Off-screen gesture dismissable keyboard

• US 8,648,825 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Sirpal, Sanjiv, Gimpl, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US13/247,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120081316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 345 11- 13, 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173, 715/761, 715/773, 715/778, 715/864
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 3/0483 : Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 : for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 : Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 : for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 : Drag-and-drop
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 : controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 : display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 : Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 : Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 : Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 : Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 : Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

Methods and devices for discontinuing the presentation of a virtual keyboard or dismissing a virtual keyboard in response to the receipt of input are provided. More particularly, input entered outside of an area of a screen comprising a touch screen display can cause the presentation of a virtual keyboard to be discontinued. The discontinuance of the virtual keyboard display can be performed simultaneously with an operation indicated by the received input.

Claims

1. A method for dismissing virtual key sets in response to an input, comprising:

presenting by a touch screen display located within a first area of a screen of a device a set of virtual keys of a virtual keyboard;

receiving a first input entered from a user in a gesture capture region, wherein the gesture capture region is located within a second area of the screen of the device and is outside of the area of the touch screen display;

in response to the received first input, discontinuing the presentation of the set of virtual keys of the virtual keyboard by the touch screen display of the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the set of virtual keys is presented by a first touch screen included as part of the first area of a first screen of the device, wherein a second portion of the set of virtual keys is presented by a second touch screen included as part of the first area of a second screen of the device, and wherein the gesture capture region is included as part of the second area of the first screen of the device and part of the second area of the second screen of the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the set of virtual keys is presented by a first touch screen included as part of the first area of a first screen of the device, wherein a second portion of the set of virtual keys is presented by a second touch screen included as part of the first area of a second screen of the device, wherein the first input is partially received within a first gesture capture region included as part of the second area of the first screen of the device, and wherein the first input is partially received within a second gesture capture region included as part of the second area of the second screen of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting at least a first portion of first information, wherein at least a first portion of the first information is presented simultaneously with the presentation of the set of virtual keys.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

after discontinuing the presentation of the set of virtual keys by the touch screen display of the device, presenting at least a second portion of the first information in addition to the first portion of the first information.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein at least a part of the first portion of first information is presented by a first touch screen included as part of the first area of a first screen of the device, wherein at least another part of the first portion of first information is presented by a second touch screen included as part of the first area of a second screen of the device, wherein a first portion of the set of virtual keys is presented by the first area of the first touch screen, wherein a second portion of the set of virtual keys is presented by of the first area of the second touch screen, wherein the first input is received within at least one of a first gesture capture region included as part of the second area of the first screen of the device but outside of an area of the first touch screen and a second gesture capture region included as part of the second area of the second screen of the device but outside of an area of the second touch screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the received first input is a window management input.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the received first input includes one of a drag gesture, a flick gesture, a tap, a long press, a pin and drag, and a pinch gesture.

9. A device, comprising:

a screen, including;

a touch screen display, wherein the touch screen display is located within a first area of the screen; and

a gesture capture region, wherein the gesture capture region is located within a second area of the screen and is outside of the first area of the touch screen display;

memory;

a microprocessor;

application programming stored in the memory and executed by the processor, wherein the application programming is operable to;

display a set of virtual keys of a virtual keyboard using the touch screen display;

receive an input from a user entered in the gesture capture region;

in response to the input received from the user entered in the gesture capture region, discontinue displaying the set of virtual keys of the virtual keyboard.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the gesture capture region is not operative to display output to the user.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the first and second areas of the screen do not overlap.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the screen includes first and second screens, wherein the first screen includes:

a first touch screen display, wherein the first touch screen display is located within the first area of the first screen;

a first gesture capture region, wherein the first gesture capture region is located within the second area of the first screen,

wherein the second screen includes;

a second touch screen display, wherein the second touch screen display is located within the first area of the second screen;

a second gesture capture region, wherein the second gesture capture region is located within the second area of the second screen.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the set of virtual keys is displayed using a first portion of the first touch screen display and a first portion of the second touch screen display.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein first information is displayed using a second portion of the first touch screen display and a second portion of the second touch screen display.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a microprocessor to execute a method for dismissing virtual key sets, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions to display a first set of virtual keys of a virtual keyboard on a touch screen display located within a first area of a screen of a device;

instructions to determine whether a user input has been received within a gesture capture region located within a second area of the screen of the device and outside of the area of the touch screen display;

instructions to discontinue the display of the first set of virtual keys of a virtual keyboard on the touch screen in response to a determination that user input has been received within the gesture capture region.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the touch screen display includes a first touch screen display included as part of the first area of a first screen and a second touch screen display included as part of the first area of a second screen, and wherein the gesture capture region includes a first gesture capture region included as part of the second area of the first screen and a second gesture capture region included as part of the second area of the second screen.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the display of the first set of virtual keys is discontinued in response to user input is received within one of the first gesture capture region and the second gesture capture region.