U.S. patent application number 12/727219 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-29 for user interface including word recommendations.
Invention is credited to Chris Blumenberg, Imran Chaudhri, Greg Christie, Scott Forstall, Scott Herz, Virgil Scott King, Kenneth Kocienda, Stephen O. Lemay, Gregory Novick, Bas Ording, Marcel Van Os, Richard Williamson.
Application Number | 20100188358 12/727219 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37964578 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100188358 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kocienda; Kenneth ; et
al. |
July 29, 2010 |
User Interface Including Word Recommendations
Abstract
A plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display are displayed.
A respective icon in the plurality of icons corresponds to at least
one symbol. One or more recommended words are displayed. The one or
more recommended words are in accordance with a user history. The
one or more recommended words are displayed prior to detecting any
contacts by a user corresponding to symbol selection by the user in
a current application session. A contact by the user with the
touch-sensitive display is detected. The contact includes a
gesture. A respective recommended word corresponding to the gesture
is selected.
Inventors: |
Kocienda; Kenneth;
(Sunnyvale, CA) ; Herz; Scott; (Santa Clara,
CA) ; Williamson; Richard; (Los Gatos, CA) ;
Novick; Gregory; (Santa Clara, CA) ; King; Virgil
Scott; (Mountain View, CA) ; Blumenberg; Chris;
(San Francisco, CA) ; Van Os; Marcel; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Ording; Bas; (San Francisco, CA)
; Forstall; Scott; (Mountain View, CA) ; Chaudhri;
Imran; (San Francisco, CA) ; Christie; Greg;
(San Jose, CA) ; Lemay; Stephen O.; (San
Francisco, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP/ AI
2 Palo Alto Square, 3000 El Camino Real, Suite 700
Palo Alto
CA
94306
US
|
Family ID: |
37964578 |
Appl. No.: |
12/727219 |
Filed: |
March 18, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11459606 |
Jul 24, 2006 |
7694231 |
|
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12727219 |
|
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|
60756890 |
Jan 5, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
345/173 ;
715/863 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04883 20130101;
G06F 3/0233 20130101; G06F 3/04812 20130101; G06F 3/0238 20130101;
G06F 3/04886 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/173 ;
715/863 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/041 20060101
G06F003/041; G06F 3/033 20060101 G06F003/033 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: at a portable electronic device with a
touch-sensitive display: displaying a plurality of icons on the
touch-sensitive display, wherein a respective icon in the plurality
of icons corresponds to at least one symbol; displaying one or more
recommended words, wherein the one or more recommended words are in
accordance with a user history, and wherein the one or more
recommended words are displayed prior to detecting any contacts by
a user corresponding to symbol selection in a current application
session; detecting a contact by the user with the touch-sensitive
display, wherein the contact includes a gesture; and selecting a
respective recommended word corresponding to the gesture.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gesture includes a swipe
motion.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the swipe motion includes a
horizontal component with displacement from left to right along the
touch-sensitive display.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the gesture includes one or more
taps, and wherein a respective tap includes making contact with the
touch-sensitive display for a time interval less than a
pre-determined value.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the gesture includes a rolling
motion of the contact.
6. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs,
the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when
executed by a portable electronic device, cause the portable
electronic device to perform a method comprising: displaying a
plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display, wherein a
respective icon in the plurality of icons corresponds to at least
one symbol; displaying one or more recommended words, wherein the
one or more recommended words are in accordance with a user
history, and wherein the one or more recommended words are
displayed prior to detecting any contacts by a user corresponding
to symbol selection by the user in a current application session;
detecting a contact by the user with the touch-sensitive display,
wherein the contact includes a gesture; and selecting a respective
recommended word corresponding to the gesture.
7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the
gesture includes a swipe motion.
8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the
swipe motion includes a horizontal component with displacement from
left to right along the touch-sensitive display.
9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the
gesture includes one or more taps, and wherein a respective tap
includes making contact with the touch-sensitive display for a time
interval less than a pre-determined value.
10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the
gesture includes a rolling motion of the contact.
11. A graphical user interface on a portable electronic device with
a touch-sensitive display, a memory, and one or more processors to
execute one or more programs stored in the memory, the graphical
user interface comprising: a plurality of icons displayed on the
touch-sensitive display, wherein a respective icon in the plurality
of icons includes at least one symbol; one or more recommended
words, wherein the one or more recommended words are in accordance
with a user history, and wherein the one or more recommended words
are displayed prior to detecting any contacts by a user
corresponding to symbol selection by the user in a current
application session; and a visual indicator corresponding to at
least a respective word in the one or more recommended words,
wherein the user may select at least the respective word by
contacting the touch-sensitive display, and wherein a contact by
the user includes a gesture.
12. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the gesture
includes a swipe motion.
13. The graphical user interface of claim 12, wherein the swipe
motion includes a horizontal component with displacement from left
to right along the touch-sensitive display.
14. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the gesture
includes one or more taps, and wherein a respective tap includes
making contact with the touch-sensitive display for a time interval
less than a pre-determined value.
15. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the gesture
includes a rolling motion of the contact.
16. A portable electronic device, comprising: a touch-sensitive
display; one or more processors; memory; and one or more programs,
wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and
configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or
more programs including: instructions for displaying a plurality of
icons on the touch-sensitive display, wherein a respective icon in
the plurality of icons corresponds to at least one symbol;
instructions for displaying one or more recommended words, wherein
the one or more recommended words are in accordance with a user
history, and wherein the one or more recommended words are
displayed prior to detecting any contacts by a user corresponding
to symbol selection by the user in a current application session;
instructions for detecting a contact by the user with the
touch-sensitive display, wherein the contact includes a gesture;
and instructions for selecting a respective recommended word
corresponding to the gesture.
17. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the gesture
includes a swipe motion.
18. The portable electronic device of claim 17, wherein the swipe
motion includes a horizontal component with displacement from left
to right along the touch-sensitive display.
19. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the gesture
includes one or more taps, and wherein a respective tap includes
making contact with the touch-sensitive display for a time interval
less than a pre-determined value.
20. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the gesture
includes a rolling motion of the contact.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 11/459,606, filed Jul. 24, 2006, entitled "Keyboards for
Portable Electronic Devices," which claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/756,890, filed Jan. 5, 2006,
entitled "Keyboards for Portable Electronic Devices," which
applications are incorporated by reference herein in their
entirety.
[0002] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 11/459,615, filed Jul. 24, 2006, entitled "Touch Screen
Keyboards for Portable Electronic Devices," which application is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0003] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 11/228,700, filed Sep. 16, 2005, entitled "Operation of a
Computer with Touch Screen Interface," which application is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0004] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. ______, filed ______, entitled "Adaptive Keyboard," Attorney
Docket No. P4150USD1/63266-5270US), which application is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0005] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. ______, filed ______, entitled "Keyboard with Multi-Symbol
Icons," Attorney Docket No. P4150USD3/63266-5272US), which
application is incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
[0006] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. ______, filed ______, entitled "Keyboard with Multi-Symbol
Icons," Attorney Docket No. P4150USD4/63266-5273US), which
application is incorporated by reference herein in its
entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0007] The disclosed embodiments relate to user interfaces, and in
particular, to user interfaces that include a touch screen
keyboard.
BACKGROUND
[0008] As portable devices become more compact, and the amount of
information to be processed and stored increases, it has become a
significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users
to easily interact with the device. This is unfortunate since the
user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only
content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including
user attempts to access a device's features or tools. Some portable
electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones) have resorted to adding
more pushbuttons, increasing a density of push buttons, overloading
the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to
allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These
conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key
sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.
In addition, as the number of pushbuttons has increased the
proximity of neighboring buttons often makes it difficult for users
to activate a desired pushbutton.
[0009] Many conventional user interfaces, such as those that
include physical pushbuttons, are also inflexible. This is
unfortunate since it may prevent a user interface from being
configured and/or adapted by either an application running on the
portable device or by users. When coupled with the time consuming
requirement to memorize multiple key sequences and menu
hierarchies, and the difficulty in activating a desired pushbutton,
such inflexibility is frustrating to most users.
[0010] Accordingly, there is a need for more transparent and
intuitive user interfaces for portable electronic devices that are
easy to use, configure, and/or adapt.
SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS
[0011] The above deficiencies and other problems associated with
user interfaces for portable devices are reduced or eliminated by
the disclosed touch screen keyboards and their methods of use.
[0012] In some embodiments, a method includes displaying a
plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display. A respective icon
in at least a subset of the plurality of icons corresponds to two
or more symbols. A contact by a user with the touch-sensitive
display that corresponds to the respective icon is detected. A
respective symbol in the two or more symbols to which the contact
further corresponds is determined. The displayed respective icon is
modified to indicate that the contact corresponds to the respective
symbol.
[0013] The respective symbol may be selected when the user breaks
contact with the respective icon. The respective symbol may be
capitalized when contact is maintained for a time interval
exceeding a pre-determined value.
[0014] Modifying may include changing a shape of the respective
icon. Changing the shape may include an asymmetric distortion of
the shape. An initial shape of the respective icon may include an
arc.
[0015] Detecting may include detecting rolling of a finger over a
region that corresponds to the respective symbol. The contact may
include a gesture that is selected from the group consisting of one
or more taps, a swipe and a rolling of a finger.
[0016] The two or more symbols for the respective icon may be
determined in accordance with a lexicography model. The
lexicography model may correspond to a user usage history. The user
usage history may occur prior to the establishment of the contact.
The lexicography model may correspond to a frequency of usage of
symbols in a language.
[0017] In some embodiments, the respective symbol is displayed in a
region within the shape of the respective icon and outside of a
region corresponding to the contact.
[0018] In some embodiments, a visual indicator corresponding to the
respective symbol is provided. The visual indicator may include
visual illumination proximate to the respective icon. The visual
illumination may include a band around at least a portion of the
respective icon. The visual indicator may be in accordance with a
user usage history that occurs prior to the detecting of the
contact.
[0019] In some embodiments, a method includes displaying a
plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display. Two or more
subsets of the plurality of icons are arranged in corresponding
rows on the touch-sensitive display. A space greater than a
pre-determined value is included between adjacent rows. A contact
by a user with the touch-sensitive display that corresponds to a
respective icon is detected. A symbol corresponding to the
respective icon is displayed in the space between a respective row
corresponding to the respective icon and a neighboring row while
the contact is maintained.
[0020] The symbol may be the respective icon. The symbol may be
magnified relative to the respective icon. The neighboring row may
be above the respective row.
[0021] In another embodiment, a plurality of icons are displayed on
a touch-sensitive display. A contact by a user with the
touch-sensitive display that corresponds to the respective icon is
determined. A symbol corresponding to the respective icon is
displayed superimposed over one or more additional icons in the
plurality of icons while the contact is maintained.
[0022] In another embodiment, a plurality of icons are displayed on
a touch-sensitive display. Two or more subsets of the plurality of
icons are arranged in corresponding rows. A contact by a user with
the touch-sensitive display that corresponds to the respective icon
is determined. The displayed plurality of icons are modified to
include a space greater than a pre-determined value between a row
corresponding to the respective icon and an adjacent row on the
touch-sensitive display while the contact is maintained. A symbol
corresponding to the respective icon is displayed in the space
while the contact is maintained.
[0023] In some embodiments, a method includes displaying a
plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display. A respective icon
in the plurality of icons corresponds to at least one symbol. One
or more recommended words are displayed. The one or more
recommended words are in accordance with a user history. The one or
more recommended words are displayed prior to detecting any
contacts by a user corresponding to symbol selection in a current
application session. A contact by the user with the touch-sensitive
display is detected. The contact includes a gesture. A respective
recommended word corresponding to the gesture is selected.
[0024] The gesture may include a swipe motion. The swipe motion may
include a horizontal component with displacement from left to right
or from right to left along the touch-sensitive display. The swipe
motion may include a vertical component with displacement downward
or upward along the touch-sensitive display.
[0025] The gesture may include one or more taps. A respective tap
may include making contact with the touch-sensitive display for a
time interval less than a pre-determined value.
[0026] The gesture may include a rolling motion of the contact. The
rolling motion may be from left to right or from right to left
along the touch-sensitive display.
[0027] In some embodiments, a method includes displaying a
plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display. A respective icon
in at least a subset of the plurality of icons corresponds to two
or more symbols. A contact by a user with the touch-sensitive
display that corresponds to a selection of the respective icon,
wherein the contact includes a respective gesture, is detected. A
respective symbol in the two or more symbols for the respective
icon to which the contact further corresponds is determined. The
respective symbol is a first symbol in the two or more symbols if
the respective gesture includes a continuous contact and the
respective symbol is a second symbol in the two or more symbols if
the respective gesture includes a discontinuous contact.
[0028] The continuous contact may include a swipe motion. The swipe
motion may include a horizontal component with displacement from
left to right or from right to left along the touch-sensitive
display. The swipe motion may include a vertical component with
displacement downward or with displacement upward along the
touch-sensitive display. The continuous contact may include a
rolling motion of the contact. The rolling motion may be from left
to right or from right to left along the touch-sensitive
display.
[0029] The discontinuous contact may include one or more taps. A
respective tap may include contact with the touch-sensitive display
for a time interval less than a first pre-determined value. Two or
more consecutive taps may correspond to the second symbol if a time
interval between two or more corresponding contacts is less than a
second pre-determined value.
[0030] The first symbol may be included in a first subset of
symbols and the second symbol may be included in a second subset of
symbols. The first subset of symbols may have a probability of
occurrence that is greater than a first pre-determined value and
the second subset of symbols may have a probability of occurrence
that is less than the first pre-determined value.
[0031] The probability of occurrence may be in accordance with a
user history. The probability of occurrence may be in accordance
with a lexicography model. The lexicography model may include a
frequency of usage of symbols in a language.
[0032] In some embodiments, the second symbol for the respective
icon has a probability of occurrence immediately following the
first symbol for the respective icon that is less than a second
pre-determined value. In some embodiments, the first symbol for the
respective icon has a probability of occurrence immediately
following the second symbol for the respective icon that is less
than a second pre-determined value.
[0033] In some embodiments, the displayed respective icon is
modified to indicate that the contact corresponds to a respective
symbol. In some embodiments, a visual indicator corresponding to a
respective symbol is provided. The visual indicator may include
visual illumination proximate to the respective icon. The visual
illumination may include a band around at least a portion of the
respective icon.
[0034] In some embodiments, a method includes displaying a
plurality of icons on a touch-sensitive display. A respective icon
in at least a subset of the plurality of icons corresponds to two
or more symbols. A first symbol in the two or more symbols belongs
to a first subset of symbols and a second symbol in the two or more
symbols belongs to a second subset of symbols. The first symbol has
a probability of occurrence that is greater than a first
pre-determined value and the second symbol has a probability of
occurrence that is less than the first pre-determined value. A
contact by a user with the touch-sensitive display that corresponds
to a selection of the respective icon is detected. The contact
includes a respective gesture. A respective symbol in the two or
more symbols for the respective icon to which the contact further
corresponds is determined.
[0035] The probability of occurrence may be in accordance with a
user history. The probability of occurrence may be in accordance
with lexicography model. The lexicography model may include a
frequency of usage of symbols in a language. The second symbol may
have a probability of occurrence immediately following the first
symbol that is less than a second pre-determined value.
[0036] The first symbol may be selected using one or more tap
gestures and the second symbol may be selected using a swipe
gesture. A respective tap may include making contact with the
touch-sensitive display for a time interval less than a second
pre-determined value. Two or more consecutive taps may correspond
to the second symbol if a time interval between two or more
corresponding contacts is less than a third pre-determined
value.
[0037] In some embodiments, the displayed respective icon is
modified to indicate that the contact corresponds to the respective
symbol. In some embodiments, a visual indicator corresponding to
the respective symbol is provided. The visual indicator may include
visual illumination proximate to the respective icon. The visual
illumination may include a band around at least a portion of the
respective icon.
[0038] In some embodiments, the first subset of symbols includes e,
t, a, o, i, n, s, r and h. In some embodiments, the first subset of
symbols includes q, e, u, I, o, a, d, g, j, l, z, c, b, n and m. In
some embodiments, the first subset of symbols includes q, c, e, h,
I, l, n, o, r, t, u, w and y.
[0039] In some embodiments, the second subset of symbols includes
w, y and j. In some embodiments, the second subset of symbols
includes w, y, p, g and j. In some embodiments, the second subset
of symbols includes w, r, t, y, p, s, f, h, k, x and v. In some
embodiments, the second subset of symbols includes j, v, x and z.
In some embodiments, the second subset of symbols includes b, d, f,
g, j, k, m, p, q, s, v, x and z.
[0040] The aforementioned methods may be performed by a portable
electronic device having a touch-sensitive display with a graphical
user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or
more modules, programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory
for performing these methods. In some embodiments, the portable
electronic device provides a plurality of functions, including
wireless communication.
[0041] Instructions for performing the aforementioned methods may
be included in a computer program product configured for execution
by one or more processors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] For a better understanding of the aforementioned embodiments
of the invention as well as additional embodiments thereof,
reference should be made to the Description of Embodiments below,
in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference
numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.
[0043] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an
architecture for a portable electronic device.
[0044] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0045] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0046] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0047] FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0048] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process.
[0049] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
character set data structure.
[0050] FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0051] FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0052] FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0053] FIG. 6D is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0054] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process.
[0055] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0056] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process.
[0057] FIG. 10A is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
user word history data structure.
[0058] FIG. 10B is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
language data structure system.
[0059] FIG. 11A is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol
entry process.
[0060] FIG. 11B is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol
entry process.
[0061] FIG. 11C is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol
entry process.
[0062] FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
of a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0063] FIG. 12B is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
of a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0064] FIG. 12C is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
of a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0065] FIG. 12D is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
of a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0066] FIG. 12E is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
of a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0067] FIG. 12F is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
of a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0068] FIG. 12G is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment
of a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0069] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process.
[0070] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process.
[0071] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0072] FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process.
[0073] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
[0074] FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process.
[0075] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0076] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments,
examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In
the following detailed description, numerous specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary
skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced
without these specific details. In other instances, well-known
methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been
described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of
the embodiments.
[0077] Embodiments of user interfaces and associated processes for
using a device are described. In some embodiments, the device may
be a portable communications device. The user interface may include
a click wheel and/or touch screen. A click wheel is a physical
user-interface device that may provide navigation commands based on
an angular displacement of the wheel or a point of contact with the
wheel by a user of the device. A click wheel may also be used to
provide a user command corresponding to selection of one or more
items, for example, when the user of the device presses down on at
least a portion of the wheel. For simplicity, in the discussion
that follows, a portable communications device (e.g., a cellular
telephone that may also contain other functions, such as SMS, PDA
and/or music player functions) that includes a touch screen is used
as an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood, however, that
the user interfaces and associated processes may be applied to
other devices, such as personal computers and laptops, that may
include one or more other physical user-interface devices, such as
a click wheel, a keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick.
[0078] The device may support a variety of applications, such as a
telephone, text messaging, word processing, email and a music
player. The music player may be compatible with one or more file
formats, such as MP3 and/or AAC. In an exemplary embodiment, the
device includes an iPod music player (trademark of Apple Computer,
Inc.).
[0079] The various applications that may be executed on the device
may use at least one common physical user-interface device, such as
the touch screen. In embodiments that include a click wheel, one or
more functions of the click wheel as well as corresponding
information displayed on the device may be adjusted and/or varied
from one application to the next and/or within a respective
application. In this way, a common physical architecture (such as
the click wheel) of the device may support the variety of
applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and
transparent.
[0080] The user interfaces may include one or more keyboard
embodiments. The keyboard embodiments may include standard (qwerty)
and/or non-standard configurations of symbols on the displayed
icons of the keyboard. The keyboard embodiments may include a
reduced number of icons (or soft keys) relative to the number of
keys in existing physical keyboards, such as that for a typewriter.
This may make it easier for users to select one or more icons in
the keyboard, and thus, one or more corresponding symbols. The
keyboard embodiments may be adaptive. For example, displayed icons
may be modified in accordance with user actions, such as selecting
one or more icons and/or one or more corresponding symbols. One or
more applications on the portable device may utilize common and/or
different keyboard embodiments. Thus, the keyboard embodiment used
may be tailored to at least some of the applications. In some
embodiments, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a
respective user. For example, based on a word usage history
(lexicography, slang, individual usage) of the respective user.
Some of the keyboard embodiments may be adjusted to reduce a
probability of a user error when selecting one or more icons, and
thus one or more symbols, when using the keyboard embodiments.
[0081] Attention is now directed towards embodiments of the device.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture for a
portable electronic device 100, according to some embodiments of
the invention. The device 100 may include a memory 102 (which may
include one or more computer readable storage mediums), a memory
controller 122, one or more processing units (CPU's) 120, a
peripherals interface 118, RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, a
speaker 111, a microphone 113, an input/output (I/O) subsystem 106,
a display system 112 (which may include a touch screen), a click
wheel 114, other input or control devices 116, and an external port
124. These components may communicate over the one or more
communication buses or signal lines 103. The device 100 may be any
portable electronic device, including but not limited to a handheld
computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a media player, a
personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like, including a
combination of two or more of these items. In other embodiments,
the device 100 may not be portable, such as a personal
computer.
[0082] It should be appreciated that the device 100 is only one
example of a portable electronic device 100, and that the device
100 may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two
or more components, or a may have a different configuration or
arrangement of the components. The various components shown in FIG.
1 may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination of both
hardware and software, including one or more signal processing
and/or application specific integrated circuits.
[0083] The memory 102 may include high speed random access memory
and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more
magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other
non-volatile solid state memory devices. In some embodiments, the
memory 102 may further include storage remotely located from the
one or more processors 120, for instance network attached storage
accessed via the RF circuitry 108 or the external port 124 and a
communications network (not shown) such as the Internet,
intranet(s), Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Local Area Networks
(WLANs), Storage Area Networks (SANs) and the like, or any suitable
combination thereof. Access to the memory 102 by other components
of the device 100, such as the CPU 120 and the peripherals
interface 118, may be controlled by the memory controller 122.
[0084] The peripherals interface 118 couples the input and output
peripherals of the device to the CPU 120 and the memory 102. The
one or more processors 120 run or execute various software programs
and/or sets of instructions stored in the memory 102 to perform
various functions for the device 100 and to process data.
[0085] In some embodiments, the peripherals interface 118, the CPU
120, and the memory controller 122 may be implemented on a single
chip, such as a chip 104. In some other embodiments, they may be
implemented on separate chips.
[0086] The RF (radio frequency) circuitry 108 receives and sends
electromagnetic waves. The RF circuitry 108 converts electrical
signals to/from electromagnetic waves and communicates with
communications networks and other communications devices via the
electromagnetic waves. The RF circuitry 108 may include well-known
circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited
to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a
tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC
chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so
forth. The RF circuitry 108 may communicate with the networks, such
as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW), an
Intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone
network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan
area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication.
The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of
communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but
not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM),
Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), wideband code division
multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA),
time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity
(Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE
802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol
for email, instant messaging, and/or Short Message Service (SMS)),
or any other suitable communication protocol, including
communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of
this document.
[0087] The audio circuitry 110, the speaker 111, and the microphone
113 provide an audio interface between a user and the device 100.
The audio circuitry 110 receives audio data from the peripherals
interface 118, converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and
transmits the electrical signal to the speaker 111. The speaker 111
converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. The
audio circuitry 110 also receives electrical signals converted by
the microphone 113 from sound waves. The audio circuitry 110
converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the
audio data to the peripherals interface 118 for processing. Audio
data may be may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to the memory
102 and/or the RF circuitry 108 by the peripherals interface 118.
In some embodiments, the audio circuitry 110 also includes a
headset jack (not shown). The headset jack provides an interface
between the audio circuitry 110 and removable audio input/output
peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a headset with both
output (headphone for one or both ears) and input (microphone).
[0088] The I/O subsystem 106 provides the interface between
input/output peripherals on the device 100, such as the display
system 112, the click wheel 114 and other input/control devices
116, and the peripherals interface 118. The I/O subsystem 106 may
include a display controller 156, a click wheel controller 158 and
one or more input controllers 160 for other input or control
devices. The one or more input controllers 160 receive/send
electrical signals from/to other input or control devices 160. The
other input/control devices 160 may include physical buttons (e.g.,
push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches,
sticks, and so forth.
[0089] The display system 112 provides an output interface and/or
an input interface between the device and a user. The display
controller 156 receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to the
display system 112. The display system 112 displays visual output
to the user. The visual output may include text, icons, graphics,
video, and any combination thereof. In some embodiments, some or
all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects,
further details of which are described below.
[0090] In some embodiments, such as those that include a touch
screen, the display system 112 also accepts input from the user
based on haptic and/or tactile contact. In embodiments with a touch
screen, the display system 112 forms a touch-sensitive surface that
accepts user input. In these embodiments, the display system 112
and the display controller 156 (along with any associated modules
and/or sets of instructions in the memory 102) detect contact (and
any movement or breaking of the contact) on the display system 112
and converts the detected contact into interaction with
user-interface objects, such as one or more soft keys, that are
displayed on a touch screen. In an exemplary embodiment, a point of
contact between a touch screen in the display system 112 and the
user corresponds to one or more digits of the user.
[0091] In embodiments with a touch screen, the touch screen in the
display system 112 may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology,
or LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, although other
display technologies may be used in other embodiments. A touch
screen in the display system 112 and the display controller 156 may
detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a
plurality of touch sensitivity technologies, including but not
limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic
wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or
other elements for determining one or more points of contact with a
touch screen in the display system 112. A touch-sensitive display
in some embodiments of the display system 112 may be analogous to
the multi-touch sensitive tablets described in the following U.S.
Pat. Nos. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), 6,570,557 (Westerman et
al.), and/or 6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication
2002/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
However, a touch screen in the display system 112 displays visual
output from the portable device 100, whereas touch sensitive
tablets do not provide visual output. The touch screen in the
display system 112 may have a resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In
an exemplary embodiment, the touch screen in the display system may
have a resolution of approximately 168 dpi. The user may make
contact with the touch screen in the display system 112 using any
suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, finger, and so
forth.
[0092] In some embodiments, in addition to touch screen, the device
100 may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or
deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the
touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the
touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a
touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the touch screen in
the display system 112 or an extension of the touch-sensitive
surface formed by the touch screen.
[0093] The device 100 may include a click wheel 114. A user may
navigate among one or more graphical objects (henceforth referred
to as icons) displayed in the display system 112 by rotating the
click wheel 114 or by moving (e.g., angular displacement) of a
point of contact with the click wheel 114. The click wheel 114 may
also be used to select one or more of the displayed icons. For
example, the user may press down on at least a portion of the click
wheel 114 or an associated physical button. User commands and
navigation commands provided by the user via the click wheel 114
may be processed by the click wheel controller 158 as well as one
or more of the modules and/or sets of instructions in the memory
102.
[0094] The device 100 also includes a power system 162 for powering
the various components. The power system 162 may include a power
management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery,
alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure
detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status
indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other
components associated with the generation, management and
distribution of power in portable devices.
[0095] In some embodiments, the software components stored in the
memory 102 may include an operating system 126, a communication
module (or set of instructions) 128, a contact/motion module (or
set of instructions) 130, a graphics module (or set of
instructions) 132, one or more applications (or set of
instructions) 136, a timer module (or set of instructions) 144, a
word prediction module (or set of instructions) 146, an address
book 148, a user word history 150, one or more character sets 152,
and one or more lexicography models 154. The graphics module 132
may include an icon effects module (or set of instructions) 134.
The applications module 136 may include a telephone module (or set
of instructions) 138, a text messaging module (or set of
instructions) 140 and/or a music player module (or set of
instructions) 142.
[0096] The operating system 126 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX,
OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks)
includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling
and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage
device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates
communication between various hardware and software components.
[0097] The communication module 128 facilitates communication with
other devices over one or more external ports 124 and also includes
various software components for handling data received by the RF
circuitry 108 and/or the external port 124. The external port 124
(e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for
coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network
(e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.).
[0098] The contact/motion module 130 may detect contact with the
click wheel 114 and/or a touch screen in the display system 112 (in
conjunction with the display controller 156). The contact/motion
module 130 includes various software components for performing
various operations related to detection of contact, such as
determining if contact has occurred, determining if there is
movement of the contact and tracking the movement across the click
wheel 114 and/or a touch screen in the display system 112, and
determining if the contact has been broken (i.e., if the contact
has ceased). Determining movement of the point of contact may
include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and
direction), and/or an acceleration (including magnitude and/or
direction) of the point of contact. In some embodiments, the
contact/motion module 130 and the display controller 156 also
detect contact on a touchpad.
[0099] The graphics module 132 includes various known software
components for rendering and displaying graphics on the display
system 112. Note that the term "graphics" includes any object that
can be displayed to a user, including without limitation text, web
pages, icons (such as user-interface objects including soft keys),
digital images, videos, animations and the like.
[0100] In some embodiments, the graphics module 132 includes the
icon effects module 134. The icon effects module 134 may modify a
displayed position of one or more icons on the display system 112
(in conjunction with the display controller 156) based on user
actions (such as detecting a contact corresponding to at least one
icon). In some embodiments, the modification of the displayed
icon(s) may be based on an animation sequence.
[0101] In addition to the telephone module 138, the text messaging
module 140 and/or the music player module 142, the one or more
applications 136 may include any applications installed on the
device 100, including without limitation, a browser, the address
book 148, contact list, email, instant messaging, word processing,
keyboard emulation, widgets, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption,
digital rights management, voice recognition, voice replication,
location determination capability (such as that provided by the
global positioning system (GPS)), etc.
[0102] In conjunction with the RF circuitry 108, the audio
circuitry 110, the speaker 111, the microphone 113, the display
system 112, the display controller 156, the click wheel 114 and/or
the click wheel controller 158, the telephone module 138 may be
used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to a telephone
number, access one or more telephone numbers in the address book
148, modify a telephone number that has been entered, dial a
respective telephone number, conduct a conversation and disconnect
or hang up when the conversation is completed.
[0103] In conjunction with the display system 112, the display
controller 156, the click wheel 114 and/or the click wheel
controller 158, the text messaging module 140 may be used to enter
a sequence of characters corresponding to a text message, to modify
previously entered characters, to transmit a respective text
message (for example, using a Short Message Service or SMS
protocol), to receive text messages and to view received text
messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received text
messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files
and/or other attachments as are supported in a Multimedia Message
Service (MMS) and/or an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS).
Embodiments of user interfaces and associated processes
corresponding to the symbol entry, such as with the text messaging
module 140, and more generally, to text entry and communication are
described further below with reference to FIGS. 2-4, 6-9 and
11-20.
[0104] In conjunction with the display system 112, the display
system controller 156, the click wheel 114, the click wheel
controller 158, the audio circuitry 110, the speaker 111 and/or the
microphone 113, the music player module 142 allows the user to play
back recorded music stored in one or more files, such as MP3 or AAC
files. In some embodiments, the device 100 may include the
functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple
Computer, Inc.). The device 100 may, therefore, include a 36-pin
connector that is compatible with the iPod.
[0105] The timer module 144 may provide a time reference and/or
time stamps for user commands received by the device 100, for
example, using the click wheel 114 and the click wheel controller
158.
[0106] The word prediction module 146 may be used in conjunction
with one or more of the applications 136, such as the text
messaging module 140. The word prediction module 146 may suggest
one or more words or symbols (such as punctuation marks,
pronunciation marks or spaces) in accordance with a context. The
context may be based on one or more of the lexicography models 154
(for example, grammatical and/or syntax rules associated with one
or more languages) and/or a user word history 150. The context may
include one or more previously entered words, characters, and/or
symbols. The context may depend on which of the applications 136 is
being used. For example, there may be different contexts for an
email application as opposed to a word processing application. A
user interface and associated process that include recommended
words from the word prediction module 146 are discussed further
below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.
[0107] The user word history 150 may include static content (such
as that associated with a dictionary) and/or dynamic content (such
as that associated with characters, symbols and/or words that are
routinely and/or recently used by the user). The user word history
150 may include a static dictionary built up by scanning a user's
address book, emails, and other documents. The user word history
150 may include weighted scores or probabilities for predicted
words based on a set of characters, symbols and/or words that are
provided by the user to the device 100, for example, using the
display system 112, the click wheel 114 and the click wheel
controller 158. The user word history 150 may also include use
statistics (e.g., time of use and/or frequency of use) of one or
more characters, symbols and/or words that are provided by the
user. The user word history 150 is discussed further below with
reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.
[0108] The character sets 152 may include one or more sets of
characters corresponding to numbers, letters and/or symbols. The
letters and/or symbols may correspond to one or more languages. The
character sets 152 may be used by one or more of the applications
136, such as the text messaging module 140. A data structure
associated with the one or more character sets (which may be used
in one or more of the keyboard embodiments) is discussed further
below with reference to FIG. 5.
[0109] In some embodiments, the device 100 may include one or more
optional optical sensors (not shown), such as CMOS or CCD image
sensors, for use in imaging applications.
[0110] In some embodiments, the device 100 is a device where
operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is
performed exclusively through a touch screen in the display system
112 and/or a touchpad. By using a touch screen and/or a touchpad as
the primary input/control device for operation of the device 100,
the number of physical input/control devices (such as push buttons,
dials, and the like) on the device 100 may be reduced. In one
embodiment, the device 100 includes a touch screen, a touchpad, a
push button for powering the device on/off and locking the device,
a volume adjustment rocker button and a slider switch for toggling
ringer profiles. The push button may be used to turn the power
on/off on the device by depressing the button and holding the
button in the depressed state for a predefined time interval, or
may be used to lock the device by depressing the button and
releasing the button before the predefined time interval has
elapsed. In an alternative embodiment, the device 100 also may
accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some
functions through the microphone 113.
[0111] The predefined set of functions that are performed
exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include
navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the
touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates the device 100 to a
main, home, or root menu from any user interface that may be
displayed on the device 100. In such embodiments, the touchpad may
be referred to as a "menu button." In some other embodiments, the
menu button may be a physical push button or other physical
input/control device instead of a touchpad.
[0112] In some embodiments, the device 100 is a device where
operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is
performed exclusively or primarily through the click wheel 114. By
using the click wheel 114 as the primary input/control device for
operation of the device 100, the number of other physical
input/control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like)
on the device 100 may be reduced.
[0113] Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user
interfaces and associated processes that may be implemented on the
device 100. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an
embodiment of a user interface for a portable electronic device
200. The device 200 includes a touch screen 208. The touch screen
may display one or more trays. A tray is a region within a
graphical user interface. One tray may include a user entry
interface, such as a keyboard 210 that includes a plurality of
icons. The icons may include one or more symbols. In this
embodiment, as well as others described below, a user may select
one or more of the icons, and thus, one or more of the
corresponding symbols, by making contact or touching the keyboard
210, for example, with one or more fingers 212 (not drawn to scale
in the figure). The contact may correspond to the one or more
icons. In some embodiments, selection of one or more icons occurs
when the user breaks contact with the one or more icons. In some
embodiments, the contact may include a gesture, such as one or more
taps, one or more swipes (from left to right, right to left, upward
and/or downward) and/or a rolling of a finger (from right to left,
left to right, upward and/or downward) that has made contact with
the device 200. In some embodiments, in advertent contact with an
icon may not select a corresponding symbol. For example, a swipe
gesture with an icon may not select a corresponding symbol when the
gesture corresponding to selection is a tap.
[0114] The device 200 may include a display tray 214. The display
tray 214 may display one or more of the characters and/or symbols
that are selected by the user. The device 200 may also include one
or more physical buttons, such as the clear, hold and menu buttons
shown in FIG. 2. As described previously, the menu button may be
used to navigate within a hierarchy of applications that may be
executed on the device 200. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the
clear, hold, and/or menu buttons are implemented as soft keys in a
GUI in touch screen 208.
[0115] FIGS. 3A-3C are schematic diagrams illustrating an
embodiment of a user interface for a portable electronic device
300. The user interface includes a keyboard 310 that includes a
plurality of icons. The icons include three symbols each. In other
embodiments, the icons include two symbols each. In other
embodiments, different icons on the same keyboard may include one,
two, or three symbols each (e.g., some icons may contain one symbol
while other icons contain two or three symbols). The symbols on the
icons are in a non-standard configuration, i.e., non-qwerty. In
addition, the total number of icons in the keyboard 310 is less
than the number of physical keys in a standard keyboard.
[0116] The symbols in the icons in the keyboard 310 may be
determined using a lexicography model, such as a language. The
lexicography model may include a frequency of use of symbols in a
language. For example, characters or symbols that are unlikely to
occur immediately proximate to one another or immediately after one
another in a set of symbols that the user may enter may be grouped
on a respective icon 312 (FIG. 3B). A language may include slang as
well as individual usage (for example, words that are commonly used
by the user). The lexicography model may correspond to a user usage
or word history that occurs prior to the user making contact with
the device 300, i.e., a past usage.
[0117] As shown in FIG. 3B, when a user makes contact 314 with the
touch screen 208 in the device 300 corresponding to the respective
icon 312 and a respective symbol (in this case a letter `a`), the
shape of the respective icon 312 is modified. This provides
information to the user as to which icon and which symbol the
contact 314 currently corresponds. This may be useful since the
contact 314 may obscure at least a portion of the respective icon
312 making it difficult for the user to see the respective symbol
he or she is currently positioned on.
[0118] In an exemplary embodiment, the icons in the keyboard 310
may at least in part include an arc. In response to the contact
314, the shape of the respective icon 312 may be asymmetrically
distorted and the respective symbol that the contact 314 currently
corresponds to may be displayed within the shape of the respective
icon 312 and outside of the contact 314.
[0119] In some embodiments, the user may select the respective
symbol by making the contact 314 with the respective icon 312 and
rolling a finger over a region within the respective icon 312 that
corresponds to the respective symbol. If the user determines, based
on the modified shape of the respective icon 312 and/or the
displayed symbol within the modified shape that the wrong symbol is
currently contacted, the user may roll their finger to a different
position within the respective icon 312 that corresponds to the
correct symbol. Once the contact 314 has been positioned over or
proximate to the correct symbol, the user may select this symbol by
breaking the contact 314 with the respective icon 312. The selected
symbol (such as the letter `a`) may then be displayed in the
display tray 214. In some embodiments, if the contact 314 is
maintained by the user for a time interval that is more than a
first pre-determined value, such as 0.5, 1 or 2 s, before the
contact 314 is broken, the respective symbol may be
capitalized.
[0120] If an error has been made, the user may clear the entire
display tray 214 using a clear icon or may delete a most recently
selected symbol using a delete icon. Once a set of symbols (such as
a message) has been entered, the user may accept the set of symbols
(which may store and/or send the set of symbols depending on the
application executing on the device 300) using an accept icon.
[0121] As shown in FIG. 3C, in some embodiments an additional
visual indicator corresponding to the respective icon 312 may be
provided on the display 208. The visual indicator may be proximate
to the respective icon 312. The visual indicator may include a band
318 around at least a portion of the respective icon 312.
[0122] As is also shown in FIG. 3C, in some embodiments a shape of
the respective icon 312 may not be modified in response to the
contact 314. Instead, an icon 316 corresponding to the respective
symbol 316 may be displayed proximate to the respective icon
312.
[0123] The modifying of the shape of the respective icon 312 and/or
the displaying of the visual indicator, such as the band 318 and/or
the icon 316, may be included in at least some of the embodiments
discussed further below.
[0124] While the device 300 has been illustrated with certain
components and a particular arrangement of these components, it
should be understood that there may be fewer or more components,
two or more components may be combined, and positions of one or
more components may be changed. For example, the keyboard 310 may
include fewer or additional icons. In some embodiments, a different
character set and/or different groups of symbols may be used on the
icons in the keyboard 310.
[0125] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process 400. While the symbol entry process 400 described below
includes a number of operations that appear to occur in a specific
order, it should be apparent that the process 400 can include more
or fewer operations, which can be executed serially or in parallel
(e.g., using parallel processors or a multi-threading environment),
an order of two or more operations may be changed and/or two or
more operations may be combined into a single operation.
[0126] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (410). A respective icon may correspond to two or more
symbols. Contact by a user with the display that corresponds to the
respective icon may be detected (412). The displayed respective
icon may be modified to indicate that the contact corresponds to a
respective symbol in the two or more symbols (414). The respective
symbol may be optionally displayed in a region within the shape of
the respective icon and outside of a region corresponding to the
contact (416). A visual indicator corresponding to the respective
symbol may be optionally provided (418). The respective symbol may
be optionally capitalized when contact is maintained for a time
interval exceeding a pre-determined value (420). The respective
symbol may be selected when the user breaks contact with the
respective icon (422).
[0127] Attention is now directed towards embodiments of a character
set data structure that may be used in implementing the user
interface in the device 300 (FIG. 3) and/or user interfaces
described further below. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an
embodiment of a character set data structure 500. The character
sets 152 may include multiple sets 512 of characters and/or
symbols. A respective set, such as the set 512-1, may include one
or more symbols 514 and one or more probabilities 516. The
probabilities may include frequencies of occurrence of use, as well
as conditional probabilities (such as the probability of a given
symbol occurring given one or more symbols that have already
occurred). In some embodiments the character set data structure 500
may include fewer or more components. Two or more components may be
combined and an order of two or more components may be changed.
[0128] Attention is now directed towards additional embodiments of
user interfaces and associated processes that may be implemented on
the device 100 (FIG. 1). FIGS. 6A-6D are schematic diagrams
illustrating an embodiment of a user interface for a portable
electronic device 600. The device 600 includes a keyboard 610 that
has a plurality of icons arranged in rows. A given row includes a
subset of the plurality of icons. Adjacent rows are separated by a
space greater than a second pre-determined value, such as a height
of one of the icons.
[0129] As shown in FIG. 6B, when the user makes a contact 612 with
the display 208 corresponding to a respective icon in the keyboard
610, an icon 614 may be displayed in the space between two adjacent
rows. The icon may correspond to a respective symbol that
corresponds to the respective icon that the user has contacted 612.
For example, if the user contacts or is proximate to an icon for
the character `u` in the keyboard 610, the icon 614 may correspond
to the character `u`. In this way, the user may receive feedback
that the respective icon (and thus, the respective symbol) is
currently contacted. This may be useful because the contact 612 may
obscure the respective icon, and thus, the respective symbol, that
has been selected in the rows of icons.
[0130] In some embodiments, the icon 614 may be displayed above a
respective row in which the contact 612 has occurred. In some
embodiments, the icon 614 may be magnified, i.e., larger, than the
respective icon.
[0131] The icon 614 may be displayed while the contact 612 is
maintained. When the user breaks the contact 612 with the
respective icon, the respective symbol may be selected. In some
embodiments, the respective symbol may be displayed in the display
tray 214.
[0132] As shown in FIG. 6C, in some embodiments a keyboard 616 may
be displayed with rows of icons. Initially, the rows of icons may
not include a significant space between adjacent rows, e.g., the
space may be less than the second pre-determined value. When the
user makes the contact 612 with the display 208, however, the
displayed keyboard 616 may be modified to include a space greater
the second pre-determined value and the icon 614 may be displayed.
This modified configuration or layout of the keyboard 616 may be
maintained while the contact 612 is maintained by the user.
[0133] As shown in FIG. 6D, in some embodiments a keyboard 618 may
include rows of icons. When the contact 612 is made, an icon 620
may be displayed superimposed over at least one or more additional
icons in the keyboard 618.
[0134] While the device 600 has been illustrated with certain
components and a particular arrangement of these components, it
should be understood that there may be fewer or more components,
two or more components may be combined, and positions of one or
more components may be changed. For example, the keyboards 610, 616
and/or 618 may include fewer or additional icons. In some
embodiments, a different character set and/or different groups of
symbols may be used on the icons in the keyboards 610, 616 and/or
618.
[0135] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process 700. While the symbol entry process 700 described below
includes a number of operations that appear to occur in a specific
order, it should be apparent that the process 700 can include more
or fewer operations, which can be executed serially or in parallel
(e.g., using parallel processors or a multi-threading environment),
an order of two or more operations may be changed and/or two or
more operations may be combined into a single operation.
[0136] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (710). Two or more subsets of the plurality of icons may be
arranged in rows. A contact by a user with the display that
corresponds to a respective icon may be detected (712). A symbol
corresponding to the respective icon may be optionally displayed
between a row corresponding to the respective icon and a
neighboring row (714). A symbol corresponding to the respective
icon may be optionally displayed superimposed over one or more
additional icons in the plurality of icons (716).
[0137] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device 800. The device
800 may include a tray 812 that includes one or more recommended
words 810. The one or more recommended words 810 may be determined
using a user word history. This is discussed further below with
reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.
[0138] In some embodiments, the one or more recommended words 810
are displayed prior to detecting any contacts corresponding to text
input (symbol selection) by the user in a current application
session. For example, the one or more recommended words 810 may be
displayed when the user initially opens an application, such as
email, on the device 800. The one or more recommended words 810,
therefore, may be determined based on a user word or usage history
that may be application specific. After the device 800 receives
contacts corresponding to text input, the one or more recommended
words 810 may change dynamically in response to contacts
corresponding to text input by the user during the application
session.
[0139] The user may select one or more of the recommended words 810
by making contact with the display 208. In some embodiments, one or
more of the recommended words 810, such as a phrase ("How are
you?"), may be selected with a single contact. The contact may
include a gesture, such as one or more taps, one or more swipes,
and/or a rolling motion of a finger that makes the contact. The one
or more taps may have a duration that is less than a third
pre-determined value, such as 0.1, 0.5 or 1 s.
[0140] While the device 800 has been illustrated with certain
components and a particular arrangement of these components, it
should be understood that there may be fewer or more components,
two or more components may be combined, and positions of one or
more components may be changed. For example, the keyboard 210 may
include fewer or additional icons. In some embodiments, a different
character set and/or different groups of symbols may be used on the
icons in the keyboard 210.
[0141] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol entry
process 900. While the symbol entry process 900 described below
includes a number of operations that appear to occur in a specific
order, it should be apparent that the process 900 can include more
or fewer operations, which can be executed serially or in parallel
(e.g., using parallel processors or a multi-threading environment),
an order of two or more operations may be changed and/or two or
more operations may be combined into a single operation.
[0142] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (910). A respective icon may correspond to at least one
symbol. One or more recommended words may be displayed (912). The
one or more recommended words may be in accordance with a user
history prior to detecting any contacts corresponding to text input
(symbol selection) by the user in a current application session. A
contact by the user with the display may be detected (914). The
contact may include a gesture. A respective recommended word that
corresponds to the gesture may be selected (916).
[0143] Attention is now directed towards embodiments of data
structure systems that may be implementing in the device 100 (FIG.
1). FIG. 10A is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
user word history data structure 1000. The user word history 150
may include a deleted word stack 1010 and multiple words 1016. The
words 1016 may include one or more characters and/or one or more
symbols. The deleted word stack 1010 includes one or more words
1014 in a sequential order in which the one or more words 1014 were
deleted by the user in an application, such as the text messaging
module 140 (FIG. 1).
[0144] A respective word in the words 1016, such as word 1016-M,
may include multiple records. A respective record may include a
time-weighted score 1018, use statistics 1020 (such as a time of
use and/or a frequency of use), a context 1022 and one or more
applications 1024. The time-weighted score 1018 may indicate a
probability that the word 1016-M is a next predicted word based on
the context 1022 (one or more characters, symbols and/or words that
have previously been provided by the user) and/or the application
1024. For example, the time-weighted score 1018 may therefore be
different for email than for the text messaging module 140 (FIG.
1). The time-weighted score 1018 may be computed to favorably
weight (e.g., give a higher probability) to words that are used
recently. For example, the time-weighted score 1018 may give
favorable weighting to words 1016 that are used within the last 24
hours or week. Words 1016 used on longer time scales (e.g., more
than a day or a week ago) may have their corresponding
time-weighted scores 1018 reduced by a pre-determined ratio (such
as 0.9) for each additional time interval (e.g., each day or week)
since the words 1016 were last used.
[0145] The user history data structure 1000 may include static
information (for example, corresponding to a dictionary and/or
grammatical and syntax rules for one or more languages) as well as
dynamic information (based on recent usage statistics and/or
patterns). Thus, the user history data structure 1000 may be
dynamically updated continuously, after pre-determined time
intervals, or when a new word or syntax is employed by the user.
The user history data structure 1000 may include a static
dictionary built up by scanning a user's address book, emails, and
other documents. In some embodiments the user history data
structure 1000 may include fewer or more components. Two or more
components may be combined and an order of two or more components
may be changed.
[0146] FIG. 10B is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
language data structure system 1050. The language data structure
system 1050 may be used to provide recommended words in the device
800 (FIG. 8). A sequence of symbols 1062 (including one or more
characters, symbols and/or words) may be provided by the user. A
set of symbols 1062 corresponding to a context 1022-1 may be
processed by a context map 1060. In some embodiments, the context
1022-1 may be a null set, i.e., one or more recommended words are
provided before the user provides any symbols 1062 (e.g., when an
application is first opened). In other embodiments, the context
1022-1 may include one or more previously entered or provided words
as well as one or more symbols, such as the first one, two or three
letters in a current word that the user is providing. The context
map 1060 may include a select and hashing module 1064 and a hash
map 1066. The hash map 1066 may select one or more appropriate
entries in an application-specific dictionary 1068. The entries in
the application-specific dictionary 1068 may include contexts 1070,
predicted words 1072, and time-weighted scores 1074. The
application-specific dictionary 1068 may utilize the records in the
user history data structure 1000. As a consequence, the
application-specific dictionary 1068 may be dynamically updated
continuously, after pre-determined time intervals, or when a new
word or syntax is employed by the user.
[0147] The language data structure system 1050 may be used to
provide one or more recommended words based on the context 1022-1.
The context map may find a top-5 or top-10 best context 1070
matches. The corresponding predicted words 1072 may be recommended
to the user in accordance with the time-weighted scores 1074. In
some embodiments, only a subset of the predicted words 1072
corresponding to the best context 1070 matches may be presented to
the user (e.g., just the top-1, top-2, or top-3 predicted
words).
[0148] In some embodiments, the language data structure system 1050
may provide one or more recommended words in accordance with a
state machine (corresponding to a Markov sequence or process) that
corresponds to a language. For example, the application-specific
dictionary 1068 may be based on a stochastic model of the
relationships among letters, characters, symbols and/or words in a
language.
[0149] A path memory (such as up to three characters in a word that
is currently being entered and/or two or three previously entered
words) of the probabilistic model represents a tradeoff between
accuracy and the processing and power capabilities (for example,
battery life) of the portable electronic device 100 (FIG. 1). In
some embodiments, such a probabilistic model may be based on a
lexicography and usage that is user-specific and/or, as discussed
previously, even application specific. For example, user emails,
address book and/or other documents may be analyzed to determine an
appropriate probabilistic model for that user based on the syntax
and/or lexicography (including names and slang) that are employed
by the user. The probabilistic model may be updated continuously,
after pre-determined time intervals, or when a new word or syntax
is employed by the user.
[0150] In some embodiments, the probabilistic model may be based on
one or more mistakes made by the user when using the click wheel
114 (FIG. 1) and/or a touch-sensitive display in the display system
112 (FIG. 1). For example, if the user accidentally selects the
wrong icon when typing a respective word, the probabilistic model
may be updated to account for such errors in the future. In an
exemplary embodiment, a mistake may be determined based on a user
activation of an icon corresponding to the delete function. This
adaptability of the portable electronic device 100 (FIG. 1) may
allow correction of user interface errors (such as parallax and/or
left-right symmetry) associated with which finger(s) the user is
using and how the user is holding the portable electronic device
100 (FIG. 1) while using it. This functionality is discussed
further below with reference to FIG. 14.
[0151] In some embodiments the language data structure system 1050
may include fewer or more components. Two or more components may be
combined and an order of two or more components may be changed.
[0152] Attention is now directed towards additional embodiments of
user interfaces and associated processes that may be implemented on
the device 100 (FIG. 1). FIG. 11A is a flow diagram of an
embodiment of a symbol entry process 1100. While the symbol entry
process 1100 described below includes a number of operations that
appear to occur in a specific order, it should be apparent that the
process 1100 can include more or fewer operations, which can be
executed serially or in parallel (e.g., using parallel processors
or a multi-threading environment), an order of two or more
operations may be changed and/or two or more operations may be
combined into a single operation.
[0153] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (1110). A respective icon may correspond to two or more
symbols. A contact by a user with the display that corresponds to
selection of the respective icon may be detected (1112). A symbol
in the two or more symbols for which the contact further
corresponds may be determined (1114).
[0154] FIG. 11B is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol
entry process 1130. While the symbol entry process 1130 described
below includes a number of operations that appear to occur in a
specific order, it should be apparent that the process 1130 can
include more or fewer operations, which can be executed serially or
in parallel (e.g., using parallel processors or a multi-threading
environment), an order of two or more operations may be changed
and/or two or more operations may be combined into a single
operation.
[0155] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (1132). A respective icon may correspond to two or more
symbols. A first symbol may belong to a first subset of symbols and
a second symbol may belong to a second subset of symbols. The first
symbol may have a probability of occurrence greater than the second
symbol. A contact by a user with the display that corresponds to
selection of the respective icon may be detected (1134). A symbol
in the two or more symbols for which the contact further
corresponds may be determined (1136).
[0156] FIG. 11C is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a symbol
entry process 1150. While the symbol entry process 1150 described
below includes a number of operations that appear to occur in a
specific order, it should be apparent that the process 1150 can
include more or fewer operations, which can be executed serially or
in parallel (e.g., using parallel processors or a multi-threading
environment), an order of two or more operations may be changed
and/or two or more operations may be combined into a single
operation.
[0157] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (1152). A respective icon may correspond to two or more
symbols. A first symbol may belong to a first subset of symbols and
a second symbol may belong to a second subset of symbols. The
second symbol may have a probability of occurrence immediately
following the first symbol that is less than a pre-determined
value. A contact by a user with the display that corresponds to
selection of the respective icon may be detected (1154). A symbol
in the two or more symbols for which the contact further
corresponds may be determined (1156).
[0158] FIGS. 12A-12G are schematic diagrams illustrating
embodiments of a user interface for a portable electronic device
1200. These embodiments may utilize the symbol entry processes 1100
(FIG. 11A), 1130 (FIG. 11B) and/or 1150 (FIG. 11C) described
previously. As shown in FIG. 12A, the device 1200 may include a
keyboard 1210 with a plurality of icons. A respective icon may
include two or more symbols. A first symbol for a respective icon
may be selected by the user using a first gesture. A second symbol
for a respective icon may be selected by the user using a second
gesture. The first gesture may include a continuous contact with
the display 208 and the second gesture may include a discontinuous
contact with the display 208.
[0159] The continuous contact may include a swipe and/or a rolling
motion of the contact. The discontinuous contact may include one or
more consecutive taps. A respective tap may include contact with
the display 208 for a time interval that is less than a fourth
pre-determined value, such as 0.1, 0.5 or 1 s. In some embodiments,
two or more consecutive taps may correspond to a second symbol if a
time interval between the two or more consecutive taps is less than
a fifth pre-determined value, such as 0.1, 0.5 or 1 s.
[0160] In some embodiments, the first symbol is in a first subset
of the symbols in the character set displayed in the keyboard 1210
and the second symbol is in a second subset of the symbols in the
character set displayed in the keyboard 1210. The first subset may
have a probability of occurrence that is greater than a sixth
pre-determined value and the second subset may have a probability
of occurrence that is less than the sixth pre-determined value.
Thus, the first subset may include symbols that are more likely to
occur, for example, in a language (using a lexicography model)
and/or based on a user history. The gesture used to select the
first symbol may, therefore, be easier or quicker for the user to
make. For example, the first gesture may be a tap gesture and the
second gesture may be a swipe gesture. This is illustrated in FIG.
12A. The gestures needed to select corresponding symbols for a
respective icon may be indicated on the icon. For example, a dot on
the icon may correspond to a tap and a horizontal line on the icon
may correspond to a dash. This `tap-dash` embodiment is an example
of a two-gesture keyboard. Additional examples are discussed
below.
[0161] In some embodiments, the first symbol may have a probability
of occurrence immediately after the second symbol that is less than
a seventh pre-determined value. In some embodiments, the second
symbol may have a probability of occurrence immediately after the
first symbol that is less than a seventh pre-determined value. This
arrangement or grouping of the symbols displayed on the icons may
reduce errors when using the keyboard 1210 because the user will be
less likely to make a first gesture for the first symbol
corresponding to a respective icon and then make the second gesture
for the second symbol corresponding to the respective icon (or vice
versa). Gestures for different symbols on the respective icon may,
therefore, be separated by a time interval that is large enough to
reduce a likelihood of inadvertently selecting a respective symbol
using consecutive gestures for symbols corresponding to the
respective icon.
[0162] FIGS. 12B-12G illustrate additional multi-gesture keyboards.
For the icons in keyboards 1212, 1214, 1216, 1218, 1220 and 1222, a
first symbol for a respective icon in these keyboards may be
selected with a first gesture (for example, a single tap) and a
second symbol for the respective icon may be selected using a
second gesture (for example, two consecutive taps). The keyboard
1222 in FIG. 12G includes some icons that correspond to more than
two symbols. These symbols may be selected by making additional
gestures, such as three consecutive taps. In some embodiments, a
second or third symbol for the respective icon may be selected by
the user by first contacting a meta key, such as a shift key, and
then contacting and/or breaking contact with the respective
icon.
[0163] While the device 1200 has been illustrated with certain
components and a particular arrangement of these components, it
should be understood that there may be fewer or more components,
two or more components may be combined, and positions of one or
more components may be changed. For example, the keyboards 1210,
1212, 1214, 1216, 1218, 1220 and/or 1222 may include fewer or
additional icons. In some embodiments, a different character set
and/or different groups of symbols may be used on the icons in the
keyboard 1210, 1212, 1214, 1216, 1218, 1220 and/or 1222.
[0164] In some embodiments, the user selects symbols by breaking a
contact with one or more icons on the display 208. In other
embodiments, however, the user may select one or more symbols
without breaking contact with the display 208. For example, the
user may pause or maintain contact over the respective icon for a
time interval longer than an eighth pre-determined value (such as
0.1, 0.5 or 1 s) before moving on to the next icon and
corresponding symbol. In the process, the user may maintain contact
with the display. In other embodiments, selection of the respective
icon and corresponding symbol may occur by increasing a contact
pressure with the display 208 while maintaining the contact with
the display.
[0165] A flow chart for a symbol entry process 1300 corresponding
to embodiments where contact is not broken is shown in FIG. 13.
While the symbol entry process 1300 described below includes a
number of operations that appear to occur in a specific order, it
should be apparent that the process 1300 can include more or fewer
operations, which can be executed serially or in parallel (e.g.,
using parallel processors or a multi-threading environment), an
order of two or more operations may be changed and/or two or more
operations may be combined into a single operation.
[0166] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (1310). A respective icon may correspond to at least one
symbol. A contact by a user with the display may be detected
(1312). Positions of the contact corresponding to a sequence of
icons may be determined (1314). The at least one symbol may be
selected when a respective position of the contact corresponds to
the respective icon for a time interval exceeding a pre-determined
value (1316).
[0167] As discussed previously, the user may make errors when using
a touch screen in the display system 112 (FIG. 1). The device 100
(FIG. 1) may, therefore, adapt an offset between an estimated
contact and an actual contact in accordance with such errors.
Feedback may be provided by the user activating an icon
corresponding to a delete key. The offset may be applied to one or
more icons. In some embodiments, there may be more than one offset
and a respective offset may be applied to a respective subset that
includes one or more icons in a plurality of the icons in a
keyboard or other user interface. The adaptation may occur
continuously, after a pre-determined time interval and/or if an
excessive number of user errors occur (e.g., as evidenced by a
frequency of use of the delete icon). The adaptation may occur
during a normal mode of operation of the device 100 (FIG. 1),
rather than requiring the user to implement a separate keyboard
training/adaptation mode.
[0168] A flow chart for a symbol entry process 1400 corresponding
to such embodiments is shown in FIG. 14. While the symbol entry
process 1400 described below includes a number of operations that
appear to occur in a specific order, it should be apparent that the
process 1400 can include more or fewer operations, which can be
executed serially or in parallel (e.g., using parallel processors
or a multi-threading environment), an order of two or more
operations may be changed and/or two or more operations may be
combined into a single operation.
[0169] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (1410). A respective icon may correspond to at least one
symbol. A contact by a user with the display may be detected
(1412). An estimated contact that corresponds to the respective
icon and the at least one symbol may be determined in accordance
with the actual contact and pre-determined offset (1414). One or
more corrections for one or more errors in one or more selected
symbols may be received (1416). The offset for at least the
respective icon may be modified in accordance with the one or more
received corrections (1418).
[0170] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device 1500. The device
1500 includes a keyboard 1510 with a plurality of icons. Different
spacings ("guard bands") are used between the icons. The guard
bands between icons visually encourage a user to touch the center
of an adjacent icon, although user contact in the guard band region
may also activate the nearest icon to the contact. In some
embodiments, icons near the center of the display 208 may have a
smaller guard band between adjacent icons than icons near an edge
of the display. This may reduce errors when using the display 208
if it is easier for a user to select or contact a respective icon
near the center of the display 208. In some embodiments, the guard
band near the edge of the display 208 may be larger than that near
the center of the display 208. Conversely, in some embodiments
(opposite to what is shown in FIG. 15), icons near the center of
the display 208 may have a larger guard band between adjacent icons
than icons near an edge of the display. This may reduce errors when
using the display 208 if it is easier for a user to select or
contact a respective icon near the edge of the display 208. In some
embodiments, the guard band near the edge of the display 208 may be
smaller than that near the center of the display 208. In some
embodiments, icons near the center of the display 208 may be larger
than icons near the edge of the display 208. In some embodiments,
icons at the edge of the display are about half the size of the
other icons because it is easier to identify contacts corresponding
to edge icons.
[0171] In some embodiments, either the size of the icons or the
size of the guard bands between icons could incrementally vary
between the edge of the display and the center of the display
(e.g., from small icons at the edge to large icons in the center or
from small guard bands at the edge to large guard bands in the
center).
[0172] A flow chart for a symbol entry process 1600 corresponding
to such embodiments is shown in FIG. 16. While the symbol entry
process 1600 described below includes a number of operations that
appear to occur in a specific order, it should be apparent that the
process 1600 can include more or fewer operations, which can be
executed serially or in parallel (e.g., using parallel processors
or a multi-threading environment), an order of two or more
operations may be changed and/or two or more operations may be
combined into a single operation.
[0173] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (1610). The plurality of icons may be arranged in rows in a
first dimension of the display. A first guard band in the first
dimension between adjacent icons in a first subset of the icons may
be greater than a pre-determined value and a second guard band in
the first dimension between adjacent icons in a second subset of
the icons may be less than a pre-determined value. A contact by the
user with the display that corresponds to selection of the
respective icon may be detected (1612). A symbol corresponding to
the respective icon may be displayed (1614).
[0174] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device 1700. The device
1700 includes a keyboard 1710 that has a plurality of icons. A
respective icon corresponds to two or more symbols. Some symbols
may be selected by contacting two or more icons simultaneously. A
respective symbol that is selected may be displayed in the display
tray 214. For example, a letter `e` may be selected by contacting
and breaking contact with the first icon in the first row. A letter
`l` may be selected by contacting and breaking contact with the
first and the second icons in the first row. The icons include
visual information indicating the combinations of contacts with
icons (also referred to as chords) that correspond to given
symbols. Keyboard 1710 is sometimes referred to as a hop-scotch
keyboard.
[0175] A flow chart for a symbol entry process 1800 corresponding
to such embodiments is shown in FIG. 18. While the symbol entry
process 1800 described below includes a number of operations that
appear to occur in a specific order, it should be apparent that the
process 1800 can include more or fewer operations, which can be
executed serially or in parallel (e.g., using parallel processors
or a multi-threading environment), an order of two or more
operations may be changed and/or two or more operations may be
combined into a single operation.
[0176] A plurality of icons may be displayed on a touch-sensitive
display (1810). A first icon and a second icon each correspond to
two or more symbols. A contact by a user with the display that
corresponds to the first icon and the second icon is detected
(1812). A respective symbol in the two or more symbols to which the
contact corresponds may be determined (1814). A visual indicator
corresponding to the respective symbol is displayed (1816).
[0177] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of
a user interface for a portable electronic device 1900. A keyboard
1910 does not include fixed icons. Instead symbols are displayed. A
nearest group of symbols, such as three letters in a region 1912,
are selected in accordance with a user contact with the display
208. In other embodiments, the region 1912 may include two or more
symbols or characters. A correct set of symbols may be determined
using a lexicography model or system, such as that shown in FIG.
10A, in accordance with a sequence of groups of symbols that
correspond to a sequence of contacts by the user. As more contacts
occur, a tree of possible words or sets of symbols corresponding to
the groups of symbols that have been selected may be pruned until a
correct or highest likelihood word or set of symbols is
determined.
[0178] In other embodiments not shown, a respective user may play a
game that is used to determine a smallest acceptable key size for a
user interface, such as a keyboard. The smallest key size may be in
accordance with a user's manual dexterity, age, health, finger size
and vision. Errors made in using the icons in a keyboard during the
game may help determine a minimum icon size for the respective
user.
[0179] In some embodiments, icons in the embodiments of the user
interfaces, such as the keyboards described above, may have an
effective contact area or a strike area that is larger than the
displayed icon size. In other embodiments, the effective contact
area or strike area may be larger than the displayed icon size in
at least one dimension of the display 208 surface.
[0180] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the
present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and
description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise forms disclosed. Rather, it should be
appreciated that many modifications and variations are possible in
view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and
described in order to best explain the principles of the invention
and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in
the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with
various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated.
* * * * *