Soft Keyboard Gesture Switching for Portable Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices face challenges in designing user interfaces that allow easy interaction with multifunction devices due to small screens and the need for complex key sequences and menu hierarchies, leading to frustrating data entry experiences.
Innovation Solution
A portable multifunction device with a touch-sensitive display and graphical user interface that uses gestures to switch between soft keyboards containing letter and number keys, allowing users to easily access and configure input methods based on application context.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physical pushbuttons are added to portable devices, then data entry capability is improved, but device complexity and screen real estate are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical pushbuttons with a soft keyboard implemented as a graphical user interface element on the touch-sensitive display. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical buttons while maintaining data entry functionality, thereby reducing device complexity and freeing up screen real estate for other purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch-sensitive display serves multiple functions: it acts as both the visual display and the input mechanism through touch gestures. The soft keyboard can be configured to provide different layouts (QWERTY, numeric, etc.) based on application context, making it a universal input solution that adapts to various data entry needs without requiring separate physical buttons for each function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If pushbutton density is increased, then data entry functions are improved, but ease of operation is worsened due to difficulty in activating desired buttons
Solution Approach 1:
The soft keyboard is dynamic in nature, allowing for reconfiguration of key layouts and sizes based on the current application context. The system can switch between different keyboard types (alphabetic, numeric, symbolic) and adjust key positioning to optimize for the specific data entry task at hand, making it easier for users to activate desired keys without the constraints of fixed physical button positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft keyboard implementation allows different regions of the display to have different properties. Keys can be sized and positioned according to their frequency of use and contextual relevance, with frequently used keys being larger or more accessible. This local optimization of key properties enhances ease of operation while maintaining versatile data entry capabilities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If menu systems are made complex to accommodate multiple functions, then adaptability is improved, but ease of operation is worsened due to complicated key sequences that must be memorized
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides context-aware automatic configuration of the soft keyboard based on the active application and current task. Rather than requiring users to navigate complex menu hierarchies to select appropriate keyboard types, the system automatically detects the context and presents the most suitable keyboard layout, thereby maintaining adaptability while significantly improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor the current application state and user interactions to dynamically adjust keyboard configuration. This feedback loop allows the interface to adapt to user needs in real-time, providing the appropriate keyboard layout without requiring users to manually configure settings or memorize complex sequences.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for displaying soft keyboards at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display is disclosed. An application with a plurality of objects is displayed on the touch screen display. A first gesture by a user on a first object in the plurality of objects is detected. In response to the first gesture, a first soft keyboard is displayed that contains a plurality of keys including primarily letter keys and including a key for selecting a second soft keyboard different from the first soft keyboard. A second gesture by the user on a second object in the plurality of objects is detected, the second object being other than the key for selecting the second soft keyboard. In response to the second gesture, the second soft keyboard is displayed, which contains a plurality of keys including number keys and including a key for selecting the first soft keyboard.