Virtual Keypad Segmentation for Mobile Text Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices face challenges with text entry due to their small size, leading to cumbersome on-screen keyboards that hinder data entry speed and usability, especially when entering letters and symbols, and lack of mobility in various environments.
Innovation Solution
A data entry system with a virtual keypad that uses a limited number of keys to represent multiple characters, allowing for ambiguous and precise input signals, and includes a word prediction system to assist users in typing, with features like Spelling Help and the ability to enter text on virtual content like pictures or videos.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a full keyboard with many keys is displayed on the screen, then all letters and symbols can be accessed, but the keyboard occupies a significant portion of the screen and hinders application usage
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard is segmented into multiple pages, with each page containing a subset of keys. Users can navigate between pages to access different groups of letters and symbols, allowing the visible keyboard to occupy minimal screen space while maintaining access to the complete character set.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces navigation along multiple dimensions: horizontal navigation for selecting different key groups and vertical navigation for selecting different pages. This multi-dimensional navigation approach allows comprehensive character access without requiring all keys to be visible simultaneously on the screen.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the keyboard keys are reduced in size to fit more keys on the screen, then more characters can be accessed, but the keyboard becomes cumbersome and data entry slows down
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of reducing key size, the patent segments the keyboard into multiple pages, each containing a manageable number of keys of optimal size. This maintains large, easily pressable keys while providing access to more characters through page navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The keyboard is designed as a dynamic interface where pages can be switched and key groups can be navigated to. This dynamic nature allows the system to provide a compact visible footprint while maintaining full functionality through efficient navigation mechanisms.
3Productivity
If a word predictive system is used to propose words, then typing speed can be improved, but the system cannot handle words not in the database and requires alternative entry methods
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses word prediction for common words to speed up typing, but allows users to manually enter complete words or phrases when prediction fails. This partial use of automation maintains high productivity for predictable text while preserving full manual control for unique or unexpected content.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is described with a plurality of keys, five of the keys representing all of the letters of an alphabet. The five keys are arranged to form two to three rows of keys. A first row includes two of the five keys and a second row includes at least two other keys of the five keys. The keys are hard keys and/or virtual keys.