Dynamically-positioned character string suggestions for gesture typing

• US 8,887,103 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bi, Xiaojun, Zhai, Shumin, Cleron, Michael Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US13/923,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20140317547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 715/773, 345/168
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A computing device outputs, for display, a virtual keyboard comprising a plurality of virtual keys. Furthermore, the computing device receives an indication of a first movement of an input object along a spatial path. The computing device determines, based on locations of the virtual keys and locations along the spatial path, a plurality of character strings. In response to determining that the first movement has ceased for at least a threshold amount of time, the computing device outputs, for display, the plurality of character strings. While the character strings are displayed, the computing device receives an indication of a second movement of the input object. The computing device selects, in response to the indication of the second movement, and based at least in part on a direction of the second movement of the input object, a particular character string from the plurality of character strings.

Claims

1. A method for text entry based on indications of movements of input objects, the method comprising:

outputting, by a computing device and for display at a display device, a virtual keyboard comprising a plurality of virtual keys;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a first movement of an input object along a spatial path, the first movement detected at a presence-sensitive input device;

determining, by the computing device and based at least in part on a group of one or more correspondences between locations of the plurality of virtual keys and locations along the spatial path, a plurality of character strings;

responsive to determining that the first movement of the input object has ceased and that the input object has remained at a particular location for at least an amount of time that exceeds a threshold, outputting, by the computing device and for display, the plurality of character strings in a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the plurality of character strings is displayed at a location of the display device determined based on a current location of the input object; and

during a time that the plurality of character strings are displayed;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a second movement of the input object, wherein the second movement is a continuation of the first movement, wherein the computing device does not receive an indication of a gesture termination event between a time that the first movement of the input object ceased and a time that the second movement commenced;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second movement of the input object and based at least in part on a direction of the second movement of the input object, determining that a particular character string from the plurality of character strings is a currently selected character string;

outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, the plurality of character strings such that the currently selected character string is visually differentiated from other character strings in the plurality of character strings; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture termination event, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, the GUI such that a text input area of the GUI includes the currently selected character string and such that the plurality of character strings are no longer displayed in the GUI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

outputting the plurality of character strings comprises outputting, by the computing device and for display, the plurality of character strings in a horizontally-oriented array in a suggestion element; and

the second movement of the input object is in a horizontal direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

outputting the plurality of character strings comprises outputting, by the computing device and for display, the plurality of character strings in a vertically-oriented array in a suggestion element; and

the second movement of the input object is in a vertical direction.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein outputting the plurality of character strings comprises outputting, by the computing device, for display, the plurality of character strings such that distances between the character strings and a location that corresponds to a current location of the input object are substantially equal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of character strings is a first plurality of character strings,

the second movement of the input object is along an extension of the spatial path,

determining that the particular character string is the currently selected character string comprises;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second movement of the input object and responsive to determining that a distance traveled by the input object during the second movement of the input object is less than a threshold distance, determining, by the computing device, based at least in part on the direction of the second movement of the input object, that the particular character string is the currently selected character string, and

the method further comprising;

responsive to determining that the distance traveled by the input object is greater than the threshold distance, determining, by the computing device, based at least in part on a correspondence between the locations of the virtual keys and the locations along the spatial path and one or more locations along the extension of the spatial path, a second plurality of character strings that is different than the first plurality of character strings; and

outputting, by the computing device and for display, the second plurality of character strings.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gesture termination event occurs when the presence-sensitive input device is no longer able to detect the input object.

7. A computing device comprising one or more processors configured to:

output, for display at a display device, a virtual keyboard comprising a plurality of virtual keys;

receive an indication of a first movement of an input object along a spatial path;

determine, based at least in part on locations of the plurality of virtual keys and locations along the spatial path, a plurality of character strings;

responsive to determining that the input object has remained at a particular location for at least an amount of time that exceeds a threshold during which time the computing device did not receive an indication of a gesture termination event, output for display at the display device, the plurality of character strings in a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the plurality of character strings is displayed at a location of the display device determined based on a current location of the input object; and

during a time that the plurality of character strings are displayed;

receive an indication of a second movement of the input object, wherein the second movement is a continuation of the first movement, wherein the computing device does not receive the indication of the gesture termination event between a time that the first movement of the input object ceased and a time that the second movement commenced;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second movement of the input object and based at least in part on a direction of the second movement of the input object, determining that a particular character string from the plurality of character strings is a currently selected character string;

output, for display, the plurality of character strings such that the currently selected character string is visually differentiated from other character strings in the plurality of character strings; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture termination event, output, for display, the GUI such that a text input area of the GUI includes the currently selected character string and such that the plurality of character strings are no longer displayed in the GUI.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein:

the one or more processors are configured to output, for display at the display device, the plurality of character strings are in a horizontally-oriented array in a suggestion element; and

the second movement of the input object is in a horizontal direction.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein:

the one or more processors are configured to output, for display at the display device, the plurality of character strings in a vertically-oriented array in a suggestion element; and

the second movement of the input object is in a vertical direction.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein:

the plurality of character strings is a first plurality of character strings,

the second movement of the input object is along an extension of the spatial path, and

the one or more processors are configured to;

responsive to determining that a distance traveled by the input object during the second movement of the input object is less than a threshold distance, select, based at least in part on the direction of the second movement of the input object, the particular character string from the plurality of character strings, and

responsive to determining that the distance traveled by the input object during the second movement of the input object is greater than the threshold distance, determine, based at least in part on a correspondence between the locations of the virtual keys and the locations along the spatial path and one or more locations along the extension of the spatial path, a second plurality of character strings that is different than the first plurality of character strings; and

output, for display, the second plurality of character strings.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

output, for display at a display device, a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a virtual keyboard comprising a plurality of virtual keys;

receive an indication of a movement of an input object along a spatial path;

determine, based at least in part on locations of the plurality of virtual keys and locations along the spatial path, a plurality of character strings;

responsive to determining that the input object has remained at a particular location for at least a threshold amount of time during which time the computing device did not receive an indication of a gesture termination event, output for display at the display device, a suggestion element that includes the plurality of character strings in a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the suggestion element is displayed at a location of the display device based on a current location of the input object; and

during a time that the suggestion element is displayed;

receive an indication that the movement of the input object has resumed, wherein the computing device does not receive the indication of the gesture termination event between a time that the movement of the input object ceased and a time the movement of the input object resumed;

determine, based at least in part on a direction of the movement of the input object after the movement of the input object resumed, that a particular character string from the plurality of character strings is a currently-selected character string;

output, for display at the display device, the suggestion element such that the currently-selected character string is visually differentiated in the suggestion element from other character strings in the suggestion element; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture termination event, output the GUI for display such that a text entry area of the GUI includes the currently-selected character string and such that the plurality of character strings are no longer displayed in the GUI.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of character strings is a first plurality of character strings,

the movement of the input object after the movement of the input object resumed is along an extension of the spatial path, and

execution of the instructions causes the computing device to;

responsive to determining that a distance traveled by the input object after the movement of the input object resumed is less than a threshold distance, select, based at least in part on the direction of the input object after the movement of input object resumed, the particular character string from the plurality of character strings, and

responsive to determining that the distance traveled by the input object after the movement of the input object resumed is greater than the threshold distance;

output the GUI such that the suggestion element is no longer visible;

determine, based at least in part on the locations of the virtual keys and locations along the spatial path and one or more locations along the extension of the spatial path, a second plurality of character strings that is different than the first plurality of character strings; and

output, for display by the display device in a suggestion bar located above the virtual keyboard, the second plurality of character strings.