Electronic device, character input control method, and non-transitory storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11042289-B2
Application number	US-201716088445-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2017
Priority date	Mar 29, 2016
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device according to one aspect includes a touch screen including a first key region to which a plurality of first keys are allocated and a second key region to which a plurality of second keys are allocated; and at least one controller configured to execute character input processing based on operations onto the first key detected in the first key region and the second key detected in the second key region of the touch screen, wherein the first key region is a region extending along a first rim of the touch screen, the plurality of the first keys is arranged along the first rim, the second key region is a region extending along a second rim of the touch screen which is different from the first rim, and the plurality of the second keys is arranged along the second rim.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a touch screen including a first key region to which a plurality of first keys is allocated and a second key region to which a plurality of second keys is allocated; and
at least one controller configured to execute character input processing based on operations onto the plurality of first keys detected in the first key region and the plurality of second keys detected in the second key region of the touch screen,
wherein the first key region is a region extending along a first rim of the touch screen,
the plurality of the first keys is arranged along the first rim,
the second key region is a region extending along a second rim of the touch screen which is different from the first rim,
the plurality of the second keys is arranged along the second rim,
the plurality of second keys includes a plurality of character keys and a read-aloud key,
a decision key arranged along a third rim of the touch screen, and extending continuously from the first rim to the second rim,
said at least one controller is configured to, in response to detecting contact to one of the plurality of first keys, display a corresponding input candidate character allocated to a character key of the plurality of character keys associated with the one of the plurality of first keys, while displaying and maintaining a position of a character allocated to each of the plurality of first keys,
said at least one controller is configured to, in response to detecting contact to the decision key, accept the displayed input candidate character as an input character, and
said at least one controller is configured to, in response to detecting contact to the read-aloud key, output the input character as sound.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the touch screen includes two or more sides,
the first key region is a region extending along a first side of the touch screen, and
the second key region is a region extending along a second side of the touch screen that is different from the first side.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display that is stacked on the touch screen and configured to display an image,
wherein the display is configured to display the plurality of the first keys in a region overlapping the first key region and display the plurality of the second keys in a region overlapping the second key region.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display that is stacked on the touch screen and configured to display an image,
wherein the display is configured to display the plurality of the first keys in a region overlapping the first key region and display the plurality of the second keys in a region overlapping the second key region,
each of the plurality of first keys is associated with at least one of the plurality of character keys, and
the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting contact to a first key of the plurality of first keys, display, in the second key region, at least one character allocated to each character key of the plurality of character keys which is associated with the first key on which the contact has been detected.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display that is stacked on the touch screen and configured to display an image,
wherein the display is configured to display the plurality of the first keys in a region overlapping the first key region and display the plurality of the second keys in a region overlapping the second key region,
each of the plurality of first keys is associated with at least one of the plurality of character keys, and
the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting contact to a first key of the plurality of first keys, display, in the second key region, at least one character allocated to each character key of the plurality of character keys which is associated with the first key on which the contact has been detected, the at least one character including a character string.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display that is stacked on the touch screen and configured to display an image,
wherein the display is configured to display the plurality of the first keys in a region overlapping the first key region and display the plurality of the second keys in a region overlapping the second key region,
each of the plurality of first keys is associated with at least one of the plurality of character keys, and
the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting contact to a first key of the plurality of first keys, display, in the second key region, at least one character allocated to each character key of the plurality of character keys associated with the first key on which the contact has been detected, and configured to select the at least one character as the input candidate character.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting, after detecting the contact to the first key, contact to another first key of the plurality of first keys, change the input candidate character to the at least one character allocated to said each character key of the plurality of character keys associated with the another first key on which the contact has been detected.

8. The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting contact to the character key of the plurality of character keys, select, as the corresponding input candidate character, the at least one character allocated to the character key on which the contact has been detected.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting contact to another character key after detecting the contact to the character key, change the input candidate character to the at least one character allocated to the another character key on which the contact has been detected.

10. The electronic device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the display includes a character region in which a character is displayed, and
the at least one controller is further configured to display the input candidate character in the character region of the display.

11. The electronic device according to claim 6 , further comprising a physical button on a surface of the electronic device outside the touch screen,
wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting an operation of the physical button in a state where the input candidate character is being displayed, accept the displayed input candidate character as the input character.

12. The electronic device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the touch screen includes a third key region to which a third key is allocated, and
the third key region is a region extending along at least one of the first rim or the second rim, and the third key is arranged alongside of at least one of the plurality of first keys arranged along the first rim or the plurality of second keys arranged along the second rim along which the third key region extends.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detecting contact to the third key, decide the selected input candidate character.

14. The electronic device according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to detec

Assignees

• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Nagasaka Yushi

Classifications

• G06F3/04886 Primary

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/04883 Primary

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• H04M1/72436

  for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails · CPC title

• G06F3/0236

  using selection techniques to select from displayed items · CPC title

• H04M2250/70

  methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation · CPC title