VIRTUAL KEYBOARD WITH SLIDER BUTTONS

• US 20100251176A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kittell, John David, Nealer, Bryan, Fong, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US12/410,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20100251176A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/821
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• 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 computing system includes a touch display and a virtual keyboard visually presented by the touch display. The virtual keyboard includes one or more slider buttons, and each slider button includes a plurality of touch-selectable items. The computing system further includes a touch-detection module configured to recognize which of the plurality of touch-selectable items is being touched, and a visual-feedback module configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection responsive to that touch-selectable item being touched. The computing system also includes a selection module configured to input a touch-selectable item responsive to a touch lifting from that touch-selectable item while the visual-feedback module visually indicates that touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

a touch display;

a virtual keyboard visually presented by the touch display, the virtual keyboard including one or more slider buttons, each slider button including a plurality of touch-selectable items;

a touch-detection module configured to recognize which of the plurality of touch-selectable items is being touched;

a visual-feedback module configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection responsive to that touch-selectable item being touched; and

a selection module configured to input a touch-selectable item responsive to a touch lifting from that touch-selectable item while the visual-feedback module visually indicates that touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection.

2. The computing system of claim 1, where each of the plurality of touch-selectable items is a borderless touch-selectable item anchored interior a continuous and visually distinct boundary of a slider button.

3. The computing system of claim 1, where each of the plurality of touch-selectable items is a touch-selectable letter.

4. The computing system of claim 1, where the virtual keyboard comprises:

a first slider button including a left-to-right arrangement of a Q-item, a W-item, an E-item, an R-item, a T-item, a Y-item, a U-item, an I-item, an O-item, and a P-item;

a second slider button comprising a left-to-right arrangement of an A-item, an S-item, a D-item, an F-item, a G-item, an H-item, a J-item, a K-item, and an L-item; and

a third slider button comprising a left-to-right arrangement of a Z-item, an X-item, a C-item, a V-item, a B-item, an N-item, and an M-item.

5. The computing system of claim 1, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by magnifying that touch-selectable item.

6. The computing system of claim 5, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by magnifying a neighboring touch-selectable item of the touch-selectable item considered to be ready for selection.

7. The computing system of claim 5, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by expanding a visually distinct boundary of a slider button to accommodate a magnified size of one or more touch-selectable items.

8. The computing system of claim 1, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by shifting a position of that touch-selectable item.

9. The computing system of claim 8, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by shifting a position of a neighboring touch-selectable item of the touch-selectable item considered to be ready for selection.

10. The computing system of claim 8, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by expanding a visually distinct boundary of a slider button to accommodate a shifted position of one or more touch-selectable items.

11. The computing system of claim 1, including an alternative-selection module configured to change a touched slider button to include a different plurality of touch-selectable items, the different plurality of touch-selectable items linked to the touch-selectable item previously considered to be ready for selection.

12. The computing system of claim 11, where the alternative-selection module is configured to change the touched slider button responsive to a touch of the touch-selectable item previously considered to be ready for selection exceeding a threshold duration.

13. The computing system of claim 1, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by displaying a character corresponding to the touch-selectable item considered to be ready for selection at a location exterior the virtual keyboard.

14. A handheld computing system, comprising:

a touch display;

a virtual keyboard visually presented by the touch display, the virtual keyboard including one or more slider buttons having a continuous and visually distinct boundary, each slider button including a plurality of borderless touch-selectable items anchored interior the continuous and visually distinct boundary of the slider button;

a touch-detection module configured to recognize which of the plurality of touch-selectable items is being touched;

a visual-feedback module configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by magnifying and shifting a position of that touch-selectable item and expanding the continuous and visually distinct boundary of the slider button to accommodate a magnified size and shifted position of that touch-selectable item responsive to that touch-selectable item being touched; and

a selection module configured to input a touch-selectable item responsive to a touch lifting from that touch-selectable item while the visual-feedback module visually indicates that touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection.

15. The handheld computing system of claim 14, where the virtual keyboard comprises:

a first slider button including a left-to-right arrangement of a Q-item, a W-item, an E-item, an R-item, a T-item, a Y-item, a U-item, an I-item, an O-item, and a P-item anchored interior the continuous and visually distinct boundary of the first slider button;

a second slider button comprising a left-to-right arrangement of an A-item, an S-item, a D-item, an F-item, a G-item, an H-item, a J-item, a K-item, and an L-item anchored interior the continuous and visually distinct boundary of the second slider button; and

a third slider button comprising a left-to-right arrangement of a Z-item, an X-item, a C-item, a V-item, a B-item, an N-item, and an M-item anchored interior the continuous and visually distinct boundary of the third slider button.

16. The handheld computing system of claim 14, where the visual-feedback module is configured to visually indicate that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection by displaying a character corresponding to the touch-selectable item considered to be ready for selection at a location exterior the virtual keyboard.

17. A method of processing user input, the method comprising:

visually presenting with a touch display a virtual keyboard including one or more slider buttons, each slider button including a plurality of touch-selectable items;

recognizing which of the plurality of touch-selectable items is being touched;

visually indicating that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection responsive to that touch-selectable item being touched; and

inputting a touch-selectable item responsive to a touch lifting from that touch-selectable item while the visual-feedback module visually indicates that touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection.

18. The method of claim 17, where visually indicating that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection includes magnifying that touch-selectable item.

19. The method of claim 17, where visually indicating that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection includes shifting a position of that touch-selectable item.

20. The method of claim 17, where visually indicating that a touch-selectable item is considered to be ready for selection includes expanding a visually distinct boundary of a slider button to accommodate a shifted position and/or magnified size of one or more touch-selectable items.