TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to user interface for portable devices having input functionalities. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a technique for entering text in multiple Indian languages.

BACKGROUND

Most of the Indian languages have evolved from the ancient Brahmi script. These languages have a large number of vowels and consonants and few languages may include number of characters in excess of 550 because various phonetic characters are combined into conjunct characters. The mapping of such large number of characters of Indian languages to keys of a keypad is burdensome and complicated.

Existing methods of mapping characters on a keypad include mapping the characters of any language on a keypad with 12 key buttons. These character mapping methods include a multi-tap input method whereby 3 to 4 consonants/vowels are allocated to each key. In this conventional keypad, a user is required to press a key a number of times. When the user inputs a character by consecutively pressing a key, a mistype may occur due to a time delay.

Few conventional systems with a physical keypad suffer from the problem of restricted number of keys wherein the characters of a maximum of two languages can be displayed on the keys of the keypad. Also, mapping characters of two languages to a keypad becomes chaotic.

In few conventional systems, user has to type in English language which will simultaneously get translated into a different language. This method of text entry creates confusion as word formation in English is different as compared to Indian languages. In contrast to English, vowels and consonants of the Indian languages are phonetically classified. The vowels and consonants combine together to describe a word in the Indian language.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a keypad and a text entering method for entering text in a plurality of Indian languages by overcoming the above mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the provision of a virtual QWERTY keypad layout and method as described in the description.

In one embodiment, all the vowels and consonants of the Indian languages have been mapped on the virtual QWERTY keypad layout with great ease and simplicity.

In yet another embodiment, the technique disclosed in the present disclosure supports different languages.

In another embodiment, the technique disclosed in the present disclosure is user friendly and more intuitive.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to user interface with multiple QWERTY keypad layouts for text entry in multiple Indian languages. Each of the QWERTY keypad layouts is assigned to an Indian language and said layout comprises a plurality of keys in the Indian language. The keys are arranged based on a pre-described logic, the pre-described logic including one or more of a combination of a first portion of the plurality of keys mapped to frequently used vowels, a second portion of the plurality of keys mapped to frequently used consonants, and a third portion of the plurality of keys assigned to special characters and control functions. At least one of the keys of the first and the second portions is mapped to rarely used vowels and consonants respectively using multi-tap.

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for entering text in multiple Indian languages using multiple QWERTY keypad layouts as user interface. Each of the QWERTY keypad layouts comprises a plurality of keys assigned to an Indian language. The method comprises arranging the plurality of keys based on a pre-described logic, the pre-described logic including one or more of a combination of mapping a first portion of the plurality of keys to frequently used vowels, mapping a second portion of the plurality of keys to frequently used consonants, and mapping a third portion of the plurality of keys to special characters and control functions. At least one of the keys of the first and the second portions is mapped to rarely used vowels and consonants respectively using multi-tap such that upon depressing a key of the first portion, the rarely used vowels are displayed along with the frequently used vowel. Similarly, upon depressing a key of the second portion, the rarely used characters are displayed along with the frequently used character.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present disclosure are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, together with further features and attended advantages, will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanied drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of the device implementing keypad layouts according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figures 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A illustrate a virtual user interface with QWERTY keypad layouts in plurality of Indian languages according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figures 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B and 7B illustrate mapping of vowels and consonants of plurality of Indian languages onto the keys of the keypad using multi-tap according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 illustrates the multi-tap option displayed upon pressing the key “1@#” according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure relates to user interface for portable devices having input functionalities. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a technique for entering text in multiple Indian languages.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to user interface with multiple QWERTY keypad layouts for text entry in multiple Indian languages. Each of the QWERTY keypad layouts is assigned to an Indian language and said layout comprises a plurality of keys in the Indian language. The keys are arranged based on a pre-described logic, the pre-described logic including one or more of a combination of a first portion of the plurality of keys mapped to frequently used vowels, a second portion of the plurality of keys mapped to frequently used consonants, and a third portion of the plurality of keys assigned to special characters and control functions. At least one of the keys of the first and the second portions is mapped to rarely used vowels and consonants respectively using multi-tap.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a keypad layout can be selected from the multiple keypad layouts using a text editor.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequently used vowel and the rarely used vowels mapped to the keys are phonetically related to each other.

In still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequently used consonant and the rarely used consonants mapped to the key are phonetically related to each other.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequently and the rarely used vowels and consonants are determined on basis of a usability test.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of keys are arranged in a form of a matrix selected from a group comprising 10x4 matrix, 11x5 matrix and 11x4 matrix.

In still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the third portion of the keys includes at least one numeral key mapped to numerals using multi-tap.
In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for entering text in multiple Indian languages using multiple QWERTY keypad layouts as user interface. Each of the QWERTY keypad layouts comprises a plurality of keys assigned to an Indian language. The method comprises arranging the plurality of keys based on a pre-described logic, the pre-described logic including one or more of a combination of mapping a first portion of the plurality of keys to frequently used vowels, mapping a second portion of the plurality of keys to frequently used consonants, and mapping a third portion of the plurality of keys to special characters and control functions. At least one of the keys of the first and the second portions is mapped to rarely used vowels and consonants respectively using multi-tap such that upon depressing a key of the first portion, the rarely used vowels are displayed along with the frequently used vowel. Similarly, upon depressing a key of the second portion, the rarely used characters are displayed along with the frequently used character.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a keypad layout can be selected from the multiple keypad layouts using a text editor.

In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequently used vowel and the rarely used vowels mapped to the key are phonetically related to each other.

In still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the frequently used consonant and the rarely used consonants mapped to the key are phonetically related to each other.

The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the frequently and the rarely used vowels and consonants are determined on basis of a usability test.

Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of the device implementing keypad layouts according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
In one embodiment, the device 100 includes a processor 110 coupled to a language database 120 and to a user interface 130. The processor 110 is configured to receive input from the user interface 130 and for processing the input to obtain word constructs containing language characters that are encoded digitally according to any one of the language standards. The language database 120 stores the language characters and word constructs created from the stored language characters.
The device 100 further comprises a display engine 140 coupled to the processor 110. The display engine 140 is configured to receive the word constructs from the processor 110 and for displaying the word constructs for the user on a display screen within the user interface 130.

The present disclosure relates to a user interface 130 which can be used in a number of devices 100 requiring input of text. In one embodiment, the device 100 includes, but is not limited to, mobile phone, tablet, ATM machine, Television, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Computers and Monitors, point-of-sale terminals, car navigation systems, medical monitors, industrial control panels etc.

In one embodiment, when the user of the device 100 enters a text editor mode, the device displays a list of Indian languages on the user interface 130. The Indian languages include, but are not limited to, Hindi, Telegu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi and Tamil.

Figure 2A illustrates user interface with QWERTY keypad layout of Hindi language. The keypad layout is a virtual keypad displayed on the display screen. In an exemplary embodiment, the display screen can be implemented as a touch screen device and the keypad layout is displayed on the display screen of the device. In one embodiment, the layout comprises a plurality of keys arranged in the form of 4x10 matrix. However, the arrangement of keys on the layout can be varied based on the basis of the requirement. The keys are arranged on the keypad layout based on a pre-described logic. In one embodiment, the pre-described logic comprises dividing the layout in one or more portions.

A first portion of the plurality of keys on the virtual keypad is mapped to vowels. The vowels can be divided into independent and dependent vowels, also known as matras. The independent vowels may form an independent word, and are used to write syllables that start a word. An independent vowel may also appear within a word. Dependent vowels cannot form an independent word, and are instead used in conjunction with a consonant. While mapping a plurality of keys to the first portion, the vowels are divided into two categories namely frequently used vowels and rarely used vowels. This categorization of vowels is done on the basis of a usability test.

The frequently used vowels are mapped on the face of the first portion of keys and the rarely used vowels are mapped to the first portion of keys through multi-tap. Further, any vowel newly introduced to the language is also mapped to the keys of the first portion through multi-tap. When user of the device presses a key from the first portion, the frequently used vowel is displayed along with rarely used vowels on the display screen. The frequently used vowel and the rarely used vowels mapped on a key of the first portion are phonetically related to each other, as illustrated in Fig. 2B of the present disclosure. In addition, one or more numerals in the Hindi language are also mapped to the first portion of the keys through multi-tap.

Referring to Fig. 2A and 2B, the vowels like ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ? etc. indicate the frequently used vowels mapped on the face of the first portion of the keys. Vowels like ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ? etc. indicate the rarely used vowels mapped to the first portion of the keys through multi-tap.

A second portion of the plurality of keys on the virtual keypad is mapped to consonants. The consonants are also divided into two categories namely frequently used consonants and rarely used consonants. This categorization of consonants is done on the basis of a usability test. The categorization may change with time depending on the results of the usability test. The categorization may also vary based on the language been selected for usability test.

The frequently used consonants are mapped on the face of the second portion of keys and the rarely used consonants are mapped to the second portion of keys through multi-tap. Further, any consonant newly introduced to the language can also be mapped to the keys of the second portion through multi-tap. When user of the device presses a key from the second portion, the frequently used consonant is displayed along with rarely used consonants on display screen. The frequently used consonant and the rarely used consonants mapped on a key of the first portion are phonetically related to each other, as illustrated in Fig. 2B of the present disclosure. In addition, one or more numerals in the Hindi language are also mapped to the second portion of the keys through multi-tap.

Referring to Fig. 2A and 2B, consonants like ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ? etc indicate the frequently used consonants mapped on the face of the second portion of the keys. Consonants like ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ? etc. indicate the rarely used consonants mapped to the second portion of the keys through multi-tap.

The categorization of vowels and consonants as frequently and rarely used characters may change with time depending on the results of the usability test conducted at predetermined intervals of time. The categorization may also vary based on the language selected for usability test.

Further, a third portion of the plurality of keys on the virtual keypad is mapped to special characters and control functions. The special characters and control functions include numerals keys, symbol key, enter key, spacebar etc. The symbol key comprises one or more symbols displayed in the form of a table. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the keypad comprises of one or more numerals keys mapped to the numerals through multi-tap. Referring to Fig. 2A, the key “1@#” belongs to third portion. Fig. 8 shows the multi-tap option available when the key “1@#” is pressed.

Fig. 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A and 7A similarly illustrate virtual keypad layouts for a plurality of languages of Telegu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi and Tamil respectively.

Fig. 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B and 7B illustrate mapping of vowels and consonants of plurality of Indian languages of Telegu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi and Tamil respectively onto the keys of the keypad layout using multi-tap.

Accordingly, all the vowels and consonants of the Indian languages haves been mapped on the virtual QWERTY keypad layout with great ease. The users who are aware of the regional language keyboards can use the same typing skills as the keys of keyboard of the regional language are similar to the keys in the keypad of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Referral Numerals:

Reference number Description
100 Device
110 Processor
120 Language Database
130 User Interface
140 Display Engine

We claim:
1. A user interface with multiple QWERTY keypad layouts for text entry in multiple Indian languages, wherein each of the QWERTY keypad layouts is assigned to an Indian language, said layout comprising:
a plurality of keys, in the Indian language, being arranged based on a pre-described logic, the pre-described logic including one or more of a combination of:
a first portion of the plurality of keys mapped to frequently used vowels;
a second portion of the plurality of keys mapped to frequently used consonants; and
a third portion of the plurality of keys assigned to special characters and control functions,
wherein at least one of the keys of the first and the second portions are mapped to rarely used vowels and consonants respectively using multi-tap.

2. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein a keypad layout can be selected from the multiple keypad layouts using a text editor.

3. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequently used vowel and the rarely used vowels mapped to the keys are phonetically related to each other.

4. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequently used consonant and the rarely used consonants mapped to the key are phonetically related to each other.

5. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frequently and the rarely used vowels and consonants are determined on basis of a usability test.

6. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys are arranged in a form of a matrix selected from a group comprising 10x4 matrix, 11x5 matrix and 11x4 matrix.

7. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third portion of the keys includes at least one numeral key mapped to numerals using multi-tap.

8. A method for entering text in multiple Indian languages using multiple QWERTY keypad layouts as user interface, wherein each of the QWERTY keypad layouts comprising a plurality of keys assigned to an Indian language, said method comprising arranging the plurality of keys based on a pre-described logic, the pre-described logic including one or more of a combination of:
mapping a first portion of the plurality of keys to frequently used vowels;
mapping a second portion of the plurality of keys to frequently used consonants; and
mapping a third portion of the plurality of keys to special characters and control functions,
wherein at least one of the keys of the first and the second portions is mapped to rarely used vowels and consonants respectively using multi-tap such that upon depressing a key of the first portion, the rarely used vowels are displayed along with the frequently used vowel and upon depressing a key of the second portion, the rarely used characters are displayed along with the frequently used character.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a keypad layout can be selected from the multiple keypad layouts using a text editor.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, the frequently used vowel and the rarely used vowels mapped to the key are phonetically related to each other.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the frequently used consonant and the rarely used consonants mapped to the key are phonetically related to each other.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the frequently and the rarely used vowels and consonants are determined on basis of a usability test.