US 7,844,914 B2Granted

Activating virtual keys of a touch-screen virtual keyboard

AssigneeApple Inc.

InventorsBartley K. Andre, Bas Ording, Greg Christie

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Abstract

A method of operating a touch screen to activate one of a plurality of virtual keys is provided. A touch location is determined based on location data pertaining to touch input on the touch screen, wherein the touch input is intended to activate one of the plurality of virtual keys. Each of the plurality of virtual keys has a set of at least one key location corresponding to it. For each of the virtual keys, a parameter (such as physical distance) is determined for that virtual key that relates the touch location and the set of at least one key location corresponding to that virtual key. The determined parameters are processed to determine one of the virtual keys. For example, the determined one virtual key may be the virtual key with a key location (or more than one key location, on average) being closest to the touch location. A signal is generated indicating activation of the determined one of the virtual keys.

Claims49

Dependent claims

A method of operating a touch screen to activate a virtual GUI item, comprising:

displaying a plurality of activatable virtual GUI items on the touch screen, wherein at least one of the activatable virtual GUI items in the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items has a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations;
determining a touch location based on location data pertaining to touch input on the touch screen, wherein the touch input is intended to activate one of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items;
for each of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items, determining a distance parameter for that respective activatable virtual GUI item that relates the touch location and one or more GUI item locations corresponding to that respective activatable virtual GUI item, wherein:
determining the distance parameter for each of the at least one activatable virtual GUI items having a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations includes for each of these GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item, determining a distance parameter relating the touch location and that GUI item location, and processing the determined distance parameters for each of the set of greater than one GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item to determine the distance parameter for that activatable virtual GUI item, and
the distance parameter for each of the at least one activatable virtual GUI items having a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations is a statistical parameter characterizing the distribution of the GUI item locations within the set of greater than one GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item;
processing the determined distance parameters of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items to determine one of the activatable virtual GUI items;
and
generating a signal indicating activation of the determined one of the activatable virtual GUI items.

5 more elements

A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a electronic device with a touch screen display, cause the electronic device to perform a method comprising:

displaying a plurality of activatable virtual GUI items on the touch screen, wherein at least one of the activatable virtual GUI items in the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items has a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations;
determining a touch location based on location data pertaining to touch input on the touch screen, wherein the touch input is intended to activate one of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items;
for each of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items, determining a distance parameter for that respective activatable virtual GUI item that relates the touch location and one or more GUI item locations corresponding to that respective activatable virtual GUI item, wherein:
determining the distance parameter for each of the at least one activatable virtual GUI items having a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations includes for each of these GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item, determining a distance parameter relating the touch location and that GUI item location, and processing the determined distance parameters for each of the set of greater than one GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item to determine the distance parameter for that activatable virtual GUI item, and
the distance parameter for each of the at least one activatable virtual GUI items having a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations is a statistical parameter characterizing the distribution of the GUI item locations within the set of greater than one GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item;
processing the determined distance parameters of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items to determine one of the activatable virtual GUI items;
and
generating a signal indicating activation of the determined one of the activatable virtual GUI items.

5 more elements

A electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen display;
a processor;
a memory;
and
one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, the one or more programs including instructions for:
displaying a plurality of activatable virtual GUI items on a touch screen, wherein at least one of the activatable virtual GUI items in the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items has a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations;
determining a touch location based on location data pertaining to touch input on the touch screen, wherein the touch input is intended to activate one of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items;
for each of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items, determining a distance parameter for that respective activatable virtual GUI item that relates the touch location and one or more GUI item locations corresponding to that respective activatable virtual GUI item, wherein:
determining the distance parameter for each of the at least one activatable virtual GUI items having a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations includes for each of these GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item, determining a distance parameter relating the touch location and that GUI item location, and processing the determined distance parameters for each of the set of greater than one GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item to determine the distance parameter for that activatable virtual GUI item, and
the distance parameter for each of the at least one activatable virtual GUI items having a corresponding set of greater than one GUI item locations is a statistical parameter characterizing the distribution of the GUI item locations within the set of greater than one GUI item locations corresponding to that activatable virtual GUI item;
processing the determined distance parameters of the plurality of activatable virtual GUI items to determine one of the activatable virtual GUI items;
and
generating a signal indicating activation of the determined one of the activatable virtual GUI items.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/228,737Filed 16 Sep 2005 · continuation in part
Priority: 30 Jul 2004
Published: US 2006/0026521 A120 Apr 2006
Granted: 30 Nov 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G06F 3/04883
Using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
G06F 3/041
Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form: digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads,…
G06F 3/04186
For error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment: touch location disambiguation
G06F 3/04886
Using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures: by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the…

Family

Application10/903,964Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Jul 2004
US 2006/0085757 A1Pre-grant publication · published 20 Apr 2006
US 2006/0026521 A1Published application
US 8,479,122 B2Related patent
US 7,844,914 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.