Method and apparatus for shifting software input panel and recording medium thereof

• US 9,652,147 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yu-Chuan, Weng, Hung-I
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Li
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wan, Jasmine
• Application Number:
  US14/022,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 717100, 715773
• 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 and an apparatus for altering a key function of a software input panel (SIP) of an electronic device and a recording medium thereof are provided, wherein the SIP includes a plurality of keys, and the number and layout of the keys are fixed. In the present method, first, an operating interface of an electronic device is switched, wherein the operating interface includes the SIP. Then, each key of the SIP is switched to an input word corresponding to the operating interface. As a result, the input word corresponding to each key of the SIP is automatically altered according to the current operating interface, and accordingly inputting through the SIP is made very convenient.

Claims

1. A method of shifting a software input panel (SIP) of an electronic device comprising:

displaying a first operating interface of an instant message application comprising the SIP and an input field, wherein the SIP comprises a plurality of keys, with a fixed number of keys and a fixed layout, wherein the first operating interface includes only an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the input field is at the upper portion of the first operating interface, and the SIP is at the lower portion of the first operating interface, wherein the SIP has an arrangement of keys, and each key having a corresponding key value, for entering one or more input words into the input field according to the first operating interface;

in response to an incoming message received by the electronic device, switching from the first operating interface to a second operating interface of the instant message application comprising a shifted SIP, the input field, and a display field displaying the incoming message, wherein the shifted SIP only shows a partial portion of the SIP without altering the arrangement of the keys, wherein the second operating interface comprises an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, wherein the display field is at the upper portion of the second operating interface, the input field is at the middle portion of the second operating interface, and the shifted SIP is at the lower portion of the second operating interface, and wherein a location of the shifted SIP is based on the location of the input field of the second operation interface such that the input field is not blocked by the shifted SIP; and

sliding the shifted SIP of the second operating interface to display a larger portion of the SIP without altering the arrangement of the keys in response to a drag operation detected on the partial portion of the SIP, wherein the larger portion is greater than the partial portion;

displaying a third operating interface of another application comprising the SIP and the input field in response to an operating interface switching command; and

altering one or more keys of the SIP in response to the operating interface switching command without altering the arrangement of the keys, wherein each of the altered one or more keys of the SIP has an altered input key value for entering one or more input words into the input field according to the third operating interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the partial portion comprises at least one upper row, at least one lower row, at least one left column, or at least one right column of the SIP.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of switching from the first operating interface to the second operating interface comprises at least one of the following steps:

switching an executed application program;

switching the input field of an executed application program;

switching a function of an executed application program; and

switching an executed operation mode.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises using a touch screen for receiving a key selecting instruction so as to select one of the keys.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the keys comprise a space key and the input words corresponding to the space key comprise at least a blank character and a domain name string, after the step of altering one of the keys for inputting one or more of the corresponding input words according to the second operating interface, the method further comprises:

receiving the key selecting instruction; and

inputting the input word corresponding to the selected key at a cursor position of the electronic device, wherein the domain name string is inputted at the cursor position of the electronic device if the selected key is the space key.

6. An apparatus for shifting a software input panel (SIP), comprising:

a touch screen; and

a processor, configured for;

displaying a first operating interface of an instant message application comprising the SIP and an input field, wherein the SIP comprises a plurality of keys, with a fixed number of keys and a fixed layout, wherein the first operating interface includes only an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the input field is at the upper portion of the first operating interface, and the SIP is at the lower portion of the first operating interface, wherein the SIP has an arrangement of keys, and each key having a corresponding key value, for entering one or more input words into the input field according to the first operating interface;

in response to an incoming message received by the electronic device, switching from the first operating interface to a second operating interface of the instant message application comprising a shifted SIP, the input field, and a display field displaying the incoming message, wherein the shifted SIP only shows a partial portion of the SIP without altering the arrangement of the keys, wherein the second operating interface comprises an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, wherein the display field is at the upper portion of the second operating interface, the input field is at the middle portion of the second operating interface, and the shifted SIP is at the lower portion of the second operating interface, and wherein a location of the shifted SIP is based on the location of the input field of the second operation interface such that the input field is not blocked by the shifted SIP; and

sliding the shifted SIP of the second operating interface to display a larger portion of the SIP without altering the arrangement of the keys in response to a drag operation detected on the partial portion of the SIP, wherein the larger portion is greater than the partial portion;

displaying a third operating interface of another application comprising the SIP and the input field in response to an operating interface switching command; and

altering one or more keys of the SIP in response to the operating interface switching command without altering the arrangement of the keys, wherein each of the altered one or more keys of the SIP has an altered input key value for entering one or more input words into the input field according to the third operating interface.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the partial portion comprises at least one upper row, at least one lower row, at least one left column, or at least one right column of the SIP.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured for switching an executed application program, switching the input field of an executed application program, switching a function of an executed application program, and switching an executed operation mode.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured for:

receiving a key selecting instruction from the touch screen so as to select one of the keys, wherein the keys comprise a space key and the input words corresponding to the space key comprise at least a blank character and a domain name string; and

inputting the input word corresponding to the selected key at a cursor position on the touch screen after receiving the key selecting instructing from the touch screen, wherein the domain name string is inputted at the cursor position of the electronic device if the selected key is the space key.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured for:

displaying the SIP on the touch screen and displaying at least one input word corresponding to each of the keys in a key display area corresponding to the key, wherein a surface area and a shape of the key display area are kept unchanged when the SIP rendering module displays at least one input word corresponding to each of the keys.

11. A non-transitory recording medium, for recording a computer program, wherein the computer program comprises a plurality of program codes and is loaded into an electronic device to allow the electronic device to execute a method for shifting a SIP, wherein the method comprises:

displaying a first operating interface of an instant message application comprising the SIP and an input field, wherein the SIP comprises a plurality of keys, with a fixed number of keys and a fixed layout, wherein the first operating interface includes only an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the input field is at the upper portion of the first operating interface, and the SIP is at the lower portion of the first operating interface, wherein the SIP has an arrangement of keys, and each key having a corresponding key value, for entering one or more input words into the input field according to the first operating interface;

in response to an incoming message received by the electronic device, switching from the first operating interface to a second operating interface of the instant message application comprising a shifted SIP, the input field, and a display field displaying the incoming message, wherein the shifted SIP only shows a partial portion of the SIP without altering the arrangement of the keys, wherein the second operating interface comprises an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, wherein the display field is at the upper portion of the second operating interface, the input field is at the middle portion of the second operating interface, and the shifted SIP is at the lower portion of the second operating interface, and wherein a location of the shifted SIP is based on the location of the input field of the second operation interface such that the input field is not blocked by the shifted SIP; and

sliding the shifted SIP of the second operating interface to display a larger portion of the SIP without altering the arrangement of the keys in response to a drag operation detected on the partial portion of the SIP, wherein the larger portion is greater than the partial portion;

displaying a third operating interface of another application comprising the SIP and the input field in response to an operating interface switching command; and

altering one or more keys of the SIP in response to the operating interface switching command without altering the arrangement of the keys, wherein each of the altered one or more keys of the SIP has an altered input key value for entering one or more input words into the input field according to the third operating interface.