Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
  • G06F3/023—Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
  • G06F3/0233—Character input methods
  • G06F3/0236—Character input methods using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
  • G06F3/0481—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
  • G06F3/0482—Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
  • G06F3/0484—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
  • G06F3/04842—Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
  • G06F3/0487—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
  • G06F3/0488—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
  • G06F3/04883—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
  • G06F3/0487—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
  • G06F3/0488—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
  • G06F3/04886—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures 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
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
  • G06F2203/041—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/041 - G06F3/045
  • G06F2203/04104—Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
  • G06F2203/048—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/048
  • G06F2203/04808—Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen

Definitions

• the present patent application relates to touch screen user interfaces and, in particular, relates to operation of a computer based on interaction by a user with a virtual GUI item, such as a virtual keyboard on a touch screen user interface.
• a touch screen is a type of display screen that has a touch-sensitive transparent panel covering the screen, or can otherwise recognize touch input on the screen.
• the touch screen display is housed within the same housing as computer circuitry including processing circuitry operating under program control.
• GUI graphical user interface
• a collection of GUI objects displayed on a touch screen may be considered a virtual keyboard. Similar to a conventional external keyboard that is not so closely associated with a display screen, the virtual keyboard includes a plurality of keys ("virtual keys"). Activation of a particular virtual key (or combination of virtual keys) generates a signal (or signals) that is provided as input to an application executing on the computer.
• Touch screen keyboards by nature of the hardware on which they operate, typically glean much more information about a user's actions than can be gleaned with a typical external keyboards.
• a typical external keyboard includes a single "sensor” (such as a mechanical switch or electrical connection) or a small number of sensors per key
• touch screen keyboards typically have many more sensors per virtual key.
• touch screens with their numerous sensors, typically lack the ability to directly glean some types of information about a user's actions. It is desirable to use the information available to infer other types of information, for example, information which cannot be directly gleaned about the user's actions.
• a touch screen computer executes an application.
• a method of operating the touch screen computer in response to a user is provided.
• a virtual input device is provided on the touch screen.
• the virtual input device comprises a plurality of virtual GUI items (which may be, in some specific examples, virtual keys of a virtual keyboard). It is detected that a user has touched the touch screen to nominally activate at least one virtual GUI item (e.g., virtual key), and a behavior of the user with respect to touch is determined. The determined behavior is processed and a predetermined characteristic is associated with the nominally-activated at least one virtual GUI item. A reaction to the nominal activation is determined based at least in part on a result of processing the determined behavior.
• Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary touch-screen based computer system, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 2 is a flow chart broadly illustrating a method by which behavior of a user's touch, with respect to a virtual input device displayed on a touch screen of a multipoint sensing device, is processed to affect a reaction to the user's touch.
• Fig. 3 illustrates using processing signals created by the multipoint sensing device in response to the user's touch in order to infer the pressure with which the user's touched the touch screen to activate a nominally-activated virtual key.
• Fig. 4 illustrates a table data structure useable to determine reactions based on matching predetermined behavioral characteristics to actual behavioral characteristics with respect to nominally-activating particular virtual keys.
• Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing to determine a reaction with respect to particular user behavior.
• Fig. 6A illustrates a timeline corresponding to "durations" of user behavior in the temporal domain.
• Fig. 6B illustrates a table data structure similar to the table illustrated in Fig. 4, to determine reactions based on user behaviors with respect to "durations" such as are illustrated in Fig. 6A.
• Fig. 7 illustrates a table structure for determining reactions based on user behavior with respect to nominally activating combinations of virtual keys.
• Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of processing to determine a reaction with respect to particular user behavior with respect to nominally activating combinations of virtual keys.
• Fig. 9 illustrates a possible reaction to a nominal virtual key activation is display of a menu.
• Fig. 10 illustrates an example of a display having GUI items that are not virtual keys.
• Fig.l is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 50, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
• the computer system 50 may correspond to a personal computer system, such as a desktop computer system, a laptop computer system, a tablet computer system or a handheld computer system.
• the computer system may also correspond to a computing device, such as a cell phone, PDA, dedicated media player, consumer electronic device, and the like.
• the exemplary computer system 50 shown in Fig. 1 includes a processor 56 configured to execute instructions and to carry out operations associated with the computer system 50. For example, using instructions retrieved for example from memory, the processor 56 may control the reception and manipulation of input and output data between components of the computing system 50.
• the processor 56 can be implemented on a single-chip, multiple chips or multiple electrical components. For example, various architectures can be used for the processor 56, including dedicated or embedded processor, single purpose processor, controller, ASIC, and so forth.
• the processor 56 together with an operating system operates to execute computer code and produce and use data.
• Operating systems are generally well known and will not be described in greater detail.
• the operating system may correspond to OS/2, DOS, Unix, Linux, Palm OS, and the like.
• the operating system can also be a special purpose operating system, such as may be used for limited purpose appliance-type computing devices.
• the operating system, other computer code and data may reside within a memory block 58 that is operatively coupled to the processor 56.
• Memory block 58 generally provides a place to store computer code and data that are used by the computer system 50.
• the memory block 58 may include Read-Only Memory (ROM), Random- Access Memory (RAM), hard disk drive and/or the like.
• the information could also reside on a removable storage medium and loaded or installed onto the computer system 50 when needed.
• Removable storage mediums include, for example, CD- ROM, PC-CARD, memory card,, floppy disk, magnetic tape, and a network component.
• the computer system 50 also includes a display device 68 that is operatively coupled to the processor 56.
• the display device 68 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) (e.g., active matrix, passive matrix and the like).
• the display device 68 may be a monitor such as a monochrome display, color graphics adapter (CGA) display, enhanced graphics adapter (EGA) display, variable-graphics- array (VGA) display, super VGA display, cathode ray tube (CRT), and the like.
• the display device may also correspond to a plasma display or a display implemented with electronic inks.
• the display device 68 is generally configured to display a graphical user interface (GUI) 69 that provides an easy to use interface between a user of the computer system and the operating system or application running thereon.
• GUI graphical user interface
• the GUI 69 represents, programs, files and operational options with graphical images.
• the graphical images may include windows, fields, dialog boxes, menus, icons, buttons, cursors, scroll bars, etc. Such images may be arranged in predefined layouts, or may be created dynamically to serve the specific actions being taken by a user.
• the user can select and activate various graphical images in order to initiate functions and tasks associated therewith.
• GUI 69 can additionally or alternatively display information, such as non interactive text and graphics, for the user on the display device 68.
• the computer system 50 also includes an input device 70 that is operatively coupled to the processor 56.
• the input device 70 is configured to transfer data from the outside world into the computer system 50.
• the input device 70 may for example be used to perform tracking and to make selections with respect to the GUI 69 on the display 68.
• the input device 70 may also be used to issue commands in the computer system 50.
• the input device 70 may include a touch sensing device configured to receive input from a user's touch and to send this information to the processor 56.
• the touch-sensing device may correspond to a touchpad or a touch screen. In many cases, the touch-sensing device recognizes touches, as well as the position and magnitude of touches on a touch sensitive surface.
• the touch sensing means reports the touches to the processor 56 and the processor 56 interprets the touches in accordance with its programming. For example, the processor 56 may initiate a task in accordance with a particular touch.
• a dedicated processor can be used to process touches locally and reduce demand for the main processor of the computer system.
• the touch sensing device may be based on sensing technologies including but not limited to capacitive sensing, resistive sensing, surface acoustic wave sensing, pressure sensing, optical sensing, and/or the like.
• the touch sensing means may be based on single point sensing or multipoint sensing. Single point sensing is capable of only distinguishing a single touch, while multipoint sensing is capable of distinguishing multiple touches that occur at the same time.
• the input device 70 may be a touch screen that is positioned over or in front of the display 68.
• the touch screen 70 may be integrated with the display device 68 or it may be a separate component.
• the touch screen 70 has several advantages over other input technologies such as touchpads, mice, etc.
• the touch screen 70 is positioned in front of the display 68 and therefore the user can manipulate the GUI 69 directly. For example, the user can simply place their finger over an object to be controlled.
• touch pads there is no one-to-one relationship such as this.
• touchpads the touchpad is placed away from the display typically in a different plane.
• the display is typically located in a vertical plane and the touchpad is typically located in a horizontal plane.
• the input device 70 can be a multipoint input device.
• Multipoint input devices have advantages over conventional singlepoint devices in that they can distinguish more than one object (finger). Singlepoint devices are simply incapable of distinguishing multiple objects.
• a multipoint touch screen which can be used herein, is shown and described in greater detail in copending and commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application No.: 10/840,862, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
• the computer system 50 also includes capabilities for coupling to one or more I/O devices 80.
• the I/O devices 80 may correspond to keyboards, printers, scanners, cameras, speakers, and/or the like.
• the I/O devices 80 may be integrated with the computer system 50 or they may be separate components (e.g., peripheral devices).
• the I/O devices 80 may be connected to the computer system 50 through wired connections (e.g., cables/ports).
• the I/O devices 80 may be connected to the computer system 80 through wireless connections.
• the data link may correspond to PS/2, USB, IR, RF, Bluetooth or the like.
• the display processing includes providing a composite display that has characteristics based on the application display as well as characteristics relative to a virtual input device.
• the virtual input device display includes at least an input portion, to receive appropriate touch input to the touch screen relative to the displayed input device, for a user to interact with the virtual input device.
• the user interaction with the virtual input device includes activating portions of the virtual input device to provide user input to affect the application processing.
• the virtual input device i.e., processing on the computer to accomplish the virtual input device
• the virtual input device display is typically highly correlated to the virtual input device processing of user interaction with the virtual input device.
• the virtual input device is a virtual keyboard
• the virtual input device display may include a graphic representation of the keys of a typical QWERTY keyboard
• virtual input device processing of user interaction with the virtual keyboard includes determining which virtual keys have been activated by the user and providing corresponding input (e.g., letters and/or numbers) to the application.
• Fig. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a broad aspect of the invention.
• the Fig. 2 flow chart broadly illustrates a method by which behavior of a user's touch, with respect to a virtual input device displayed on a touch screen of a multipoint sensing device, is processed to affect a reaction to the user's touch.
• the virtual input device is provided on the touch screen.
• the virtual input device may be, for example, a virtual QWERTY-style keyboard or other input device having virtual keys.
• a user's touch on the multipoint sensing device, to nominally activate a virtual key is detected. Detecting a user's touch may be conventional.
• the "behavior" of the user's touch is determined. The behavior is typically determined by processing signals created by the multipoint sensing device in response to the user's touch. Behaviors may be, for example, in the spatial domain (i.e., where on the multipoint sensing device the user touched to nominally activate the virtual key) or in the time domain (i.e., with what timing the user touched the multipoint sensing device to nominally activate the virtual key) and a combination of both spatial and time domain.
• the determined behavior and predetermined characteristics associated with the nominally-activated virtual key are processed.
• a reaction is determined to activation of the nominally- activated virtual key. Examples of predetermined characteristics are illustrated later in this description. Broadly speaking, however, the predetermined characteristics for a virtual key are characteristics associated with particular behaviors or ranges of behaviors of a user's touch to nominally activate that virtual key.
• FIG. 3 illustrates using processing signals created by the multipoint sensing device in response to the user's touch in order to infer the pressure with which the user's touched the touch screen to activate a nominally-activated virtual key.
• processing is useful in the case where a pressure signal is not directly available from the touch screen, or to supplement a pressure signal that is directly available from the touch screen.
• the area 302 represents points on the touch screen that correspond to a particular virtual key. While the area 302 is a square, virtual keys need not be limited to being a particular shape.
• Area 306 indicates (in a spatial domain) points on a touch screen that a user touched to nominally activate the virtual key of area 302.
• area 304 indicates points on the touch screen that a user touched to nominally activate the virtual key of area 302. Which points are touched may be determined, for example, from the processing signals created by the multipoint sensing device in response to the user's touch.
• Fig. 3 illustrates all of the points within areas 304 and 306 fall within the area 302, this need not necessarily be the case.
• Fig. 3 illustrates using the user's behavior in the spatial domain to infer pressure with which a virtual key is nominally activated
• the user's behavior in the time domain may be used to infer pressure with which a virtual key is nominally activated.
• a combination of the user's behavior in the spatial domain and the time domain may be used to infer pressure with which a virtual key is nominally activated.
• FIG. 4 illustrates a table in which each row is for a different one of a plurality of virtual keys.
• row 408 is for one virtual key
• row 410 is for another virtual key
• row 412 is for yet another virtual key.
• Column 402 includes indications of the virtual keys.
• Column 404 includes indications of predetermined behavioral characteristics for the virtual keys.
• predetermined behavioral characteristics are discussed in detail later. Broadly speaking, the predetermined behavioral characteristics are predetermined values of user's behavior (for example, specific values or ranges of values) in the spatial domain, the time domain or both.
• predetermined behavioral characteristics indicated in column 404 may include, for example, specific values of inferred pressure of a user's touch of a touch screen to nominally activate a virtual key indicated in column 402.
• the predetermined characteristics indicated in column 404 may include ranges of values of inferred pressure of a user's touch of the touch screen to nominally activate a virtual key indicated in column 402.
• the column 406 includes indications of reactions corresponding to the predetermined characteristics indicated in column 404. That is, each reaction indicated in column 406 is an action to be taken (or, in some cases, not taken) when a determined behavior is matched to a particular predetermined behavioral characteristic in column 404.
• FIG. 5 An example of processing to determine a reaction with respect to particular user behavior is now described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 5.
• the operation of the Fig. 5 example is discussed with respect to the Fig. 4 table, and with respect to a particular nominally-activated key, although the method illustrated in the Fig. 5 flowchart is not limited to being used with respect to a data structure of the form shown in Fig. 4.
• step 502 the possible predetermined behavioral characteristics in column 404 for the particular nominally-activated virtual key (in column 402) are accessed.
• the particular nominally-activated key may be indicated in the entry where row 410 intersects with column 402.
• the accessed possible predetermined behavioral characteristics would then be within the rectangle 414.
• the determined behavior i.e., the behavior of the user's touch in the spatial and/or time domain
• the determined behavior is matched to the possible predetermined behavioral characteristics indicated in column 404.
• a reaction from column 406 is determined. Using the example of row 410, the determined reaction would be one of the reactions indicated within the rectangle 416.
• the predetermined behavioral characteristics are in the time domain only and, specifically, are durations (here, ranges of durations) of the user's touch of the touch screen to nominally activate a virtual key.
• Fig. 6A illustrates a timeline 650, with increasing duration from left to right. Various durations are indicated on the timeline, including “z”, “x” and “y,” from left to right. Reference numeral 651 indicates a duration less than “z.” Reference numeral 652 indicates a duration greater than or equal to “z” and less than “x.” Reference numeral 654 indicates a duration greater than or equal to "x” and less than “y.” Finally, reference numeral 656 indicates a duration greater than or equal to
• Fig. 6B illustrates a portion of a table similar to the table illustrated in Fig. 4.
• the column 602 includes the entry for one particular nominally-activated virtual key.
• the column 604 includes entries for the predetermined behavioral characteristics. In the Fig. 6B example, the column 604 includes entries for the durations 651, 652, 654 and 656 denoted on the Fig. 6 A timeline 650.
• the predetermined behavioral characteristics are matched to the determined behavior of the user's touch that nominally activates the virtual key. Based on the match, a reaction is determined.
• Column 606 of the Fig. 6B table portion includes indications of such reactions.
• the reaction indications in column 606 are indicated by reference numerals 681, 682, 684 and 686; corresponding to the predetermined behavioral characteristics indicated by reference numerals 651, 652, 654 and 656.
• the reaction indication 681 indicates that the nominally-activated virtual key is to not, in fact, be activated. That is, the duration of the touching is too short to indicate an actual activation of the virtual key.
• the reaction indication 686 indicates that the nominally-activated virtual key is to not be actually activated. In this case, the duration of the touching is too long, presumably corresponding to a resting finger or hand part and not to an intentional activation.
• the remaining reaction indications are the reaction indication 682 and the reaction indication 684.
• the reaction indication 682 indicates that the nominally- activated key is to be actually activated a single time.
• the reaction indication 684 indicates that the nominally-activated key is to be actually activated repeated times, with the number of times to repeat the actual activation a function of the duration of the touching.
• Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B illustrate a simple example of determining reactions based on a determined behavior of the user in the time domain.
• reactions may be determined based on determined behaviors in the spatial domain, and based on a combination of determined behaviors in the spatial domain and in the time domain.
• the number and range of determined behaviors that may be used to determine reactions is limited, to some extent, only by what behavioral characteristics can be discerned or inferred.
• a determined behavior in the spatial domain - inferred pressure — was discussed above with reference to Fig. 3.
• Other possible behaviors in the spatial domain include, for example, the area of the touch of a nominally-activated virtual key relative to the area of the touch of an adjacent such virtual key (i.e., there is not a "direct hit" of the user's finger in touching a virtual key).
• Possible behaviors that are in a combination of the spatial domain and the time domain are referred to, in some instances, as "gestures.” See, for example, co-pending United States patent application no. 10/903,964, entitled GESTURES FOR TOUCH SENSITIVE INPUT DEVICES and filed July 30, 2004.
• reaction indication entry may be a link to a repository of such common possible reactions.
• the possible reactions and/or the predetermined behavioral characteristics may be user configurable, for example, using a menu or other utility. In some examples the possible reactions and/or the predetermined behavioral characteristics are automatically and dynamically configurable, based on the ongoing determined behavior of the user.
• Fig. 9 illustrates a possible reaction is display of a menu 902.
• the user may activate the "e" virtual key 906 with a particular behavior, and the reaction includes display of the menu 902.
• additional virtual keys e.g., 904a and 904b
• actual display of the menu 902 is bypassed based on particular behaviors, although the virtual keys of the menu 902 are still present and able to be activated.
• the user may nominally activate the "e" virtual key 906 with a "brush" gesture toward the additional virtual key 904 that is desired to be activated.
• the user would know the location of the additional virtual keys 904 based, for example, on previous use operation of the virtual keyboard. Not displaying the menu 902, a shortcut is provided for activating the additional virtual keys 904.
• the column 702 includes entries for combinations of nominally-activated virtual keys.
• one such entry in column 702 may be for a virtual key corresponding to an "a" in combination with a virtual key corresponding to a "SHIFT.”
• Each single possible combination of nominally-activated keys need not have a separate entry in the column 702.
• the combinations of predetermined behavioral characteristics in column 704 and the possible reactions in column 706 have common characteristics for plural combinations of nominally-activated virtual keys
• the entries in column 704 and/or column 706 may be common to the plural combinations of predetermined behavioral characteristics, and parameterized if necessary to accommodate unique attributes associated with particular ones of the combinations of nominally-activated virtual keys.
• the flowchart 800 illustrates an example of processing to determine a reaction with respect to particular user behavior relative to a combination of nominally-activated virtual keys. While not so limited, the operation of the Fig. 8 processing is described with reference to the data structure illustrated in Fig. 7.
• step 802 the possible predetermined behavioral characteristics in column 704 for the particular combination of nominally-activated virtual keys (in column 702) are accessed.
• the determined behavior i.e., the behavior of the user's touch in the spatial and/or time domain
• step 806 based on the matching, a reaction from column 706 is determined.
• Fig. 10 illustrates an example of a display having virtual GUI items that are not virtual keys of a virtual keyboard.
• the general concepts discussed above with the specific example of virtual keys of a virtual keyboard are generally applicable to virtual GUI items. For example, less pressure and/or shorter duration of touching (e.g., by a finger 1002) may be required to activate the "keep" virtual GUI item 1004 than to activate the "delete" virtual GUI item 1006.
• the processing may be such that activation of some GUI items (such as the "delete” GUI item, for example) require additional behavior, such as a "wiggle" or other gesture, which would serve as additional confirmation that it is intended for the GUI item to be activated.
• the combination is "registered" only upon a particular condition, such as one virtual key of the combination being released.
• a "preview" function is provided.
• an indication of the activation is displayed. This may be particularly useful, for example, where the virtual GUI items are particularly small.
• Fig. 11 illustrates a finger 1102 whose touch may be activating either the "w" virtual key or the "e” virtual key.
• the temporary overlay 1108 displays an indication that the "e" virtual key is to be activated, before the "e” virtual key activation is committed as typed text 1110.
• the finger 1102 being lifted while a particular virtual key is indicated as being to be activated may cause the particular virtual key to actually be activated.
• the finger 1102 may be moved (e.g., without lifting it) on the touch screen to activate a different virtual key.
• the various aspects, features, embodiments or implementations of the invention described above can be used alone or in various combinations.
• the invention is preferably implemented by software, but can also be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software.
• the invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium.
• the computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data that can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, optical data storage devices, and carrier waves.
• the computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.
• one advantage of the invention is that how a touch screen computer reacts to a user's touch to a virtual keyboard provided on the touch screen can be based on a deep appreciation for the behavior with which the user touches the touch screen.
• Another advantage of the invention is that how the touch screen computer reacts to the user's touch can be highly configurable.

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