SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING ENTERED TEXT TO ACCESS AND PROCESS CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION

• US 20120127083A1
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kushler, Clifford A., Manning, Jane, McSherry, Mike, Sheedy, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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 system and method for commanding a keyboard application based on a gesture received at a displayed keyboard is described. In some examples, the system receives a gesture, such as a shape-based or key-based gesture, identifies a command associated with the received gesture, and performs a function (e.g. changes mode of the keyboard, hides the keyboard, and so on), based on the identified command.

Claims

1. A keyboard system stored in memory of a mobile device, the keyboard system comprising:

a display component, wherein the display component is configured to present a virtual keyboard to a user via a touch-screen of the mobile device; and

a gesture component, wherein the gesture component is configured to receive a gesture via the virtual keyboard from a user of the mobile device;

a command component, wherein the command component is configured to command the keyboard system to perform a function based on the received gesture.

2. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the gesture component is configured to receive a shape-based gesture from the user via the touch-screen of the mobile device;

and

wherein the command component is configured to command the keyboard system to change a mode of operation of the virtual keyboard based on the received shape-based gesture.

3. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the gesture component is configured to command the keyboard system to receive a shape-based gesture from the user via the touch-screen of the mobile device;

and

wherein the command component is configured to modify text entered via the virtual keyboard based on the received shape-based gesture.

4. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the gesture component is configured to command the keyboard system to receive a key-based gesture from the user via the touch-screen of the mobile device;

and

wherein the command component is configured to change a mode of operation of the virtual keyboard based on the received key-based gesture.

5. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the gesture component is configured to command the keyboard system to receive a key-based gesture from the user via the touch-screen of the mobile device;

and

wherein the command component is configured to modify text entered via the virtual keyboard based on the received key-based gesture.

6. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the gesture component is configured to receive a user-defined gesture from the user via the touch-screen of the mobile device.

7. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the command component is configured to command the keyboard system to change one or more keys displayed by the virtual keyboard based on the received gesture.

8. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the command component is configured to command the keyboard system to hide the virtual keyboard based on the received gesture.

9. The keyboard system of claim 1, wherein the command component is configured to command the keyboard system to edit text displayed via the virtual keyboard based on the received gesture.

10. A method performed by a mobile device for commanding a keyboard application, the method comprising:

receiving a gesture on a keyboard displayed by the keyboard application via a touch-screen of the mobile device; and

commanding the keyboard application to perform a function associated with the received gesture.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the received gesture is a path traced from a first key of the keyboard to a second key of the keyboard.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the received gesture is a shape traced on or proximate to the keyboard displayed by the keyboard application.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the received gesture is a shape traced on or proximate to the keyboard and an associated text entry field displayed by the keyboard application.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein commanding the keyboard application to perform a function associated with the received gesture includes commanding the keyboard application to perform an action that changes a mode of operation of the keyboard application.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein commanding the keyboard application to perform a function associated with the received gesture includes commanding the keyboard application to perform an action that changes one or more keys of the keyboard displayed by the keyboard application.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein commanding the keyboard application to perform a function associated with the received gesture includes commanding the keyboard application to perform an action that modifies text input into the keyboard displayed by the keyboard application by a user of the mobile device.

17. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents, when executed by a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform a method for commanding a keyboard application of the mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that a first key associated with two or more commands for performing actions within the keyboard application has been contacted by a user of the mobile device via a keyboard displayed by the keyboard application;

receiving an indication that a path has been traced by the user from the first key to a second key displayed by the keyboard application and associated with one command of the two or more commands for performing an action within the keyboard application; and

performing the action associated with the second key within the keyboard application.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein performing an action associated with the second key within the keyboard application includes performing an action specific to an application currently running on the mobile device.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein performing an action associated with the second key within the keyboard application includes performing an action that changes a current mode of the keyboard application to an alternative mode of the keyboard application.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein performing an action associated with the second key within the keyboard application includes performing an action that modifies text current edited by the user of the mobile device via the keyboard application.