Mobile device having human language translation capability with positional feedback

Abstract

A mobile electronic device has a touch sensitive screen and an accelerometer. A translator is to translate a word or phrase that is in a first human language and that is entered via a first virtual keyboard displayed on the touch sensitive screen, into a second human language. A translator is to cause the touch sensitive screen to display the translated word or phrase and a second virtual keyboard having characters in the second human language, in response to the accelerometer detecting a change in the physical orientation of the device or movement of the device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

1 . A mobile electronic device comprising:
 a touch sensitive screen;   an accelerometer; and   a translator to translate a word or phrase that is in a first human language and that is entered via a first virtual keyboard displayed on the touch sensitive screen, into a second human language, and wherein the translator is to cause the touch sensitive screen to display the translated word or phrase and a second virtual keyboard having characters in the second human language, in response to the accelerometer detecting a change in the physical orientation of the device.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the touch sensitive screen is rectangular. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2  wherein the translator is to cause the touch sensitive screen to display the translated word or phrase and the second virtual keyboard when the device is rotated by about ninety degrees or more in a plane of the touch sensitive screen. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 2  wherein the translator is to cause the touch sensitive screen to display the translated word or phrase and the second virtual keyboard when the device is rotated from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4  wherein the user interface is to display the word or phrase in the first human language in a portrait view while the device is in the vertical orientation, and the translated word phrase in a landscape view when the device is in the horizontal orientation. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a RF-based locater to compute the current geographic location of the mobile electronic device,
 wherein the translator causes the user interface to display a graphic that prompts a user of the device to select any one of a plurality of human languages to which the entered word or phrase can be translated by the translator, the plurality of human languages being offered by the translator as a function of the computed current geographic location of the mobile electronic device.   
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6  wherein the translator causes the graphic to be displayed when the accelerometer detects a change in the physical orientation of the device. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1  wherein device has a security function that prevents access to other applications once the translator application has been launched, unless a predetermined pass-code is received from the user. 
     
     
         9 . A machine-implemented method for operating a mobile electronic device, comprising:
 prompting a user of the device to enter a word or phrase in a first language using an associated first soft keyboard that is being displayed right side up; and   translating the entered word or phrase into a second language; and   when the device rotates by a predetermined amount, displaying right side up the translated word or phrase and a second soft keyboard that is associated with the second language.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said displaying the translated word or phrase replaces the word or phrase in the first language, and the second soft keyboard replaces the first soft keyboard. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 prompting another user of the device to enter a word or phrase in the second language using the second keyboard;   translating the word or phrase in the second language, into the first language; and   when the deice rotates by another predetermined amount, displaying right side up the translated word or phrase in the first language and the first keyboard.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein prompting the user comprises displaying a conversation bubble or dialog box in which the word or phrase being entered by the user is simultaneously displayed. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 computing a current geographic location of the mobile device; and   prompting the user to select any one of a plurality of languages to which the entered word or phrase is to be translated, wherein the plurality of languages are offered as a function of the computed current geographic location.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising:
 launching a translator application under which the prompting of the user, the translating and the displaying of the translated word or phrase are preformed; and   preventing access to other applications once the translator application has been launched unless the user is again authenticated.   
     
     
         15 . A mobile electronic device comprising:
 a touch sensitive screen; and   a translator to translate a word or phrase, that has been entered via a virtual keyboard on the touch sensitive screen, into another language, wherein the translator has a first language mode of operation and a second language mode of operation, in the first language mode the touch sensitive screen displays a first virtual keyboard for a first language, in the second language mode the touch sensitive screen displays a second virtual keyboard for a second language, and wherein the translator switches between the first and second language modes in response to the device being rotated or undergoing a translation movement.   
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15  wherein the translator is to switch between the first and second modes in response to the device undergoing a rapid translation movement that is brought about by a user tapping the device. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 15  wherein the translator is to switch between the first and second modes in response to the device undergoing a rotation by about 90 degrees or more in a plane or the touch screen. 
     
     
         18 . A mobile electronic device comprising:
 means for displaying information right side up, while the device is in a first physical orientation;   means for displaying said information right side up, while the device is in a second, different physical orientation;   means for receiving a word or phrase in a first human language, from a user of the device while the device is in the first physical orientation;   means for translating the word or phrase into a second human language; and   means for displaying the translated word or phrase right side up, while the device is in the second physical orientation.