Patent ID: 7831923

Claim:
A method, in a data processing device, for providing visual keyboard guides, comprising: receiving an input specifying one or more keys of a smart keyboard, less than a total number of keys of the smart keyboard, for which visual guides are to be provided in response to detecting a presence of a user's instrument over the one or more keys; and storing an identifier of the one or more keys in a data structure for use in determining if visual keyboard guides are to be provided for the at least one key of the smart keyboard; receiving an input from the smart keyboard indicating at least one key of the smart keyboard with which a user's instrument is in proximity, the smart keyboard having sensors for detecting a presence of the user's instrument in proximity to the at least one key of the smart keyboard; determining if visual keyboard guides are to be provided for the at least one key of the smart keyboard based on a comparison of the at least one key to identifiers of one or more keys in the data structure; outputting a visual keyboard guide on a display of the data processing device if visual keyboard guides are to be provided for the at least one key of the smart keyboard, wherein a visual keyboard guide is not output for the at least one key if the at least one key does not match an identifier of one or more keys in the data structure; and sending a control signal to the smart keyboard to turn on/off sensors of the smart keyboard based on the user input specifying the one or more keys, wherein the control signal causes sensors associated with the one or more keys specified in the user input to be turned on and sensors associated with keys that are not in the one or more keys specified by the user input to be turned off.