U.S. patent application number 14/716935 was filed with the patent office on 2015-09-10 for keyboardless text entry.
The applicant listed for this patent is HILLCREST LABORATORIES, INC.. Invention is credited to Frank A. HUNLETH, Daniel SIMPKINS, Frank J. WROBLEWSKI.
Application Number | 20150253987 14/716935 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34915582 |
Filed Date | 2015-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150253987 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HUNLETH; Frank A. ; et
al. |
September 10, 2015 |
Keyboardless Text Entry
Abstract
Keyboardless text entry methods and systems are described.
Various display tools are used in conjunction with, for example,
pointing, scrolling and/or clicking actions to enter text into an
interface. Once display tool is a pie widget shape, another display
tool uses a box like shape containing other box like shapes which
are scaled according to a propationate chance of containing the
desirable selection.
Inventors: |
HUNLETH; Frank A.;
(Rockville, MD) ; WROBLEWSKI; Frank J.;
(Gaithersburg, MD) ; SIMPKINS; Daniel; (Bethesda,
MD) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HILLCREST LABORATORIES, INC. |
Rockville |
MD |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
34915582 |
Appl. No.: |
14/716935 |
Filed: |
May 20, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13079255 |
Apr 4, 2011 |
9063580 |
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14716935 |
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11063630 |
Feb 23, 2005 |
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13079255 |
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60546750 |
Feb 23, 2004 |
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60546847 |
Feb 23, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/773 ;
715/780 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04812 20130101;
H04N 21/42206 20130101; G06F 3/0237 20130101; H04N 21/4312
20130101; H04N 21/4438 20130101; H04N 7/0122 20130101; H04N 21/485
20130101; H04N 21/4828 20130101; H04N 21/44222 20130101; G06F
3/04842 20130101; G06F 3/04886 20130101; H04N 21/47 20130101; H04N
21/4532 20130101; G06F 3/0236 20130101; G06F 3/0482 20130101; H04N
5/44543 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0488 20060101
G06F003/0488; G06F 3/0481 20060101 G06F003/0481; G06F 3/0484
20060101 G06F003/0484; G06F 3/0482 20060101 G06F003/0482 |
Claims
1. A method for entering characters into an interface, comprising
the steps of: displaying a text entry tool having a center and a
plurality of sectors relative to said center, each of said sectors
associated with at least one character; selecting one of said
characters by selecting an associated sector; and entering said
selected one of said characters into said interface in response to
a predetermined event occurring subsequent to said selection
step.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said sectors is
associated with one and only one of said plurality of
characters.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of selecting one of
said characters further comprises the step of: positioning a cursor
over said associated sector.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of selecting one of
said characters further comprises the step of: moving between said
plurality of sectors using a scroll wheel.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined event is
expiration of a timer which starts after said associated sector has
been selected.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said timer has a value which is
manually adjustable.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein said timer has a value which is
automatically adjustable based on a user's previous character
selection behavior.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the text entry tool is circular
and contains the letters "A" to "Z", each of which are associated
with one of said plurality of sectors.
9. The method of claim 3, wherein the cursor can be positioned
outside of an area contained within a perimeter of said text entry
tool to select a character.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
displaying characters as they are entered in a text box; and
displaying a list of potential text entries based on previously
entered characters
11. An interface input method, comprising the steps of; selecting
one of a plurality of objects provided on a display, said selected
object being associated with at least one character from a first
group of characters; zooming into said selected object; revealing a
plurality of additional objects, each associated with one character
from a second group of characters, said second group of characters
including those characters which are potentially selectable given
said at least one character from said first group; and selecting
one of said plurality of additional objects to enter a text into an
interface.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein said objects have a rectangular
shape.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
displaying each object with an area that is proportional to the
probability of that object being selected.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
displaying each of said objects at a first magnification level; and
zooming into said additional objects by changing to a second
magnification level.
15. An interface input method, comprising the steps of: selecting
one of a plurality of objects provided on a display, said selected
object being associated with at least one character from a first
group of characters; zooming into said selected object; and
revealing a plurality of additional objects, each associated with a
subsequent selection that is related to the selected at least one
character.
16-37. (canceled)
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional application of Ser. No.
11/063,630 filed on Feb. 23, 2005 and is related to, and claims
priority from, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
60/546,750, filed on Feb. 23, 2004, entitled "A Zoomable Interface
for Keyboard-less Text Selection and Entry", the disclosure of
which is incorporated here by reference. This application is also
related to, and claims priority from, U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 60/546,847, filed on Feb. 23, 2004, entitled
"Pie-Widget Keyboard-less Text Entry", the disclosure of which is
incorporated here by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention describes systems and methods for
keyboardless text entry on a display for a wide variety of consumer
electronic devices such as TVs, PCs, touch screens and interactive
kiosks.
[0003] Technologies associated with the communication of
information have evolved rapidly over the last several decades.
Television, cellular telephony, the Internet and optical
communication techniques (to name just a few things) combine to
inundate consumers with available information and entertainment
options. As the amount of information available increases, the need
to access and use this data has grown. Not only the overall amount
of information available to the consumer has grown, but the variety
of devices that are interactive, such as, PCs, TVs, and PDAs, have
also grown. To easily enter alphanumeric data, keyboards are
typically used on PCs a legacy of the typewriter. However, as more
and different types of interactive devices become available to
consumers, a keyboard is not always the best method of interaction.
For example, keyboards suffer the drawbacks of being relatively
large, costly, and requiring more skill to use efficiently than
many remote control devices. To solve this problem, methods of
keyboardless text entry have been created.
[0004] One example of keyboardless text entry is a touch screen
where an image of a standard (i.e. QWERTY) keyboard is displayed on
the screen. This solution benefits from providing a familiar layout
for users and removing a physical keyboard, but suffers from other
drawbacks. For example, the user's hands may obscure displayed
outputs as he or she enters text by touching keys displayed on the
virtual keyboard.
[0005] Another example of keyboardless text entry is a system where
keystrokes are drawn with a stylus on a touch pad. These drawn
keystrokes are then translated into alphanumeric characters and
displayed. Some drawbacks associated with this method are the need
to enter multiple keystrokes for some of the characters, and the
need to learn the strokes that match each character. Yet another
method of keyboardless text entry is entering text using a voice
recognition device (as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.
6,629,077). In this method a voice input is matched to a voice
command template and if a valid input is received, a corresponding
character is input to a consumer electronic device. Drawbacks
associated with this method include a lack of robustness in a noisy
environment and the potential for extensive training of detection
software.
[0006] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide keyboardless
text entry systems and methods which minimize or avoid the
drawbacks associated with the keyboardless text entry systems
described above.
SUMMARY
[0007] Systems and methods according to the present invention
address this need and others by providing techniques for
keyboardless text entry. According to one exemplary embodiment, a
method for entering characters into an interface includes the steps
of displaying a text entry tool having a center and a plurality of
sectors relative to the center, each of the sectors associated with
at least one character, selecting one of the characters by
selecting an associated sector; and entering the selected one of
the characters into the interface in response to a predetermined
event occurring subsequent to the selection step.
[0008] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, an interface input method includes the steps of
selecting one of a plurality of objects provided on a display, the
selected object being associated with at least one character from a
first group of characters, zooming into the selected object,
revealing a plurality of additional objects, each associated with
one character from a second group of characters, the second group
of characters including those characters which are potentially
selectable given said at least one character from the first group
and selecting one of the plurality of additional objects to enter a
text into an interface.
[0009] According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, an interface input method includes the steps of
displaying two rows of keys proximate an edge of a display screen,
each key being associated with one character, selecting one of the
keys, displaying the one character associated with the selected key
in a text box on the display screen; and displaying candidate items
for selections in a display area beside the two rows of keys,
wherein the candidate items for selection are chosen based on text
displayed in the text box.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments
of the present invention, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication loop between a display
showing a keyboardless text entry tool and a pointing and/or
scrolling device according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary keyboardless text entry tool and
an associated angular reference system according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a keyboardless text entry tool, a text
box, and scrollable word list overlaying a channel guide according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 4 shows another view of the keyboardless text entry
tool of FIG. 3;
[0015] FIG. 5 shows a scrollable word list based on a partially
entered word associated with the keyboardless text entry tool of
FIGS. 3-4;
[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates the ability to separate words with a
blank character according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 7 shows text box cursor movement for the exemplary
embodiment of FIGS. 3-6;
[0018] FIG. 8 depicts an adjustable timer usable in conjunction
with the keyboardless text entry tool of FIGS. 3-7;
[0019] FIG. 9 shows a speak toggle button usable in conjunction
with the exemplary embodiments of the present invention shown in
FIGS. 3-7;
[0020] FIG. 10 depicts a zoomable keyboardless text entry interface
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 11 shows an updated zoomable display based on a user
entry to the zoomable keyboardless text entry interface of FIG.
10;
[0022] FIG. 12(a) shows entering a selection to a zoomable
keyboardless text entry interface with a pointing device according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 12(b) shows a resulting display based on a user's
selection of a character in the zoomable keyboardless text entry
interface of FIG. 12(a);
[0024] FIG. 12(c) shows a resulting display based on a user's
selection of the characters "to" in the zoomable keyboardless text
entry interface of FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b);
[0025] FIG. 13 displays a keyboardless text entry system based on
two rows of characters according to another exemplary embodiment of
the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary way in which text entry
results and/or potential selections can be displayed using the
keyboardless text entry tool of FIG. 13;
[0027] FIG. 15 is used to describe a method of selection display
based on a user entry according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0028] FIG. 16 displays another method of selection or result
display associated with a user's keyboardless text entry according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 17 displays selection refinement based on a user entry
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0030] FIG. 18 displays additional selection refinement based on
user entries.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] The following detailed description of the invention refers
to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in
different drawings identify the same or similar elements. Also, the
following detailed description does not limit the invention.
Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended
claims.
First Exemplary Embodiment
Pie Widget Text Entry Interface
[0032] The present invention provides methods and systems for
easily and efficiently entering text using a pointing and/or
scrolling device in combination with a visual display. According to
a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention a "pie
widget" is displayed on a television, computer monitor or any other
output screen and can be used for, among other things, text entry
without the need for a keyboard. A conceptual illustration of this
keyboardless text entry tool is shown in FIG. 1. Therein, a pie
widget 100 is displayed on a screen 102 and can be used to enter
characters via remote control device 104. In this example, the
remote control device has two buttons 106, 108 and a scroll wheel
110 and communicates wirelessly (or via wireline) with the system
running the application which employs the pie widget 100 as a
keyboardless entry tool. Those skilled in the art will appreciate
that exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be used
with any system, application or remote control device and that
those mentioned herein are purely exemplary. Specific examples of
such systems, applications and remote control devices may be found
in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/768,432, filed on Jan. 30,
2004, entitled "Control Framework with a Zoomable Graphical User
Interface for Organizing, Selecting and Launching Media Items", the
disclosure of which is incorporated here by reference.
[0033] The exemplary pie widget 100 has a plurality of unique
wedges or sectors 202, as also shown in the magnified view of FIG.
2. According to this exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
each sector 202 is associated with a single character which can be
selected by a user. In the example of FIG. 2, there are eight
sectors, each of which is uniquely associated with the individual
numerals "1-8" which are displayed therein on the display. The area
within each sector 202 can be defined, for example, using central
angles relative to a center point 204 of the pie widget 200 and a
reference line 206. In this example, the reference line 206 is
selected as the line which is oriented vertically relative to the
display, however those skilled in the art will appreciate that
other reference lines could be used. Using this framework, each
sector 202 can be defined as an area between two lines each of
which radiate from the center point 204 along two different central
angles, optionally bounded at the edge of the pie widget 200 by a
perimeter line 208. For example, the sector 202 associated with the
numeral "1" can be defined as the area between the lines 206 and
210 which radiate from center point 204 along angles .theta.1 and
.theta.2, respectively. Since there are eight sectors 202 in the
example of FIG. 2, and since each sector has the same size, angle
.theta.1=0 degrees and angle .theta.2=45 degrees in this purely
illustrative example.
[0034] For a character to be chosen using the pie widget 200, a
user selects a sector 202 associated with a character. According to
exemplary embodiments described herein each sector 202 is
associated with only a single character such that a user enters
each character by selecting a single sector. However those skilled
in the art will appreciate that the present invention is equally
applicable to embodiments wherein more than one character or a
range of characters are associated with each sector. Various
techniques can be used to perform character selection using the pie
widget 200. According to one exemplary embodiment, once a cursor
212 is stationary for a predetermined amount of time, the character
associated with the sector in which the cursor is located or
associated with is selected. For example, an invisible line can be
drawn between the cursor 212 and the center point of the pie 204.
The angle associated with this line is then compared with the
angles associated with the predetermined sectors (e.g.,
.theta.1-.theta.8 in the example of FIG. 2) and the corresponding
character is entered. In the example shown in FIG. 2, an invisible
line drawn from cursor 212 to the center of the pie crosses is
disposed in the sector corresponding to the number "3" so the
number "3" would be the character entered by the pie widget
200.
[0035] Note that the perimeter 208 of the pie widget 200 need not
limit the selection area for the cursor 212. Alternatively, any
cursor position on the display may fall within a predefined sector
and could be used for character selection and entry (possible
exceptions to this include invalid areas such as the text box and
the word list box described below and show in FIG. 3). This latter
feature may provide additional ease of pointing and selection,
because the farther away from the center of the circle, the larger
the selection area and the easier it is for a user to accurately
point to the intended character space. The above examples
illustrate one exemplary technique to set up a reference system for
a pie widget keyboardless text entry tool according to this
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, however those
skilled in the art will appreciate that other reference systems
could be used to implement this embodiment invention.
[0036] The pie widget can, according to one exemplary embodiment,
be implemented as a circular pie menu with the characters arranged
around the pie widget 300 as shown in FIG. 3. In this example the
letters "A" to "Z", a "blank space", and the "<" symbol can be
used for text entry, spacing between characters, and deletion,
respectively. A text box 302 can be located in the upper right
above the scrollable word list box 306, and contains a text box
cursor 304. Entering the "<" key would delete the character to
the left of the text box cursor 304. Characters can be selected by
pointing to one of the sectors, e.g., by moving a cursor or
rotating a scroll wheel. The pointed to slice can be identified
prior to selection, e.g., by highlighting or changing the color of
the sector over which the cursor is currently positioned. While the
sector remains identified in this way the character will not be
selected. The user can thus move the cursor across multiple sectors
without selecting a character. A timer is restarted each time the
user moves to a different sector. When the timer expires the
character is inserted, e.g., as shown in FIG. 3 by the "w" in the
text box to the left of the text cursor and the visual indication
associated with that sector 308 is changed, e.g., the green
coloring is changed to red. This sequence is repeated for as many
characters as desired. In an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the words in the scrollable word list 306 could
represent possible selections with another program, such as a
channel guide as shown in FIG. 3, which could allow the user to
move the channel guide to the program which is finally selected in
the scrollable word, list for example. Although use of a timer
means that text entry according to this exemplary embodiment of the
present invention does not require button pressing, the remote
control device 104's buttons can be used as alternative indications
that a final text entry selection has been made.
[0037] The timer 310 can be adjusted manually with the horizontal
slider located below the scrollable word list box 306.
Alternatively or additionally the timer value can be automatically
adjusted based on user behavior over time and be displayed
numerically as in FIG. 8, for example. For example if the user is
frequently deleting and re-entering characters, the pie widget 200
can automatically increase the timer period to allow the user more
time between initial selection of a character and the pie widget
200 considering the initial selection to be a final selection that
is then provided as a text entry. Conversely, if the user rarely
changes any entered character, and/or if her or she frequently uses
a manual selection technique, e.g., pressing a button on remote
control device 104 after initial selection of a character, to
expedite final selection, then the pie widget 200 can automatically
decrease the timer period. FIG. 4 shows another technique for
character deletion in the pie widget 200 by pointing to the center
circle which can reset text entry and delete any characters chosen
up to that point.
[0038] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention,
as each character is selected it can be inserted to the left of the
text box cursor. As shown in FIG. 5, the last letter selected is an
"s". As each letter is selected the resultant partial word is used
to search a list of words stored by the system, e.g., a dictionary
of potential selections. Any word that contains the selected
characters will appear in the scrollable word list box 502 below
the text box 504. Any word that appears in the scrollable word list
box 502 can be directly selected by moving the cursor to the
desired word, and leaving the cursor there until the word is
selected, which occurs when the timer expires, or by manual
intervention. This feature supports rapid selection from a
list.
[0039] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention,
multiple words can be entered. FIG. 6 shows an example of two words
separated by the "blank space" character entered into the text box
window 602. Long sentences can also be entered. When the length of
the entered text exceeds the size of the text box window 602, the
entered text will scroll off to the left. This text is not lost and
can be viewed by the scrolling the text box cursor 604. As the
cursor approaches the left side the text will scroll right
revealing that portion of text.
[0040] According to some exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, remote control devices which are used in conjunction
with the pie widget 300 may have a scroll-wheel 110. The
scroll-wheel 110 can be used to perform, among other things, one or
more of the following three operations: (1) scroll the text box
cursor 304 in the upper text box 302; (2) scroll the selection in
the text list box 306; and (3) scroll the pie menu slice selection.
Initially the wheel is associated with the text box 302. To change
the wheel association to a different Graphical User Interface (GUI)
object, the wheel can be pressed as a button. Thus, pressing the
scroll wheel 110 will change the scroll wheel association to a
different GUI object, e.g., the text list box 306. Pressing the
scroll wheel 110 again will shift the association to the next GUI
object, e.g., the pie widget 300. Pressing the wheel once again
will return the association back to the text box 302. When
associated to the pie widget 300, rotating the wheel will change
which sector is selected. According to one exemplary embodiment,
after the character "Z", the next rotation of the wheel selects the
center of the pie widget 300. Pausing on the center circle will
reset the text entered. The timer can work in this mode in the same
manner as previously described for a character selection
behavior.
[0041] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, characters can be inserted and deleted anywhere in the
text box. The location of the insertion or deletion is controlled
by the location of the text box cursor. The user controls the
location of the text box cursor by rolling the scroll wheel. Each
click of the scroll wheel will move the text box cursor left or
right by one character position. FIG. 7 shows the text box cursor
positioned within the word "broown". The text box cursor in FIG. 7
is positioned in preparation to delete the extra letter "o".
[0042] According to some exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, the pie text entry widget can also include a
text-to-voice feature. The toggle button labeled "speak" as shown
in FIG. 9 enables the voice response feature. When enabled, each
character will be enunciated at the time of entry. This can, for
example, replace the change in display (e.g., green to red coloring
or changes in highlighting) used to indicate a final character
selection in the above-described embodiments. The character name
can be audibly output rather than the sound of the letter. When a
space is entered all of the entered text up to that point can be
output as voice, in which case the user will hear the sound of the
words rather than the names of the letters.
Second Exemplary Embodiment
Zoomable Text Entry Interface
[0043] According to another exemplary embodiment, text can be
easily and efficiently entered without a keyboard using a pointing
and clicking device in conjunction with a zoomable interface with a
visual display. According to these exemplary embodiments of the
present invention, a pointer is moved, and a box, for example,
containing text can be selected. When the box is selected, the
screen zooms in on this selection. The graphics around the box will
fade or move toward the display edge as the selected item grows and
new graphics (representing subsequent potential selections) will be
displayed inside the growing selected box. This zooming action can
be repeated as required for each selection until a word (or
selectable GUI object) is identified.
[0044] A display containing various GUI elements works in
conjunction with a zoomable, keyboardless text entry interface, as
shown in FIG. 10. Exemplary GUI elements illustrated in this
example include a request string section 1004, a directions section
1014, and a selection window 1002. Other elements could be added,
depending on, for example, the need at a given level of zoom, such
as a current word section or a possible word completion list
section. The selection window 1002 has a shape 1020 for each
character or range of characters, in this example the shapes are
squares or rectangles although the present invention is not so
limited. The size of the shapes can represent the number of words
that are "underneath" the shape. That is, the size can be
proportional to the number of words that are possible (feasible)
should that block be selected. For example, the area of the box
containing "R-S" in FIG. 10 is greater than the area of the box
containing the letter "A" because there are more words (or
selections) available which begin with the letters "R" and "S" than
which begin with the letter "A".
[0045] The user moves a pointer 1008 to select the letter or range
of letters that begins their desired word. When the user selects a
shape using a selection device such as a mouse or other pointer,
the selection window zooms into that shape independently from the
main view and reveals other letters, words or phrases which are
potential subsequent selections. Selection can occur using any of a
variety of methods such as, for example, clicking the selection
that is currently being pointed to or using a timer as described
above with respect to the pie widget embodiments. Zoomable
keyboardless text entries according to these exemplary embodiments
reveal subsequent selection options by zooming between different
magnification levels. The selection options can, for example, be
subsequent character choices or ultimate word or phrase choices.
For example, FIG. 11 shows the displayed result after the user
selects the character "Z" in FIG. 10 and a zoom is performed to
reveal a number of title selections associated with movies that can
be accessed via this application. As shown in FIG. 11, in addition
to changing the selection items, other element areas change or
become updated based on a user's action. For example, as shown in
FIG. 11, the directions section 1114 has been updated to inform the
user as to what actions to perform next, and as before, the pointer
1108 can be moved to select the desired word or phrase. In the
illustrated example, the user is pointing to "Title 16", and the
interface provides feedback by drawing a box 1126 around the
current entry.
[0046] According to other exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, words can be entered by using only a pointing device as
shown in FIGS. 12(a), 12(b) and 12(c). Therein the interface
contains a selection window 1202, directions section 1214, request
section 1204, a pointer 1208, and a section to display the current
word and/or list possible completions 1206. In the selection window
1202 shapes are displayed which are associated with the current
letters 1212 that are available for selection. In addition to
letters, symbols, numbers, icons, word parts, mixed case letters
and any other characters could be used. For example, if the pending
word entry were the letters "explana_", one of the selection areas
could contain the word fragment "tion". The sizes of the shapes may
correspond to the number of words or selections that are feasible
if that selection is made.
[0047] In FIG. 12(a), the user selects the shape with the letter
"T". This causes the selection window 1202 to zoom into the "T" and
reveal choices for the next letter as shown in FIG. 12(b). The
aspect ratio and shape of the selected letter are stretched so that
only choices for the next character are shown. Also as shown in
FIG. 12(b), the interface updates the current word that is being
spelled 1216 and lists possible completions 1218. The user can move
the pointer to these completions and select them to finish off the
word. In the case illustrated, the user selects the shape with the
"O" in it, and the interface animates a zoom into the "O" to reveal
another set of shapes with letters as shown in FIG. 12(c). To
complete the word "top", the user can select "top" in the list of
possible completions 1218 or select the "P" from the selection
window 1202. To assist in usability any of the following
modifications could be used either by themselves, or in
combination: (1) shapes could be provided which are associated with
actions to perform, for example, such actions as either character
erasure, or to initiate a search; (2) the selection that the
pointer is currently over can be identified by either a highlight,
slight enlargement, or performing an animation; and (3) shapes
could be colored or otherwise adjusted to provide visual
distinctiveness in addition to the indicated character(s)
association.
[0048] In another exemplary embodiment of the current invention,
the user may need to select from a large list of text items, such
as movie names, artists, music album names, phone directory
listings, business listings, etc, or the user may need to enter
arbitrary text. In the former situation, the user can be presented
with a selection window in its zoomed out state. From here the user
proceeds to click on the beginning letter or letters of the item
that they want to find. In response, the interface animates a zoom
operation into the shape containing the letter and reveals a next
set of letters or a list of items. The user can then select the
desired item or press a go back control to return to the top level
zoomed out state. The latter situation is very similar, except at
each zoom level, the interface presents subsequent letters that
could be concatenated to the word. The display areas of these
letters can also correspond to their probability of being next. In
addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present
invention is equally applicable to embodiments wherein multiple
zoom options could exist, e.g., zoom in, zoom out, zoom to any
previously viewed level, or partition the screen to show multiple
zoom levels simultaneously.
[0049] In another exemplary embodiment of the current invention,
the size of each selection shape 1020 is proportional to the
likelihood that an available word represented by that selection
will ultimately be the word that is selected. This could result in
a different shape size than embodiments which size the shape based
solely on the number of feasible words represented by that
selection. One example of shape sizing using this criterion is
sentence entry. At a point in a sentence, many adjectives may be
appropriate (feasible), but the number of nouns may be relatively
few. Since a user is more likely to pick a noun over a long string
of adjectives, the nouns can be represented with larger rectangles.
A process that tracks the context and semantics of the environment
in which the selection is being made could assign likelihood values
to each of the feasible words represented by the selection. This
would enhance the experience by improving the prediction of what
the user's most likely selection would be. This could be further
extended to symbols, numbers, icons, and mixed case letters,
etc.
[0050] Based on one or more predetermined criteria, e.g., ultimate
probability of selection or raw number of feasible selections, the
shapes (e.g., rectangles) can be drawn on the screen using a number
of different techniques at each zoom level of the text entry tool.
One such technique involves using a treemap algorithm to perform
the shape sizing based on the predetermined criteria. An exemplary
treemap algorithm is known as a "quantum treemap" algorithm, which
is described in the article entitled "Ordered and Quantum Treemaps:
Making Effective Use of @d Space to Display Hierarchies" by
Benjamin B. Bederson et al., ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG),
Volume 21, Issue 4, October 2002, pp. 833-854, the disclosure of
which is incorporated here by reference. Using this algorithm, the
number of word or letter choices available at a particular zoom
level in the zoomable, keyboardless text entry interface can be
separated into bins so that the ratio between the largest to
smallest bin is less than roughly a factor of 3 (although this
factor can be adjustable) and that the number of bins is limited to
a predetermined maximum. These features prevent the treemap
algorithm from generating rectangles that are too small to target
with a pointing device.
Third Exemplary Embodiment
Rows of Keys with Result Display
[0051] According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present
invention two rows of characters can be displayed proximate the top
of a screen that can be used for text entry purposes without the
need for a keyboard as shown in FIG. 13. Among other things, this
approach provides various benefits. Firstly, when pointing, it is
more efficient to move a cursor in substantially one axis of motion
as compared to large, abrupt motion changes. Secondly, by placing
the text entry tool toward an edge of the display, the remaining
space is maximized to display choices based on text entry. As in
the previous embodiments, characters can be selected by positioning
a cursor over a desired key and then either waiting for the
expiration of a timer or explicitly making a final selection via,
e.g., a button press. When text is entered, as shown in FIG. 14,
resulting potential groups of selections can then be displayed and
scaled below the rows of text. In this example, the potential
selection groups are represented by cover art associated with
selectable movies, however it will be appreciated that this is
purely illustrative. These groups can be scaled so as to be
visually pleasing and to have the user avoid perceiving that
anything is missing within the group. Other visually pleasing
displays could be used such as, for example, the displays shown in
FIGS. 15 and 16. The content of the groups' changes and becomes
more refined as more text is entered and searching occurs as shown
in FIGS. 17 and 18.
[0052] The two rows of characters displayed in this exemplary
embodiment are text with a few additional characters. Text
characters predominate this exemplary keyboardless text entry
interface, since (for some applications) text is the predominant
entry type and minimizing the total number of choices will speed up
entry. For cases when other entries are needed, a backspace button
1400, a blank space button 1402, a back button 1406 and an expand
button 1404 are included in this exemplary embodiment of the
present invention. The backspace button 1400 erases previously
entered text selections in the display box 1408. The blank space
button inserts a space in the display box 1408. The back button
1406 replaces the current display results with the previous display
results and corresponding text entry in display box 1408. The
expand button character 1404 allows access to other characters such
as numbers, symbols, etc, by displaying one or more additional rows
of characters (not shown).
[0053] Systems and methods for keyboardless text entry according to
exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be performed by
one or more processors executing sequences of instructions
contained in a memory device (not shown). Such instructions may be
read into the memory device from other computer-readable mediums
such as secondary storage devices. Execution of the sequences of
instructions contained in the computer-readable medium and/or
memory device causes the processor to operate, for example, as
described above to handle keyboardless text entry. In alternative
embodiments, hard-wire circuitry may be used in place of or in
combination with software instructions to implement the present
invention.
[0054] Numerous variations of the afore-described exemplary
embodiments are contemplated. For example, other exemplary
embodiments of the present invention can contain such features as a
vocabulary not limited to any particular set of words (characters,
symbols, etc.), and a dictionary assist on words entered. The
above-described exemplary embodiments are intended to be
illustrative in all respects, rather than restrictive, of the
present invention. Thus the present invention is capable of many
variations in detailed implementation that can be derived from the
description contained herein by a person skilled in the art. All
such variations and modifications are considered to be within the
scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the
following claims. No element, act, or instruction used in the
description of the present application should be construed as
critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described
as such. Also, used herein, the article "a" is intended to include
one or more items.
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