Patent ID: 8599139
Filing Date: 2013-12-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An electronic device, comprising: a touch sensitive device operable to detect one or more touch operations based on one or more keys of a virtual keyboard displayable by a display function of the electronic device; and a processor electronically connected to the touch sensitive device and operable to present character information through the display function, and operable to detect operation of the touch sensitive device according to a character input method, the character input method comprising: displaying the virtual keyboard comprising a plurality of keys; utilizing the virtual keyboard as a base for one or more touch operations detectable by a touch detection function, wherein each key of the plurality of keys is operable as a toggle key, two different keys in the plurality of keys are respectively associated with different sequences of character candidates, and a sequence of character candidates comprises optional characters arranged in a specific arrangement for character input to a text area; providing text input schemes associated with the virtual keyboard, wherein a first text input scheme among the text input schemes is associated with a first mode of the keyboard, and a second text input scheme among the text input schemes is associated with a second mode of the keyboard; allowing switching between the text input schemes to activate one of the text input schemes as an active text input scheme; selecting one character in a first character set of optional characters associated with a first key among the plurality of keys as a currently selected character in response to an operation based on the first key upon a condition that the first text input scheme is activated as the active text input scheme, wherein the first character set is associated with the first key in the first mode of the virtual keyboard; selecting one character in a second character set of optional characters associated with the first key as the currently selected character in response to an operation based on the first key upon a condition that the second text input scheme is activated as the active text input scheme, wherein the second character set is associated with the first key in the second mode of the virtual keyboard; displaying gesture operable options of complementary characters selected from at least one set of the first character set and second character set in response to an operation based on the first key upon a condition that one of the first text input scheme and the second text input scheme is activated as the active text input scheme, wherein the complementary characters are complementary to a default character shown on the first key with respect to at least one set of the first character set and second character set, and each of the gesture operable options is operable to be activated upon receiving a gesture; selecting a first one of complementary characters as the currently selected character upon a condition that one of the gesture operable options associated with the first one of complementary characters is activated by a gesture; and entering the currently selected character to the text area.