters located on the text entry ring.

Claims

1. A graphical text entry system, comprising:

a graphical text entry screen;

a graphical text entry ring displayed on said graphical text entry screen;

a plurality of characters positioned on said graphical text entry ring; and

a touch sensor ring located on said graphical text entry screen for selecting individual characters from among the plurality of characters on said text entry ring.

2. The graphical text entry system of claim 1 wherein said text entry ring has a plurality of angular text entry segments extending along its circumference in each of which one of said characters is located and said touch sensor ring has a plurality of angular touch sensor segments located along its circumference such that each of said touch sensor segments occupies an angular position along the touch sensor ring that corresponds to an angular position occupied by one of the text entry segments along the text entry ring, wherein contact with a particular one of the touch sensor segments selects the character located in the text entry segment that corresponds to said particular touch sensor segment.

3. The graphical text entry system of claim 2 wherein said angular text entry segments are equal in their angular extent.

4. The graphical text entry system of claim 2 wherein at least two one of said angular text entry segments differ in their angular extent.

5. The graphical text entry system of claim 4 wherein those angular text entry segments having a greatest angular extent contain characters most likely to be selected by a user.

6. The graphical text entry system of claim 4 wherein the angular extent of said angular text entry segments is rearranged after one or more of said plurality of characters is selected to increase the angular extent of those text entry segments that contain characters most likely to be subsequently selected.

7. The graphical text entry system of claim 4 wherein the angular extent of said angular text entry systems are predetermined and fixed.

8. The graphical text entry system of claim 4 wherein the angular extent of said angular text entry systems are dynamically adjustable based on prior user character selections.

9. The graphical text entry system of claim 2 wherein said plurality of characters are arranged in a particular order on said graphical text entry ring and said order is rearranged after one or more of said plurality of characters is selected to position most likely next characters to be selected in positions close to said one or more selected characters.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said graphical text entry ring is depicted in its entirety on said graphical text entry screen.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein only a portion of said graphical text entry ring is depicted on said graphical text entry screen.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said touch sensor ring is depicted in its entirety on said graphical text entry screen.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein only a portion of said touch sensor ring is depicted on said graphical text entry screen.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a suggested text window displayed adjacent said graphical text entry ring after one or more characters are selected, said suggested text window further comprising at least one suggested character string corresponding to said one or more selected characters.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of graphical text entry rings;

and wherein said touch sensor ring is operable by a user to shuffle through said plurality of graphical text entry rings.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each of said plurality of graphical text entry rings contains a different set of characters.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said graphical text entry system is included in an electronic device.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein, upon being selected, the selected character is visually distinguishable from remaining unselected characters.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the selected character is visually distinguished by being highlighted.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the selected character is visually distinguished by a change in color.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the selected character is visually distinguished by a change in font size or style.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the selected character is visually distinguished by a change in size.

23. The system of claim 2 wherein, upon being selected, the angular text entry segment associated with the selected character increases in size.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the increase in size comprises an arc length of the segment.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the increase in size comprises a radial dimension of the segment.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the graphical text ring and the touch sensor ring are located on different parts of the graphical text entry screen.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein the graphical text ring and the touch sensor ring are superimposed on one another.

28. The system of claim 17 wherein said electronic device is a portable electronic device.

29. The system of claim 17 wherein said portable electric device is selected from the group consisting of telephones, cellular phones, PDAs, game controllers, remote controls, keyboards, and watches.

30. The system of claim 1 wherein said touch sensor ring is selected from the group consisting of a resistive touchscreen, a thin dielectric layer capacitive touchscreen, a thick dielectric layer capacitive touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, and a force sensor touchscreen.

31. A method for entering text into an electronic device, comprising the steps of:

displaying a graphical text entry ring on a graphical text entry screen;

positioning a plurality of characters on said graphical text entry ring;

generating a signal in response to contact with a portion of the graphical text entry screen, said signal reflecting a position on said graphical text entry screen at which said contact made; and

selecting an individual character from among the plurality of characters on said text entry ring based on said signal.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the signal generating step comprises the step of generating the signal in response to contact with a portion of a touch sensor ring located on said graphical text entry screen.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said text entry ring has a plurality of angular text entry segments extending along its circumference in each of which one of said characters is located and said touch sensor ring has a plurality of angular touch sensor segments located along its circumference such that each of said touch sensor segments occupies an angular position along the touch sensor ring that corresponds to an angular position occupied by one of the text entry segments along the text entry ring, wherein contact with a particular one of the touch sensor segments selects the character located in the text entry segment that corresponds to said particular touch sensor segment.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said angular text entry segments are equal in their angular extent.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein at least two one of said angular text entry segments differ in their angular extent.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein those angular text entry segments having a greatest angular extent contain characters most likely to be selected by a user.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein the angular extent of said angular text entry segments is rearranged after one or more of said plurality of characters is selected to increase the angular extent of those text entry segments that contain characters most likely to be subsequently selected.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein the angular extent of said angular text entry systems are predetermined and fixed.

39. The method of claim 35 wherein the angular extent of said angular text entry systems are dynamically adjustable based on prior user character selections.

40. The method of claim 33 wherein said plurality of characters are arranged in a particular order on said graphical text entry ring and said order is rearranged after one or more of said plurality of characters is selected to position most likely next characters to be selected in positions close to said one or more selected characters.

41. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of displaying a suggested text window adjacent said graphical text entry ring after one or more characters are selected, said suggested text window further comprising at least one suggested character string corresponding to said one or more selected characters.

42. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of providing a plurality of graphical text entry rings, each of said graphical text entry rings containing a different set of characters.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising the step of generating a second signal in response to a second contact with a portion of the graphical text entry screen to display a different one of the plurality of graphical text entry rings.

44. The method of claim 33, wherein said graphical text entry ring is displayed in its entirety on said graphical text entry screen.

45. The method of claim 33, wherein only a portion of said graphical text entry ring is displayed on said graphical text entry screen.

46. The method of claim 33, wherein said electronic device is a hand held electronic device.

47. The system of claim 32, wherein said touch sensor ring is depicted in its entirety on said graphical text entry screen.

48. The system of claim 32, wherein only a portion of said touch sensor ring is depicted on said graphical text entry screen.

49. A graphical text entry system, comprising:

a graphical text entry screen;

a graphical text entry ring displayed on said graphical text entry screen;

a plurality of characters positioned on said graphical text entry ring; and

means for selecting an individual character from among the plurality of characters on said text entry ring based on said signal.

50. The graphical text entry system of claim 49 wherein said selecting means comprises means for generating a signal in response to contact with a portion of the graphical text entry screen, said signal reflecting a position on said graphical text entry screen at which said contact is made.

51. A graphical data entry system comprising:

an arc displayed on an output display, the arc being subdivided into a plurality of arc sections, each arc section being associated with a particular character in a set of characters;

a sensor, wherein the sensor senses a position of an indicator in relation to a particular arc section; and

a selector, wherein the selector selects the particular character associated with the particular arc section.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein positions sensed by the sensor are located approximately coincident with the displayed arc sections.

53. The system of claim 51, wherein an angle subtended by a first arc section is larger than an angle subtended by a second arc section, the first arc section being associated with a character more frequently used than a character associated with the second arc section.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein an angle subtended by a first arc section increases in response to selection of a character associated with a second arc section.

55. The system of claim 51, wherein the displayed arc subtends a full circle.

56. The system of claim 51 wherein said arc is located on a first graphical text entry screen of an electronic device.

57. The system of claim 56 wherein said sensor is located on the first graphical text entry screen of the device.

58. The system of claim 56 wherein said sensor is located on a second graphical text entry screen of the electronic device.

59. The system of claim 58 wherein said first and second graphical text entry screens are located on different outer surfaces of the device.

60. The system of claim 59 wherein said different outer surfaces are opposing outer surfaces of the device.

61. A data entry method comprising:

displaying an arc, the arc being subdivided into a plurality of arc sections, each arc section being associated with a particular character in a set of characters;

receiving an indication that a particular arc segment is indicated; and

selecting the particular character associated with the indicated arc section.

62. The method of claim 61 further comprising increasing an angle subtended by a first arc section in response to selection of a character associated with a second arc section.

63. The method of claim 61 further comprising:

receiving a second indication that the particular arc segment is indicated; and

deselecting the particular character associated with the indicated arc section.