Capacitive Keyboard Swipe Selection for Predictive Text Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing predictive text input methods for electronic devices require users to divert attention from the keyboard to view suggested words, leading to eye strain, inefficiency, and wasted processing cycles, as they often necessitate inputting most characters before suggesting the intended word and require manual selection from the display.
Innovation Solution
A method for electronic devices with a keyboard and display that allows users to input characters without diverting attention by displaying predicted sets of characters at relevant locations on the keyboard, based on subsequent candidate input characters, and detecting swipe inputs to select these predictions directly from the keyboard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If predictive text suggestions are displayed on the display screen, then users can see suggested words, but users must divert attention from the keyboard to view suggestions, causing eye strain and reducing input efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the display of predictive text suggestions from the traditional 2D display screen to the 3D keyboard surface itself. Suggestions are projected or displayed directly on key surfaces, allowing users to access predictive information without shifting their visual focus from the keyboard to the screen, thereby eliminating eye strain and maintaining input efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (such as a projector or direct display element) that bridges the gap between the keyboard and the user's visual field. This intermediary delivers predictive text suggestions directly at the keyboard location, serving as a mediator that provides information without requiring the user to move their eyes to a separate display device
2Measurement precision
If users input most characters before word suggestion appears, then accurate predictions can be made, but input speed is reduced due to the requirement to type out nearly complete words
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously analyzing partial inputs and generating predictive suggestions in real-time as the user types. Instead of waiting for near-complete word input, the system proactively computes and displays potential completions based on the current partial state, allowing users to intervene and select suggestions before fully typing out the entire word
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the system continuously monitors user input and immediately responds with predictive suggestions displayed on the keyboard. This real-time feedback provides users with actionable information about predicted completions, enabling them to adjust their typing pace and select suggestions that would otherwise require additional keystrokes, thereby improving overall input speed while maintaining accuracy
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual selection from display is required, then users can choose suggested words, but the selection process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-service selection by allowing users to interact with predictive suggestions directly through keyboard gestures or key presses. Instead of requiring users to navigate to a display screen and perform complex selection operations, the system allows selection to be performed at the keyboard location through simple, intuitive actions such as swiping or pressing specific keys, making the selection process as easy as the typing process itself
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances efficiency, accuracy, and speed of character input by keeping the user's focus on the keyboard, reducing eye strain, and minimizing processing cycles by allowing seamless selection of predicted words through intuitive gestures.
Implementation Method 1
swipe input associated with the determined region
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
A method for an electronic device having a keyboard and a display, including, receiving an input reflecting selection of one or more of the keys, displaying, at a location on the display, one or more characters associated with the one or more selected keys, wherein the location corresponds to a region of the keyboard determined based on a subsequent candidate input character that is based on the one or more characters associated with the one or more selected keys, and detecting a swipe input associated with the determined region. An electronic device including a display, a keyboard, a memory, and a processor, the processor being configured to execute the method. The keyboard also includes a plurality of keys, each key corresponding to one or more different characters of a plurality of characters, and a plurality of sensors configured to detect one or more gestures along the plurality of keys.