Adjustable keyboard or touch screen in a handheld device

• US 8,525,792 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2007
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lee, Woo Jae, Sharma, Sanjay K., Thenthiruperai, Srinivasan Balaji, Syromiatnikov, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro, Leonid
• Application Number:
  US11/935,771
• Time in Patent Office: 2,128 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/173, 345/179
• US Class Current: 345/168
• 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: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

Systems are provided for adjusting a keyboard or a touch screen in a handheld device. A user may configure the handheld device to automatically shift to a pre-determined location in the handheld device. The handheld device may implement software that records keystrokes. Based on the majority of keystrokes determined from each hand, the keyboard may shift to the hand with the majority of keystrokes. The handheld device may implement a sensory mechanism that records touches on the handheld device. Based on the touches, the keyboard in the handheld device may shift to or away from the hand touching the handheld device or the hand recording the majority of touches on the handheld device.

Claims

1. A computer system having a processor and a memory for executing a method for dynamically changing a location of a layout in a touch screen in a handheld device, comprising:

keystrokes,

holding the handheld device with at least one of a left hand, a right hand, and two hands;

pressing one or more keys on the layout in the touch screen with the at least one of the left hand, the right hand, and the two hands;

comparing a number of keystrokes over an interval from the left hand or the right hand; and

shifting the layout in the touch screen towards a hand with the majority of keystrokes.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising updating the number of keystrokes.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising shifting the layout in the touch screen towards the hand based on an updated number of keystrokes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the layout is a virtual keyboard located in a display of the handheld device.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising removing one key of each duplicated key from the virtual keyboard.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising at least one of enlarging the one or more keys to accommodate typing by a thumb and changing a position of a key in the virtual keyboard.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein comparing the number of keystrokes comprises detecting a contact between a finger or a thumb with the one or more keys wherein the contact from the left hand is substantially to a left side of a key and the contact from the right hand is substantially to a right side of the key.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein detecting the contact comprises detecting an angular pressure against the key from the finger or the thumb with the one or more keys.

9. A computer system having a processor and a memory for executing a method for dynamically changing a location of a layout in a touch screen in a handheld device based on a sensory touch of the handheld device, comprising:

holding the handheld device with at least one of a left hand, a right hand, and two hands;

detecting one or more sensory touches of the handheld device from the at least one of the left hand, the right hand, and the two hands; and

changing a location of the layout in the touch screen in a display of the handheld device based on the one or more sensory touches wherein the layout is a keyboard.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one of removing one key of each duplicated key from the virtual keyboard, enlarging the one or more keys to accommodate typing by a thumb, and changing a position of a key in the virtual keyboard.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising configuring the handheld device such that the keyboard shifts away from a hand that holds the handheld device and moves to a center position when the two hands hold the handheld device.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

holding the handheld device with the left hand and typing on the keyboard with the right hand;

holding the handheld device with the right hand and typing on the keyboard with the left hand;

or

holding the handheld device with two hands and typing on the keyboard with two thumbs.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising configuring the handheld device such that the keyboard shifts towards a hand that holds the handheld device and moves to a center position when two hands hold the handheld device.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

holding the handheld device with the left hand and typing on the keyboard with a left thumb;

holding the handheld device with the right hand and typing on the keyboard with a right thumb;

or

holding the handheld device with two hands and typing on the keyboard with the left thumb and the right thumb.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein detecting the one or more sensory touches comprises determining a majority of the one or more sensory touches over an interval from the left hand, the right hand, and the two hands.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein changing the location of the keyboard comprises changing the location of the keyboard based on the majority of the one or more sensory touches.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein detecting the one or more sensory touches comprises determining a majority of the one or more sensory touches over an interval from the left hand, the right hand, and the two hands and wherein changing the location of the keyboard comprises changing the location of the keyboard based on the majority of the one or more sensory touches.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein changing the location of the keyboard based on the majority of the one or more sensory touches comprises implementing an algorithm to record keystroke attempts.