Quick Gesture Input

• US 20100073329A1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Charles L., Raman, Tiruvilwamalai Venkatram
• Granted Patent: US 8,769,427 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

A computer-implemented user interface method for a computing device is disclosed. The method includes associating each of a plurality of telephone keys with a direction of each key relative to a center of a telephone keypad, receiving a contact from a user of the device at a location on a touchscreen display of a computing device and an input at a direction relative to the location of the user contact, and causing a telephone number to be entered on the computing device based on the direction of each key relative to the center of the telephone keypad corresponding to the direction relative to the location of the user contact.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented user interface method for a computing device, the method comprising:

associating each of a plurality of telephone keys with a direction of each key relative to a center of a telephone keypad;

receiving a contact from a user of the device at a location on a touch input surface of a computing device and an input at a direction relative to the location of the user contact;

causing a character to be entered on the computing device based on the direction of each key relative to the center of the telephone keypad corresponding to the direction relative to the location of the user contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input at a direction relative to the location of the user contact comprises a dragging input starting at the location of the user contact.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entered character corresponds to a radial direction relative to a five on a standard telephone keypad.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a tap input in addition to the input at a direction relative to the location of the user contact and causing an execution of a command associated with the tap input.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using the tap input to identify the input as a non-numeric input.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an audible feedback announcing the entered telephone number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a tactile feedback to register, to the user, reception of the input.

8. A computer-implemented user interface method, comprising:

associating each of a plurality of data input keystrokes with a radial direction;

receiving a user contact at a location on a touch input device and an input at a direction relative to the location of the user contact;

correlating the direction relative to the location of the user contact to a radial direction for one of the plurality of data input keystrokes; and

registering a keystroke for a key of a virtual keyboard in the direction relative to the location of the user contact.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the input at a direction relative to the location of the user contact comprises a dragging input starting at the location of the user contact.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing audible feedback concerning a selected keystroke during the dragging input, and receiving a corrective dragging input at an angle different than the direction relative to the location of the user contact, wherein the registered keystroke corresponds to the angle of the corrective dragging input.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising assigning the location on the touch input device to a predetermined location on a virtual keyboard, and registering a keystroke for a key in a direction from the predetermined location according to the direction relative to the location of the user contact.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising repeating the steps of receiving, correlating, and registering for each of a plurality of alphanumeric characters and combining the characters into a data entry string.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a tap input in addition to the input at a direction relative to the location of the user contact.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the tap input to identify the input as relating to one of a plurality of groups of characters.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing an audible feedback announcing the content of the entered keystroke.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, from an computer application, enrollment information associating each of a plurality of directions with keystrokes, and providing the keystroke for the key of the virtual keyboard to the application.

17. A computer-implemented data entry system, comprising:

a touch input manager to receive and interpret user inputs on a touch input device of a computing device;

one or more computing applications; and

a gesture interface to receive registrations from the one or more computing applications, wherein the registrations include an input direction and a corresponding keypress, and to provide data for keypresses to the applications in response to receiving directional inputs on the touch input device.

18. The computer-implemented system of claim 17, wherein the gesture interface provides data for keypresses independent of an actual starting location of an input on the touch input device.

19. The computer-implemented system of claim 17, wherein, when the gesture interface is invoked, the gesture interface superimposes itself over an existing graphical interface on a touchscreen that comprises the touch input device.

20. The computer-implemented system of claim 17, wherein the gesture interface is programmed to generate data for producing an audible signal indicating values of keypresses on the device

21. A computer-implemented data entry system, comprising:

a touchscreen input manager to receive and interpret user inputs on a touchscreen of a computing device;

one or more computing applications; and

means for providing directional user-entered data from the touchscreen to the one or more computing applications.