Keyboard fills bottom screen on rotation of a multiple screen device

• US 9,454,269 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Sirpal, Sanjiv, Csiki, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US13/247,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 presenting a virtual keyboard are provided. More particularly, in connection with a multiple screen device, a virtual keyboard can be presented in a first mode using portions of both of the screens. In a second mode, the virtual keyboard can be presented using all of one of the screens. Movement between the different modes can be effected by rotating the device between a dual portrait orientation, corresponding to the first mode, and a dual landscape orientation, corresponding to the second mode. More particularly, with the screens of the device in a landscape orientation, one screen can be devoted to present the virtual keyboard while the other screen remains available to present other information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device having first and second displays;

positioning the device in a first device orientation;

operating the device in a first operating mode that corresponds to the first device orientation;

receiving, by the device, a request to display a virtual keyboard;

in response to the request and in the first operating mode, presenting, by the device, the virtual keyboard, wherein a first portion of the virtual keyboard is presented using a first portion of the first display, and wherein a second portion of the virtual keyboard is presented using a first portion of the second display, wherein the first portion of the virtual keyboard has a first grid layout and the second portion of the virtual keyboard also has a second grid layout;

receiving, by the device, input from a user, the input including rotating the device to a second device orientation;

based on the input, changing the device to a second operating mode that corresponds to the second device orientation;

in response to the change to the second operating mode, changing, by the device, the presentation of the virtual keyboard, wherein all of the virtual keyboard is presented using one of the first display and the second display after the rotation of the device, wherein the changing the presentation of the virtual keyboard comprises;

transitioning, by the device, the virtual keyboard with both the first grid layout and second grid layout to a QWERTY layout; and

presenting, by the device, the virtual keyboard with the QWERTY layout.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first device orientation the first and second displays are in a portrait mode, and wherein in the second device orientation the first and second displays are in a landscape mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the portrait mode is a dual portrait mode, and wherein the landscape mode is a dual landscape mode.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein in the first operating mode the method further comprises:

presenting using a second portion of the first display first information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

presenting using a second portion of the second display second information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein in the second operating mode the method further comprises:

presenting using the second display the first information and the second information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in the first operating mode the presentation of the virtual keyboard is modified as compared to the presentation of the virtual keyboard in the second operating mode, and wherein the modification includes aligning keys included in the virtual keyboard to accommodate a gap between a first group of the keys included in the virtual keyboard that are presented by the first display and a second group of keys included in the virtual keyboard that are presented by the second display.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard has at least one dimension that is the same in the first operating mode as in the second operating mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard has first and second dimensions that are the same in the first operating mode as in second operating mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard is a virtual alphanumeric keyboard.

11. A device, comprising:

a first display, the first display including a first touch sensitive display area;

a second display including a second touch sensitive display area;

memory;

a processor;

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

operates the device in a first operating mode that corresponds to a first device orientation;

receives a request to display a virtual keyboard;

in a first operating mode, displays a virtual keyboard using a first portion of the touch sensitive display area of the first display to display a first portion of the virtual keyboard and using a second portion of the touch sensitive display area of the second display to display a second portion of the virtual keyboard, wherein the first portion of the virtual keyboard has a first grid layout and the second portion of the virtual keyboard also has a second grid layout;

detects a rotation of the device from the first device orientation to a second device orientation;

based on the rotation, changes the device to a second operating mode that corresponds to the second device orientation;

in response to the change to the second operating mode, changes the presentation of the virtual keyboard to display the virtual keyboard only in the first touch sensitive display area, and not to display in the second touch sensitive display area , wherein the change to the presentation of the virtual keyboard comprises;

transitioning the virtual keyboard with both the first grid layout and second grid layout to a QWERTY layout; and

presenting the virtual keyboard with the QWERTY layout.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein in the second operating mode all of the first one of the first display and second display is used to display the virtual keyboard.

13. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is operative to provide an indication of an orientation of the first and second displays to the application programming, and wherein the first operating mode is entered while first display is in a portrait orientation and while the second display is in a portrait orientation.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the virtual keyboard is in a first configuration in the first operating mode, and wherein the virtual keyboard is in a second configuration in the second operating mode.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the virtual keyboard presents a QWERTY keyboard to a user, and wherein in the first operating mode a line between the first display and the second display extends between the T and the Y key, the G and the H key, and the V and the B key.

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 determine an orientation of a device having at least a first touch display and a second touch display;

instructions to receive a request to display a virtual keyboard;

in response to the request, instructions to display all of a virtual keyboard using a portion of a first touch display to display a first portion of the virtual keyboard and a portion of a second touch display to display a second portion of the virtual keyboard while the device is determined to be in a first orientation, wherein the first portion of the virtual keyboard has a first grid layout and the second portion of the virtual keyboard also has a second grid layout;

instructions to detect a ninety-degree rotation of the device from the first orientation to a second orientation;

in response to the rotation, instructions to display all of the virtual keyboard using a first one of a first touch display and a second touch display while the device is determined to be in the second orientation, wherein the instructions to display the virtual keyboard comprises;

instructions to transition the virtual keyboard with both the first grid layout and second grid layout to a QWERTY layout; and

instructions to present the virtual keyboard with the QWERTY layout.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first orientation is a portrait mode.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

instructions to display a portion of first information using a second portion of the first touch display and to display a portion of the first information using a second portion of the second touch display while the first and second touch displays are determined to be in the portrait mode.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

instructions to display a first portion of a virtual keyboard using a first portion of a first touch display and to display a second portion of the virtual keyboard using a second portion of a second touch display.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein at least some keys of the virtual keyboard with the first and second touch displays determined to be in the portrait orientation are shifted to accommodate a border between the first and second touch displays as compared to the keys of the virtual keyboard with the first and second touch displays determined to be in the landscape orientation.