US 8,078,984 B2Granted

Virtual keyboard text replication

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsJohn Christopher Whytock, Ali Moradd Vassigh, Sabrina Boler

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Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for replicating text at a virtual keyboard. Characters submitted to, displayed at, or accumulated for submission to an application data field are echoed at a keyboard data field that is in relatively close proximity to virtual keys used to enter the characters. Thus, a user does not have to alter their field of view to the application data field to determine what was submitted to the application data field, what was entered at the application data field, or what is to be submitted to the application data field. Accordingly, embodiments of the invention permit a user to much more easily see what they typed using a virtual keyboard. The need to alter a visual field of focus between an application data field and a virtual keyboard is significantly reduced, if not eliminated.

Claims16

Dependent claims

At a computer system including an interactive touch screen display, a method for replicating text entered at a virtual keyboard, the method comprising:

an act of shifting focus to an application data field of an application presented on the interactive touch screen display;
an act of presenting a virtual keyboard on the interactive touch screen display along with the application data field, the virtual keyboard including:
a plurality of virtual keys for entering characters into the application data field;
and
a keyboard data field, which is distinguished from the application data field, for echoing characters entered into the application data field, the keyboard data field being more easily viewable relative to the one or more virtual keys than the application data field relative to the one or more virtual keys;
an act of receiving input indicating that a virtual key, from among the plurality of virtual keys, has been selected;
an act of providing the character corresponding to the selected virtual key to the application associated with the application data field where the character is displayed;
and
an act of subsequently echoing the character corresponding to the selected virtual key in the keyboard data field, by displaying the character at the keyboard data field, and such that the character is displayed at both the application data field as well as the keyboard data field, to provide more easily viewable feedback indicating what character was selected at the virtual keys such that a user does not have to alter their field of view to the application data field to determine what character was selected, wherein the character corresponding to the selected virtual key is provided to the keyboard data field subsequent to the character being provided to the application.

6 more elements

At a computer system including an interactive touch screen display, a method for replicating text entered into an application data field, the method comprising:

an act of shifting focus to an application data field of an application presented on the interactive touch screen display;
an act of presenting a virtual keyboard on the interactive touch screen display along with the application data field, the virtual keyboard including:
one or more virtual keys for entering characters into the application data field;
and
a keyboard data field, which is distinguished from the application data field, for echoing characters presented at the application data field based on application data field logic associated with the application data field, the keyboard data field being more easily viewable relative to the one or more virtual keys than the application data field relative to the one or more virtual keys;
an act of receiving input indicating that a virtual key from among the one or more virtual keys of the virtual keyboard has been selected;
an act of providing the character corresponding to the selected virtual key to the application associated with the application data field;
an act of the application applying logic to the character and presenting an altered character within the application data field based on the application data field logic;
and
an act of echoing the altered character in the keyboard data field, by displaying the altered character at the keyboard data field, and such that the altered character is displayed at both the application data field as well as the keyboard data field, to provide more easily viewable feedback indicating what character was presented within application data field such that a user does not have to alter their field of view to the application data field to determine what character was presented, wherein the altered character corresponding to the selected virtual key is provided to the keyboard data field subsequent to the character being provided to the application.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.