Virtual keypad systems and methods

A virtual keypad system for inputting text, comprising:

• a remote controller including at least one touchpad incorporated therein and divided into a plurality of touch zones;
• a display device in data communication with the remote controller and operable to display a user interface including a keypad on which each of the keys is mapped to a corresponding one of mutually different areas in the touch zones of the touchpad;
• a prediction module performing one or more key prediction methods in response to an operator pressing a given one of the touch zones to select a particular character, the one or more key prediction methods including predicting one or more next plausible keys;
• and
• a key mapping module remapping the areas in the touch zones of the touchpad to the keys of the keypad, based on the one or more next plausible keys,
• wherein the touchpad is divided into two operating zones and wherein the key mapping module maps a first subset of keys of the keypad to a first operating zone of the touchpad and maps a second subset of keys of the keypad to a second operating zone of the touchpad,
• wherein the first operating zone corresponds to a right zone of the touchpad and wherein the second operating zone corresponds to a left zone of the touchpad, and
• wherein the remote controller further includes:
• an accelerometer obtaining data indicating a position of the remote controller;
• a holding sensor obtaining data indicating a portion that is of the remote controller and being touched by a user;
• an orientation recognition module determining an orientation of the remote controller, based on the data from the holding sensor and the data from the accelerometer;
• and
• a hand recognition module recognizing a style of holding the remote controller, based on the data from the holding sensor and the data from the accelerometer, and
• in the case where the orientation recognition module and the hand recognition module recognize that the remote controller is held horizontally with both hands of the user, the first operating zone is mapped to the right zone of the touchpad, and the second operating zone is mapped to the left zone of the touchpad.