Touch screen keyboard design for mobile devices

• US 9,658,769 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Xu, Xiaorui
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/997,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,344 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

Methods, apparatuses, and articles of manufacture for a virtual touch screen keyboard. The method includes waiting for a movement of a mobile device. Upon movement of the device, the keyboard receives a measurement representing a position of the device from a sensor of the device. The keyboard determines whether an absolute value of the received measurement is greater than a pre-defined value. If the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value, and the received measurement is negative, the keyboard displays a first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard. If the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value, and the received measurement is positive, the keyboard displays a second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard. The first portion and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard provide keys that are at least double in size to the keys provided on a conventional touch screen keyboard.

Claims

1. A method for a virtual touch screen keyboard, comprising:

determining, by a mobile device, a first portion of a virtual touch screen keyboard comprising a first plurality of letters and a second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard comprising a second plurality of letters, wherein each letter of the second plurality of letters is not in the first plurality of letters;

waiting for a movement of a mobile device;

upon the movement of the mobile device, receiving, from a sensor of the mobile device, a measurement representing a current position of the mobile device;

determining whether an absolute value of the received measurement is greater than a pre-defined value;

determining whether a value of the received measurement is positive;

if the value of the received measurement is not positive, displaying, in response to a determination that the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value and in response to a determination that the value of the received measurement is not positive, the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard to allow a user to input characters from the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and not the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard, wherein the area of each letter of the first plurality of letters is larger than the area of a letter for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard; and

if the value of the received measurement is positive, displaying, in response to a determination that the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value and in response to a determination that the value of the received measurement is positive, the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard to allow a user to input characters from the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and not the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard, wherein the area of each letter of the second plurality of letters is larger than the area of a letter for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard,

wherein the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard are determined prior to receipt of the measurement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the absolute value of the received measurement is not greater than the pre-defined value, continuing to wait for a movement of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to waiting for a movement of a mobile device, displaying a keyboard layout upon a user selection of an application requiring input from a keyboard.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the keyboard layout displayed is the same as a last displayed keyboard layout.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the keyboard layout displayed is the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the keyboard layout displayed is the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer, and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises an acceleration measurement.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the acceleration measurement comprises X, Y, and Z acceleration components, wherein only the X acceleration component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a tilt sensor, and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises a tilt angle measurement.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the tilt sensor measurement comprises XRotation, YRotation, and ZRotation components, wherein only the YRotation component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard each comprise one half of the virtual touch screen keyboard, and wherein the area of a displayed key for the first portion or the second portion is double the area of a key for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a rotation sensor, and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises a rotation angle measurement.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the rotation sensor measurement comprises XRotation, YRotation, and ZRotation components, wherein only the YRotation component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

14. An article of manufacture comprising:

a tangible, non-transitory processor-readable storage medium; and

a plurality of programming instructions, configured to cause a processor, in response to execution of the programming instructions by the processor, to perform operations including

determining a first portion of a virtual touch screen keyboard comprising a first plurality of letters and a second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard comprising a second plurality of letters, wherein each letter of the second plurality of letters is not in the first plurality of letters;

waiting for a movement of a mobile device;

upon the movement of the mobile device, receiving, from a sensor of the mobile device, a measurement representing a current position of the mobile device;

determining whether an absolute value of the received measurement is greater than a pre-defined value;

determining whether a value of the received measurement is positive;

if the value of the received measurement is not positive, displaying, in response to a determination that the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value and in response to a determination that the value of the received measurement is not positive, the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard to allow a user to input characters from the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and not the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard, wherein the area of each letter of the first plurality of letters is larger than the area of a letter for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard; and

if the value of the received measurement is positive, displaying, in response to a determination that the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value and in response to a determination that the value of the received measurement is positive, the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard to allow a user to input characters from the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and not the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard, wherein the area of each letter of the second plurality of letters is larger than the area of a letter for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard,

wherein the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard are determined prior to receipt of the measurement.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein if the absolute value of the received measurement is not greater than the pre-defined value, further causing the processor to perform operations including continuing to wait for a movement of the mobile device.

16. The article of claim 14, wherein prior to waiting for a movement of a mobile device, further causing the processor to perform operations including displaying a keyboard layout upon a user selection of an application requiring input from a keyboard.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the keyboard layout displayed is the same as a last displayed keyboard layout.

18. The article of claim 16, wherein the keyboard layout displayed is the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard.

19. The article of claim 16, wherein the keyboard layout displayed is the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard.

20. The article of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer, and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises an acceleration measurement.

21. The article of claim 20, wherein the acceleration measurement comprises X, Y, and Z acceleration components, wherein only the X acceleration component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

22. The article of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises a tilt sensor, and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises a tilt angle measurement.

23. The article of claim 22, wherein the tilt sensor measurement comprises XRotation, YRotation, and ZRotation components, wherein only the YRotation component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

24. The article of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises a rotation sensor, and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises a rotation angle measurement.

25. The article of claim 24, wherein the rotation sensor measurement comprises XRotation, YRotation, and ZRotation components, wherein only the YRotation component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

26. The article of claim 14, wherein the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard each comprise one half of the virtual touch screen keyboard, and wherein the area of a displayed key for the first portion or the second portion is double the area of a key for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile device having a sensor, wherein when the mobile device moves, the sensor to provide a virtual touch screen keyboard with a measurement representing the position of the mobile device, wherein the virtual touch screen keyboard to determine whether an absolute value of the received measurement is greater than a pre-defined value and to determine whether a value of the received measurement is positive;

if the value of the received measurement is not positive, the virtual touch screen to display, in response to a determination that the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value and in response to a determination that the value of the received measurement is not positive, a first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard to allow a user to input characters from the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and not a second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard, wherein the area of each letter of the first plurality of letters is larger than the area of a letter for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard; and

if the value of the received measurement is positive, the virtual touch screen to display, in response to a determination that the absolute value of the received measurement is greater than the pre-defined value and in response to a determination that the value of the received measurement is positive, the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard to allow a user to input characters from the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and not the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard, wherein the area of each letter of the second plurality of letters is larger than the area of a letter for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard,

wherein the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard comprises a first plurality of letters and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard comprises a second plurality of letters, wherein each letter of the second plurality of letters is not in the first plurality of letters, and wherein the mobile device is to determine the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard prior to receipt of the measurement.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises an acceleration measurement, wherein the acceleration measurement comprises X, Y, and Z acceleration components, and wherein only the X acceleration component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the sensor comprises a tilt sensor or a rotation sensor and the measurement representing the position of the mobile device comprises a tilt angle or rotation angle measurement, wherein the tilt angle or rotation angle measurement comprises XRotation, YRotation, and ZRotation components, and wherein only the YRotation component is used to determine whether the pre-defined value is exceeded.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the first portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard and the second portion of the virtual touch screen keyboard each comprise one half of the virtual touch screen keyboard, and wherein the area of a displayed key for the first portion or the second portion is double the area of a key for a conventional touch screen keyboard displaying an entire keyboard.