Display apparatus and method for inputting characters thereof

• US 9,285,953 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Yong-deok, Kim, Byuk-sun, Choi, Sang-on, Kim, Min-jin, Kim, Sung-gook
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US13/753,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 715/825
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: H04N 21/42228 the reprogrammable keys being displayed on a display screen in order to reduce the number of keys on the remote control device itself

Abstract

A display apparatus and a method for inputting characters thereof are provided. The display apparatus includes: a display unit which displays a character input UI including a plurality of character items, each character item comprising a border and a character located in the border, an input unit which receives a user command to select one of the plurality of character items, and, a controller which, if a first character item is selected from among the plurality of character items through the input unit, controls the display unit to display at least one recommended character item associated with the first character to partially overlap with character items adjacent to the first character item. Accordingly, a user can input characters more easily using the character input UI.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display which displays an input user interface (UI) comprising a plurality of character items;

an inputter configured to receive a command to select one of the plurality of character items; and

a controller configured to determine at least one recommended character item associated with a first character item, if the first character item is selected from among the plurality of character items,

wherein the at least one recommended character item is displayed to partially overlap with the first character item and character items adjacent to the first character item, and

wherein, upon a condition that a recommended character determined for the first character item is a same character as a character included in a character item located within a predetermined distance from the first character item, the controller changes the recommended character.

2. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if a first recommended character item is selected from among the at least one recommended character item through the inputter, the controller controls the display to display at least one new recommended character item associated with a combination of a character included in the first character item and a character included in the first recommended character item, around the first character item.

3. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after the at least one recommended character item is selected, if a second character item other than the first character item and the at least one recommended character item is selected, the controller controls the display to display at least one recommended character item associated with a combination of a character included in the first character item and a character included in the second character item, around the second character item.

4. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storage which stores a dictionary database and a user database in which information related to words that a user has used is recorded,

wherein the controller searches for at least one character that is likely to follow a character included in the first character item, as at least one recommended character associated with a character included in the first character item, using the dictionary database and the user database, and displays the searched at least one character.

5. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if the first character item is selected through the inputter, the controller controls the display to display a refresh item in the input UI,

wherein, if the refresh item is selected through the inputter, the controller changes a character included in the at least one recommended character item associated with the character included in the first character item to at least one likely next character from among characters that follow the character included in the first character item.

6. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the controller controls the display to display the refresh item at a region at which the at least one recommended character item is displayed.

7. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if a combination of characters input through the inputter is one of words that are stored in at least one from among the dictionary database and the user database, and is capable of forming a new word using other characters, the controller controls the display to additionally display at least one function item in addition to the at least one recommended character item.

8. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if a combination of characters input through the inputter is one of words that are stored in at least one from among the dictionary database and the user database and is not capable of forming a new word using other characters, the controller controls the display to display at least one function item.

9. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if a combination of characters input through the inputter is not a word that is stored in at least one from among the dictionary database and the user database, the controller controls the display to display at least one function item at a region at which the at least one recommended character item is to be displayed.

10. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one function item comprises at least one from among a space item to perform a space bar function, an enter key item to perform an enter key function, a delete item to delete a previously input character, and a special character item to input a special character.

11. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein, if a command to input a word that is not stored in the dictionary database is received using the displayed at least one function item, the controller records the word corresponding to the input command in the user database.

12. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if a password is input using the input UI, the controller does not display the at least one recommended character item.

13. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one recommended character item associated with the first character item is placed on a corner of the first character item to overlap with character items adjacent to the first character item.

14. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller displays the plurality of character items included in the input UI and the at least one recommended character item in different ways.

15. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein, upon a condition that a recommended character determined for the first character item is a same character as a character included in a character item which is located within a predetermined distance from the first character item, the controller displays the character item located within the predetermined distance and the at least one recommended character item in a different way from that of other character items included in the input UI.

16. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inputter is at least one from among a pointing device, a motion sensor, a mouse, a remote controller, and a touch panel.

17. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each character item comprises a border and a character located in the border.

18. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one recommended character item partially overlaps with the character item adjacent to the first character item.

19. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the character item adjacent to the first character item is selectable by a user.

20. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller first searches the user database prior to searching the dictionary database for the at least one character that is likely to follow the character included in the first character item.

21. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the controller displays the at least one recommended character item by at least one from flickering the at least one recommended character item and highlighting the at least one recommended character item.

22. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a character associated with the selected first recommended character item is displayed in a location of a character associated with the first character item.

23. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the controller controls the display to display only the at least one function item instead of the at least one recommended character item.

24. The display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a keyboard comprises all the plurality of character items and all of the plurality of character items are visible when the at least one recommended character item is displayed.

25. A method for inputting characters, the method comprising:

displaying an input user interface (UI) comprising a plurality of character items; and

if a first character item is selected from among the plurality of character items, determining at least one recommended character item associated with the first character item and displaying the at least one recommended character item,

wherein the at least one recommended character item is displayed to partially overlap with the first character item and character items adjacent to the first character item, and

the method further comprising;

upon a condition that a recommended character determined for the first character item is a same character as a character included in a character item which is located within a predetermined distance from the first character item, changing the recommended character and displaying the changed recommended character.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

if a first recommended character item is selected from among the at least one recommended character item, displaying at least one new recommended character item associated with a combination of a character included in the first character item and a character included in the first recommended character item, around the first character item.

27. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:

after the at least one recommended character item is displayed, if a second character item other than the first character item and the at least one recommended character item is selected, displaying at least one recommended character item associated with a combination of a character included in the first character item and a character included in the second character item, around the second character item.

28. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising searching for at least one character that is likely to follow a character included in the first character item, as at least one recommended character associated with a character included in the first character item, using at least one from among a dictionary database and a user database in which information on words that a user has used is recorded, and displaying the searched at least one character.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising:

if the first character item is selected, displaying a refresh item in the input UI; and

if the refresh item is selected, changing a character included in the at least one recommended character item associated with the character included in the first character item to at least one likely next character from among characters that follow the character included in the first character item.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the displaying the refresh item comprises displaying the refresh item on a region on which the at least one recommended character item is displayed.

31. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising, if a combination of characters input by a user is one of words that are stored in at least one from among the dictionary database and the user database and is capable of forming a new word using other characters, additionally displaying at least one function item in addition to the at least one recommended character item.

32. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising, if a combination of characters input by a user is one of words that are stored in at least one from among the dictionary database and the user database and is not capable of forming a new word using other characters, displaying at least one function item.

33. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising, if a combination of characters input by a user is not a word that is stored in at least one from among the dictionary database and the user database, displaying at least one function item on a region on which the at least one recommended character item is to be displayed.

34. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the at least one function item comprises at least one from among a space item to perform a space bar function, an enter key item to perform an enter key function, a delete item to delete a previously input character, and a special character item to input a special character.

35. The method as claimed in claim 33, further comprising, if a command to input a word that is not stored in the dictionary database is received using the displayed at least one function item, recording the word corresponding to the input command in the user database.

36. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising, if a password is input using the input UI, not displaying the at least one recommended character item.

37. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising displaying the at least one recommended character item associated with the first character item on a corner of the first character item to overlap with character items adjacent to the first character item.

38. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising displaying the plurality of character items included in the input UI and the at least one recommended character item in different ways.

39. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising, upon a condition that the recommended character determined for the first character item is the same character as the character included in the character item which is located within a predetermined distance from the first character item, displaying the character item located within the predetermined distance and the at least one recommended character item in a different way from that of other character items included in the input UI.

40. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein a display apparatus performs the displaying operations and the display apparatus receives a user command using at least one from among a pointing device, a motion sensor, a mouse, a remote controller, and a touch panel.

41. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein each character item comprises a border and a character located in the border.

42. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one recommended character item partially overlaps with the character item adjacent to the first character item.

43. The method as claimed in claim 42, wherein the character item adjacent to the first character item is selectable by a user.

44. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the user database is searched before the dictionary database for the at least one character that is likely to follow the character included in the first character item.

45. The method as claimed in claim 38, wherein the displaying the at least one recommended character item comprises at least one from among flickering the at least one recommended character item and highlighting the at least one recommended character item.

46. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein a character associated with the selected first recommended character item is displayed in a location of a character associated with the first character item.

47. The method as claimed in claim 32, wherein only the at least one function item is displayed instead of the at least one recommended character item.

48. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein a keyboard comprises all the plurality of character items and all of the plurality of character items are visible when the at least one recommended character item is displayed.

49. A non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a program for executing a method for inputting characters, the method comprising:

displaying an input user interface (UI) comprising a plurality of character items; and

if a first character item is selected from among the plurality of character items, determining at least one recommended character item associated with the first character item and displaying the at least one recommended character item,

wherein the at least one recommended character item is displayed to overlap with a character item adjacent to the first character item, and

the method further comprising;

upon a condition that a recommended character determined for the first character item is a same character as a character included in a character item which is located within a predetermined distance from the first character item, changing the recommended character and displaying the changed recommended character.

50. The non-transitory computer readable medium as claimed in claim 49, wherein a keyboard comprises all the plurality of character items and all of the plurality of character items are visible when the at least one recommended character item is displayed.