Smart soft keyboard

• US 20070139382A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kotipalli, Krishna
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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

Abstract

Methods of using a soft keyboard are disclosed. A soft keyboard having one or more soft keys with a symbol displayed on the one or more soft keys is provided. A modifier may be applied to one of the symbols displayed on one of the soft keys by selecting the soft key and then providing a directional input. In an embodiment, different directional inputs are associated with different modifiers so that different symbols are inputted depending on the directional input. In an embodiment, a user may prove the direction input with a touch and directional drag of a selector across a touch sensitive screen. In an embodiment, a plurality of symbols associated with a plurality of modifying keys are made visible after the soft key is selected so that the user can visually determine which directional input will provide the desired symbol.

Claims

1. An method of inputting data into an application running on a computer with a soft keyboard on a touch sensitive screen, comprising:

(a) receiving a selector touch and a selector directional drag on the touch sensitive screen;

(b) determining that the selector touch is associated with a first soft key depicting a first symbol and the selector directional drag is associated with a first modifier key;

(c) selecting a second symbol, the second symbol associated with first symbol and the first modifier key; and

(d) transmitting the second symbol to the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein four modifier keys are associated with the first symbol and wherein each modifier is associated with a different direction selected from a set of directions consisting of 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees, and the selector directional drag is directed along the 0 degree direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the soft key associated with the selector touch in (b) comprises:

(i) determining that the selector is touching the touch sensitive display in a first position; and

(ii) determining that the first soft key is associated with the first position on the touch sensitive display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the selector directional drag in (a) comprises:

(i) determining the first position that the selector touched the touch sensitive screen;

(ii) determining an end position when the selector stops touching the touch sensitive screen; and

(ii) determining a vector associated with the change in position between the first position and the end position.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining in (b) that the first modifier key is associated with the selector directional drag comprises:

(i) determining a set of directions associated with the first soft key;

(ii) determining a first direction from the set of directions that the vector of the selector directional drag is most closely aligned with; and

(iii) determining that the first modifier key is associated with the first direction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving further comprises:

(iv) highlighting the second symbol associated with the first modifier key.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(e) after receiving the touch but before the directional drag is received, visibly positioning the second symbol along a vector associated with the first modifier key.

8. A computer readable medium including computer readable instructions for performing the steps of:

(a) receiving a first selection associated with a first soft key having a first symbol;

(b) determining a set of symbols associated with the first soft key;

(c) receiving a directional drag associated with the first selection; and

(d) communicating a second symbol from the set of symbols, the second symbol associated with the directional input and the first symbol.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising computer readable instructions for performing the steps of:

(e) receiving notification that a selector has touched a touch sensitive screen for a predetermined period; and

(f) displaying the set of symbols around the first symbol.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising computer readable instructions for performing the steps of

(g) after receiving the direction drag, highlighting the second symbol associated with the directional input.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the displaying in (f) comprises:

(i) determining a perimeter for positioning the set of symbols around the first symbol; and

(ii) providing instructions to position each symbol in the set of symbols on the perimeter in an appropriate position.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the providing of instructions in (ii) comprises:

(1) determining the set of symbols associated with the first symbol;

(2) determining the directions associated with the respective at least one modifiers key associated with the set of symbols; and

(2) providing instructions to position each of the symbols in the set of symbols corresponding to the direction of the respective at least one modifier key.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising computer readable instructions for performing the steps of:

(e) providing instructions to display the set of symbols around the first symbol, each of the of symbols in the set positioned in a direction corresponding to a modifier key associated with the respective symbol.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the receiving in (c) comprises:

(i) determining that a selector has actuated a touch sensitive screen at a first position; and

(ii) determining that the selector was slid across the touch sensitive screen to a second position.

15. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of inputting data using a set of soft keys on the display, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a selection of a first soft key from the set of soft keys, the first soft key including a first symbol;

(b) receiving a direction input provided by the user interface selection device; and

(c) inputting a second symbol associated with the directional input and the first symbol.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

(d) displaying the second symbol associated with the first symbol before receiving the directional input.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the displaying in step (d) comprises:

(i) waiting an appreciable period of time after receiving the selection; and

(ii) generating a graphical depiction of the second symbol associated with the first symbol on the display in the appropriate position.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (ii) comprises:

(1) after receiving the selection of the first soft key, determining the second symbol is associated with the soft key;

(2) determining the directional input associated with the second symbol; and

(3) displaying the graphical depiction of the second symbol on the display, the second symbol positioned in accordance with the direction input associated with the second symbol.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving in (b) comprises:

(i) noting an initial position of a selector on a touch sensitive screen;

(ii) noting a final position of the selector on the touch sensitive screen; and

(iii) determining a direction that the selector moved with respect to a predetermined reference.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

(d) providing the set of soft keys on a display in a customizable arrangement, wherein an application can select from one of at least two different arrangements.