INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS

• US 20170357443A1
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Paek, Timothy S., Benson, Cole R., Gunawardana, Asela J., Oligschlaeger, Zachary D., Saydalikhodjayev, Alisher
• Granted Patent: US 10,409,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Systems, methods, and computer media for intent-based, dynamic generation and display of task icons within virtual keyboards are provided herein. A system can include a processor, an intent classifier, and a user interface generator. The intent classifier can be configured to determine user intent candidates based on contextual information. A user interface generator can be configured to generate the virtual keyboard for display and, upon receiving an indication of a user intent determined based on the user intent candidates, generate a task icon within the virtual keyboard. The task icon represents functionality associated with the determined user intent. Interaction with the task icon in the virtual keyboard can launch functionality associated with the determined intent. The user interface generator can also be configured to present a search interface upon receiving an indication of a user interaction with the virtual keyboard.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a user interface generator configured to, by the at least one processor;

generate a virtual keyboard for display in a user interface, and

upon receiving an indication of an interaction with an input method editor (IME) portion of the virtual keyboard, present a search icon.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the search icon is presented in the IME portion of the virtual keyboard.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interaction is a swipe of the IME portion of the virtual keyboard.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the swipe of the IME portion of the virtual keyboard is a swipe of any portion of the IME portion of the virtual keyboard.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the search icon is one of:

a web search icon, an emoji search icon, a contacts search icon, a graphic interchange format (GIF) search icon, or a universal search icon.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface generator is further configured to, by the at least one processor, present a plurality of search icons in the IME portion of the virtual keyboard upon receiving the indication of the interaction, the respective search icons representing different types of search functionality accessible via the virtual keyboard.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user interface generator is further configured to, by the at least one processor, present a search query text entry area in conjunction with the plurality of search icons.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface generator is further configured to, by the at least one processor, replace a portion of the virtual keyboard with a search result interface.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the search result interface replaces a portion of the virtual keyboard below the IME portion.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the search result interface replaces the portion of the virtual keyboard prior to receiving a search query.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the search result interface comprises search results of previous queries.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface generator is further configured to animate a transition in which one or more letter keys of the virtual keyboard are replaced by the search results of previous queries.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein prior to receiving the indication of the interaction, the virtual keyboard did not include a search icon.

14. A method for reconfiguring a graphical user interface on a computing device, the method comprising:

presenting a virtual keyboard in the graphical user interface, wherein the virtual keyboard does not include a search icon or a search text entry area;

receiving an indication of a swipe of an input method editor (IME) portion of the virtual keyboard; and

in response to the indication of the swipe, presenting, within the virtual keyboard, a search interface, the search interface comprising;

a plurality of search icons representing different search categories; and

a search result interface, wherein the search result interface is presented in place of a portion of the virtual keyboard below the IME portion, and wherein the search result interface comprises search results for previously received or common search queries.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the search interface further comprises a search query text entry area.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the previously received or common search queries included in the search result interface correspond to the search category represented by a search icon of the plurality of search icons that is currently selected.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of search icons comprise a web search icon and at least one of an image search icon, a video search icon, an emoji search icon, a contacts search icon, a graphic interchange format (GIF) search icon, or a universal search icon.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions for reconfiguring a graphical user interface, the reconfiguring comprising:

presenting a virtual keyboard in the graphical user interface;

receiving one or more text entries;

based at least in part on the one or more text entries, determining a user intent using one or more intent classifiers;

upon determining the user intent, presenting, within the virtual keyboard, a task icon representing functionality corresponding to the user intent, wherein interaction with the task icon results in a portion of the graphical user interface being replaced with a task icon user interface that provides access to the functionality corresponding to the user intent;

determining that the task icon has not been interacted with;

receiving an indication of a user interaction with an input method editor (IME) portion of the virtual keyboard; and

presenting a search interface in the virtual keyboard responsive to receiving the indication, wherein the search interface comprises a plurality of search icons representing different search categories, and wherein the search interface includes an indicator presented in association with a search icon corresponding to the task icon, the indicator representing that the task icon was previously presented but not interacted with.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the reconfiguring further comprises upon determining that the task icon has not been interacted with, moving the task icon to an edge of the graphical user interface such that only a portion of the task icon is visible.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the reconfiguring further comprises removing the task icon from the graphical user interface when the search interface is presented.