NEXT LETTER PREDICTION FOR VIRTUAL KEYBOARD

• US 20130187857A1
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason Tyler, Pasquero, Jerome, Mckenzie, Donald Somerset McCulloch
• Granted Patent: US 9,134,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 method including receiving an input of a character from a virtual keyboard displayed on a display, generating one or more sets of predicted input characters based on the input character, wherein each set of predicted input characters corresponds to a subsequent candidate input character, and displaying a visual indication of at least some of the one or more sets of predicted input characters, wherein the visual indication is displayed at keys of the virtual keyboard associated with subsequent candidate input characters corresponding to the sets of predicted input characters.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an input of a character from a virtual keyboard displayed on a display;

generating one or more sets of predicted input characters based on the input character, wherein each set of predicted input characters corresponds to a subsequent candidate input character; and

displaying a visual indication of at least some of the one or more sets of predicted input characters, wherein the visual indication is displayed at keys of the virtual keyboard associated with subsequent candidate input characters corresponding to the sets of predicted input characters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indication varies in dependence on a predictive rank of the one or more sets of predicted input characters for which a visual indication is displayed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual indication of a particular key of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters having the highest predictive rank provides a greater emphasis than the visual indication of the other keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the particular key of the virtual keyboard associated with the set of predicted input characters having the highest predictive rank is displayed in a larger size than the other keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the particular key of the virtual keyboard associated with the set of predicted input characters having the highest predictive rank is displayed in a different color than the other keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the particular key of the virtual keyboard associated with the set of predicted input characters having the highest predictive rank is displayed using a first type of visual emphasis while the other keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters are displayed using a second type of visual emphasis different than the first type of visual emphasis.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the particular key of the virtual keyboard associated with the set of predicted input characters having the highest predictive rank is displayed using more than one type of visual emphasis while the other keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters are displayed using only one type of visual emphasis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the more than one types of visual emphasis include two or more of enlarging, backlighting, highlighting, underlining, bolding, italicizing and color differentiation, and the one type of visual emphasis is one of enlarging, backlighting, highlighting, underlining, bolding, italicizing or color differentiation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indication progressively decreases over time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a subsequent candidate input character are displayed in a default format of the virtual keyboard while keys of the virtual keyboard which are not associated with a subsequent candidate input character are displayed in a different format which deemphasizes the keys.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a subsequent candidate input character are displayed at a default size of the virtual keyboard while keys of the virtual keyboard which are not associated with a subsequent candidate input character are displayed at a smaller size than the default size.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

increasing a target area associated with the keys of the virtual keyboard associated with subsequent candidate input characters for which a visual indication is displayed.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an input of a subsequent candidate input character in response to designated input.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the designated input is a swipe at or near a key of the virtual keyboard associated with the subsequent candidate input character.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the swipe is an “

up”

swipe.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a touchscreen display coupled to the processor, the touchscreen having a virtual keyboard displayed thereon;

wherein the processor is configured to receive an input of a character from the virtual keyboard, generate one or more sets of predicted input characters based on the input character, wherein each set of predicted input characters corresponds to a subsequent candidate input character, and display a visual indication of at least some of the one or more sets of predicted input characters, wherein the visual indication is displayed at keys of the virtual keyboard associated with subsequent candidate input characters corresponding to the sets of predicted input characters.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the visual indication varies in dependence on a predictive rank of the subsequent candidate input character.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the visual indication of a particular key of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters having the highest predictive rank provides a greater emphasis than the visual indication of the other keys of the virtual keyboard associated with a set of predicted input characters.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to increase a target area associated with the keys of the virtual keyboard associated with subsequent candidate input characters for which a visual indication is displayed.

20. A keyboard rendered on a touchscreen display of an electronic device, the keyboard comprising:

a plurality of keys, each key corresponding to one or more different characters of a plurality of characters;

wherein in response to receiving an input of a character, the keyboard is configured to generate one or more sets of predicted input characters based on the input character, wherein each set of predicted input characters corresponds to a subsequent candidate input character, and display a visual indication of at least some of the one or more sets of predicted input characters, wherein the visual indication is displayed at keys of the virtual keyboard associated with subsequent candidate input characters corresponding to the sets of predicted input characters.