CHARACTER INPUT METHOD USING MULTI-TOUCH AND APPARATUS THEREOF

• US 20120110494A1
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JUN, Don Gyo
• Application Number:
  US13/285,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110494A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• 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

A character input method and apparatus enable a user to input characters rapidly and easily using multi-touch on a touch screen. The character input method using a multi-touch, preferably includes: executing a character input mode; displaying a virtual key pad including a plurality of key regions for character input; generating a multi-touch event on the virtual key pad, the multi-touch event indicating a touch event occurring on at least two key regions; and inputting characters allotted to respective regions according to a touch-released order on a multi-touched key region.

Claims

1. A character input method for an electronic device using a multi-touch, said method comprising:

executing by a controller a character input mode that permits character input via a touch screen using multiple touches of the touch screen;

displaying a character input screen comprising virtual key pad having a plurality of key regions for character input;

generating by the controller a multi-touch event on the virtual key pad, the multi-touch event indicating a detected touch event occurs on at least two key regions of the touch screen; and

inputting characters allotted to respective key regions of the touch screen according to a touch-released order on a multi-touched key region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated multi-touch event comprises:

a sequential multi-touch event in which the controller detects sequentially touching of said at least two key regions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated multi-touch event comprises:

a simultaneous multi-touch event in which the controller detects simultaneously touching of said at least two key regions.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising inputting characters by the controller according to a touched order stored in memory when the sequential multi-touch event occurs where a touch-release event simultaneously occurs on sequentially multi-touched regions when the sequential multi-touch event occurs.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

generating by the controller and displaying character combinations allotted to respective simultaneous multi-touched key regions when a touch- release event simultaneously occurs on the simultaneous multi-touched key regions when the simultaneous multi-touch event occurs; and

inputting by the controller a character combination selected from the displayed character combinations.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying character combinations allotted to the simultaneous multi-touched key regions at one area of the touch screen when the simultaneous multi-touch event occurs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying a character combination at said one area of the touch screen comprises:

inputting characters allotted to a touch-released key region when a touch-release event occurs on one of the simultaneous multi-touched key regions; and

displaying a combination of characters allotted to remaining key regions from among the simultaneous multi-touched key regions.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying a character combination at said one area of the touchscreen comprises displaying a combination of characters registered in at least one electronic compilation in memory selected from the group consisting of an electronically stored dictionary, character history information previously input by a user, a word database, and phrase information optionally registered by the user.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the memory storing at least one of said electronically stored dictionary, character history information previously input by a user, a word database, and phrase information is remotely accessed by the controller.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the memory storing at least one of said electronically stored dictionary, character history information previously input by a user, a word database, and phrase information is locally accessed by the controller.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the touch-release occurs after a touch is moved to another key region in a state that one key region is touched, and wherein the controller controls input of allotted characters to the touch-released key region.

12. A character input apparatus using a multi-touch, comprising:

a touch screen that detects multi-touch input, and outputting a character input screen displaying characters input through a virtual key pad; and

a controller controlling characters allotted to respective key regions to be input for processing according to a touch-released order of multi-touched key regions when it is detected that a multi-touch event occurs on the virtual key pad, the multi-touch event generating a touch event on at least two key regions of the touch screen.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the detected multi-touch event comprises:

a simultaneous multi-touch event in which simultaneously touching of at least two key regions is detected.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the detected multi-touch event comprises:

a sequential multi-touch event in which sequentially touching of the at least two key regions is detected.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller controls the input of characters for processing according to a touched order stored when the controller detects the sequential multi-touch event occurs and where a touch-release event simultaneously occurs on sequentially multi-touched regions in a state the sequential multi-touch event occurs.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller generates and displays character combinations allotted to respective simultaneous multi-touched key regions when a touch release event simultaneously occurs on the simultaneous multi-touched key regions in a state that the simultaneous multi-touch event occurs;

and controls a character combination selected from the displayed character combinations to be input.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller controls character combinations allotted to the simultaneous multi-touched key regions to be displayed at one area of the touchscreen when the controller detects the simultaneous multi-touch event occurs.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller controls characters allotted to a touch-released key region to be input when a touch release event occurs on one of the simultaneous multi-touched key regions;

and controls a combination of characters allotted to remaining key regions to be displayed from among the simultaneous multi-touched key regions.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller controls a combination of characters registered in at least one electronic compilation selected from the group consisting of a stored dictionary, word database, character history information previously input by a user, and phrase information optionally registered by the user for display.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the touch-release occurs after a touch is moved to another key region in a state that one key region is touched, and wherein the controller controls input of allotted characters to the touch-released key region.