Reduced Keyboard Character Selection System and Method
AssigneeResearch In Motion Limited
InventorsMihal Lazaridis, Jason Griffin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method of selecting a character for display in a communication device having a display and a reduced-key keyboard is provided. One of the plurality of keys on the reduced-key keyboard is selected and a default letter associated with the selected key is displayed. A backspace key is selected to display a cursor in the position of the character on the display. The key associated with the default character is selected again and an alternate character associated with the selected key is displayed in place of the default letter.
Claims30
A mobile communication device comprising:
- a user interface including a display screen and plurality of user inputs including a reduced-key keyboard comprising a plurality of input keys of which at least one is a multi-character key associated with a plurality of alphanumeric characters;
- a processing subsystem comprising operating system software that controls operation of the mobile communication device;
- and
- said operating system software is programmed to display a default character associated with a selected multi-character key upon a first actuation thereof and to display a cursor in the position of the default character on the display screen when one of the plurality of user inputs is subsequently actuated and to then display an alternate character associated with the selected multi-character key upon a second actuation thereof.
A method of selecting a character for display in a communication device having a display screen and plurality of user inputs including a reduced-key keyboard comprising a plurality of input keys of which at least one is a multi-character key associated with a plurality of characters, the method comprising the steps of:
- selecting one of a plurality of input keys on the reduced-key keyboard and displaying a default character associated with the selected key;
- selecting one of a plurality of user inputs and displaying a cursor in the position of the default character on the display screen;
- and
- selecting the one of the plurality of keys again and displaying an alternate character associated with the selected key.
A processing subsystem configured to be installed in a mobile communication device comprising a user interface including a display screen and a plurality of user inputs including a reduced-key keyboard comprising a plurality of input keys of which at least one is a multi-character key associated with a plurality of alphanumeric characters, said processing subsystem comprising:
- operating system software that controls operation of an incorporating mobile communication device and said operating system software is programmed to display a default character associated with a selected multi-character key upon a first actuation thereof and to display a cursor in the position of the default character on the display screen when one of a plurality of user inputs is subsequently actuated and to then display an alternate character associated with the selected multi-character key upon second actuation thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.