Device, method, and graphical user interface for manipulating soft keyboards

• US 9,146,673 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Koch, Jonathan, Victor, B. Michael, Cieplinski, Avi E., Missig, Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US13/076,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20120113126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 345172-183, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 715/773
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 method includes, at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface: concurrently displaying a first text entry area and an unsplit keyboard on the display; detecting a gesture on the touch-sensitive surface; and, in response to detecting the gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, replacing the unsplit keyboard with an integrated input area. The integrated input area includes a left portion with a left side of a split keyboard, a right portion with a right side of the split keyboard, and a center portion in between the left portion and the right portion.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touch-sensitive surface;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying a first keyboard on the display, the first keyboard comprising a first plurality of keys;

detecting a key activation gesture at a first time at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of a first key in the first keyboard;

in response to detecting the key activation gesture at the first time, activating the first key;

detecting one or more contacts on the touch-sensitive surface at a second time after the first time, the one or more contacts corresponding to a keyboard selection gesture; and

,

in response to detecting the one or more contacts that correspond to the keyboard selection gesture at the second time after the first time;

replacing the first keyboard with a second keyboard when the second time exceeds a predefined period of time after the first time; and

maintaining display of the first keyboard when the second time is less than the predefined period of time after the first time.

2. The device of claim 1, including instructions for:

in response to detecting the key activation gesture at the first time, disabling a gesture recognizer for the keyboard selection gesture for the predefined period of time.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a portable electronic device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the display is a touch-sensitive display that includes the touch-sensitive surface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard selection gesture is a multifinger gesture at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to the location of the first keyboard on the display.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein replacing the first keyboard with the second keyboard includes displaying an animation that transitions the first keyboard to the second keyboard.

7. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface;

displaying a first keyboard on the display, the first keyboard comprising a first plurality of keys;

detecting a key activation gesture at a first time at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of a first key in the first keyboard;

in response to detecting the key activation gesture at the first time, activating the first key;

detecting one or more contacts on the touch-sensitive surface at a second time after the first time, the one or more contacts corresponding to a keyboard selection gesture; and

,

in response to detecting the one or more contacts that correspond to the keyboard selection gesture at the second time after the first time;

replacing the first keyboard with a second keyboard when the second time exceeds a predefined period of time after the first time; and

maintaining display of the first keyboard when the second time is less than the predefined period of time after the first time.

8. The method of claim 7, including:

in response to detecting the key activation gesture at the first time, disabling a gesture recognizer for the keyboard selection gesture for the predefined period of time.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic device is a portable electronic device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the display is a touch-sensitive display that includes the touch-sensitive surface.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the keyboard selection gesture is a multifinger gesture at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to the location of the first keyboard on the display.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein replacing the first keyboard with the second keyboard includes displaying an animation that transitions the first keyboard to the second keyboard.

13. A graphical user interface on an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, a memory, and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory, the graphical user interface comprising:

a first keyboard, the first keyboard comprising a first plurality of keys;

wherein;

a key activation gesture is detected at a first time at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of a first key in the first keyboard;

in response to detecting the key activation gesture at the first time, the first key is activated;

one or more contacts are detected on the touch-sensitive surface at a second time after the first time, the one or more contacts corresponding to a keyboard selection gesture; and

,

in response to detecting the one or more contacts that correspond to the keyboard selection gesture at the second time after the first time;

the first keyboard is replaced with a second keyboard when the second time exceeds a predefined period of time after the first time; and

display of the first keyboard is maintained when the second time is less than the predefined period of time after the first time.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, cause the device to:

display a first keyboard on the display, the first keyboard comprising a first plurality of keys;

detect a key activation gesture at a first time at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of a first key in the first keyboard;

in response to detecting the key activation gesture at the first time, activate the first key;

detect one or more contacts on the touch-sensitive surface at a second time after the first time, the one or more contacts corresponding to a keyboard selection gesture; and

,

in response to detecting the one or more contacts that correspond to the keyboard selection gesture at the second time after the first time;

replace the first keyboard with a second keyboard when the second time exceeds a predefined period of time after the first time; and

maintain display of the first keyboard when the second time is less than the predefined period of time after the first time.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, including instructions which cause the device to:

in response to detecting the key activation gesture at the first time, disable a gesture recognizer for the keyboard selection gesture for the predefined period of time.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is a portable electronic device.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the display is a touch-sensitive display that includes the touch-sensitive surface.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the keyboard selection gesture is a multifinger gesture at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to the location of the first keyboard on the display.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein replacing the first keyboard with the second keyboard includes displaying an animation that transitions the first keyboard to the second keyboard.