Method and handheld electronic device including first input component and second touch sensitive input component

• US 8,063,879 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lee, John Jong-Suk, Rak, Roman, Fyke, Steven H., Kornilovsky, Alexander, Moosavi, Vahid
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu; Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US11/961,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20090160761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345173-178, 178 1801- 1809, 341/22
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a housing having a surface; a first input component having input members disposed external to the surface; a second touch sensitive input component disposed about the input members, the touch sensitive input component being separate and distinct from the input members and the first input component and being structured to provide one of: a contact point with respect to the surface responsive to actuation of a first number of the input members, and a number of responses responsive to actuation of a second number of the input members. A processor cooperates with the first input component and the touch sensitive input component to determine if a plurality of the input members are actuated contemporaneously and to output a representation of a single one of the input members based upon one of: the contact point, and the number of responses.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a housing including a surface;

a first input component comprising a plurality of input members disposed external to the surface of said housing;

a second touch sensitive input component disposed about the input members of said first input component, said second touch sensitive input component being separate and distinct from said input members and said first input component and being structured to provide a number of responses responsive to actuation of a number of said input members; and

a processor cooperating with said first input component and said second touch sensitive input component to determine if a plurality of said input members are actuated contemporaneously and to output a representation of a single one of said input members based upon said number of responses,

wherein said second touch sensitive input component is a plurality of touch sensors being structured to provide said number of responses, said representation is a first representation selected from the best one of said number of responses;

wherein said processor comprises a memory storing a word dictionary and a routine, said routine being structured to provide a second representation of a first term formed from a number of previous actuations of a number of said input members and said first representation; and

wherein said routine is further structured to select a third representation selected from the next best one of said number of responses, to provide a fourth representation of a different second term formed from said number of previous actuations and said third representation, and to output said third representation if said different second term is found in said word dictionary.

2. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein said first input component is a keypad;

and wherein said input members are a plurality of keys of said keypad.

3. The handheld electronic device of claim 2 wherein said keypad is a reduced keypad in which each of at least a portion of the keys have a plurality of letters assigned thereto.

4. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein said first input component is a full keypad;

wherein said input members are a plurality of keys of said full keypad; and

wherein a plurality letters are not assigned to any one of the keys.

5. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein said processor is structured to determine if a plurality of said input members are actuated at the same time or within about a predetermined time of each other.

6. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a housing including a surface;

a first input component comprising a plurality of input members disposed external to the surface of said housing;

a second touch sensitive input component disposed about the input members of said first input component, said second touch sensitive input component being separate and distinct from said input members and said first input component and being structured to provide a contact point with respect to the surface of said housing responsive to actuation of a number of said input members; and

a processor cooperating with said first input component and said second touch sensitive input component to determine if a plurality of said input members are actuated contemporaneously and to output a representation of a single one of said input members based upon said contact point,

wherein said second touch sensitive input component is disposed between said housing and the input members of said first input component and said second touch sensitive input component is structured to provide said contact point, and wherein said processor is structured to output said representation based upon said contact point,

wherein said processor is structured to determine that said contact point is remote from all of said input members, and wherein said processor comprises a predictive input routine structured to employ an identification of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously in order to output said representation of the single one of said input members based upon said identification,

wherein said predictive input routine is further structured to evaluate said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously based upon at least one of;

(a) a count of words being predicted from each of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously, and (b) a measure of common usage of said words, and

wherein said predictive input routine is further structured to provide a first point value for each of the words being predicted from each of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously, and a second point value for each of the last said words which are found in a dictionary; and

wherein said predictive input routine is further structured to output the representation of the single one of said input members based upon the largest sum, for each of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously, of;

(a) the first point value of each of the words being predicted of a corresponding one of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously, and (b) the second point value of each of the last said words which are found in said dictionary of the corresponding one of said plurality of said input members that are actuated contemporaneously.