Patent ID: 8335993

Claim:
A user interface comprising: a touch screen display having i) a virtual keyboard area and ii) a viewing area, the virtual keyboard area comprising a plurality of virtual buttons, wherein each virtual button has a plurality of alphanumeric, graphical, and/or iconic characters displayed in accordance with a first appearance; and logic configured to receive a first input from the touch screen display in response to a virtual button being selected by a touching instrument, in response to the first input, instruct the touch screen display to alter the first appearance of the plurality of alphanumeric, graphical, and/or iconic characters of the selected virtual button as displayed in the virtual keyboard area so that the plurality of alphanumeric, graphical, and/or iconic characters of the selected virtual button are displayed in accordance with a second appearance, and receive a second input from the touch screen display in response to the touch instrument selecting a first character of the plurality of alphanumeric, graphical, and/or iconic characters of the selected virtual button, wherein the first character is selected by the touching instrument sliding over the touch screen display in a manner away from a center area of the plurality of alphanumeric, graphical, and/or iconic characters of the selected virtual button as displayed in accordance with the second appearance and in a direction corresponding to the first character; wherein sliding the touching instrument in the direction corresponding to the first character provides visual feedback to a user indicating that the first character will be selected, the visual feedback comprising an enlargement of a first area of the second appearance and a shrinking of a second area of the second appearance, and wherein an amount of enlargement and an amount of shrinking is based on a distance that the touching instrument is slid away from the center area of the second appearance.