PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9141200-B2
Application Number: US-201213681367-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Device, method, and graphical user interface for entering characters

Abstract:
A device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard with one or more character keys: displays a text entry area; detects a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key, enters a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard: determines one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and displays a candidate character selection interface that includes at least one of the candidate characters; while displaying the candidate character selection interface, detects a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting the second input, enters the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a display; 
 a touch-sensitive keyboard; 
 one or more processors; 
 memory; and 
 one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
 displaying a text entry area on the display; 
 detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; 
 in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; 
 in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a first portion of a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard and in accordance with detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard that is a smaller subset of area than the entire keyboard area and that includes one or more character keys:
 determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn first portion of the character; and 
 displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; 
 
 while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and 
 in response to detecting the second input, entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the touch-sensitive keyboard is a soft keyboard. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device includes a touch-sensitive surface distinct from the touch-sensitive keyboard, wherein the touch-sensitive surface is in a cursor manipulation mode when the first input is detected, the device including instructions for:
 in response to detecting the first input, maintaining the touch-sensitive surface in the cursor manipulation mode. 
 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein detecting the second input selecting the respective candidate character includes detecting an input on a key in the touch-sensitive keyboard that corresponds to the respective candidate character. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 1 , including instructions for:
 detecting activation of a plurality of character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the plurality of activated character keys corresponding to a romanization of one or more characters; 
 identifying two or more candidate characters corresponding to the romanization; displaying at least one of the identified candidate characters corresponding to the romanization; 
 detecting a third input that corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard of a first candidate character corresponding to the romanization; 
 in response to detecting the third input, entering the first candidate character corresponding to the romanization into the text entry area. 
 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 1 , including instructions for:
 after entering the first character, detecting activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard; 
 in response to detecting activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys into the text entry area; 
 detecting a fourth input; 
 in response to detecting the fourth input, displaying one or more characters that correspond to a romanization corresponding to the sequence of the first character and the characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys; 
 while displaying the one or more characters that correspond to the romanization, detecting a fifth input that selects a respective character of the displayed characters that correspond to the romanization; and 
 in response to detecting the fifth input, entering the selected respective character into the text entry area. 
 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the candidate characters are Chinese characters, Japanese characters, Korean characters, Vietnamese characters, Hindi characters, or Thai characters. 
     
     
       8. A method, comprising:
 at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard: 
 displaying a text entry area on the display;
 detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; 
 in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; 
 in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a first portion of a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard and in accordance with detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard that is a smaller subset of area than the entire keyboard area and that includes one or more character keys:
 determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn first portion of the character; and 
 displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; 
 
 while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and 
 in response to detecting the second input, entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
 
 
     
     
       9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard, cause the device to:
 display a text entry area on the display;
 detect a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; 
 in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, enter a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; 
 in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a first portion of a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard and in accordance with detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard that is a smaller subset of area than the entire keyboard area and that includes one or more character keys:
 determine one or more candidate characters for the drawn first portion of the character; and 
 display a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; 
 
 while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and 
 in response to detecting the second input, enter the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/678,516, filed Aug. 1, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This relates generally to electronic devices with touch-sensitive surfaces, including but not limited to electronic devices that receive text input on a touch-sensitive keyboard. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic devices typically need to enter many different types of characters. For example, devices may need to input Asian syllabic or logographic characters. A user may need to perform such character entry in a file management program (e.g., Finder from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), an image management application (e.g., Aperture or iPhoto from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a digital content (e.g., videos and music) management application (e.g., iTunes from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a drawing application, a presentation application (e.g., Keynote from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a word processing application (e.g., Pages from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), or a spreadsheet application (e.g., Numbers from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.). 
     But existing methods for entering syllabic or logographic characters are cumbersome and inefficient. For example, when the user uses a touch pad separate from the keyboard to draw a character, the user must move his hand back and forth between the keyboard and the touch pad. This going back and forth is tedious and creates a significant cognitive burden for the user. In addition, existing methods take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery operated devices. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, there is a need for electronic devices with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for entering characters. Such methods and interfaces may complement or replace conventional methods for entering characters. Such methods and interfaces reduce the cognitive burden on a user and produce a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated devices, such methods and interfaces conserve power and increase the time between battery charges. 
     The above deficiencies and other problems associated with user interfaces for electronic devices are reduced or eliminated by the disclosed devices with touch-sensitive keyboards. In some embodiments, the device is a desktop computer. In some embodiments, the device is portable (e.g., a notebook computer, tablet computer, or handheld device). In some embodiments, the device has a touchpad. In some embodiments, the device has a touch-sensitive display (also known as a “touch screen” or “touch screen display”). In some embodiments, the device has a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or more modules, programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory for performing multiple functions. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the GUI primarily through finger contacts and gestures on a touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, the functions may include image editing, drawing, presenting, word processing, website creating, disk authoring, spreadsheet making, game playing, telephoning, video conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, workout support, digital photographing, digital videoing, web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Executable instructions for performing these functions may be included in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a method is performed at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard. The method includes: displaying a text entry area on the display; detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard: determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting the second input, entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, an electronic device includes a display, a touch-sensitive keyboard, one or more processors, memory, and one or more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The one or more programs include instructions for: displaying a text entry area on the display; detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard: determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting the second input, entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage medium has stored therein instructions which when executed by an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard, cause the device to: display a text entry area on the display; detect a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, enter a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard: determine one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and display a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detect a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting the second input, enter the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive keyboard, a memory, and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory includes a text entry area, wherein: in accordance with a determination that a first input detected on the touch-sensitive keyboard corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, a first character corresponding to the character key is entered into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard: one or more candidate characters for the drawn character are determined, and a candidate character selection interface is displayed on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting, while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface, the selected respective candidate character is entered into the text entry area. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, an electronic device includes: a display; a touch-sensitive keyboard; means for displaying a text entry area on the display; means for detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; means, in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, for entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; means, in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard, for: determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; means for, while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and means, responsive to detecting the second input, for entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, an information processing apparatus for use in an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard includes: means for displaying a text entry area on the display; means for detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the touch-sensitive keyboard including one or more character keys; means, in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard, for entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; means, in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard, for: determining one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and displaying a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; means for, while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, detecting a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and means, responsive to detecting the second input, for entering the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, an electronic device includes a display unit configured to display a text entry area, a touch-sensitive keyboard unit configured to receive inputs, and a processing unit coupled to the display unit and the touch-sensitive keyboard unit. The processing unit is configured to: detect a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit, the touch-sensitive keyboard unit including one or more character keys; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit, entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit: determine one or more candidate characters for the drawn character; and enable display of a candidate character selection interface on the display unit, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface; while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display unit, detect a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting the second input, enter the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area. 
     Thus, electronic devices with displays and touch-sensitive keyboards are provided with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for entering characters, thereby increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with such devices. Such methods and interfaces may complement or replace conventional methods for entering characters. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention as well as additional embodiments thereof, reference should be made to the Description of Embodiments below, in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures. 
         FIG. 1A  is a block diagram illustrating a portable multifunction device with a touch-sensitive display in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 1B  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a portable multifunction device having a touch screen in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates an exemplary user interface for a menu of applications on a portable multifunction device in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates an exemplary user interface for a multifunction device with a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 5A-5R  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for entering characters using a touch-sensitive keyboard in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 6A-6C  are flow diagrams illustrating a method of entering characters using a touch-sensitive keyboard in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  is a functional block diagram of an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Some electronic devices include a capability to enter characters of foreign languages by drawing them, as opposed to typing them. In existing methods, the characters are drawn on a touch-sensitive surface separate from the keyboard, such as a touchpad, and candidate characters that best match the drawn character are identified for the user&#39;s selection. However, with the touch-sensitive surface being separate from the keyboard, when the user wants to draw a character, the user needs to move at least one hand from the keyboard to the touch-sensitive surface to draw the character. These hand and arm movements impose a physical and cognitive burden on the user. The embodiments below describe a new way to enter characters using a touch-sensitive keyboard. The user may activate keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard to enter letters corresponding to the activated keys or draw characters on the touch-sensitive keyboard to enter more complex characters. Because the user can draw the characters on the touch-sensitive keyboard, hand and arm movements to and from the keyboard and a separate touch-sensitive surface are reduced or eliminated. 
     Below,  FIGS. 1A-1B ,  2 , and  3  provide a description of exemplary devices.  FIGS. 4A-4B  and  5 A- 5 R illustrate exemplary user interfaces for entering characters.  FIGS. 6A-6C  are flow diagrams illustrating a method of entering characters using a touch-sensitive keyboard. The user interfaces in  FIGS. 5A-5R  are used to illustrate the processes in  FIGS. 6A-6C . 
     Exemplary Devices 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments. 
     It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact. 
     The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     As used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context. 
     Embodiments of electronic devices, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described. In some embodiments, the device is a portable communications device, such as a mobile telephone, that also contains other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions. Exemplary embodiments of portable multifunction devices include, without limitation, the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Other portable electronic devices, such as laptops or tablet computers with touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g., touch screen displays and/or touch pads), may also be used. It should also be understood that, in some embodiments, the device is not a portable communications device, but is a desktop computer with a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch-sensitive keyboard, a touch screen display, and/or a touch pad). 
     In the discussion that follows, an electronic device that includes a display and a touch-sensitive surface is described. It should be understood, however, that the electronic device may include one or more other physical user-interface devices, such as a mouse and/or a joystick. 
     The device typically supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a drawing application, a presentation application, a word processing application, a website creation application, a disk authoring application, a spreadsheet application, a gaming application, a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a workout support application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application. 
     The various applications that may be executed on the device may use at least one common physical user-interface device, such as the touch-sensitive surface. One or more functions of the touch-sensitive surface as well as corresponding information displayed on the device may be adjusted and/or varied from one application to the next and/or within a respective application. In this way, a common physical architecture (such as the touch-sensitive surface) of the device may support the variety of applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and transparent to the user. 
     Attention is now directed toward embodiments of portable devices with touch-sensitive displays.  FIG. 1A  is a block diagram illustrating portable multifunction device  100  with touch-sensitive displays  112  in accordance with some embodiments. Touch-sensitive display  112  is sometimes called a “touch screen” for convenience, and may also be known as or called a touch-sensitive display system. Device  100  may include memory  102  (which may include one or more computer readable storage mediums), memory controller  122 , one or more processing units (CPU&#39;s)  120 , peripherals interface  118 , RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , input/output (I/O) subsystem  106 , other input or control devices  116 , and external port  124 . Device  100  may include one or more optical sensors  164 . These components may communicate over one or more communication buses or signal lines  103 . 
     It should be appreciated that device  100  is only one example of a portable multifunction device, and that device  100  may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components. The various components shown in  FIG. 1A  may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     Memory  102  may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to memory  102  by other components of device  100 , such as CPU  120  and the peripherals interface  118 , may be controlled by memory controller  122 . 
     Peripherals interface  118  can be used to couple input and output peripherals of the device to CPU  120  and memory  102 . The one or more processors  120  run or execute various software programs and/or sets of instructions stored in memory  102  to perform various functions for device  100  and to process data. 
     In some embodiments, peripherals interface  118 , CPU  120 , and memory controller  122  may be implemented on a single chip, such as chip  104 . In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips. 
     RF (radio frequency) circuitry  108  receives and sends RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  108  converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry  108  may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so forth. RF circuitry  108  may communicate with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for e-mail (e.g., Internet message access protocol (IMAP) and/or post office protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short Message Service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document. 
     Audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , and microphone  113  provide an audio interface between a user and device  100 . Audio circuitry  110  receives audio data from peripherals interface  118 , converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to speaker  111 . Speaker  111  converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. Audio circuitry  110  also receives electrical signals converted by microphone  113  from sound waves. Audio circuitry  110  converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audio data to peripherals interface  118  for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to memory  102  and/or RF circuitry  108  by peripherals interface  118 . In some embodiments, audio circuitry  110  also includes a headset jack (e.g.,  212 ,  FIG. 2 ). The headset jack provides an interface between audio circuitry  110  and removable audio input/output peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a headset with both output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears) and input (e.g., a microphone). 
     I/O subsystem  106  couples input/output peripherals on device  100 , such as touch screen  112  and other input control devices  116 , to peripherals interface  118 . I/O subsystem  106  may include display controller  156  and one or more input controllers  160  for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers  160  receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices  116 . The other input control devices  116  may include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s)  160  may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g.,  208 ,  FIG. 2 ) may include an up/down button for volume control of speaker  111  and/or microphone  113 . The one or more buttons may include a push button (e.g.,  206 ,  FIG. 2 ). 
     Touch-sensitive display  112  provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and a user. Display controller  156  receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to touch screen  112 . Touch screen  112  displays visual output to the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof (collectively termed “graphics”). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects. 
     Touch screen  112  has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set of sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. Touch screen  112  and display controller  156  (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory  102 ) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the contact) on touch screen  112  and converts the detected contact into interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages or images) that are displayed on touch screen  112 . In an exemplary embodiment, a point of contact between touch screen  112  and the user corresponds to a finger of the user. 
     Touch screen  112  may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, or LED (light emitting diode) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. Touch screen  112  and display controller  156  may detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with touch screen  112 . In an exemplary embodiment, projected mutual capacitance sensing technology is used, such as that found in the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. 
     Touch screen  112  may have a video resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user may make contact with touch screen  112  using any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts and gestures, which can be less precise than stylus-based input due to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actions desired by the user. 
     In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, device  100  may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from touch screen  112  or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen. 
     Device  100  also includes power system  162  for powering the various components. Power system  162  may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other components associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in portable devices. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more optical sensors  164 .  FIG. 1A  shows an optical sensor coupled to optical sensor controller  158  in I/O subsystem  106 . Optical sensor  164  may include charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistors. Optical sensor  164  receives light from the environment, projected through one or more lens, and converts the light to data representing an image. In conjunction with imaging module  143  (also called a camera module), optical sensor  164  may capture still images or video. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the back of device  100 , opposite touch screen display  112  on the front of the device, so that the touch screen display may be used as a viewfinder for still and/or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, another optical sensor is located on the front of the device so that the user&#39;s image may be obtained for videoconferencing while the user views the other video conference participants on the touch screen display. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more proximity sensors  166 .  FIG. 1A  shows proximity sensor  166  coupled to peripherals interface  118 . Alternately, proximity sensor  166  may be coupled to input controller  160  in I/O subsystem  106 . In some embodiments, the proximity sensor turns off and disables touch screen  112  when the multifunction device is placed near the user&#39;s ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call). 
     Device  100  may also include one or more accelerometers  168 .  FIG. 1A  shows accelerometer  168  coupled to peripherals interface  118 . Alternately, accelerometer  168  may be coupled to an input controller  160  in I/O subsystem  106 . In some embodiments, information is displayed on the touch screen display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from the one or more accelerometers. Device  100  optionally includes, in addition to accelerometer(s)  168 , a magnetometer (not shown) and a GPS (or GLONASS or other global navigation system) receiver (not shown) for obtaining information concerning the location and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of device  100 . 
     In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory  102  include operating system  126 , communication module (or set of instructions)  128 , contact/motion module (or set of instructions)  130 , graphics module (or set of instructions)  132 , text input module (or set of instructions)  134 , Global Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions)  135 , and applications (or sets of instructions)  136 . Furthermore, in some embodiments memory  102  stores device/global internal state  157 , as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 3 . Device/global internal state  157  includes one or more of: active application state, indicating which applications, if any, are currently active; display state, indicating what applications, views or other information occupy various regions of touch screen display  112 ; sensor state, including information obtained from the device&#39;s various sensors and input control devices  116 ; and location information concerning the device&#39;s location and/or attitude. 
     Operating system  126  (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components. 
     Communication module  128  facilitates communication with other devices over one or more external ports  124  and also includes various software components for handling data received by RF circuitry  108  and/or external port  124 . External port  124  (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g.,  30 -pin) connector that is the same as, or similar to and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector used on iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) devices. 
     Contact/motion module  130  may detect contact with touch screen  112  (in conjunction with display controller  156 ) and other touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). Contact/motion module  130  includes various software components for performing various operations related to detection of contact, such as determining if contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger-down event), determining if there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement across the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., detecting one or more finger-dragging events), and determining if the contact has ceased (e.g., detecting a finger-up event or a break in contact). Contact/motion module  130  receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining movement of the point of contact, which is represented by a series of contact data, may include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of the point of contact. These operations may be applied to single contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., “multitouch”/multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, contact/motion module  130  and display controller  156  detect contact on a touchpad. 
     Contact/motion module  130  may detect a gesture input by a user. Different gestures on the touch-sensitive surface have different contact patterns. Thus, a gesture may be detected by detecting a particular contact pattern. For example, detecting a finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event at the same position (or substantially the same position) as the finger-down event (e.g., at the position of an icon). As another example, detecting a finger swipe gesture on the touch-sensitive surface includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting one or more finger-dragging events, and subsequently followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event. 
     Graphics module  132  includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on touch screen  112  or other display, including components for changing the intensity of graphics that are displayed. As used herein, the term “graphics” includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including without limitation text, web pages, icons (such as user-interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations and the like. 
     In some embodiments, graphics module  132  stores data representing graphics to be used. Each graphic may be assigned a corresponding code. Graphics module  132  receives, from applications etc., one or more codes specifying graphics to be displayed along with, if necessary, coordinate data and other graphic property data, and then generates screen image data to output to display controller  156 . 
     Text input module  134 , which may be a component of graphics module  132 , provides soft keyboards for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts  137 , e-mail  140 , IM  141 , browser  147 , and any other application that needs text input). 
     GPS module  135  determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to telephone  138  for use in location-based dialing, to camera  143  as picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide location-based services such as weather widgets, local yellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets). 
     Applications  136  may include the following modules (or sets of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof:
         contacts module  137  (sometimes called an address book or contact list);   telephone module  138 ;   video conferencing module  139 ;   e-mail client module  140 ;   instant messaging (IM) module  141 ;   workout support module  142 ;   camera module  143  for still and/or video images;   image management module  144 ;   browser module  147 ;   calendar module  148 ;   widget modules  149 , which may include one or more of: weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  149 - 3 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , dictionary widget  149 - 5 , and other widgets obtained by the user, as well as user-created widgets  149 - 6 ;   widget creator module  150  for making user-created widgets  149 - 6 ;   search module  151 ;   video and music player module  152 , which may be made up of a video player module and a music player module;   notes module  153 ;   map module  154 ; and/or   online video module  155 .       

     Examples of other applications  136  that may be stored in memory  102  include other word processing applications, other image editing applications, drawing applications, presentation applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice replication. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , contacts module  137  may be used to manage an address book or contact list (e.g., stored in application internal state  192  of contacts module  137  in memory  102  or memory  370 ), including: adding name(s) to the address book; deleting name(s) from the address book; associating telephone number(s), e-mail address(es), physical address(es) or other information with a name; associating an image with a name; categorizing and sorting names; providing telephone numbers or e-mail addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communications by telephone  138 , video conference  139 , e-mail  140 , or IM  141 ; and so forth. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , telephone module  138  may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more telephone numbers in address book  137 , modify a telephone number that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number, conduct a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As noted above, the wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , optical sensor  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , contact list  137 , and telephone module  138 , videoconferencing module  139  includes executable instructions to initiate, conduct, and terminate a video conference between a user and one or more other participants in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140  includes executable instructions to create, send, receive, and manage e-mail in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image management module  144 , e-mail client module  140  makes it very easy to create and send e-mails with still or video images taken with camera module  143 . 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the instant messaging module  141  includes executable instructions to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to an instant message, to modify previously entered characters, to transmit a respective instant message (for example, using a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol for telephony-based instant messages or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messages), to receive instant messages and to view received instant messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files and/or other attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, “instant messaging” refers to both telephony-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , GPS module  135 , map module  154 , and music player module  146 , workout support module  142  includes executable instructions to create workouts (e.g., with time, distance, and/or calorie burning goals); communicate with workout sensors (sports devices); receive workout sensor data; calibrate sensors used to monitor a workout; select and play music for a workout; and display, store and transmit workout data. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , optical sensor(s)  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and image management module  144 , camera module  143  includes executable instructions to capture still images or video (including a video stream) and store them into memory  102 , modify characteristics of a still image or video, or delete a still image or video from memory  102 . 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and camera module  143 , image management module  144  includes executable instructions to arrange, modify (e.g., edit), or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and store still and/or video images. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , browser module  147  includes executable instructions to browse the Internet in accordance with user instructions, including searching, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140 , and browser module  147 , calendar module  148  includes executable instructions to create, display, modify, and store calendars and data associated with calendars (e.g., calendar entries, to do lists, etc.) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , widget modules  149  are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  149 - 3 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , and dictionary widget  149 - 5 ) or created by the user (e.g., user-created widget  149 - 6 ). In some embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , the widget creator module  150  may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g., turning a user-specified portion of a web page into a widget). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , search module  151  includes executable instructions to search for text, music, sound, image, video, and/or other files in memory  102  that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , RF circuitry  108 , and browser module  147 , video and music player module  152  includes executable instructions that allow the user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats, such as MP3 or AAC files, and executable instructions to display, present or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on touch screen  112  or on an external, connected display via external port  124 ). In some embodiments, device  100  may include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , notes module  153  includes executable instructions to create and manage notes, to do lists, and the like in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , GPS module  135 , and browser module  147 , map module  154  may be used to receive, display, modify, and store maps and data associated with maps (e.g., driving directions; data on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular location; and other location-based data) in accordance with user instructions. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , RF circuitry  108 , text input module  134 , e-mail client module  140 , and browser module  147 , online video module  155  includes instructions that allow the user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and/or download), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via external port  124 ), send an e-mail with a link to a particular online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats, such as H.264. In some embodiments, instant messaging module  141 , rather than e-mail client module  140 , is used to send a link to a particular online video. 
     Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to a set of executable instructions for performing one or more functions described above and the methods described in this application (e.g., the computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory  102  may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory  102  may store additional modules and data structures not described above. 
     In some embodiments, device  100  is a device where operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad. By using a touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input control device for operation of device  100 , the number of physical input control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like) on device  100  may be reduced. 
     The predefined set of functions that may be performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates device  100  to a main, home, or root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on device  100 . In such embodiments, the touchpad may be referred to as a “menu button.” In some other embodiments, the menu button may be a physical push button or other physical input control device instead of a touchpad. 
       FIG. 1B  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, memory  102  (in  FIG. 1A ) or  370  ( FIG. 3 ) includes event sorter  170  (e.g., in operating system  126 ) and a respective application  136 - 1  (e.g., any of the aforementioned applications  137 - 151 ,  155 ,  380 - 390 ). 
     Event sorter  170  receives event information and determines the application  136 - 1  and application view  191  of application  136 - 1  to which to deliver the event information. Event sorter  170  includes event monitor  171  and event dispatcher module  174 . In some embodiments, application  136 - 1  includes application internal state  192 , which indicates the current application view(s) displayed on touch sensitive display  112  when the application is active or executing. In some embodiments, device/global internal state  157  is used by event sorter  170  to determine which application(s) is (are) currently active, and application internal state  192  is used by event sorter  170  to determine application views  191  to which to deliver event information. 
     In some embodiments, application internal state  192  includes additional information, such as one or more of: resume information to be used when application  136 - 1  resumes execution, user interface state information that indicates information being displayed or that is ready for display by application  136 - 1 , a state queue for enabling the user to go back to a prior state or view of application  136 - 1 , and a redo/undo queue of previous actions taken by the user. 
     Event monitor  171  receives event information from peripherals interface  118 . Event information includes information about a sub-event (e.g., a user touch on touch-sensitive display  112 , as part of a multi-touch gesture). Peripherals interface  118  transmits information it receives from I/O subsystem  106  or a sensor, such as proximity sensor  166 , accelerometer(s)  168 , and/or microphone  113  (through audio circuitry  110 ). Information that peripherals interface  118  receives from I/O subsystem  106  includes information from touch-sensitive display  112  or a touch-sensitive surface. 
     In some embodiments, event monitor  171  sends requests to the peripherals interface  118  at predetermined intervals. In response, peripherals interface  118  transmits event information. In other embodiments, peripheral interface  118  transmits event information only when there is a significant event (e.g., receiving an input above a predetermined noise threshold and/or for more than a predetermined duration). 
     In some embodiments, event sorter  170  also includes a hit view determination module  172  and/or an active event recognizer determination module  173 . 
     Hit view determination module  172  provides software procedures for determining where a sub-event has taken place within one or more views, when touch sensitive display  112  displays more than one view. Views are made up of controls and other elements that a user can see on the display. 
     Another aspect of the user interface associated with an application is a set of views, sometimes herein called application views or user interface windows, in which information is displayed and touch-based gestures occur. The application views (of a respective application) in which a touch is detected may correspond to programmatic levels within a programmatic or view hierarchy of the application. For example, the lowest level view in which a touch is detected may be called the hit view, and the set of events that are recognized as proper inputs may be determined based, at least in part, on the hit view of the initial touch that begins a touch-based gesture. 
     Hit view determination module  172  receives information related to sub-events of a touch-based gesture. When an application has multiple views organized in a hierarchy, hit view determination module  172  identifies a hit view as the lowest view in the hierarchy which should handle the sub-event. In most circumstances, the hit view is the lowest level view in which an initiating sub-event occurs (i.e., the first sub-event in the sequence of sub-events that form an event or potential event). Once the hit view is identified by the hit view determination module, the hit view typically receives all sub-events related to the same touch or input source for which it was identified as the hit view. 
     Active event recognizer determination module  173  determines which view or views within a view hierarchy should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In some embodiments, active event recognizer determination module  173  determines that only the hit view should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, active event recognizer determination module  173  determines that all views that include the physical location of a sub-event are actively involved views, and therefore determines that all actively involved views should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, even if touch sub-events were entirely confined to the area associated with one particular view, views higher in the hierarchy would still remain as actively involved views. 
     Event dispatcher module  174  dispatches the event information to an event recognizer (e.g., event recognizer  180 ). In embodiments including active event recognizer determination module  173 , event dispatcher module  174  delivers the event information to an event recognizer determined by active event recognizer determination module  173 . In some embodiments, event dispatcher module  174  stores in an event queue the event information, which is retrieved by a respective event receiver module  182 . 
     In some embodiments, operating system  126  includes event sorter  170 . Alternatively, application  136 - 1  includes event sorter  170 . In yet other embodiments, event sorter  170  is a stand-alone module, or a part of another module stored in memory  102 , such as contact/motion module  130 . 
     In some embodiments, application  136 - 1  includes a plurality of event handlers  190  and one or more application views  191 , each of which includes instructions for handling touch events that occur within a respective view of the application&#39;s user interface. Each application view  191  of the application  136 - 1  includes one or more event recognizers  180 . Typically, a respective application view  191  includes a plurality of event recognizers  180 . In other embodiments, one or more of event recognizers  180  are part of a separate module, such as a user interface kit (not shown) or a higher level object from which application  136 - 1  inherits methods and other properties. In some embodiments, a respective event handler  190  includes one or more of: data updater  176 , object updater  177 , GUI updater  178 , and/or event data  179  received from event sorter  170 . Event handler  190  may utilize or call data updater  176 , object updater  177  or GUI updater  178  to update the application internal state  192 . Alternatively, one or more of the application views  191  includes one or more respective event handlers  190 . Also, in some embodiments, one or more of data updater  176 , object updater  177 , and GUI updater  178  are included in a respective application view  191 . 
     A respective event recognizer  180  receives event information (e.g., event data  179 ) from event sorter  170 , and identifies an event from the event information. Event recognizer  180  includes event receiver  182  and event comparator  184 . In some embodiments, event recognizer  180  also includes at least a subset of: metadata  183 , and event delivery instructions  188  (which may include sub-event delivery instructions). 
     Event receiver  182  receives event information from event sorter  170 . The event information includes information about a sub-event, for example, a touch or a touch movement. Depending on the sub-event, the event information also includes additional information, such as location of the sub-event. When the sub-event concerns motion of a touch the event information may also include speed and direction of the sub-event. In some embodiments, events include rotation of the device from one orientation to another (e.g., from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation, or vice versa), and the event information includes corresponding information about the current orientation (also called device attitude) of the device. 
     Event comparator  184  compares the event information to predefined event or sub-event definitions and, based on the comparison, determines an event or sub-event, or determines or updates the state of an event or sub-event. In some embodiments, event comparator  184  includes event definitions  186 . Event definitions  186  contain definitions of events (e.g., predefined sequences of sub-events), for example, event  1  ( 187 - 1 ), event  2  ( 187 - 2 ), and others. In some embodiments, sub-events in an event  187  include, for example, touch begin, touch end, touch movement, touch cancellation, and multiple touching. In one example, the definition for event  1  ( 187 - 1 ) is a double tap on a displayed object. The double tap, for example, comprises a first touch (touch begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a first lift-off (touch end) for a predetermined phase, a second touch (touch begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, and a second lift-off (touch end) for a predetermined phase. In another example, the definition for event  2  ( 187 - 2 ) is a dragging on a displayed object. The dragging, for example, comprises a touch (or contact) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a movement of the touch across touch-sensitive display  112 , and lift-off of the touch (touch end). In some embodiments, the event also includes information for one or more associated event handlers  190 . 
     In some embodiments, event definition  187  includes a definition of an event for a respective user-interface object. In some embodiments, event comparator  184  performs a hit test to determine which user-interface object is associated with a sub-event. For example, in an application view in which three user-interface objects are displayed on touch-sensitive display  112 , when a touch is detected on touch-sensitive display  112 , event comparator  184  performs a hit test to determine which of the three user-interface objects is associated with the touch (sub-event). If each displayed object is associated with a respective event handler  190 , the event comparator uses the result of the hit test to determine which event handler  190  should be activated. For example, event comparator  184  selects an event handler associated with the sub-event and the object triggering the hit test. 
     In some embodiments, the definition for a respective event  187  also includes delayed actions that delay delivery of the event information until after it has been determined whether the sequence of sub-events does or does not correspond to the event recognizer&#39;s event type. 
     When a respective event recognizer  180  determines that the series of sub-events do not match any of the events in event definitions  186 , the respective event recognizer  180  enters an event impossible, event failed, or event ended state, after which it disregards subsequent sub-events of the touch-based gesture. In this situation, other event recognizers, if any, that remain active for the hit view continue to track and process sub-events of an ongoing touch-based gesture. 
     In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer  180  includes metadata  183  with configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how the event delivery system should perform sub-event delivery to actively involved event recognizers. In some embodiments, metadata  183  includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how event recognizers may interact with one another. In some embodiments, metadata  183  includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate whether sub-events are delivered to varying levels in the view or programmatic hierarchy. 
     In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer  180  activates event handler  190  associated with an event when one or more particular sub-events of an event are recognized. In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer  180  delivers event information associated with the event to event handler  190 . Activating an event handler  190  is distinct from sending (and deferred sending) sub-events to a respective hit view. In some embodiments, event recognizer  180  throws a flag associated with the recognized event, and event handler  190  associated with the flag catches the flag and performs a predefined process. 
     In some embodiments, event delivery instructions  188  include sub-event delivery instructions that deliver event information about a sub-event without activating an event handler. Instead, the sub-event delivery instructions deliver event information to event handlers associated with the series of sub-events or to actively involved views. Event handlers associated with the series of sub-events or with actively involved views receive the event information and perform a predetermined process. 
     In some embodiments, data updater  176  creates and updates data used in application  136 - 1 . For example, data updater  176  updates the telephone number used in contacts module  137 , or stores a video file used in video player module  145 . In some embodiments, object updater  177  creates and updates objects used in application  136 - 1 . For example, object updater  176  creates a new user-interface object or updates the position of a user-interface object. GUI updater  178  updates the GUI. For example, GUI updater  178  prepares display information and sends it to graphics module  132  for display on a touch-sensitive display. 
     In some embodiments, event handler(s)  190  includes or has access to data updater  176 , object updater  177 , and GUI updater  178 . In some embodiments, data updater  176 , object updater  177 , and GUI updater  178  are included in a single module of a respective application  136 - 1  or application view  191 . In other embodiments, they are included in two or more software modules. 
     It shall be understood that the foregoing discussion regarding event handling of user touches on touch-sensitive displays also applies to other forms of user inputs to operate multifunction devices  100  with input-devices, not all of which are initiated on touch screens, e.g., coordinating mouse movement and mouse button presses with or without single or multiple keyboard presses or holds, user movements taps, drags, scrolls, etc., on touch-pads, pen stylus inputs, movement of the device, oral instructions, detected eye movements, biometric inputs, and/or any combination thereof, which may be utilized as inputs corresponding to sub-events which define an event to be recognized. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a portable multifunction device  100  having a touch screen  112  in accordance with some embodiments. The touch screen may display one or more graphics within user interface (UI)  200 . In this embodiment, as well as others described below, a user may select one or more of the graphics by making a gesture on the graphics, for example, with one or more fingers  202  (not drawn to scale in the figure) or one or more styluses  203  (not drawn to scale in the figure). In some embodiments, selection of one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with the one or more graphics. In some embodiments, the gesture may include one or more taps, one or more swipes (from left to right, right to left, upward and/or downward) and/or a rolling of a finger (from right to left, left to right, upward and/or downward) that has made contact with device  100 . In some embodiments, inadvertent contact with a graphic may not select the graphic. For example, a swipe gesture that sweeps over an application icon may not select the corresponding application when the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap. 
     Device  100  may also include one or more physical buttons, such as “home” or menu button  204 . As described previously, menu button  204  may be used to navigate to any application  136  in a set of applications that may be executed on device  100 . Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on touch screen  112 . 
     In one embodiment, device  100  includes touch screen  112 , menu button  204 , push button  206  for powering the device on/off and locking the device, volume adjustment button(s)  208 , Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card slot  210 , head set jack  212 , and docking/charging external port  124 . Push button  206  may be used to turn the power on/off on the device by depressing the button and holding the button in the depressed state for a predefined time interval; to lock the device by depressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlock process. In an alternative embodiment, device  100  also may accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some functions through microphone  113 . 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface in accordance with some embodiments. Device  300  need not be portable. In some embodiments, device  300  is a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a multimedia player device, a navigation device, an educational device (such as a child&#39;s learning toy), a gaming system, or a control device (e.g., a home or industrial controller). Device  300  typically includes one or more processing units (CPU&#39;s)  310 , one or more network or other communications interfaces  360 , memory  370 , and one or more communication buses  320  for interconnecting these components. Communication buses  320  may include circuitry (sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects and controls communications between system components. Device  300  includes input/output (I/O) interface  330  comprising display  340 , which may be a touch screen display. I/O interface  330  also may include a keyboard and/or mouse (or other pointing device)  350  and touchpad  355 . In some embodiments, keyboard  350  is touch sensitive. Memory  370  includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid state memory devices; and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices. Memory  370  may optionally include one or more storage devices remotely located from CPU(s)  310 . In some embodiments, memory  370  stores programs, modules, and data structures analogous to the programs, modules, and data structures stored in memory  102  of portable multifunction device  100  ( FIG. 1 ), or a subset thereof. Furthermore, memory  370  may store additional programs, modules, and data structures not present in memory  102  of portable multifunction device  100 . For example, memory  370  of device  300  may store drawing module  380 , presentation module  382 , word processing module  384 , website creation module  386 , disk authoring module  388 , and/or spreadsheet module  390 , while memory  102  of portable multifunction device  100  ( FIG. 1 ) may not store these modules. 
     Each of the above identified elements in  FIG. 3  may be stored in one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices. Each of the above identified modules corresponds to a set of instructions for performing a function described above. The above identified modules or programs (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory  370  may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory  370  may store additional modules and data structures not described above. 
     Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) that may be implemented on portable multifunction device  100 . 
       FIG. 4A  illustrates an exemplary user interface for a menu of applications on portable multifunction device  100  in accordance with some embodiments. Similar user interfaces may be implemented on device  300 . In some embodiments, user interface  400  includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
         Signal strength indicator(s)  402  for wireless communication(s), such as cellular and Wi-Fi signals;   Time  404 ;   Bluetooth indicator  405 ;   Battery status indicator  406 ;   Tray  408  with icons for frequently used applications, such as:
           Phone  138 , which may include an indicator  414  of the number of missed calls or voicemail messages;   E-mail client  140 , which may include an indicator  410  of the number of unread e-mails;   Browser  147 ; and   Video and music player  152 , also referred to as iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) module  152 ; and   
           Icons for other applications, such as:
           IM  141 ;   Image management  144 ;   Camera  143 ;   Weather  149 - 1 ;   Stocks  149 - 2 ;   Workout support  142 ;   Calendar  148 ;   Alarm clock  149 - 4 ;   Map  154 ;   Notes  153 ;   Settings  412 , which provides access to settings for device  100  and its various applications  136 ; and   Online video module  155 , also referred to as YouTube (trademark of Google Inc.) module  155 .   
               

       FIG. 4B  illustrates an exemplary user interface on a device (e.g., device  300 ,  FIG. 3 ) with a touch-sensitive surface  451  (e.g., a tablet, a touch-sensitive keyboard  350 , and/or touchpad  355 ,  FIG. 3 ) that is separate from the display  450  (e.g., touch screen display  112 ). Although some of the examples which follow will be given with reference to inputs on touch screen display  112  (where the touch sensitive surface and the display are combined), in some embodiments, the device detects inputs on a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display, as shown in  FIG. 4B . In some embodiments the touch sensitive surface (e.g.,  451  in  FIG. 4B ) has a primary axis (e.g.,  452  in  FIG. 4B ) that corresponds to a primary axis (e.g.,  453  in  FIG. 4B ) on the display (e.g.,  450 ). In accordance with these embodiments, the device detects contacts (e.g.,  460  and  462  in  FIG. 4B ) with the touch-sensitive surface  451  at locations that correspond to respective locations on the display (e.g., in  FIG. 4B ,  460  corresponds to  468  and  462  corresponds to  470 ). In this way, user inputs (e.g., contacts  460  and  462 , and movements thereof) detected by the device on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g.,  451  in  FIG. 4B ) are used by the device to manipulate the user interface on the display (e.g.,  450  in  FIG. 4B ) of the multifunction device when the touch-sensitive surface is separate from the display. It should be understood that similar methods may be used for other user interfaces described herein. 
     Additionally, while the following examples are given primarily with reference to finger inputs (e.g., finger contacts, finger tap gestures, finger swipe gestures, finger strokes on keyboard keys), it should be understood that, in some embodiments, one or more of the finger inputs are replaced with input from another input device (e.g., a mouse based input or stylus input). For example, a swipe gesture may be replaced with a mouse click (e.g., instead of a contact) followed by movement of the cursor along the path of the swipe (e.g., instead of movement of the contact). As another example, a tap gesture may be replaced with a mouse click while the cursor is located over the location of the tap gesture (e.g., instead of detection of the contact followed by ceasing to detect the contact). Similarly, when multiple user inputs are simultaneously detected, it should be understood that multiple computer mice may be used simultaneously, or a mouse and finger contacts may be used simultaneously. 
     User Interfaces and Associated Processes 
     Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) and associated processes that may be implemented on an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard, such as device  300  or portable multifunction device  100 . 
       FIGS. 5A-5R  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for entering characters in accordance with some embodiments. The user interfaces in these figures are used to illustrate the processes described below, including the processes in  FIGS. 6A-6C . 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates application window  502  displayed on display  500  (e.g., touch screen  112 , display  340 , or display  450 ) of a device (e.g., device  300  or  100 ). One or more application windows  502  may be displayed on display  500 . Application window  502  corresponds to an application that includes text input capability. For example, application window  502  as shown in  FIG. 5A  corresponds to a notes application. In some embodiments, pointer  503  is also displayed on display  500 . A user may manipulate pointer  503  to perform various functions, such as opening and moving application windows  502 . 
     Application window  502  includes text input area  504 . A user may input text  506 , and the input text is displayed in text input area  504 . Text cursor  508  may also be displayed in text input area  504 . Text cursor  508  marks a position at which text input is to be inserted. 
     Text  506  input by a user may be displayed in text input area  504 . For example, in  FIG. 5A , text  506  includes the sequence of letters “test.” Text  506  may be input by a user using touch-sensitive keyboard  501 . Keyboard  501  includes character keys, such as letter keys  510 , number keys, and keys for other characters (e.g., symbols. punctuation, whitespace). Keyboard  501  also may include functional keys (e.g., “Alt,” “Control,” “Command”). Keyboard  501  as shown in  FIG. 5A  is a keyboard that includes Latin alphabet letter keys. In some other embodiments, keyboard  501  may have keys corresponding to letters of other alphabets, such as Cyrillic or Greek. 
     In some embodiments, touch-sensitive keyboard  501  is a physical keyboard that is touch sensitive. In some other embodiments, keyboard  501  is a virtual keyboard (also called a “soft keyboard”) that is displayed on display  500 , where display  500  is a touch-sensitive display (e.g., touch screen  112 ,  FIG. 1A ). 
       FIG. 5A  shows keystroke  512  on “W” key  510 -A, which activates “W” key  510 -A. In response to the activation of “W” key  510 -A, the letter “w” is entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5B . Additional letters “ater” are entered into text  506  by respective keystrokes (not shown) activating the “A,” “T,” and “E” keys on keyboard  501 , and keystroke  514  activating “R” key  510 -B. Thus, the series of keystroke inputs, starting with stroke  512  on “W” key  510 -A and culminating in stroke  514  on “R” key  510 -B, results in the sequence of letters “water” entered into text  506 .  FIG. 5B  also shows a line break entered into text  506  in response to activation (not shown) of the “Return” key on keyboard  501 ; text cursor  508  is positioned in the line after the line that includes the sequence of letters “water.” 
       FIG. 5C  shows contact  516  of a user performing character drawing  518  stroke-by-stroke on touch-sensitive keyboard  501 . The user may perform character drawing  518  on touch-sensitive keyboard  501  by some combination of making, breaking, and moving of contact  516  on touch-sensitive keyboard  501 . In response to detection of contact  516  performing drawing  518 , character selection interface  520  is displayed on display  500 . Drawn character  524  is displayed in character selection interface  520 . Drawn character  524  is a graphical representation of character drawing  518 , and traces character drawing  518  as character drawing  518  is made by the user on keyboard  501 . It should be appreciated that character drawing  518  is not actually displayed on keyboard  501 . Character drawing  518  is depicted on keyboard  501  in the Figures merely to indicate the strokes drawn on touch-sensitive keyboard  501  using contact  516 . 
     In some embodiments, a contact or a gesture on keyboard  501  is not detected as an attempt to make a character drawing unless the contact is initiated in a predefined region on keyboard  501 . For example,  FIG. 5C  shows predefined regions  519 -A and  519 -B. Contacts or gestures, such as contact  516 , that are initiated in either of those regions and not detected as keystrokes are detected as attempts to input a character drawing. 
     The device determines or identifies one or more candidate characters  522  that match drawn character  524  as character drawing  518  is drawn. Candidate characters  522  may be, for example, Chinese characters, Japanese kana or kanji characters, Korean hanja or hangul characters, Vietnamese characters, Hindi characters, or That characters. Candidate characters  522  may be determined or identified for drawn character  524  based on a dictionary, a characters database, or the like. 
     In some embodiments, the device is configured to be in a mode corresponding to a particular language, so that drawn character  524  is matched to candidate characters  522  in accordance with the particular language. For example, the device as shown in  FIGS. 5A-5M  is configured in Chinese language mode; drawn character  524  is matched to Chinese candidate characters. The language mode on the device may be initially set according to a factory or default setting and subsequently changed by a user. 
     In some other embodiments, keyboard  501  is configured to be in a mode corresponding to a particular language, so that drawn character  524  is matched to candidate characters  522  in accordance with the particular language. For example, keyboard  501  as shown in  FIG. 5A-5M  is configured in Chinese language mode; drawn character  524  is matched to Chinese candidate characters. The language mode on keyboard  501  may be initially set according to a factory or default setting and subsequently changed by a user. 
     One or more of candidate characters  522  are displayed in character selection interface  520 . These displayed candidate characters  522  are assigned respective numbers. For example, character “ ”  522 -A is assigned the number “1,” character “ ”  522 -B is assigned the number “2,” character “ ”  522 -C is assigned the number “3,” and character “ ”  522 -D is assigned the number “4.” A “More” option for displaying additional candidate characters is assigned the number “5.” Selection of a number “1” thru “5” (e.g., by activating a corresponding number key on keyboard  501 ) selects the corresponding candidate character or option. 
       FIG. 5D  shows completed character drawing  518  drawn on keyboard  501  by contact  516 . The corresponding drawn character  524  is displayed on display  500 . Candidate characters  522 -E thru  522 -H, which match drawn character  524  as shown in  FIG. 5D , are displayed in character selection interface  520 . Candidate characters  522 -E thru  522 -H are assigned numbers 1 thru 4, respectively. The number “5” is again assigned to the “More” option. 
     The numbers assigned to respective candidate characters  522  give the user a way to select a respective character. For example, in  FIG. 5D , candidate character  522 -E may be selected in response to the user activating the “1” key on keyboard  501 , candidate character  522 -F may be selected in response to the user activating the “2” key on keyboard  501 , and so on. Similarly, in  FIG. 5C , candidate character  522 -A may be selected in response to the user activating the “1” key on keyboard  501  and so on. Another number (e.g., “5”) may also be assigned to a “More” option or the like; in response to activation of the key corresponding to the number assigned to the “More” option, additional candidate characters may be displayed. 
       FIG. 5D  shows keystroke  528  performed on “1” key  530 , activating “1” key  530 . In response to activation of “1” key  530 , candidate character  522 -E is selected. The selected candidate character  522 -E is entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5E . 
     Thus, using a touch-sensitive keyboard, a user may enter characters by activating keys on the keyboard, or by drawing a character on the keyboard and selecting a candidate character. 
     In some embodiments, the device includes touch-sensitive keyboard  501  and a distinct touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touchpad  355 , or touch-sensitive surface  451 ). Prior to the performance of character drawing  518 , a cursor or pointer manipulation mode is active for the touch-sensitive surface; contacts and contact movements on the touch-sensitive surface manipulate pointer  503 . In response to detection of the keystrokes entering the letters “water” (e.g., strokes  512 ,  514 ) or contact  516  performing character drawing  518 , the cursor/pointer manipulation mode is maintained for the touch-sensitive surface. Thus, the problem of the user not being able to manipulate pointer  503  while a character is drawn on the touch-sensitive surface, because the use of touch-sensitive surface for character drawing precludes the concurrent use of the touch-sensitive surface for cursor/pointer manipulation, is avoided. 
     A sequence of letters entered into text  506  may correspond to romanizations of characters that are not written in the Latin alphabet. For example,  FIG. 5F  shows the sequence of letters “li” entered into text  506  in response to activation of “L” key  510 -C with keystroke  531  and then activation of “I” key  510 -D with keystroke  532 . The sequence of letters “li” is a romanization of multiple Chinese characters. Multiple candidate characters  534  that have a corresponding romanization “li” are displayed, as shown in  FIG. 5G . The displayed candidate characters  534 , as well as the “More” option, are assigned respective numbers. For example, candidate character  534 -A is assigned the number “1,” candidate character  534 -B is assigned the number “2,” and so on. Candidate characters  534  that have the corresponding romanization “li” may be determined or identified based on a dictionary, a characters database, or the like. 
     In some embodiments, the user may select the desired candidate character  534  by drawing, partially or completely, the desired candidate character on touch-sensitive keyboard  501 .  FIG. 5G  shows character drawing  538  performed on touch-sensitive keyboard  501  using contact  536 . Character drawing  538  as shown matches candidate character  534 -C as shown. 
     In some embodiments, the user may select a candidate character  534  by activating the number key for the corresponding assigned number on keyboard  501 . For example,  FIG. 5H  shows activation of “3” key  540  by keystroke  542 . 
     In response to detection of character drawing  538  or activation of “3” key  540 , candidate character  534 -C is entered into text  506 , replacing the sequence of letters “li” in text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5I . 
       FIG. 5J  shows again keystroke  512  activating “W” key  510 -A. In response to the activation of “W” key  510 -A, the letter “w” is entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5K .  FIG. 5K  also shows, instead of the letters “ater” entered into text  506  as shown in  FIG. 5B , the letter “e” entered into text  506  in response to activation (not shown) of the “E” key on keyboard  501  and the letter “n” entered into text  506  in response to the activation of “N” key  510 -E by keystroke  544 . Thus, text  506  includes the sequence of letters “wen.” 
     Keystroke  544  presses “N” key  510 -E, activating “N” key  510 -E, and holds “N” key  510 -E down for at least a predefined amount of time (e.g.,  0 . 5 - 2  seconds) without release. In response to the holding down of “N” key  510 -E, candidate characters  546  that have the corresponding romanization “wen” are displayed on display  500 , as shown in  FIG. 5L . Respective candidate characters  546  are assigned numbers; candidate character  546 -A is assigned the number “1,” candidate character  546 -B is assigned the number “2,” and so on. Candidate characters  546  that have the corresponding the romanization “wen” may be determined or identified based on a dictionary, a characters database, or the like. 
     In  FIG. 5L , keystroke  548 , activating “1” key  530 , is detected on keyboard  501 . In response to the activation of “1” key  530 , candidate character  546 -A is selected and entered into text  506 , replacing the sequence of letters “wen” in text  506  as shown in  FIG. 5M . 
       FIGS. 5N-5R  illustrate an example of the user interfaces described above implemented on a device (e.g., device  100 ) with a touch-sensitive display (e.g., touch screen  112 ).  FIG. 5N  shows virtual keyboard  551  displayed on touch-sensitive display  550  of a device. Virtual keyboard  551  includes, among a multitude of keys, letter keys  560 . Application window or interface  552  for a notes application is displayed on display  550 . Input text  556  and cursor  558  (similar to text  506  and cursor  508  in  FIG. 5A , respectively) are displayed in text entry area  554  in application interface  552 . 
     In response to detection of a sequence of gestures (e.g., tap gestures) on various letter keys, including gesture  562  on “W” key  560 -A and gesture  564  on “R” key  560 -B, a sequence of letters “water” is entered into text  556 , as shown in  FIGS. 5N-5O . 
       FIG. 5P  shows character drawing  568  performed stroke-by-stroke with contact  566  on touch-sensitive display  550  over virtual keyboard  551 . The user may perform character drawing  568  over keyboard  551  by some combination of making, breaking, and moving of contact  566  over keyboard  551 . In response to detection of contact  566  performing drawing  568 , character selection interface  570  is displayed on display  550 . Drawn character  574  is displayed in character selection interface  570 . Drawn character  574  is a graphical representation of character drawing  568 , and traces character drawing  568  as character drawing  568  is drawn by the user. It should be appreciated that character drawing  568  is not actually displayed on keyboard  551 . Character drawing  568  is depicted in the Figures merely to indicate the strokes drawn on keyboard  551  using contact  566 . 
     In some embodiments, a contact or a gesture on keyboard  551  is not detected as an attempt to make a character drawing unless the contact is initiated in a predefined region on keyboard  551 . For example,  FIG. 5P  shows regions  569 -A and  569 -B. Contacts or gestures, such as contact  566 , that are initiated in either of those regions and not detected as keystrokes (e.g., tap gestures on the keys) are detected as attempts to perform a character drawing. 
     The device determines one or more candidate characters  572  that match drawn character  574  as character drawing  568  is drawn. Candidate characters  572  may be, for example, Chinese characters, Japanese (e.g., kana or kanji) characters, Korean (e.g., hanja or hangul) characters, Vietnamese characters, Hindi characters, or That characters. Candidate characters  572  may be determined or identified for drawn character  574  based on a dictionary, a characters database, or the like. 
     In some embodiments, the device is configured to be in a mode corresponding to a particular language, so that drawn character  574  is matched to candidate characters  572  in accordance with the particular language. For example, the device as shown in  FIG. 5N-5R  is configured in Chinese language mode; drawn character  574  is matched to Chinese candidate characters. The language mode on the device may be initially set according to a factory or default setting and subsequently changed by a user. 
     In some other embodiments, keyboard  551  is configured to be in a mode corresponding to a particular language, so that drawn character  574  is matched to candidate characters  572  in accordance with the particular language. For example, keyboard  551  as shown in  FIG. 5N-5R  is configured in Chinese language mode; drawn character  574  is matched to Chinese candidate characters. The language mode on keyboard  551  may be initially set according to a factory or default setting and subsequently changed by a user. 
     One or more of candidate characters  572  are displayed in character selection interface  570 . These displayed candidate characters  572  are assigned respective numbers. For example, candidate character  572 -A is assigned the number “1,” candidate character  572 -B is assigned the number “2,” candidate character  572 -C is assigned the number “3,” and candidate character  572 -D is assigned the number “4.” A “More” option for displaying additional candidate characters is assigned the number “5.” Selection of a number “1” thru “5” (e.g., by performing a gesture on a corresponding number key on keyboard  551 ) selects the corresponding candidate character or option. 
       FIG. 5Q  shows completed character drawing  568  drawn on keyboard  551  by contact  566 . The corresponding drawn character  574  is displayed on display  550 . Candidate characters  572 -E thru  572 -H, which match drawn character  574  as shown in  FIG. 5Q , are displayed in character selection interface  570 . Candidate characters  572 -E thru  572 -H are assigned numbers 1 thru 4, respectively. The number “5” is again assigned to the “More” option. 
       FIG. 5Q  shows gesture (e.g., a tap gesture)  578  performed on “1” key  580 . In response to detection of gesture  578  on “1” key  580 , candidate character  572 -E is selected. The selected candidate character  572 -E is entered into text  556 , as shown in  FIG. 5R . 
       FIGS. 6A-6C  are flow diagrams illustrating a method  600  of entering characters using a touch-sensitive keyboard in accordance with some embodiments. The method  600  is performed at an electronic device (e.g., device  300 ,  FIG. 3 , or portable multifunction device  100 ,  FIG. 1 ) with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard. In some embodiments, the display is a touch screen display and the touch-sensitive keyboard is a virtual keyboard displayed on the display. In some embodiments, the display is separate from the touch-sensitive keyboard. Some operations in method  600  may be combined and/or the order of some operations may be changed. 
     As described below, the method  600  provides an intuitive, efficient way to enter characters. The method reduces the physical and cognitive burden on a user when entering characters, thereby creating a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated electronic devices, enabling a user to enter characters faster and more efficiently conserves power and increases the time between battery charges. 
     The device displays a text entry area on the display ( 602 ). The text entry area may be displayed in an application window or interface. For example,  FIG. 5A  shows text entry area  504  displayed on display  500 , and  FIG. 5N  shows text entry area  554  displayed on touch-sensitive display  550 . 
     The device detects a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard, where the touch-sensitive keyboard includes one or more character keys (e.g., letter keys, number keys) ( 604 ). For example,  FIG. 5A  shows detection of keystroke  512  on “W” key  510 -A, and  FIG. 5N  shows contact  562  detected on “W” key  560 -A. As another example,  FIG. 5C  shows character drawing  518  being performed on keyboard  501  with contact  516 . 
     In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive keyboard is a physical keyboard ( 606 ). For example, keyboard  501  ( FIG. 5A ) is a touch-sensitive physical keyboard. In some embodiments, the physical keyboard is made touch-sensitive by embedding capacitive sensors near the surface of the keys in the physical keyboard. In some embodiments, the keyboard is as described in any of the following U.S. patent applications, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties: (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/232,941, entitled “Enabling Touch Events on a Touch Sensitive Mechanical Keyboard”; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/232,955, entitled “Fusion Keyboard”; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/232,968, entitled “Actuation Lock for a Touch Sensitive Mechanical Keyboard”; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/334,320, entitled “Motion Sensitive Mechanical Keyboard”; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/333,793, entitled “Touch Sensitive Mechanical Keyboard”; (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/499,351, entitled “Image Processing for Camera Based Motion Tracking”; and (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/690,907, entitled “Piezo-Based Acoustic and Capacitive Detection.” 
     In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive keyboard is a soft keyboard ( 608 ). For example, in  FIG. 5N , keyboard  551  is a soft keyboard displayed on touch-sensitive display  550 . 
     In accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard (e.g., detecting a keystroke on a physical key in a physical keyboard or detecting a tap gesture on a virtual key in a soft keyboard), the device enters a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area ( 610 ). For example, in response to detection of keystroke  512  activating “W” key  510 -A, the letter “w” is entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIGS. 5A-5B . As another example, in response to detection of gesture  562  on “W” key  560 -A, the letter “w” is entered into text  556 , as shown in  FIGS. 5N-5O . 
     In accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard ( 612 ) (e.g., a character drawn on top of the character keys in the touch-sensitive keyboard with one or more finger gestures), the device determines one or more candidate characters for the drawn character ( 614 ) and displays a candidate character selection interface on the display, including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface ( 616 ). For example, in  FIGS. 5C-5D , in accordance with a determination that character drawing  518  is being drawn on keyboard  501 , one or more candidate characters  522  are determined for drawn character  524 , and character selection interface  520  and candidate characters  522  are displayed on display  500 . Similarly, in  FIGS. 5P-5Q , in accordance with a determination that character drawing  568  is being drawn on keyboard  551 , one or more candidate characters  572  are determined for drawn character  574 , and character selection interface  570  and candidate characters  572  are displayed on display  550 . 
     In some embodiments, the determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard includes detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard ( 618 ). For example, character drawing  518  in  FIG. 5C  is shown as starting in predefined region  519 -A. As another example, character drawing  568  in  FIG. 5P  is shown as starting from predefined region  569 -A. 
     In some embodiments, the candidate characters are Chinese characters, Japanese characters (e.g., kanji or kana), Korean characters (e.g., hanja or hangul), Vietnamese characters, Hindi characters, or That characters ( 620 ). For example, candidate characters  522  ( FIGS. 5C-5D ),  534  ( FIG. 5G ),  546  ( FIG. 5L ), and  572  ( FIGS. 5P-5Q ) are Chinese characters. 
     While displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display, the device detects a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface ( 622 ). For example, in  FIG. 5D , while candidate characters  522 -E thru  522 -H are displayed, keystroke  528  activating “1” key  530  is detected. Candidate character  522 -E is selected in response to the activation of “1” key  530 . As another example, in  FIG. 5Q , while candidate characters  572 -E thru  572 -H are displayed, contact  578  on “1” key  580  is detected. Candidate character  572 -E is selected in response to detection of contact  578  on “1” key  580 . 
     In some embodiments, detecting the second input selecting the respective candidate character includes detecting an input on a key in the touch-sensitive keyboard that corresponds to the respective candidate character ( 624 ). For example, keystroke  528  on “1” key  530  ( FIG. 5D ) selects candidate character  522 -E, and contact  578  on “1” key  580  ( FIG. 5Q ) selects candidate character  572 -E. 
     In response to detecting the second input, the device enters the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area ( 626 ). For example, in response to detection of keystroke  528  activating “1” key  530 , candidate character  522 -E is entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5E . As another example, in response to detection of contact  578  on “1” key  580 , candidate character  572 -E is entered into text  556 , as shown in  FIG. 5R . Note that when the device determines that a character is being drawn on top of the character keys in the touch-sensitive keyboard, drawing the character on top of the character keys does not result in entering any characters that correspond to the character keys that are drawn over by the one or more finger gestures. In other words, in contrast to the case where a keystroke or tap gesture on a character key results in entry of the corresponding character, when a character is being drawn on top of the character keys, the device does not enter a series of characters that correspond to the character keys being drawn over. For example, in  FIG. 5C , when character drawing  518  is being drawn, “w” and “e” (the letters being drawn over) are not entered into text  506 . 
     In some embodiments, the device includes a touch-sensitive surface distinct from the touch-sensitive keyboard, where the touch-sensitive surface is in a cursor manipulation mode when the first input is detected. In response to detecting the first input, the device maintains the touch-sensitive surface in the cursor manipulation mode ( 628 ). For example, the device includes or is connected to a trackpad that is separate from the touch-sensitive keyboard. The trackpad is in a cursor manipulation mode immediately prior to detecting the first input, when the first input is detected, and after the first input is detected. The trackpad does not need to toggle between a cursor manipulation mode and a character drawing mode because a user can just draw a character over the keys in the touch-sensitive keyboard. For example, the device includes a distinct touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touchpad  355 ) as well as touch-sensitive keyboard  501 . Prior to detection of keystrokes (e.g., keystroke  512 ,  514 ) or contact  516  (making character drawing  518 ), the touch-sensitive surface is in a cursor manipulation mode; the touch-sensitive surface is used to manipulate pointer  503 . In response to detection of the keystrokes or contact  516 , the cursor manipulation mode is maintained for the touch-sensitive surface; the user can still use the touch-sensitive surface to manipulate pointer  503 . 
     In some embodiments, the device detects activation of a plurality of character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard ( 630 ), where the plurality of activated character keys corresponds to a romanization of one or more characters. For example,  FIG. 5F  shows detection of keystrokes  531  and  532  activating “L” key  510 -C and “I” key  510 -D. The letter sequence “li” corresponding to the activated keys correspond to the romanization of multiple characters (e.g., Chinese characters). 
     The device identifies two or more candidate characters corresponding to the romanization ( 632 ). The device displays at least one (in some embodiments, at least two) of the identified candidate characters corresponding to the romanization ( 634 ). In some embodiments, the identified candidate characters corresponding to the romanization are displayed in a candidate character selection interface on the display. For example, candidate characters  534  that have the romanization “li” are identified. At least two of them are displayed on displayed  500 , as shown in  FIG. 5G . 
     The device detects a third input that corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard of a first candidate character corresponding to the romanization ( 636 ). In response to detecting the third input, the device enters the first candidate character corresponding to the romanization into the text entry area ( 638 ). For example, contact  536  making character drawing  538 , which as shown in  FIG. 5G  corresponds to candidate character  534 -C, is detected on keyboard  501 . In response to detection of contact  536  making character drawing  538 , candidate character  534 -C is selected and entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5I . 
     In some embodiments, after entering the first character, the device detects activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard ( 640 ). For example, in  FIGS. 5J-5K , after the entering of the letter “w” into text  506  in response to activation of “W” key  510 -A by keystroke  512 , a keystroke activating the “E” key and keystroke  544  activating “N” key  510 -E are detected on keyboard  501 . 
     In response to detecting activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard, the device enters characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys into the text entry area ( 642 ). For example, in response to detection of the activation of “W” key  510 -A, the “E” key, and “N” key  510 -E, the letters “wen” are entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5K . 
     The device detects a fourth input ( 644 ) (e.g., press and hold). For example, keystroke  544  may be a press and hold of “N” key  510 -E, as shown in  FIG. 5K . 
     In response to detecting the fourth input, the device displays one or more characters that correspond to a romanization corresponding to the sequence of the first character and the characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys ( 646 ). For example, in response to detection of the press and hold keystroke  544 , candidate characters  546  that have the corresponding romanization “wen” is displayed on display  500 , as shown in  FIG. 5L . 
     While displaying the one or more characters that correspond to the romanization, the device detects a fifth input that selects a respective character of the displayed characters that correspond to the romanization ( 648 ). For example, as shown in  FIG. 5L , while candidate characters  546  are displayed, keystroke  548  on “1” key  530  is detected, which activates “1” key  530  and selects candidate character  546 -A. 
     In response to detecting the fifth input, the device enters the selected respective character into the text entry area ( 650 ). In response to detection of keystroke  548  on “1” key  530 , candidate character  546 -A is entered into text  506 , as shown in  FIG. 5M . 
     It should be understood that the particular order in which the operations in  FIGS. 6A-6C  have been described is merely exemplary and is not intended to indicate that the described order is the only order in which the operations could be performed. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize various ways to reorder the operations described herein. 
     In accordance with some embodiments,  FIG. 7  shows a functional block diagram of an electronic device  700  configured in accordance with the principles of the invention as described above. The functional blocks of the device may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software to carry out the principles of the invention. It is understood by persons of skill in the art that the functional blocks described in  FIG. 7  may be combined or separated into sub-blocks to implement the principles of the invention as described above. Therefore, the description herein may support any possible combination or separation or further definition of the functional blocks described herein. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , an electronic device  700  includes a display unit  702  configured to display a text entry area, a touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  configured to receive inputs, and a processing unit  706  coupled to the display unit  702  and the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705 . In some embodiments, the processing unit  706  includes a detecting unit  708 , an entering unit  710 , a determining unit  712 , a display enabling unit  714 , a maintaining unit  716 , and an identifying unit  718 . 
     The processing unit  706  is configured to: detect a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  (e.g., with the detecting unit  708 ), the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  including one or more character keys; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705 , entering a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area (e.g., with the entering unit  710 ); in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705 : determine one or more candidate characters for the drawn character (e.g., with the determining unit  712 ); and enable display of a candidate character selection interface on the display unit  702 , including displaying at least one of the candidate characters in the candidate character selection interface (e.g., with the display enabling unit  714 ); while displaying the candidate character selection interface on the display unit  702 , detect a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface (e.g., with the detecting unit  708 ); and in response to detecting the second input, enter the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area (e.g., with the entering unit  710 ). 
     In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  is a physical keyboard. 
     In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  is a soft keyboard. 
     In some embodiments, the device includes a touch-sensitive surface unit distinct from the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705 , wherein the touch-sensitive surface unit is in a cursor manipulation mode when the first input is detected, and the processing unit  706  is configured to, in response to detecting the first input, maintain the touch-sensitive surface unit in the cursor manipulation mode (e.g., with the maintaining unit  716 ). 
     In some embodiments, detecting the second input selecting the respective candidate character includes detecting an input on a key in the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  that corresponds to the respective candidate character. 
     In some embodiments, the determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  includes detecting that the first input starts in a predefined region of the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705 . 
     In some embodiments, the processing unit  706  is configured to: detect activation of a plurality of character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  (e.g., with the detecting unit  708 ), the plurality of activated character keys corresponding to a romanization of one or more characters; identify two or more candidate characters corresponding to the romanization (e.g., with the identifying unit  718 ); enable display of at least one of the identified candidate characters corresponding to the romanization (e.g., with the display enabling unit  714 ); detect a third input that corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  of a first candidate character corresponding to the romanization (e.g., with the detecting unit  708 ); in response to detecting the third input, enter the first candidate character corresponding to the romanization into the text entry area (e.g., with the entering unit  710 ). 
     In some embodiments, the processing unit  706  is configured to: after entering the first character, detect activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705  (e.g., with the detecting unit  708 ); in response to detecting activation of one or more character keys on the touch-sensitive keyboard unit  705 , enter characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys into the text entry area (e.g., with the entering unit  710 ); detect a fourth input (e.g., with the detecting unit  708 ); in response to detecting the fourth input, enable display of one or more characters that correspond to a romanization corresponding to the sequence of the first character and the characters corresponding to the one or more activated character keys (e.g., with the display enabling unit  714 ); while displaying the one or more characters that correspond to the romanization, detect a fifth input that selects a respective character of the displayed characters that correspond to the romanization (e.g., with the detecting unit  708 ); and in response to detecting the fifth input, enter the selected respective character into the text entry area (e.g., with the entering unit  710 ). 
     In some embodiments, the candidate characters are Chinese characters, Japanese characters, Korean characters, Vietnamese characters, Hindi characters, or That characters. 
     The operations in the information processing methods described above may be implemented by running one or more functional modules in information processing apparatus such as general purpose processors or application specific chips. These modules, combinations of these modules, and/or their combination with general hardware (e.g., as described above with respect to  FIGS. 1A and 3 ) are all included within the scope of protection of the invention. 
     The operations described above with reference to  FIGS. 6A-6C  may be implemented by components depicted in  FIGS. 1A-1B . For example, detection operations  604  and  622 , entering operations  610  and  626 , determining operation  614 , and displaying operation  616  may be implemented by event sorter  170 , event recognizer  180 , and event handler  190 . Event monitor  171  in event sorter  170  detects a contact on touch-sensitive display  112 , and event dispatcher module  174  delivers the event information to application  136 - 1 . A respective event recognizer  180  of application  136 - 1  compares the event information to respective event definitions  186 , and determines whether a first contact at a first location on the touch-sensitive surface (or whether rotation of the device) corresponds to a predefined event or sub-event, such as selection of an object on a user interface, or rotation of the device from one orientation to another. When a respective predefined event or sub-event is detected, event recognizer  180  activates an event handler  190  associated with the detection of the event or sub-event. Event handler  190  may utilize or call data updater  176  or object updater  177  to update the application internal state  192 . In some embodiments, event handler  190  accesses a respective GUI updater  178  to update what is displayed by the application. Similarly, it would be clear to a person having ordinary skill in the art how other processes can be implemented based on the components depicted in  FIGS. 1A-1B . 
     The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20121119
Publication Date: 20150922
Grant Date: 20150922
Priority Date: 20120801
Inventors: BERNSTEIN JEFFREY TRAER
MISSIG JULIAN K.
ZAMBETTI NICHOLAS
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/04886", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04883", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0213", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04883", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04886", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0213", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 50024974