Smartphone Keyboard Typing Accuracy via Key Shading and Auto-Completion

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge of accurately typing words on a touchscreen smartphone due to smaller key sizes compared to conventional keyboards, leading to frequent errors.

Innovation Solution

A smartphone system that implements various functionalities such as KeyShading, PreKeyCorrection, PostKeyCorrection, ComposingMode, and AutomaticSystems to assist users in typing words by modifying the display of keys and providing pop-up previews, auto-correction, and auto-completion based on the context of the input letters, reducing errors and improving typing accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If a virtual keyboard is displayed on a touchscreen with smaller key sizes to fit the device, then the device portability and screen real estate are improved, but the typing accuracy deteriorates due to increased likelihood of pressing wrong keys

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescreen real estateVSAvoidtyping accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by predicting the intended word before the user completes typing. As the user types letters, the system proactively displays a popup preview of the predicted word and offers auto-completion or correction options before the user finishes typing, thereby preventing typing errors rather than just correcting them after occurrence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring the sequence of typed letters and dynamically updating the predicted word display. The popup preview provides real-time feedback to the user about what word is being formed, allowing the user to verify or correct the interpretation of their typing actions, thus improving typing accuracy despite small key sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If the keyboard keys are made smaller to accommodate more keys on the touchscreen, then the keyboard compactness is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in accurately touching the intended key

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvekeyboard compactnessVSAvoidease of typing
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies self-service by automatically completing words or correcting typing errors without requiring precise manual input for every letter. Once the system predicts the intended word with sufficient confidence based on the letters typed so far, it offers auto-completion that requires only a single user action (such as tapping a space bar or selecting a suggestion) rather than requiring precise touching of each subsequent key.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary word prediction and preparation of completion options before the user finishes typing. This allows the user to benefit from pre-computed suggestions that reduce the operational effort required, transforming a task requiring precise multiple key touches into a simpler interaction with the predicted completion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If the system provides extensive error correction and auto-completion features, then the typing accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetyping accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies partial action by providing error correction and auto-completion features selectively rather than universally. The popup preview and auto-completion are triggered based on confidence thresholds and contextual analysis of the typed sequence, applying intelligent processing only when beneficial rather than continuously processing every possible correction scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary analysis of the typed letter sequence to predict the intended word before full typing is completed. This advance prediction allows the system to prepare correction options in advance, reducing the computational burden during actual typing and correction operations by pre-processing the prediction logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2856285B1Methods, controllers and devices for assembling a word
Publication Date: 2022.03.23 CHOMLEY CONSULTING PTY LTD
  • EP2856285B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP2856285B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP2856285B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A method of assembling a word comprising: a memory storing a sequence of one or more word components of the word; a word locator for locating a set of one or more valid words from a plurality of possible words, each valid word comprising a sequence of one or more word components corresponding to the sequence of word components stored in the memory; the processor receiving a user input from a keyboard device having a plurality of keys respectively associated with a plurality of possible word components; a word component determiner to validate that a user input word component is a valid subsequent word component that validly continues from the sequence of word components, and a word component adder of the processor adding the user input word component to the stored sequence of word components of the word.