Virtual keyboard improvement

A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer readable program code, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm that when executed by a processor of a hardware device implements a virtual keyboard input improvement method, said method comprising:

• presenting, by said computer processor, a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising
• a character display portion and a virtual touch screen activated keyboard, wherein said virtual touch screen activated keyboard internally comprises
• a section comprising a plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys for inputting associated alphabetical characters and
• a free sketch area for sketching, entering, and deleting specialized characters not currently viewable via said virtual keyboard,
• wherein said specialized characters are selected from the group consisting of numeric characters and symbol characters,
• wherein said free sketch area is located adjacent to said plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys such that said free sketch area displaces a group of character keys for inputting said specialized characters, and
• wherein said section comprising said plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys comprises a specific proportional size with respect to a size of said free sketch area;
• receiving, by said computer processor, from a user via at least one alphabetical character key of said plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys, a selection of at least one specified alphabetical character associated with said at least one alphabetical character key;
• presenting, by said processor via said display portion, said at least one specified alphabetical character with a plurality of additional typed alphabetical characters being presented via said display portion;
• detecting, by said computer processor from said user via said free sketch area, a first user defined motion and a second user defined motion sketching a sketched specialized character of said specialized characters;
• converting, by said computer processor executing a character recognition module, said sketched specialized character, via character recognition, into a specialized character of said specialized characters;
• and
• presenting, by said processor via said display portion, said specialized character adjacent to and inserted into text comprising said at least one specified alphabetical character and said plurality of additional alphabetical characters;
• detecting, by said computer processor from said user via said free sketch area, a first additional user defined motion comprising an opposite motion to said first user defined motion and a second additional user defined motion comprising an opposite motion to said second user defined motion;
• and
• deleting, by said processor in response to said first additional user defined motion and said second additional user defined motion within said free sketch area, said sketched specialized character sketched by said first user defined motion and said second user defined motion resulting in deletion of said sketched specialized character from said free sketch area and deletion of said specialized character from said display portion.

A hardware device comprising a computer processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising instructions that when executed by the computer processor implements a virtual keyboard input improvement method comprising:

• presenting, by said computer processor, a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising
• a character display portion and a virtual touch screen activated keyboard, wherein said virtual touch screen activated keyboard internally comprises
• a section comprising a plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys for inputting associated alphabetical characters and
• a free sketch area for sketching, entering, and deleting specialized characters not currently viewable via said virtual keyboard,
• wherein said specialized characters are selected from the group consisting of numeric characters and symbol characters,
• wherein said free sketch area is located adjacent to said plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys such that said free sketch area displaces a group of character keys for inputting said specialized characters, and
• wherein said section comprising said plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys comprises a specific proportional size with respect to a size of said free sketch area;
• receiving, by said computer processor, from a user via at least one alphabetical character key of said plurality of currently viewable predefined alphabetical character keys, a selection of at least one specified alphabetical character associated with said at least one alphabetical character key;
• presenting, by said processor via said display portion, said at least one specified alphabetical character with a plurality of additional typed alphabetical characters being presented via said display portion;
• detecting, by said computer processor from said user via said free sketch area, a first user defined motion and a second user defined motion sketching a sketched specialized character of said specialized characters;
• converting, by said computer processor executing a character recognition module, said sketched specialized character, via character recognition, into a specialized character of said specialized characters;
• and
• presenting, by said processor via said display portion, said specialized character adjacent to and inserted into text comprising said at least one specified alphabetical character and said plurality of additional alphabetical characters;
• detecting, by said computer processor from said user via said free sketch area, a first additional user defined motion comprising an opposite motion to said first user defined motion and a second additional user defined motion comprising an opposite motion to said second user defined motion;
• and
• deleting, by said processor in response to said additional user defined motion and said second additional user defined motion within said free sketch area, said sketched specialized character sketched by said first user defined motion and said second user defined motion resulting in deletion of said sketched specialized character from said free sketch area and deletion of said specialized character from said display portion.