Virtual keyboard for touch-typing using audio feedback

• US 6,882,337 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2002
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shetter, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jennifer T.
• Application Number:
  US10/124,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20030197687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-175, 345/172, 345/168, 345/169, 345/773, 345/429, 345/113, 715/727, 715/728, 382/230
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

A virtual keyboard displayed on a touch sensitive screen allows a user to do touch-typing thereon to enter textual data into a computer. The keyboard image has a standard key layout for typewriting, and the keys are sized to allow the fingers of the user to take the positions necessary for “ten-finger” touch-typing in the standard fashion. The virtual keyboard image is semi-transparently displayed over on a background image, with the individual keys shown with shaded edges so that they can be easily distinguished from features in the background image. When a key is touched, a sound is generated. The sound generated when the touch is away from a target portion of the key is different from the sound generated when the touch is on or adjacent to the target portion of the key, thereby providing audio feedback to enable the user to adjust finger positions to maintain proper alignment with the virtual keys.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that provide a virtual keyboard for a user interface, the instructions providing for:

displaying a semi-transparent keyboard image on a touch sensitive screen over a background image;

receiving a signal indicating a detected touch on the touch sensitive screen;

determining whether the detected touch is on one of the key images of the keyboard image;

if the detected touch is on a key image, generating a variable sound indicating that a keystroke is received, said variable sound selected according to a location of the detected touch within the touched key image; and

altering a look of the touched key image to indicate that the keystroke is for the key corresponding to the touched key image.

2. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, wherein the alphabet is the English alphabet, and the key images are in the “

QWERTY layout.

3. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, wherein the keyboard image includes key images for number keys.

4. A computer-readable medium as in claim 3, wherein the keyboard image includes key images for function keys.

5. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, wherein the key images are displayed with centerline-to-centerline distances in vertical and horizontal directions of the touch sensitive screen between 16 mm and 22 mm.

6. A computer-readable medium as in claim 5, wherein the key images are displayed with centerline-to-centerline distances of about 19 mm in the vertical and horizontal directions of the touch sensitive screen.

7. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, wherein the step of altering darkens the touched key image.

8. A computer-readable medium as in claim 1, wherein generating a variable sound depends on a deviation between the location of the detected touch and a target portion of the touched key image.

9. A computer readable medium as in claim 8, wherein the target portion is around the geometric center of the touched key image.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for a computing device to provide a virtual keyboard for user interface the instructions providing for:

displaying a keyboard image on a touch sensitive screen, the keyboard image having a plurality of key images corresponding to individual keys;

receiving a signal indicating a location of a detected touch on the touch sensitive screen;

determining whether the detected touch is on one of the key images of the keyboard image;

if the detected touch is on a key image, generating a variable sound to indicate that the touch is on the touched key image, the variable sound having an attribute selected according to a deviation of the location of the detected touch from a target portion of the touched key image to indicate where the detected touch is in relation to the target portion of the touched key image.

11. A computer readable medium as in claim 10, wherein the target portion of the touched key image is around the geometric center of the touched key image.

12. A computer-readable medium as in claim 10, wherein generating the variable sound includes determining a first offset in a horizontal direction and a second offset in a vertical direction of the touch sensitive screen between the location of the detected touch and the target portion of the touched key image, and setting first and second sound attributes of the generated sound according to the first and second offset, respectively.

13. A computer-readable medium as in claim 12, wherein the first and second sound attributes include a pitch and a tone of the generated variable sound.

14. A computer-readable medium as in claim 10, wherein generating the variable sound includes generating a first sound if the location of the detected touch is within a center zone of the touched key image and generates a second sound different from the first sound if the location of the detected touch is not within the center zone of the touched key image.

15. A computer-readable medium as in claim 10, wherein the key images correspond to individual keys including at least keys for a complete set of letters in an alphabet.

16. A computer-readable medium as in claim 15, wherein the key images in the keyboard image are arranged in a layout and size suitable for “

ten-finger”

touch-typing.

17. A computer-readable medium as in claim 16, wherein displaying the keyboard image includes displaying the keyboard image semi-transparently over a background image on the touch sensitive screen.

18. A computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein displaying the keyboard image includes displaying each key image with rounded corners and shaded edges.

19. A computer user interface device comprising:

a touch sensitive screen;

a processing unit for executing computer-executable instructions;

an audio output device;

a software control program having computer-executable instructions to be executed by the processing unit to display a semi-transparent keyboard image having a plurality of key images corresponding to individual keys on the touch sensitive screen over a background image, receive a signal indicating a detected touch on one of the key images of the keyboard image displayed on the touch sensitive screen, generate a variable sound using the audio output device to indicate that a keystroke is received, and alter a look of the touched key image to indicate that the keystroke is on the touched key image, said variable sound selected according to a location of the detected touch within the touched key image.

20. A computer user interface device as in claim 19, further including a wireless communication component for wireless network communications.

21. A computer user interface device comprising:

a touch sensitive screen;

a processing unit for executing computer-executable instructions;

an audio output device;

a software control program having computer-executable instructions to be executed by the processing unit to display a keyboard image having a plurality of key images corresponding to individual keys on the touch sensitive screen, receive a signal indicating a detected touch on one of the key images of the keyboard image on the touch sensitive screen, generate a variable sound to indicate that the touch is on the key image, the variable sound having an attribute selected according to a deviation of the location of the detected touch from a target portion of the touched key image to indicate whether the detected touch is on the target portion of the touched key image.

22. A computer user interface device as in claim 21, wherein the software control program has computer-executable instructions for displaying the keyboard image semi-transparently over a background image on the touch-sensitive screen.

23. A computer user interface device as in claim 22, wherein the key images displayed by the software control program correspond to individual keys for at least a complete set of letters in an alphabet arranged in a layout and size suitable for “

ten-finger”

touch-typing.

24. A computer user interface device as in claim 21, further including a wireless communication component for wireless network communications.