Character input method and apparatus in portable terminal having touch screen
AssigneeSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
InventorHee-Jun Kang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A character input method and apparatus in a portable terminal having a touch screen using a virtual keypad in which a plurality of characters is allocated to each of at least one key area is provided. The character input method includes displaying, in a character input mode, a virtual keypad having at least one key area to which a plurality of characters is allocated, displaying a plurality of divided areas in a region surrounding the touched key area, if a touch is generated in one of the key areas of the virtual keypad, determining whether a drag is generated from the touch, and if a drag is generated, displaying a character mapped to the divided area in a point where the drag is released.
Claims14
A character input method in a portable terminal having a touch screen, comprising:
- displaying, in a character input mode, a virtual keypad having at least one key area to which a plurality of characters are allocated;
- displaying, if a touch is detected on the at least one key area of the virtual keypad, a plurality of divided areas in a region surrounding the touched key area, wherein each of the divided areas is mapped to one of the plurality of characters allocated to the touched key;
- determining whether a drag is generated from the touch;
- and
- inputting, if a drag is generated, a character mapped to the divided area in a point where the drag is released.
A character input apparatus comprising:
- a touch screen for detecting a touch and a drag;
- and
- a controller for displaying on the touch screen in a character input mode a virtual keypad having at least one key area to which a plurality of characters are allocated, for displaying a plurality of divided areas in a region surrounding the touched key area if a touch is detected on the at least one key area of the virtual keypad, and for inputting a character mapped to the divided area in a point where the drag is released, if a drag is generated from the touch,
- wherein each of the divided areas is mapped to one of the plurality of characters allocated to the touched key.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.