Sensor-based display of virtual keyboard image and associated methodology

A method of displaying a virtual keyboard image on a display surface of a touch screen configured to output a signal indicating a position on the display surface that has been touched, the method including:

• sensing, with a proximity sensor, a position of an object relative to the display surface;
• choosing, responsive to the sensed proximity of the object as a display portion, one of a left side portion of the virtual keyboard image and a right side portion of the virtual keyboard image in response to the first proximity sensor sensing the object to the left side or the right side of the display surface corresponding to the position of the object sensed in the sensing, the choosing being performed with a processor;
• displaying, of the virtual keyboard image, only the display portion on the display surface of the touch screen;
• and
• causing an operation of a function corresponding to a key of the display portion, in response to a contact of the display surface of the touch screen at a position corresponding to the key, when only the display portion is displayed of the virtual keyboard image.

A computer readable medium including a program for performing, when the program is run on a computer, a method of displaying a virtual keyboard image on a display surface of a touch screen configured to output a signal indicating a position on the display surface that has been touched, the method including:

• sensing a position of an object relative to the display surface;
• choosing, responsive to the sensed proximity of the object, as a display portion, one of a left side portion of the virtual keyboard image and a right side portion of the virtual keyboard image in response to the first proximity sensor sensing the object to the left side or the right side of the display surface corresponding to the position of the object sensed in the sensing;
• displaying, of the virtual keyboard image, only the display portion on the display surface of the touch screen;
• and
• causing an operation of a function corresponding to a key of the display portion, in response to a contact of the display surface of the touch screen at a position corresponding to the key, when only the display portion is displayed of the virtual keyboard image.

An information-processing apparatus, comprising:

• a touch screen having a display surface configured to display a plurality of images, the touch screen being configured to output a signal indicating a position on the display surface that has been touched;
• means for sensing a position of an object relative to the display surface;
• and
• means for generating a virtual keyboard image including a plurality of virtual keys for display on the display surface, for generating a left side portion of the virtual keyboard image and a right side portion of the virtual keyboard image, for choosing, responsive to the sensed proximity of the object, as a display portion, one of the left side portion of the virtual keyboard image and the right side portion of the virtual keyboard image in response to the first proximity sensor sensing the object to the left side or the right side of the display surface corresponding to the position of the object relative to the display surface, for controlling the touch screen to display, of the virtual keyboard image, only the display portion on the display surface, and for causing an operation of a function corresponding to a key of the display portion, in response to a contact of the display surface of the touch screen at a position corresponding to the key, when only the display portion is displayed of the virtual keyboard image.