TRANSLATION OF DIRECTIONAL INPUT TO GESTURE

• US 20120110518A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Lye Hock Bernard, Kok, Boon How, Teoh, Chong Pin Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A user device is disclosed which includes a touch input and a keypad input. The user device is configured to operate in a gesture capture mode as well as a navigation mode. In the navigation mode, the user interfaces with the touch input to move a cursor or similar selection tool within the user output. In the gesture capture mode, the user interfaces with the touch input to provide gesture data that is translated into key code output having a similar or identical format to outputs of the keypad.

Claims

1. A process of translating user input received at a touch input of a user device into key code data while the touch input is operating in a gesture capture mode, the process comprising:

detecting user-initiated motion at the touch input;

translating the detected motion into x-y motion data;

translating the x-y motion data into gesture data, the gesture data representing a predetermined gesture that has been mapped to a predetermined x-y motion data value;

translating the gesture data into key code data; and

providing the key code data to a processor of the user device, wherein the key code data causes the processor to perform at least one of (i) one or more keyboard actions consistent with the key code data and (ii) determining a language character corresponding to the key code data without requiring keyboard action.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the user device further comprises a keypad input and wherein the key code data emulates data outputs of the keypad input and is processed by the processor in a similar manner as outputs received from the keypad input.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the gesture data is translated to key code data which comprises a value corresponding to a stroke type used to construct a character or word for a text message and wherein the processor causes the determined language character to be displayed via a user output.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the gesture data is translated to key code data which comprises a value corresponding to a command to exit the gesture capture mode and enter a navigation mode where the x-y motion data is used to navigate at least one of a cursor, object, and selection tool about a user output of the user device.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the gesture data is translated to key code data which comprises a value corresponding to a command to generate and transmit a DTMF tone.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the gesture data is selected from a list of gestures including one or more of the following gestures:

SWIPE UP, SWIPE DOWN, SWIPE LEFT, SWIPE RIGHT, SWIPE UP-RIGHT, SWIPE DOWN-RIGHT, SWIPE DOWN-LEFT, SWIPE UP-LEFT, and TAP.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein at least one gesture in the list of gestures is mapped to key code data which comprises a value corresponding to a user-defined command.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the touch input comprises one or more of an optical sensor, a small area capacitive sensor, rocker switches, a miniature joystick, a twiddle, and a touch-screen input.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the key code data is mapped to at least one of (i) a hard button on a keypad of the user device and (ii) a virtual button on a touch screen of the user device.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein the keypad is configured as one of a QWERTY keyboard and a telephone dial-pad.

11. A computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor of the user device, perform the method of claim 1.

12. A user device, comprising:

a user interface including a touch input and a user output;

a user interface driver configured to convert motions detected by the touch input into electronic signals;

an x-y input capture module configured to translate the electronics signals provided by the user interface driver into x-y motion data;

an x-y-to-gesture translation module configured to translate the x-y motion data into gesture data, the gesture data representing a predetermined gesture that has been mapped to a predetermined x-y motion data value; and

a gesture-to-key code translation module configured to translate the gesture data into key code data which causes the user device to perform at least one of (i) one or more keyboard actions consistent with the key code data and (ii) determining a language character corresponding to the key code data without requiring keyboard action.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising a processor and memory, wherein at least one of the user interface driver, x-y input capture module, x-y-to-gesture translation module, and gesture-to-key code translation module are provided as instructions in the memory which are executable by the processor.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the user interface driver, x-y input capture module, x-y-to-gesture translation module, and gesture-to-key code translation module are in the form of a hardware function implemented in silicon.

15. The device of claim 12, further comprising translation data which maps at least one of x-y motion to gesture data, x-y motion to key code data, and gesture data to key code data.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the translation data can be re-configured depending upon whether a user of the user device manipulates the touch input with a right hand or a left hand.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the touch input is configured to operate in a navigation mode and a gesture capture mode, wherein the x-y-to-gesture translation module and gesture-to-key code translation module are active in the gesture capture mode, and wherein at least one of the x-y-to-gesture module and gesture-to-key code translation module are inactive in the navigation mode.

18. A system for translating user input received at a touch input of a user device into key code output, the system comprising:

a user interface driver configured to convert motions detected at the touch input into electronic signals;

an x-y input capture module configured to translate the electronics signals provided by the user interface driver into x-y motion data;

an x-y-to-gesture translation module configured to translate the x-y motion data into gesture data, the gesture data representing a predetermined gesture that has been mapped to a predetermined x-y motion data value; and

a gesture-to-key code translation module configured to translate the gesture data into key code data which causes the user device to perform at least one of (i) one or more keyboard actions consistent with the key code data and (ii) determining a language character corresponding to the key code data without requiring keyboard action.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the x-y-to-gesture translation module is configured to operate in an 8-way rocker mode where x-y motion data is translated into one gesture selected from a list of gestures comprising no more than eight gestures.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the eight gestures is translated to key code data which comprises a value corresponding to a command to switch between a gesture capture mode where the x-y-to-gesture translation module is active to a navigation mode where the x-y-to-gesture translation module is inactive.