Keyboard dismissed on closure of device

• US 9,235,233 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• 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): Patel, Manglesh M
• Application Number:
  US13/247,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 715/773, 715/761
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 selectively presenting a virtual keyboard are provided. More particularly, a change in the operating mode of a multiple screen device between a multiple screen operating mode and a single screen operating mode can be determined. Moreover, a change in the operating mode can effect a change in a presentation of a virtual keyboard. More particularly, a presentation of a virtual keyboard can be discontinued in response to a change in the operating mode of the device, where an application that had keyboard focus prior to the change is, after the change, no longer in view of the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device having first and second screens, wherein the first and second screens are connected by a hinge, wherein in an open configuration both the first and second screens face a user, and wherein in a closed configuration the first and second screens face in opposite directions and only one of the first or second screens faces the user;

receiving a first input from the user, wherein the first input includes opening the device into the open configuration;

based on the first input, placing the device in a first operating mode;

presenting a virtual keyboard in at least a portion of the first screen and a portion of the second screen;

presenting at least a first portion of a first window; and

presenting at least a first portion of a second window;

wherein a keyboard focus is on one of the first window or the second window, wherein both the first and second screens are in view of a user;

receiving a second input from the user, wherein the second input includes closing the device into a closed configuration, wherein only one of the first and second screens is in view of the user;

based on the second input, placing the device in a second operating mode;

determining whether the second input to place the device in the second operating mode removes the window with keyboard focus from the view of the user;

in response to determining that the second input removes the window with keyboard focus from the view of user;

presenting at least one of the first portion of the first window or the first portion the second window that does not have keyboard focus;

presenting a second portion of the first or second window that does not have keyboard focus;

changing focus to the second window; and

discontinuing a display of the virtual keyboard.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first operating mode the keyboard focus is on the second window, and wherein in the second operating mode the at least a first portion of the first window is presented without a presentation of the virtual keyboard.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first operating mode the keyboard focus is on the second window, and wherein in the second operating mode the at least a second portion of the first window is presented without a presentation of the virtual keyboard.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least a second portion of the first window presented in the second operating mode includes the first portion of the first window.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and second portions of the first window are presented by the first screen.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first screen is a primary screen, and wherein the first screen presents an input window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first operating mode:

a first portion of the virtual keyboard is presented using a first portion of the first screen,

a second portion of the virtual keyboard is presented using a first portion of the second screen, and wherein the first window is presented using a second portion of the first screen.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second window is presented using a second portion of the second screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first operating mode the device is in a dual portrait orientation, and wherein in the second operating mode the device is in a single portrait orientation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first operating mode the device is in a dual landscape orientation, and wherein in the second operating mode the device is in a single landscape orientation.

11. A device, comprising:

a first screen, the first screen including a touch sensitive display area and a gesture capture region;

a second screen including a touch sensitive display area and a gesture capture region;

a hinge connecting the first screen and the second screen, wherein in a first operating mode the device is open and both the first screen and the second screen are in view of the user, and wherein in a second operating mode the device is closed and only one of the first and second screens is in view of the user

a memory;

a processor; and

an application programming stored in the memory and executed by the processor, wherein the application programming causes the processor to;

present a virtual keyboard on at least a portion of the first touch sensitive display area and on at least a portion of the second touch sensitive display area;

present at least a first portion of a first window having a keyboard focus on a second touch sensitive display area;

while presenting the virtual keyboard and the first portion of the first window having the keyboard focus, detect a change from the first operating mode to the second operating mode;

in response to detecting the change in the current operating mode, determining whether the detected change from the first operating mode to the second operating mode has removed the first window having the keyboard focus from the view of the user; and

in response to determining that the change from the first operating mode to the second operating mode has removed the first window having the keyboard focus from the view of the user

presenting at least a first portion of a second window without presenting the virtual keyboard; and

changing focus to the second window.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

a hinge, wherein the hinge interconnects the first and second screens, wherein in the first operating mode the device is in an open state, and wherein in the second operating mode the device is in a closed state.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising:

a position sensor, wherein the position sensor is operable to provide a signal indicating whether the device is in the open state or the closed state.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein in the first operating mode the virtual keyboard is presented by a first portion of the first screen and a first portion of the second screen, and wherein the at least a first portion of the window is presented by at least one of a second portion of the first screen and a second portion of the second screen.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein in the first operating mode the at least a first portion of the first window is presented by the second portion of the first screen and the at least a first portion of the second window is presented by the second portion of the first screen, and wherein in the second operating mode a second portion of the first window, the second portion including the first portion of the first window, is presented by the first screen, and no virtual keyboard is presented.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing a virtual keyboard, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a first input from a user, wherein the first input includes opening a device into an open configuration, wherein the device includes at least a first touch sensitive screen and a second touch sensitive screen, wherein the first and second screens are connected by a hinge, wherein in an open configuration both the first and second screens face a user;

in response to receiving the first input, instructions to determine an operating mode of the device;

instructions to, in a first operating mode in the open configuration, display a virtual keyboard, at least a portion of a first window having a keyboard focus, and at least a portion of a second window;

instructions to receive a second input from the user, wherein the second input includes closing the device into a closed configuration, wherein in the closed configuration the first and second screens face in opposite directions and only one of the first or second screens faces the user; and

in response to receiving the second input from the user;

instructions to detect a change from the first operating mode to a second operating mode in the closed configuration, and in response to the detected change in operating mode;

instructions to determine whether the change from the first operating mode to the second operating mode has removed the at least a first portion of the first window from a view of the user; and

in response to determining that the at least a first portion of the first window has been removed from the view of the user;

instructions to present the first portion of the second window;

instructions to present a second portion of the second window;

instructions to change focus to the second window; and

instructions to present the first portion and the second portion of the second window without a presentation of the virtual keyboard.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein in the first operating mode both of the first and second touch sensitive screens are operative, and wherein in the second operating mode only one of the first and second touch sensitive screens is operative.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the change from the first operating mode to the second operating mode includes the user closing the device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the change from the first operating mode to the second operating mode is detected in response to a signal from a position sensor received by the processor.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein in the first operating mode the virtual keyboard is presented using a first portion of the first touch sensitive screen and a first portion of the second touch sensitive screen, wherein the first portion of the first window is presented by a second portion of a first one of the first and second touch sensitive screens, and wherein at least a first portion of a second window is presented by a second portion of the second touch sensitive screen.