On-Screen Keyboard Management for Unintended Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual keyboards do not allow users to rest their hands comfortably on the touchscreen while typing, leading to discomfort and fatigue due to the detection of unintended key events caused by finger resting, which traditional systems cannot differentiate from intentional key presses.
Innovation Solution
An on-screen keyboard management system that determines the duration of key events and ignores key presses exceeding a predetermined threshold, adjusts thresholds based on user keystroke patterns, and disables dwell functions at predefined resting locations to prevent unintended input recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the on-screen keyboard detects all key presses on the touchscreen, then input responsiveness is improved, but unintended key events are generated when users rest their hands, causing discomfort and fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-defines resting locations on the touchscreen where users commonly place their hands during typing. When a key press event is detected at one of these predefined locations, the system proactively ignores it as an unintended input, preventing the harmful effect before it can disrupt typing flow
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different detection rules to different spatial locations on the touchscreen. Resting locations have special properties where key press events are automatically filtered out, while other locations maintain normal key press detection. This localized differentiation allows the system to maintain high input responsiveness in active typing areas while eliminating unintended inputs at resting positions
2Reliability
If the system ignores key presses at predefined resting locations, then unintended input recognition is reduced, but legitimate key presses at those locations may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the temporal context of key press events. At predefined resting locations, the system monitors the duration and timing patterns of key presses. Brief contacts consistent with hand resting are filtered out, while sustained or patterned contacts that match typing behavior are recognized as legitimate inputs, allowing the system to adapt its filtering threshold in real-time
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that analyze the sequence and timing of key press events. By monitoring whether key presses at resting locations occur in isolation or as part of a coherent typing pattern, the system can distinguish between accidental resting contacts and intentional key presses, adjusting its recognition decisions based on the broader contextual feedback
3Measurement precision
If the on-screen keyboard requires precise finger placement, then typing accuracy is improved, but user comfort deteriorates as hands must hover above the screen
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes resting locations on the touchscreen that correspond to natural hand positions during typing. By proactively configuring these locations and enabling hands-on typing from the outset, the system eliminates the need for users to hover their hands, thereby improving comfort without compromising typing accuracy through the intelligent filtering of unintended inputs
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, method, and program product is disclosed for on-screen keyboard management. A touch screen displays an on-screen keyboard, a processor is operatively coupled to the touch screen, and a memory stores code executable by the processor. The code determines a duration associated with a key event in response to a key press on the on-screen keyboard, and ignores the key press in response to determining that the duration associated with the key event satisfies a predetermined threshold.