Touch-screen keyboard facilitating touch typing with minimal finger movement

• US 8,754,864 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Paul, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Amadiz, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US13/245,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20130027434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-175, 178 1801- 1811
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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

A system, method and computer-readable medium for using a touch-screen keyboard. A keyboard operation module generates geometric shapes for display on a touch-screen display, each geometric shape corresponding to a respective finger of a user. Each geometric shape includes characters at predefined locations around the perimeter of the geometric shape. The keyboard operation module detects a sliding movement of a finger in contact with the touch-screen display from inside a geometric shape and toward the perimeter of the geometric shape. The keyboard operation module then determines that the sliding movement is in the direction of a particular character positioned around the perimeter of the geometric shape and selects the particular character for display in a text entry area of the touch-screen display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

outputting a plurality of geometric shapes for display on a touch-screen display, each geometric shape corresponding to a respective finger of a user, wherein respective positions and a number of the plurality of geometric shapes correspond to positions and a number of user fingers in contact with the touch-screen display;

positioning, on the touch-screen display, a plurality of characters at predefined locations outside of and around a perimeter of at least one of the geometric shapes, the plurality of characters associated with the at least one of the geometric shapes, wherein;

each of the plurality of characters is associated with the at least one of the geometric shapes based on at least one of the plurality of characters being displayed in a text area responsive to an indication of a sliding input originating at the at least one of the geometric shapes and in a direction of the at least one of the plurality of characters;

the plurality of characters around the perimeter of each geometric shape are each associated with a particular user finger currently in contact with the touch-screen display,

the plurality of characters are positioned without overlapping any geometric shape such that none of the plurality of characters are included inside any geometric shape, and in a layout of a conventional two-handed keyboard associated with a typing pattern of the particular user finger;

receiving an indication of a sliding movement of a user finger in contact with the touch-screen display from inside a particular one of the geometric shapes to outside the particular geometric shape;

determining that the sliding movement is substantially in a direction of a particular one of the plurality of characters positioned around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape, the particular one of the plurality of characters positioned outside the perimeter of the one of the plurality of geometric shapes; and

selecting the particular character for display in a text entry area of the touch-screen display, wherein the particular character is selected based on the sliding movement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each geometric shape corresponding to a respective finger of the user adjusts to a size of the respective finger of the user, wherein the size of the respective finger is determined based on a size of an area on the touch-screen display that receives pressure from the finger.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each geometric shape is a circle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring each geometric shape in the plurality of geometric shapes to a particular shape for display on the touch-screen display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the conventional keyboard is a QWERTY keyboard.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the sliding movement, determining a new location for each geometric shape on the touch-screen display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising centering each geometric shape around one or more user fingers when the one or more user fingers are placed on the touch-screen display.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

positioning a phrase at a predefined location around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape;

determining that the sliding movement is substantially in the direction of the phrase positioned around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape; and

selecting the phrase for display in the text entry area of the touch-screen display, wherein the phrase is selected based on the sliding movement.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of geometric shapes output correspond to a number of user fingers in contact with the touch-screen display and one or more additional geometric shapes.

10. A system comprising:

a touch-screen display configured to output, for display, one or more characters in a text entry area; and

a keyboard operation module configured to;

output a plurality of geometric shapes for display on the touch-screen display, wherein each geometric shape corresponds to a respective finger of a user, wherein respective positions and a number of the plurality of geometric shapes correspond to positions and a number of user fingers in contact with the touch-screen display;

position, on the touch-screen display, a plurality of characters at predefined locations outside of and around a perimeter of at least one of the geometric shapes, the plurality of characters associated with the at least one of the geometric shapes, wherein;

each of the plurality of characters is associated with the at least one of the geometric shapes based on at least one of the plurality of characters being displayed in a text area responsive to an indication of a sliding input originating at the at least one of the geometric shapes and in a direction of the at least one of the plurality of characters;

the plurality of characters around the perimeter of each geometric shape are each associated with a particular user finger currently in contact with the touch-screen display,

the plurality of characters are positioned without overlapping any geometric shape such that none of the plurality of characters are included inside any geometric shape, and in a layout of a conventional two-handed keyboard associated with a typing pattern of the particular user finger;

receive an indication of a sliding movement of a user finger in contact with the touch-screen display from inside a particular one of the geometric shapes to outside the particular geometric shape, the particular one of the plurality of characters positioned outside the perimeter of the one of the plurality of geometric shapes;

determine that the sliding movement is substantially in the direction of a particular one of the plurality of characters positioned around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape; and

select the particular character for display in the text entry area of the touch screen display, wherein the particular character is selected based on the sliding movement.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the keyboard operation module is further configured to adjust each geometric shape corresponding to a respective finger of the user to a size of the respective finger of the user, wherein the size of the respective finger is determined based on a size of an area on the touch-screen display that receives pressure from the finger.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the geometric shape is a circle.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the keyboard operation module is further configured to output a particular shape for each geometric shape in the plurality of geometric shapes for display on the touch-screen display.

14. The system of claim 10, the conventional keyboard is a QWERTY keyboard.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the keyboard operation module is further configured to:

responsive to the sliding movement, determine a new location for each geometric shape on the touch-screen display.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the keyboard operation module is further configured to:

position a phrase at a predefined location around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape;

determine that the sliding movement is substantially in the direction of the phrase positioned around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape; and

select the phrase for display in the text entry area of the touch-screen display, wherein the phrase is selected based on the sliding movement.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions cause a computing device to perform operations, comprising:

outputting a plurality of geometric shapes for display on a touch-screen display, each geometric shape corresponding to a respective finger of a user, wherein respective positions and a number of the plurality of geometric shapes correspond to positions and a number of user fingers in contact with the touch-screen display;

positioning, on the touch-screen display, a plurality of characters at predefined locations outside of and around a perimeter of at least one of the geometric shapes, the plurality of characters associated with the at least one of the geometric shapes, wherein;

each of the plurality of characters is associated with the at least one of the geometric shapes based on at least one of the plurality of characters being displayed in a text area responsive to an indication of a sliding input originating at the at least one of the geometric shapes and in a direction of the at least one of the plurality of characters;

the plurality of characters around the perimeter of each geometric shape are each associated with a particular user finger currently in contact with the touch-screen display,

the plurality of characters are positioned without overlapping any geometric shape such that none of the plurality of characters are included inside any geometric shape, and in a layout of a conventional two-handed keyboard associated with a typing pattern of the particular user finger;

receiving an indication of a sliding movement of a user finger in contact with the touch-screen display from inside a particular one of the geometric shapes to outside the particular geometric shape;

determining that the sliding movement is substantially in the direction of a particular one of the plurality of characters positioned around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape, the particular one of the plurality of characters positioned outside the perimeter of the one of the plurality of geometric shapes; and

selecting the particular character for display in a text entry area of the touch-screen display, wherein the particular character is selected based on the sliding movement.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the conventional keyboard is a QWERTY keyboard.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions that cause the outputting of the plurality of geometric shapes, also cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

responsive to the indication, determining a new location for each geometric shape on the touch-screen display.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions that cause the outputting of the plurality of geometric shapes, also cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

positioning a phrase at a predefined location around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape;

determining that the sliding movement is substantially in the direction of the phrase positioned around the perimeter of the particular geometric shape; and

selecting the phrase for display in the text entry area of the touch-screen display, wherein the particular character is selected based on the sliding movement.