KR20060073636A - Editing character strings with touchscreen - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of editing a character string displayed on a touchscreen with an indi-cator means. A character string comprising a plurality of characters is dis-played on the touchscreen. The character string is edited in response to an indication made with the indicator means such that the characters after the indication point are deleted from the character string. The character string may be a network address displayed in an address field of a browser program, whereby the loading of the network address according to the edited character string is automatically initiated by the browser program in response to the editing of the character string.

Description

Editing character strings with touchscreen}

The present invention relates to the use of touchscreen devices provided with indicator means and more particularly to editing character strings, such as network addresses, using the indicator means.

The number of tasks performed by wireless terminals, such as mobile stations, has increased significantly as a result of the development of mobile communication technology. Not only are mobile stations used for calls, they can also be used to process and present information in an increasingly multifaceted manner. One of the most desirable characteristics of a wireless terminal is the ability to use Internet services, such as email and graphical www pages. Many other small portable terminals (eg PDA devices, personal digital assistants) also include means for establishing an Internet connection, for example a WLAN card or a wired connection means.

Touchscreens are increasingly used in both PDA devices and mobile stations. In order to use the device, different selection elements (icons) are displayed on the screen, and touching the selection elements activates the functions associated with the selection element. Many functions can be used by selecting suitable alternatives from the menus and activating the desired function or setting by touching a specific point on the screen. However, the use of some applications depends on the text entered through the touchscreen. For text entry, the keys of the QWERTY keyboard can be modeled on the touchscreen (also known as a virtual keyboard). In addition to the modeled keys, also as an alternative input mechanism, handwriting identification is also often used. The small size of the screen and the simultaneous display of some optional elements on the screen allows the elements displayed on the screen to be displayed substantially smaller. Due to the small keys and handwritten character identification, the touchscreen is generally used via a small writing device, ie a stylus, for example a small pen-shaped object.

This often complicates text input, especially the editing of text present on the screen. For example, editing the network address (URL address) of an Internet browser to the desired format is often difficult and cumbersome. Internet browsers generally use predictive text input, i.e. when the user of the device starts writing a new network address in the address field of the browser, the historical data of the browser is at least as regards the beginning of the address. Is searched for such a network address, including a string equal to the string of the network address entered up to the point. The browser program shows the network address found in the historical data in the address field in order to suggest it as it is to the user or to edit the character string in an appropriate way to generate the desired address.

The solution is known from what is known as palm-sized computers (e.g. Palm OS4) for editing character strings, such as Internet addresses, displayed on the screen. After selecting the portion of the string to be deleted by pointing ('painting') the characters, the user must press the 'backspace key' on the virtual keyboard or enter a symbol representing the corresponding purpose in the Suseo character input field. The portion of the string selected by the function is deleted Further, in the known solution, if the edited string is a network address in the address field of the browser program, the browser program is defined by the edited string. If the browser program starts to load the network address, the browser program To be individually activated by pressing the stylus.

That is, in order to load a new network address, a user must perform three separate tasks using the stylus to cause the browser program to start loading. In terms of usefulness, this is generally considered very difficult and slow. Thus, there is a need for a simpler way of editing strings on the touch screen.

A method for simplifying the editing of a string and the initiation of applications in devices comprising a touch screen and an apparatus for implementing the method are now provided. Method, electronic device and computer program are provided, characterized in the independent claims as different aspects of the invention. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

The basic idea of the present invention is to use the indicator means by displaying the character string using the indicator means and editing the character string in response to the indication performed using the indicator means such that the characters after the display point are deleted from the character string. Editing a string including a plurality of characters displayed on the touch screen.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the string is a network address displayed in an address field of a browser program.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the loading of the network address according to the edited string is automatically initiated by the browser program in response to the editing of the string.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the string is displayed in the address field of the browser program based on the prediction address input.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the touch screen is configured to identify a duration of the indication with respect to a predetermined threshold value, and the automatic loading of the network address exceeds the predetermined threshold value. Is initiated in response.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the touch screen is configured to identify the direction of movement of the indication with respect to a predetermined limit value, and the automatic loading of the network address is within the limit values set by the predetermined limit value. It is initiated in response to the direction of movement. In this case, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the display is to be performed as a substantially vertical forward and backward movement between the two characters included by the character string.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the automatic loading of the network address is initiated in response to the indicator means being released from contact with the touch screen.

An advantage of the method and apparatus of the present invention is that a user can edit the string displayed on the screen using one display function of the indicator means, and in some embodiments, such as loading a new network page, In other words, you can launch functions related to the application Another advantage is that the user does not need to open a text input function to edit the string displayed on the screen. The method provides the user with an intuitive way of editing the text displayed on the screen. According to one embodiment of the invention, the editing does not occur until the user detaches the indicator means from the touch screen. The advantage here is that the user can check the correct indication point as long as the indicator means is in contact with the text field included by the touchscreen. In addition, if desired, the user may change the display point, preferably by sliding the indicator means along the string. This makes the use of the device faster and reduces wrong choices.

In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of an electronic device to which the present invention can be applied.

2 illustrates in a simple way a typical user device of a touchscreen of a portable electronic device.

3A to 3C show an example of editing a character string according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart of a method according to some embodiments of the present invention for editing a string in connection with an internet browser.

1 shows a block diagram of an electronic device (ED) comprising a touch screen, which is, for example, a wireless mobile station or PDA device to which the present invention may be applied.

The electronic device ED includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory (MEM), and an I / O system (I / O). All necessary information is stored in the memory MEM of the device. The memory MEM includes a read-only memory portion, which may be, for example, a ROM memory, and a write memory portion, which may be composed of, for example, RAM and / or FLASH memory. The device communicates with other devices, such as a network and a user, via the I / O system (I / O). The user interface (UI), which is part of the I / O system (I / O), includes the necessary interfaces for communicating with the user, for example screens, keys, loudspeakers and / or microphones. The screen of the device is a touch screen. Data received from other elements of the device is sent to the central processing unit (CPU), which processes the received data in a desired manner.

In FIG. 1, the electronic device ED is shown as an integrated device comprising all the necessary elements in one unit. However, it is possible to implement the electronic device as a device system comprising a plurality of element units functionally connected to each other. Thus, for example, at least a portion of the screen, the microphone / loudspeaker and the memory may be implemented as separate units connected to the rest of the device system wirelessly via a wired connection or via a Bluetooth connection, for example. Can be. Thus, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any element of the device system may be implemented as a separate unit.

Although the present invention is applicable for use with virtually all touchscreen types, the touchscreen type used is not so critical to the implementation of the present invention. The implementation of the touchscreen may be based, for example, on one of various electronic methods, infrared-based technology, sound wave-based technology or pressure pickup. Some touchscreen types require an electronic device, for example a stylus with a built-in resonant circuit. Such screens require operating the stylus and cannot be used by displaying using a pen, for example.

2 illustrates, in a simplified manner, the user interface of a compact, typically portable device that includes a touchscreen. The screen 200 of the device is a touchscreen and several keys 202 and function keys 204 of the QWERTY keyboard are modeled at the bottom edge of the screen. Typically, the screen or application used in the device includes a text field 206 based on handwritten character identification or for entering text through a keyboard or editing text present in the text field. Both alternatives are based on the use of indicator means, ie stylus 208. By activating the letter key 202, ie selecting it with the stylus 208, the user can enter characters into the device via the keyboard and thus write text. In handwritten character identification, the user writes handwritten text in a field included by the touchscreen 200, which is the same as the text field 206 representing the actual text or after the characters are written by hand and identified It is an individual write field displayed in the text field 206.

A method for editing text displayed on a screen and activating a related application in accordance with some embodiments is described next with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. The starting point in this example is an Internet browser program that includes a predictive address entry function, which is known in nature.

In FIG. 3A, the user enters the beginning of the address of the network page he wishes to load into, in the address field of the browser program, by handwriting character identification or via the keyboard. In this example, the user writes www.nokia.c . The predictive address entry function of the browser program finds at least one suitable address from historical data of the browser program and typically presents a last-used address. In this example, the browser program presents the address www.nokia.com/press/s4826thgsaldag.asp%dll/index.html , shown in FIG. 3B, as the last-used address. However, since the network page is not what the user wants to load, it is necessary to edit the string included in the address.

The user wants to load the network page www.nokia.com/press/ , and according to the invention, the user uses the indicator means according to FIG. 3c to the address field of the browser program at the point after the word press / Click on the address www.nokia.com/press/s4826thgsaldag.asp%dll/index.html Then, the last part of the address after the word press / can preferably be displayed quickly, for example on a dark background, after which it is automatically deleted. The delay between the indication and the deletion is preferably long enough to have time to detect whether the user has pressed the address string at the correct point. Marking the portion of a string to be deleted on a dark background or in any other manner that is intuitive to the user preferably helps the user to detect that the marked point of the string is correct.

According to one embodiment, editing the network address of the browser program by deleting part of the network address at the end also automatically initiates loading of the page according to the new network address. This allows the user to edit the text displayed on the screen using one display function of the indicator means and to start loading a new network page.

According to one embodiment, the touchscreen of the device is configured to define the duration of the contact of the indicator means and compare it with a threshold stored in memory. A contact that is longer in time than the threshold activates a function associated with it, such as deleting the end of the string or loading a network page according to a new address associated with the deletion. In this regard, according to one embodiment, the activation of the function does not occur until the user detaches the indicator means from the touch screen. This allows the user to check the correct display point as long as the indicator means is in contact with the text field included by the touchscreen. In addition, if desired, the user may change the display point, preferably by sliding the indicator means along the string.

According to one embodiment, the touch screen of the device is configured to define the direction of movement of the indicator means and compare it with a threshold stored in memory. In this case, the display point can be displayed, for example, by a substantially vertical movement of the indicator means. According to one embodiment, the vertical movement will be performed back and forth. The vertical of the movement can be determined from the derivative of the changes of the contact points of the indicator means, for example the threshold value is set such that the change angle does not exceed 10 degrees with respect to the side edge of the touch screen, for example. To be possible. The vertical movement should preferably be performed between the characters whose end of the string is to be deleted, which is also an intuitive way to 'sawing' the string in two for the user.

In the above, the invention has been described by way of example in connection with the editing of the network address of the Internet browser in particular. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to editing a character string in a device provided with a touch screen, and the application in which the character string is edited may also be other than a browser program. The editing of a text string according to the invention can be applied, for example, to cell definitions and related calculation formulas in a spreadsheet program, wherein the use of the text editing of the invention preferably updates according to the changed cell definitions in the table. It can be activated automatically.

Moreover, when the present invention is applied to the editing of a network address of an internet browser, the present invention can also be applied to browsers which do not support predictive address entry. In this case, the network address is edited based on the address in the address field of the browser at each particular time.

4 shows, by flow chart, some of the embodiments described above when the address field of the Internet browser is edited in accordance with the present invention. In the example of FIG. 4, starting point 400 is the situation in which a network address displayed on the screen is defined in the address field (402). The network address may be the address presented by the predictive address input of the browser or it may be the address of the network page last loaded by the user. In view of the application (Internet browser) used through the touchscreen, the process proceeds to detection of contact of the indicator means (stylus) (404).

According to the embodiment described above, the application program determines (406) the contact parameter of the indicator means via the touch screen, such as the duration of the contact, and compares it to a preset limit value. If the duration of the contact is not long enough (shorter than the threshold), the same network address is still displayed on the screen (402). Again, if the duration of the contact is at least as determined by the threshold, characters after the indication point are deleted from the string of network addresses (408). The contact parameter of the indicator means may also be a value for determining, for example, the direction of movement of the contact, the value being compared with a limit value stored in the memory, the contact movement being for example a character after the indication point. It must be vertical enough for them to be deleted 408 from the string of network addresses. The browser program then automatically initiates loading of the network address according to the edited string (410).

The functions of the present invention, when executed in a central processing unit (CPU), allow the terminal to perform tasks in accordance with the present invention, preferably as a computer program, to be implemented in a portable terminal, such as a mobile station comprising a touch screen. Can be. The computer program may most preferably be implemented as a plug-in to be loaded into a terminal or an application program. The functions of the computer program SW may be divided into several individual software elements that communicate with each other. The computer program can be stored on any memory means, for example a hard disk or a CD-ROM of a PC, from which it can be loaded into the memory MEM of the mobile station MS. The computer program can also be loaded over a network, for example using the TCP / IP protocol stack. One alternative is to use hardware solutions or a combination of hardware and software solutions to implement the inventive means.

Thus, the computer program SW comprises at least one computer program code section for editing the character string in response to an indication performed using the indicator means such that the characters after the indication point are deleted from the character string.

According to one embodiment, the computer program product is a browser program to be loaded into a terminal or a plug-in of the browser program, the string is a network address displayed in an address field of the browser program, and the computer program product is a A computer program code section for automatically initiating loading of the network address in accordance with the edited string by the browser program in response to the edit.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the basic idea of the invention may be implemented in a variety of ways. Accordingly, the invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the claims.

Claims (19)

A method for editing a text string displayed on a touch screen using indicator means, the method comprising: displaying at least one text string including a plurality of characters on the touch screen; And editing said character string in response to an indication formed using said indicator means such that characters after a mark point are deleted from said character string. The method of claim 1, wherein the string is a network address displayed in an address field of a browser program. 3. The method of claim 2, comprising automatically initiating loading of the network address in accordance with the edited string by the browser program in response to editing the string. 4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, comprising displaying the string in an address field of the browser program based on a predicted address input. The network of claim 3, wherein the touchscreen is configured to identify a duration of the indication in relation to a predetermined threshold value, the method further comprising: the network in response to the duration of the indication exceeding the predetermined threshold value. Initiating automatic loading of the address. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the touchscreen is configured to identify a direction of movement of the display with respect to the predetermined limit value, the method being in a direction of movement of the display within the limits set by the predetermined limit value. In response to initiating automatic loading of the network address. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display is adapted to be performed as a substantially vertical forward and backward movement between two characters contained by the character string. 8. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, comprising initiating automatic loading of the network address in response to the indicator means being released from contact with the touch screen. An electronic device comprising a touch screen and configured to display at least one character string including a plurality of characters on the touch screen. Means for detecting a display performed using indicator means on the touch screen; And Means for editing the character string in response to the indication performed using the indicator means such that characters after the indication point are deleted from the character string. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the device comprises a browser program, and the string is a network address displayed in an address field of the browser program. 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the device is configured to control the browser program to automatically initiate loading of the network address in accordance with the edited string by the browser program in response to editing the string. Electronic devices. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the character string is displayed in an address field of the browser program based on a predicted address input. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the touchscreen is configured to identify a duration of the indication with respect to a predetermined threshold value, And the device is configured to initiate automatic loading of the network address in response to the duration of the indication exceeding the predetermined threshold value. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch screen is configured to identify a direction of movement of the display with respect to a predetermined threshold value. And the device is configured to initiate automatic loading of the network address in response to a direction of movement of the indication that is within limits set by the predetermined limit value. 15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the touchscreen is configured to identify the display, which is performed as a substantially vertical back and forth movement between two characters included by the character string. 16. The electronic device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the device is configured to initiate automatic loading of the network address in response to the indicator means being released from contact with the touch screen. An electronic device system comprising a plurality of element units functionally connected to each other, the element units comprising a touch screen, the device configured to display at least one character string comprising a plurality of characters on the touch screen. In the electronic device system, The element units, Means for detecting a display performed using the indicator means on the touch screen; And Means for editing the character string in response to the indication performed using the indicator means such that characters after the indication point are deleted from the character string. A computer program product adapted to control at least one character string comprising a plurality of characters to be displayed on a touch screen of the device, when loaded into an electronic device, And a computer program code section for editing said character string in response to an indication formed using an indicator means such that characters after a mark point are deleted from said character string. 19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer program product is a browser program to be loaded into a terminal or a plug-in of the browser program, wherein the string is a network address displayed in an address field of the browser program. A program product comprising a computer program code section for automatically initiating loading of the network address in accordance with the edited string by the browser program in response to editing the string.

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