Dynamic Soft Keyboard

• US 20090195506A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Geidl, Erik M., Townsend, Reed L., LeGrow, Ian C., LeProwse, Shawn R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,552,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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

In accordance with one or more aspects of a dynamic soft keyboard, a user input is received via a soft keyboard having multiple keys. Information describing a current input environment for the soft keyboard is obtained, and a determination is made as to which one or more keys of the multiple keys was intended to be selected by the user input. This determination is made based at least in part on the current input environment.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a user input via a soft keyboard, the soft keyboard including multiple keys;

obtain information describing a current input environment for the soft keyboard; and

determine, based at least in part on the current input environment, which one or more keys of the multiple keys was intended to be selected by the user input.

2. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the user input is represented by a set of one or more coordinates indicating one or more locations of the soft keyboard selected by a user.

3. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the information describing the current input environment comprising information describing an operation mode of the device.

4. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 3, the information describing the operation mode of the device comprising a geographical location of the device.

5. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the information describing the current input environment comprising a language-specific dictionary.

6. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the information describing the current input environment comprising information regarding words that are commonly entered by a user of the device.

7. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the information describing the current input environment comprising information mapping, for each of one or more fields in which a user may enter data, the field to types of data that are valid for the field.

8. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the information describing the current input environment comprising information describing a language being used by a user of the device.

9. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the information describing the current input environment comprising information describing particular words or phrases that are more likely than other words or phrases based on partial inputs.

10. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the information describing the current input environment comprising:

information describing an operation mode of the device;

a language-specific dictionary;

information regarding words that are commonly entered by a user of the device;

information mapping, for each of one or more fields in which the user may enter data, the field to types of data that are valid for the field;

information describing a language being used by the user; and

information describing particular words or phrases that are more likely than other words or phrases based on partial inputs.

11. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the instructions further causing the one or more processors to alter the soft keyboard based at least in part on the information describing the current input environment.

12. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, the instructions further causing the one or more processors to alter a hit target for one or more keys of the multiple keys.

13. A system comprising:

a predictive keyboard engine;

one or more modules coupled to provide, to the predictive keyboard engine, information describing a current input environment for a soft keyboard; and

the predictive keyboard engine being configured to, based at least in part on the information describing the current input environment;

alter a hit target of one or more of the multiple keys; and

use the altered hit target to determine which one or more keys of multiple keys of the soft keyboard were selected by a user of the system.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, the predictive keyboard engine comprising an artificial intelligence system.

15. A system as recited in claim 13, the predictive keyboard engine being further configured to determine how to change a layout of the soft keyboard based at least in part on the information describing the current input environment.

16. A system as recited in claim 13, the one or more modules including:

an operation mode detection module to provide information describing an operation mode of the system; and

a user specific lexica module to provide information regarding words that are commonly entered by a user of the system.

17. A method implemented in a device, the method comprising:

receiving a set of one or more coordinates indicating one or more locations of a soft keyboard selected by a user of the device, the soft keyboard having multiple keys and each of the multiple keys having a corresponding hit target; and

determining, based at least in part on both the set of one or more coordinates and a hit target logic using a current input environment for the soft keyboard, which one or more of the multiple keys were selected by the user.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, further comprising changing which characters, numbers, or symbols corresponding to which of the multiple keys based at least in part on the current input environment.

19. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the current input environment includes information regarding words that are commonly entered by a user of the device, and information mapping, for each of one or more fields in which the user may enter data, the field to types of data that are valid for the field.

20. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the current input environment includes information describing a language being used by the user, and information describing particular words or phrases that are more likely than other words or phrases based on partial inputs.