Concurrent data entry for a portable device
AssigneeIota Wireless LLC
InventorDaniel Wigdor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for entering data on a portable device includes determining a tilt state (tilt sensor 304) as a button (keypad 306) is being pressed. The determined tilt state can be used to disambiguate from among a plurality of characters associated with the pressed button. In a preferred embodiment, the portable device is a mobile phone and the button is part of a standard 12-button keypad.
Claims23
A system for data entry in a portable device comprising:
- a keypad having a plurality of buttons, at least one of the buttons being associated with two or more characters;
- a tilt sensor operable to detect a tilt subjected to the portable device by a user;
- and
- a processor programmed to identify one of the two or more characters based on one of the plurality of buttons being pressed concurrently with the tilt subjected by the user.
A method for entering data on a portable device having a standard twelve-button keypad, comprising:
- determining a tilt of the portable device when a first button on the keypad has been actuated;
- and
- disambiguating from among a plurality of characters associated with the first button by comparing the determined tilt to a predefined tilt menu associated with the first button.
A method for disambiguating from among a plurality of characters associated with a first button on a 12-button keypad on a mobile phone, comprising:
- sampling tilt along two axes parallel to a front face of the mobile phone;
- maintaining a sample stack indicative of a past tilt samples;
- upon detecting the first button being pressed by a user, determining a tilt state by comparing a most recent tilt to at least one of the past tilt samples;
- upon determining that the tilt state falls within a first tilt threshold, identifying a numeral associated with the first button;
- upon determining that the tilt state falls within a second tilt threshold, identifying a first character associated with the first button;
- upon determining that the tilt state falls within a third tilt threshold, identifying a second character associated with the first button;
- and
- upon determining that the tilt state falls within a fourth tilt threshold, identifying a third character associated with the first button.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.