# US 2010/0169818 A1 · Keyboard based graphical user interface navigation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0169818 A1 - Document ID: US20100169818A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/344,605 - Filed: 2008-12-29 - Published: 2010-07-01 - Earliest claimed: 2008-12-29 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Rebecca Hughes; James Martineau; Michael S. McCowan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100169818A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/0236: {using selection techniques to select from displayed items} - G06F 3/0481: based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance - G06F 3/04817: using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) - G06F 3/04845: for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour - 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 - G06F 3/04897: {Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability} - G06F 2203/04806: Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A computer-implemented method of navigating a GUI can include, responsive to a user input initiating a navigation mode, overlaying, atop of the GUI located within a first layer, a virtual keyboard within a second layer, wherein the virtual keyboard includes a plurality of virtual keys. The method can include, for each virtual key, associating the virtual key with a region of the first layer including an area of the GUI beneath the virtual key. The method can include mapping each virtual key with a physical key of a physical keyboard communicatively linked with a computer rendering the GUI and, responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a region corresponding to the selected physical key. A level of magnification for the selected region can be increased within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method of navigating a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising: responsive to a user input initiating a navigation mode, overlaying, atop of the GUI located within a first layer, a virtual keyboard within a second layer, wherein the virtual keyboard comprises a plurality of virtual keys; for each virtual key, associating the virtual key with a region of the first layer comprising an area of the GUI beneath the virtual key; mapping each virtual key with a physical key of a physical keyboard communicatively linked with a computer rendering the GUI; and responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant further comprises: for each virtual key, associating the virtual key with a sub-region of the magnified selected region within the first layer beneath the virtual key; and responsive to a subsequent user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting the sub-region of the magnified selected region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected sub-region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein increasing a level of magnification for the selected region further comprises redrawing the GUI with the selected region centered beneath the virtual keyboard and at a higher level of magnification, wherein the selected region occupies a greater area of a display than was occupied at the lower level of magnification. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: responsive to receiving a user input, assigning one of a plurality of programmatic actions to each physical key of the physical keyboard; and responsive to a user input selecting a physical key mapped to a virtual key above an icon within the first layer, initiating the assigned programmatic action on the icon. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising determining that the virtual key is above the icon and, in response, changing an appearance of the virtual key to indicate that a selection of the physical key corresponding to the virtual key initiates the programmatic action upon the icon. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising determining that the virtual key is above the icon and, in response, changing an appearance of the virtual key to indicate the virtual key is above the graphic representation of the object within the first layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein responsive to a user input selecting a physical key mapped to a virtual key above the icon, initiating the assigned programmatic action on the icon further comprises removing the virtual keyboard subsequent to the user input selecting the physical key. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard is a facsimile of at least a portion of the physical keyboard. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein responsive to a user input initiating a navigation mode, overlaying, atop of the GUI located within a first layer, a virtual keyboard within a second layer, wherein the virtual keyboard comprises a plurality of virtual keys further comprises displaying the virtual keyboard in a semi-transparent form, wherein the GUI located within the first layer is not obscured subsequent to overlaying of the virtual keyboard. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant further comprises receiving a user input defining the level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer. ### Claim 11 A computer-implemented method of performing programmatic actions through a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising: responsive to a user input initiating a navigation mode, overlaying, atop of the GUI located within a first layer, a virtual keyboard within a second layer, wherein the virtual keyboard comprises a plurality of virtual keys; for each virtual key, associating the virtual key with a region of the first layer comprising an area of the GUI beneath the virtual key; mapping each virtual key with a physical key of a physical keyboard communicatively linked with a computer rendering the GUI; and responsive to a user input selecting a physical key mapped to a virtual key above an icon within the region of the first layer associated with the virtual key, initiating a programmatic action on the icon. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein responsive to a user input selecting a physical key mapped to a virtual key above an icon within the region of the first layer associated with the virtual key, initiating a programmatic action on icon further comprises, responsive to receiving a user input, assigning one of a plurality of programmatic actions to each physical key of the physical keyboard. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein responsive to a user input selecting a physical key mapped to a virtual key above an icon within the region of the first layer associated with the virtual key, initiating a programmatic action on the icon further comprises for each virtual key of the virtual keyboard, determining whether the virtual key is above an icon within the first layer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising, responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant further comprises: for each virtual key, associating the virtual key with a sub-region of the magnified selected region within the first layer beneath the virtual key; and responsive to a subsequent user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selecting a sub-region of the magnified selected region corresponding to the selected physical key and increasing a level of magnification for the selected sub-region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant. ### Claim 16 A computer program product comprising: a computer-usable medium comprising computer-usable program code that navigates a graphical user interface (GUI) responsive to inputs from a physical keyboard, the computer-usable medium comprising: computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input initiating a navigation mode, overlays, atop of the GUI located within a first layer, a virtual keyboard within a second layer, wherein the virtual keyboard comprises a plurality of virtual keys; computer-usable program code that, for each virtual key, associates the virtual key with a region of the first layer comprising an area of the GUI beneath the virtual key; computer-usable program code that maps each virtual key with a physical key of the physical keyboard communicatively linked with a computer rendering the GUI; and computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selects a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increases a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selects a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increases a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant further comprises: computer-usable program code that, for each virtual key, associates the virtual key with a sub-region of the magnified selected region within the first layer beneath the virtual key; and computer-usable program code that, responsive to a subsequent user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selects a sub-region of the magnified selected region corresponding to the selected physical key and increases a level of magnification for the selected sub-region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input selecting a physical key of the physical keyboard, selects a region corresponding to the selected physical key and increases a level of magnification for the selected region within the first layer while keeping the virtual keyboard sizing constant further comprises computer-usable program code that redraws the GUI with the selected region centered beneath the virtual keyboard and at a higher level of magnification, wherein the selected region occupies a greater area of a display than was occupied at the lower level of magnification. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer-usable medium further comprises: computer-usable program code that, responsive to receiving a user input, assigns one of a plurality of programmatic actions to each physical key of the physical keyboard; and computer-usable program code that, responsive to a user input selecting a physical key mapped to a virtual key above an icon within the first layer, initiates the assigned programmatic action on the icon. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-usable medium further comprises computer-usable program code that determines that the virtual key is above the icon and, in response, changes an appearance of the virtual key to indicate that selection of the physical key corresponding to the virtual key initiates the programmatic action upon the object.