WO2009078579A2

WO2009078579A2 - Method for inputting symbol using touch screen

Info

Publication number: WO2009078579A2
Application number: PCT/KR2008/006555
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tae Yeon Jeon; Jeong Hun Moon; Hyun Jung Lee
Original assignee: Nhn Corporation
Priority date: 2007-12-18
Filing date: 2008-11-07
Publication date: 2009-06-25
Also published as: KR20090065765A; KR100927183B1; WO2009078579A3

Abstract

There is provided a symbol input method for allowing a convenient input of symbols frequently or recently used by a user. Disclosed is a symbol input method using a touch screen, including: cumulatively storing, when a user inputs a syπtol by using the touch screen, in¬ formation of the inputted symbol; generating a syπtol list to be displayed on the touch screen based on the cumulatively stored symbol information; displaying the symbol list in a form of a guide pop-up on the touch screen when the user touches a symbol hot key; and inputting a symbol selected by referring to the guide pop-up.

Description

METHOD FOR INPUTTING SYMBOL USING TOUCH

SCREEN

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a method for inputting symbols through a touch screen character input device; and, more particularly, to a symbol input method for allowing a convenient input of symbols frequently or recently used by a user. Background Art

[2] Recently, when using a terminal for mobile telecommunications, a function of transceiving textual data or image data such as photos is being generally utilized in addition to a traditional function of providing telephone calls between users.

[3] The frequency of using the function of writing a short message or an e^riail and transmitting them by data corπrunications is increasingly on the rise. Further, recently, various special characters such as symbols, figures, emoticons, icons and the like are used in combinations to express emotions and personalities of users when transceiving SMS (Short message service) messages or e snails.

[4] Accordingly, there has been proposed a technology for providing a symbol list in several pages and the symbol list stores various special characters and is used to write the short messages or e^riails through the mobile terminal.

[5] However, in accordance with a conventional method for selecting the special characters, the user has to search several symbol list pages to find out and select a special character that he/she wants to input, which has been troublesome.

[6] Moreover, since symbol tables are fixed, the user cannot change their positions.

Thus, in case that the desired symbol or special character is on a rear page of the symbol tables, not on the first one thereof, the user cannot have access to the desired special character until a number of key button inputs are made. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[7] In view of the foregoing, the present invention provides a symbol selecting method using a touch screen, capable of allowing a user to easily select a desired symbol by means of generating a symbol list based on information upon input frequency and input time of symbols inputted by the user and displaying the generated symbol list in a guide pop-up form. Technical Solution

[8] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a syntol input method using a touch screen, the method including cumulatively storing, when a user inputs a syntol by using the touch screen, information of the inputted symbol; generating a syntol list to be displayed on the touch screen based on the cumulatively stored symbol information; displaying the symbol list in the form of a guide pop-up on the touch screen when the user touches a symbol hot key; and inputting a symbol selected by referring to the guide pop-up.

[9] The symbol information may include a code of the inputted syntol and input time information and the guide pop-up can be displayed so as to show a slipping direction, a slipping length or the number of touch times.

[10] Further, the syntol list may contain symbols having highest ranks or the most recently inputted symbols in input frequency during a preset time period.

[11] In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a symbol input device by displaying a guide pop-up on a touch screen, the device including: a display unit for displaying a symbol hot key on the touch screen; an input symbol storage unit for cumulatively storing information of a symbol inputted by a user; a controller for generating a symbol list to be displayed on the touch screen based on the cumulatively stored symbol information; a guide pop-up generation unit for generating the guide pop-up for showing an input manner of a symbol contained in the symbol list; and a touch sensor for detecting a touching motion of the user on the touch screen, wherein the controller controls the display unit to display the guide pop-up when the user touches the symbol hot key, and also inputs the symbol contained in the symbol list based on the touching motion sensed by the touch sensor.

Advantageous Effects

[12] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, since symbols frequently or most recently used by a user is automatically assigned to a symbol hot key, the user can easily input a symbol that he/she wants to input by simple manipulation.

[13] In accordance with other aspect of the present invention, since a multiplicity of symbols, which is frequently or most recently used by a user, is displayed in a form of a guide pop-up, the user can accurately select a symbol that he/she wants to input. Brief Description of Drawings

[14] The disclosure may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the following figures: [15] Fig. 1 is a detailed configuration view of a motile terminal which embodies a method for selecting a symbol by using a touch screen in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[16] Fig. 2 sets forth a diagram showing the touch screen of the mobile terminal to which the symbol selecting method in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is applied;

[17] Figs. 3 to 6 depict diagrams describing guide pop-ups in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; and

[18] Fig. 7 presents a flowchart describing the method for inputting a special symbol by using the touch screen in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. Mode for the Invention

[19] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that the present invention may be readily implemented by those skilled in the art. However, it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments but can be realized in various other ways. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted for the simplicity of explanation, and like reference minerals denote like parts through the whole docunent.

[20] Through the whole docunent, the term "connected to" or "coupled to" that is used to designate a connection or coupling of one element to another element includes both a case that an element is "directly connected or coupled to" another element and a case that an element is "electronically connected or coupled to" another element via still another element. Further, the term "comprises or includes" and/or "comprising or including" used in the document means that one or more other components, steps, operation and/or existence or addition of elements are not excluded in addition to the described components, steps, operation and/or elements.

[21] Below, a method for selecting a symbol by using a touch screen in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4.

[22] Fig. 1 is a detailed configuration view of a mobile terminal to which the symbol selecting method using the touch screen in accordance with the present embodiment is applied.

[23] As shown in Fig. 1, a mobile terminal 10 includes a controller 11, a display unit 12, a touch sensor 13, a guide pop-up generation unit 14 and an input symbol storage unit 15.

[24] The display unit 12 displays various information such as a soft keyboard to be displayed on the touch screen, menu buttons for operating the mobile terminal IQ characters and symbols selected by a user, and so forth. Especially, the display unit 12 displays the soft keyboard including a nurber of consonant keys, a plurality of vowel keys, a symbol key, a nurber key, a Korean/English shift key, a symbol hot key, and the like on the touch screen.

[25] The touch sensor 13 senses a touching motion of the user for selecting menus, data or characters displayed on the display unit 12. To be more specific, when the user performs a manipulation of touching or making a slipping motion after touching a certain key button on the soft keyboard displayed on the touch screen with his/her finger, a stylus pen, or the like to select it, the touch sensor 13 senses a touch point, a slipping direction, a slipping length, the nurber of touches, and the like of his/her finger or a stylus pen through a touch sensor and sends the detection results to the controller 11.

[26] The guide pop-up generation unit 14 generates guide pop-ups for showing the slipping direction, the slipping length or the nurber of touches for selecting characters or symbols assigned to the certain key button, when the user has selected the certain key button on the soft keyboard by using his finger, the stylus pen, or the like.

[27] The input symbol storage unit 15 accuπulates and stores therein information of symbols actually inputted or selected by the user, for example, input symbols, input time, and so forth.

[28] The controller 11 controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal IQ and controls the input symbol storage unit 15, the guide pop-up generation unit 14 and the display unit 12 based on detection signals from the touch sensor 13.

[29] Specifically, the controller 11 generates a symbol list to be displayed on the touch screen based on the symbol information stored in the input symbol storage unit 15. Since the symbol information cuπulatively stored in the input symbol storage unit 15 includes input time information and codes of the symbols inputted or selected by the user, the controller 11 can sort the inputted symbols in the order of frequent use or can sort the most recently inputted symbols in time sequence based on the symbol information. Accordingly, the controller 11 can generate as many as a preset nurber of symbol lists, and the symbol list may be a list of symbols having highest ranks in the frequency of use or a list of symbols having highest ranks among the most recently used symbols.

[30] Further, the controller 11 controls the guide pop-up generation unit 14 and the display unit 12 so as to display the generated symbol list in the form of a guide pop-up. [31] To be specific, when the user touches the symbol hot key, the controller 11 controls the display unit 12 to display the guide pop-ups, and allows one of the symbols in the symbol list to be inputted based on the touching motion detected by the touch sensor 13.

[32] The method for inputting the symbol by referring to the guidance of the guide pop-up may be carried out by the selection of the slipping direction, the slipping length, or the number of touches.

[33] Further, when the user touches the symbol hot key and then slips it along a certain direction, the controller 11 can control the display unit 12 to enlarge a currently focused symbol in a guide pop-up, or can output a sound effect or vibration whenever the currently focused symbol is changed. The symbol selecting method in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention will be described later in detail.

[34] Fig. 2 provides a diagram describing the touch screen of the mobile terminal to which the symbol selecting method in accordance with the present embodiment is applied.

[35] Referring to Fig. 2, a touch screen 100 includes an input window region 110 and a soft keyboard region 12Q and the soft keyboard region 120 includes a multiplicity of character key buttons 121 and function key buttons 122.

[36] The input window region 110 displays, e.g., constants, vowels, numbers, and special characters selected by the user.

[37] The character key buttons 121 include a nurber of basic consonant keys and a plurality of basic vowel keys. The arrangement of the respective key buttons is not limited to the shown example in Fig. 2, but can be modified in various ways.

[38] As for the character key buttons 121, at least one consonant key or vowel key is assigned to each key button. For example, Korean consonants ' π ' , ' i— ' , ' τ= ' , ' Ξ ' , ' u ' , Α ' , ' O ' , ' T; ' are respectively assigned to 8 basic consonant keys, and Korean vowels ' 1 ' and ' — ' are respectively assigned to 2 basic vowel keys.

[39] While the nurber of the basic consonant keys is 8, the nurber of the basic vowel keys is just 2. Thus, in consideration of the high likelihood that the frequency of selecting the basic vowel keys is higher than the selection frequency of the basic consonant keys, the key buttons corresponding to the basic vowel keys among the character key buttons 121 may be displayed larger than the key buttons corresponding to the basic consonant keys, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

[40] The function key buttons 122 include 6 function keys. The arrangement of the respective key buttons is not limited to the illustrated example in Fig. 2 but can be modified in various ways.

[41] The function key buttons 122 include, for example, a nurber input key 122a for inputting nurbers; a symbol key 122b for inputting various symbols such as sentence marks, diagrams, moving texts, icons, emoticons, and the like; a symbol hot key 122c for inputting symbols frequently or most recently used by the user; a Korean/English shift key 122e for converting a Korean input mode into an English input mode, or vice versa; a space key 122d; a back space key 122f, and so forth. The arrangement positions and the kinds of the key buttons shown in Fig. 2 are nothing more than examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[42] The sytrbol hot key 122C in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention contains a plurality of symbols frequently or most recently used by the user, and it enables an easy selection of a symbol that the user wants to input. The symbol hot key 122C is an arbitrary one of the key buttons of the soft key board displayed on the touch screen. To the symbol hot key 122C, a preset nurber of symbols frequently or most recently used by a user is assigned together.

[43] Further, the touch screen 100 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention displays guide pop-ups for showing slipping directions, slipping lengths or the nurber of touches for the selection of the symbols assigned to the symbol hot key 122c.

[44] Figs. 3 to 6 provide diagrams describing examples of guide pop-ups in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. Below, the description is provided for the case that the list of the symbols frequently or most recently used by the user contains a question mark '?', an exclamation mark '!', a circunflex '^Λ' and a comma

•) •

[45] The symbols contained in the above^nentioned symbol list are assigned together to the symbol hot key 122C. If a central portion of the symbol hot key 122c is touched, guide pop-ups for showing the slipping directions, slipping lengths or the nurber of touches for each of the symbol keys '?', ' !', '^Λ' and ',' are displayed.

[46] For example, in Fig. 3, the symbol '?' is positioned at an upper side of the symbol hot key 122c; the symbol '!' is shown at a right side of the symbol hot key 122c; the symbol '^Λ' is positioned at a lower side of the symbol hot key 122c; and the symbol ',' is disposed at a left side of the symbol hot key 122c.

[47] As shown in Fig. 3, slipping directions for allowing the selection of each symbol are displayed on the guide pop-ups. For example, the symbol '?' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the symbol hot key 122c and then slipping along an (upward) direction in which the guide pop-up of the '?' key is displayed, and the syrrbol ' ! ' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then slipping along a (right) direction in which the guide pop-up of the '!' key is displayed. Further, the syrrbol '^Λ' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then slipping along the direction (downward) in which the guide pop-up of the '^Λ' key is displayed, and the syrrbol ',' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then slipping along a (left) direction in which the guide pop-up of the ',' key is displayed.

[48] Alternatively to the above-described method, the nutrber of touches for selecting each syrrbol key can be displayed on the guide pop-ups in accordance with the errbodiment of the present invention.

[49] As shown in Fig. 4, the syrrbol '?' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then pressing it one more time according to the number of key button touches (..) displayed on the guide pop-up of the '?' key, i.e., by pressing it two times consecutively. The ' !' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then pressing it two more times according to the nurber of key button touches (...) displayed on the guide pop-up of the ' !' key, i.e., by pressing it three times consecutively.

[50] Further, the syrrbol '^Λ' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then pressing it three more time according to the nurber of key button touches (....) displayed on the guide pop-up of the '^Λ' key, i.e., by pressing it four times consecutively. The syrrbol ',' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then pressing it four more time according to the nurber of key button touches ( ) displayed on the guide pop-up of the ',' key, i.e., by pressing it five times consecutively.

[51] Still alternatively to the above-described methods, slipping lengths for selecting each syrrbol key can be displayed on the guide pop-ups in accordance with the errbodiment of the present invention. In such case, the guide pop-ups corresponding to the respective syrrbol keys can be displayed in one direction of the syrrbol hot key 122c.

[52] In Fig. 5, the guide pop-ups corresponding to the '?', ' !', '^Λ' and ',' keys are displayed in an upward direction of the syrrbol hot key 122c.

[53] At this time, the syrrbol '?' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syrrbol hot key 122c and then releasing the touch after making a slipping motion upward up to the position where the guide pop-up corresponding to the '?' key is located. The syrrbol ' !' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syπtol hot key 122c and then releasing the touch after making a slipping motion upward up to the position where the guide pop-up of the ' ! ' key is located.

[54] Further, the syπtol '^Λ' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syπtol hot key 122c and then releasing the touch after making a slipping motion upward up to the position where the guide pop-up of the '^Λ' key is located. The syπtol ',' can be selected by first pressing the central portion of the syπtol hot key 122c and then releasing the touch after making a slipping motion upward up to the position where the guide pop-up of the ',' key is located.

[55] At this time, a guide pop-up corresponding to a syπtol to be selected, i.e., the syπtol corresponding to the position touched by the finger or stylus pen, can be enlargedly displayed. Therefore, when the user's finger or stylus pen slips, the user can easily recognize the position of the guide pop-up on which his/her finger or stylus pen is located.

[56] Fig. 6 illustrates an example where the guide pop-up corresponding to the syπtol '!' is enlargedly displayed when the user's finger or stylus pen is placed on the guide popup corresponding to the syπtol ' ! ' by slipping the finger or stylus pen upward after pressing the syπtol hot key 122c.

[57] Further, as the user's finger or stylus pen slips, sound effect or vibration of the terminal can be generated when the user's finger or stylus pen is moved between the guide pop-ups, i.e., whenever the syπtol to be selected is changed so that the position of the guide pop-pus where the user's finger or stylus pen is located can be easily recognized.

[58] That is, every time the user's finger or stylus pen moves between the guide pop-ups when the user slips the finger or stylus pen upward after pressing the syπtol hot key 122c, the sound effect or vibration may be outputted. For example, in case that the user's finger or stylus pen is located on the guide pop-up corresponding to the syπtol ' !', the sound effect may be outputted two times or the vibration of the terminal may be generated two times, thus facilitating the user's manipulation.

[59] So far, though the description of the present embodiment has been provided for the case of setting the guide pop-ups to display one of the information upon the slipping direction, the slipping length and the number of touches, it may be possible to display two or more selection methods together.

[60] Fig. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the method for inputting special syπtol by using the touch screen in accordance with the entodiment of the present invention.

[61] First, in case that a syπtol has been inputted from the syπtol key 122b or the symbol hot key 122c on the touch screen, information of the inputted symbol is cumulatively stored in the input symbol storage unit 15 in step SI l. Here, the cumulatively stored sytrbol information includes the code of the inputted symbol and input time information.

[62] In step S 12, it is detected whether the symbol hot key 122c, to which the frequently or recently used symbols are assigned, is touched or not. If it is determined that the symbol hot key 122c has not been touched, step S 12 is repeated. On the other hand, in case that it is detected that the symbol hot key 122c has been touched, the process proceeds to step S 13 whereby symbols having the highest frequency of input or most recently inputted symbols are primarily retrieved from the input symbol storage unit 15, and a list of symbols to be assigned to the symbol hot key 122c together is generated.

[63] In step S 14, guide pop-ups to be displayed in response to the touch of the symbol hot key 122c are generated based on the symbol list obtained in step S 13. At this time, slipping directions, slipping length and/or the nurber of touches of each symbol assigned to the symbol hot key 122c may be displayed on each guide pop-up.

[64] In step S 15, it is detected whether a slipping motion has been made to the symbol hot key 122c. When no slipping motion is detected, step S 15 is repeated. On the other hand, in case that the slipping motion is detected, the process proceeds to step S 16, whereby the symbol selected by the user is displayed on the touch screen 100.

[65] It would be readily understood by those skilled in the art that each step of the above- stated symbol input method needs not be performed in the same sequence as described above. For example, the step of generating the symbol list (step S 13) can be performed prior to the step of detecting whether or not the symbol hot key 122c is touched (step S12).

[66] The embodiment of the present invention can be implemented by storage mediun including computer executable commands such as a program module executed on a computer. The computer readable mediun may be any mediun accessible by the computer, and it includes both volatile and non-volatile mediun, and both detachable and non-detachable mediun. Further, the computer readable mediun includes both computer storage medium and communication mediun. The computer storage medium includes volatile and non-volatile media, and detachable and non- detachable media implemented by a method or technique for storing information such as computer readable commands, data structures, program modules, miscellaneous data, and so forth. The communication mediun typically includes computer readable commands, data structures, program modules or miscellaneous data of a modulated data signal such as carrier wave, or a miscellaneous transmission mechanism, and it has an information transmission mediun.

[67] The above description of the present invention is provided for the purpose of illustration, and it would be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without changing technical conception and essential features of the present invention. Thus, it is clear that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and do not limit the present invention. For example, each component described to be of a single type can be implemented in a distributed manner. Likewise, components described to be distributed can be implemented in a conϋned manner.

[68] The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims rather than by the detailed description of the embodiment. It shall be understood that all modifications and embodiments conceived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

[1] A symbol input method using a touch screen, the method comprising: cumulatively storing, when a user inputs a symbol by using the touch screen, information of the inputted symbol; generating a symbol list to be displayed on the touch screen based on the cumulatively stored symbol information; displaying the symbol list in a form of a guide pop-up on the touch screen when the user touches a symbol hot key; and inputting a symbol selected by referring to the guide pop-up.

[2] The symbol input method of claim 1, wherein the symbol information includes a code of the inputted symbol and input time information.

[3] The symbol input method of claim 1, wherein the guide pop-up is displayed so as to show a slipping direction, and the user inputs the symbol by slipping a finger along the shown slipping direction.

[4] The symbol input method of claim 1, wherein the guide pop-up is displayed so as to show a slipping length, and the user inputs the symbol by slipping a finger according to the shown slipping length.

[5] The symbol input method of claim 1, wherein the guide pop-up is displayed so as to show the number of touch times, and the user inputs the symbol by touching the touch screen the shown number of touch times.

[6] The symbol input method of claim 1, wherein the symbol list contains symbols having highest ranks in input frequency during a preset time period.

[7] The symbol input method of claim 1, wherein the symbol list contains the most recently inputted symbols.

[8] The symbol input method of claim 1, further comprising: enlarging a symbol to be selected in the guide pop-up when the user makes a slipping operation along a predetermined direction after touching the symbol hot key.

[9] The symbol input method of claim 1, further comprising: outputting a sound effect or a vibration whenever a symbol to be selected is changed when the user makes a slipping operation along a predetermined direction after touching the symbol hot key.

[10] A symbol input device by displaying a guide pop-up on a touch screen, the device comprising: a display unit for displaying a symbol hot key on the touch screen; an input symbol storage unit for curmlatively storing information of a symbol inputted by a user; a controller for generating a symbol list to be displayed on the touch screen based on the curmlatively stored symbol information; a guide pop-up generation unit for generating the guide pop-up for showing an input manner of a symbol contained in the symbol list; and a touch sensor for detecting a touching motion of the user on the touch screen, wherein the controller controls the display unit to display the guide pop-up when the user touches the symbol hot key, and also inputs the symbol contained in the symbol list based on the touching motion sensed by the touch sensor. [11] The symbol input device of claim IQ wherein the symbol information includes a code of the inputted symbol and input time information. [12] The symbol input device of claim IQ wherein the input manner of the symbol is related to a slipping direction after the symbol hot key is touched. [13] The symbol input device of claim IQ wherein the input manner of the symbol is related to the nurber of touch times of the symbol hot key. [14] The symbol input device of claim IQ wherein the input manner of the symbol is related to a slipping length after the symbol hot key is touched. [15] The symbol input device of claim IQ wherein the symbol list contains symbols whose input frequency during a preset time period is higher than a threshold value. [16] The touch screen input device of claim IQ wherein the symbol list primarily contains the most recently inputted symbols. [17] The symbol input device of claim IQ wherein the controller controls the display unit to enlarge the symbol to be selected in the guide pop-up when the user makes a slipping operation along a predetermined direction after touching the symbol hot key. [18] The symbol input device of claim IQ wherein the controller outputs a sound effect or a vibration whenever the symbol to be selected is changed as the user makes a slipping operation along a predetermined direction after touching the symbol hot key.