CHARACTER INPUT APPARATUS AND CHARACTER INPUT METHOD

• US 20090322692A1
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Yong-gu, Won, Joon-ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,947,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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

Abstract

A character input apparatus to input a character using a touch and drag method, the character input apparatus including: an interface to display a character on a touched location, if a touch is detected on the interface; a control unit to control the interface to change the displayed character and a location of the displayed character according to a dragging trace, if the touched location is dragged; and an input unit to input the displayed character displayed when the touch is completed. Accordingly, characters may be conveniently input on a narrow screen.

Claims

1. A character input apparatus to receive character inputs through a touch, the apparatus comprising:

an interface to display a character on a touched location if the touch is detected on the interface;

a control unit to control the interface to change the displayed character and a location of the displayed character according to a dragging trace if the touched location is dragged on the interface; and

an input unit to input the displayed character when the touch is completed.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface displays a first character corresponding to a first touched location on the interface when the first touched location is touched, and a second character corresponding to a second touched location on the interface when the second touched location is touched.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input unit displays a character input window to show the input character.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface and the input unit are formed as a single touch screen panel.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit displays characters in a predetermined order according to a moving distance of the dragging trace from an initially touched location.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit displays characters in a predetermined order according to a moving distance of the dragging trace from an initially touched location in a predetermined direction.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the touch is initially performed, the control unit displays a predetermined character corresponding to the initially touched location.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface displays a guide line to guide the dragging trace.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dragging trace is a free curve, and the control unit changes the displayed character according to a variation in an X axis component and/or a Y axis component of the dragging trace.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface comprises:

a first touch area to input characters of a first mode; and

a second touch area, different from the first touch area, to input characters of a second mode.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the character is a Korean consonant, a Korean vowel, Roman, Japanese hiragana, Japanese katakana, Chinese, Greek, a special character, a symbol, a figure, or a number.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch is completed when the touched location is not dragged for a predetermined period of time.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first touch area is in a horizontal direction of the interface and the second touch area is in a vertical direction of the interface.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the characters of the first mode are upper case characters and the characters of the second mode are lower case characters.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the characters of the first mode are consonant characters and the characters of the second mode are vowel characters.

16. A character input method to receive character inputs through a touch on an interface, the method comprising:

displaying a character on a touched location, if a touch is detected on the interface;

changing the displayed character and a location of the displayed character according to a dragging trace if the touched location is dragged on the interface; and

inputting the displayed character when the touch is completed.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the displaying of the character comprises displaying a first character corresponding to a first touched location on the interface when the first touched location is touched, and displaying a second character corresponding to a second touched location on the interface when the second touched location is touched.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

displaying a character input window to show the input character.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the changing of the displayed character comprises displaying characters in a predetermined order according to a moving distance of the dragging trace from an initially touched location.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the changing of the displayed character comprises displaying characters in a predetermined order according to a moving distance of the dragging trace from an initially touched location in a predetermined direction.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the touch is initially performed, the displaying of the character comprises displaying a predetermined character corresponding to the initially touched location.

22. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

displaying a guide line to guide the dragging trace.

23. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

the dragging trace is a free curve; and

the changing of the displayed character comprises changing the displayed character according to a variation in an X axis component and/or a Y axis component of the dragging trace.

24. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the displaying of the character comprises:

displaying a character of a first mode if the touch is detected on a first touch area of the interface; and

displaying a character of a second mode if the touch is detected on a second touch area of the interface, different from the first touch area.

25. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the character is a Korean consonant, a Korean vowel, Roman, Japanese hiragana, Japanese katakana, Chinese, Greek, a special character, a symbol, a figure, or a number.

26. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the touch is completed when the touched location is not dragged for a predetermined period of time.

27. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first touch area is in a horizontal direction of the interface and the second touch area is in a vertical direction of the interface.

28. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the character of the first mode is an upper case character and the character of the second mode is a lower case character.

29. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the character of the first mode is a consonant character and the character of the second mode is a vowel character.

30. A computer-readable recording medium encoded with the method of claim 16 and implemented by at least one computer.