Selecting alternate keyboard characters via motion input

Abstract

In general, this disclosure describes techniques for selecting alternate keyboard characters via motion input provided by a user. One example method comprises displaying a graphical keyboard via a user interface and receiving, via the user interface, initial user input specifying a selection of a key on the graphical keyboard, wherein the initial user input comprises an initiation of a contact with the user interface. The method further includes displaying alternate characters via the user interface, wherein each alternate character is displayed to indicate at least one corresponding selection direction that is associated with that alternate character, and receiving, via the user interface, additional user input specifying a selection of at least one of the alternate characters, wherein the additional user input comprises motion in the at least one selection direction corresponding to the at least one selected alternate character, and a release of the contact from the user interface.

1 . A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:
 display, via a user interface, a graphical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys that are associated with a group of characters;   receive, via the user interface, initial user input specifying a selection of a key from the plurality of keys of the graphical keyboard, wherein the initial user input comprises an initiation of a contact with the user interface, and wherein the selected key is associated with a character in the group of characters;   display, via the user interface, a plurality of alternate characters in response to receiving the initial user input, wherein each alternate character is displayed to indicate at least one corresponding selection direction that is associated with that alternate character, and wherein at least one of the alternate characters is not included in the group of characters associated with the keys of the graphical keyboard; and   receive, via the user interface, additional user input specifying a selection of at least one of the plurality of alternate characters, wherein the additional user input comprises motion in the at least one selection direction corresponding to the at least one selected alternate character, and wherein the additional user input further comprises a release of the contact from the user interface.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein two or more of the alternate characters are not included in the group of characters associated with the keys of the graphical keyboard. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 2 , wherein each of the alternate characters is not included in the group of characters associated with the keys of the graphical keyboard. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions to display the graphical keyboard comprise instructions to display the plurality of keys such that each key is represented by only a single displayed character within the graphical keyboard. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions to receive the initial user input and the instructions to receive the additional user input comprise instructions to receive user input provided by one continuous movement while maintaining the contact with the user interface. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions to display the plurality of alternate characters comprise instructions to display each of the plurality of alternate characters within a distinct graphical display unit. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 6 , wherein graphical arrows associated with the distinct graphical display units indicate the at least one corresponding selection direction associated with each of the plurality of alternate characters. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein relative positions of the plurality of alternate characters, with respect to a position of the selected key on the graphical keyboard, indicate the at least one corresponding selection direction associated with each of the plurality of alternate characters. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein graphical arrows associated with the plurality of alternate characters indicate the at least one corresponding selection direction associated with each of the plurality of alternate characters. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions to display the plurality of alternate characters on the graphical keyboard comprise instructions to display the plurality of alternate characters on the graphical keyboard after the contact with the user interface from the initial user input has been maintained for a defined period of time. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the graphical keyboard comprises a first graphical keyboard;   a second, different graphical keyboard comprises a plurality of keys including the selected alternate character;   the selected key is located at a first relative location on the first graphical keyboard with respect to the plurality of keys of the first graphical keyboard;   the at least one selected alternate character is located at a second relative location on the second graphical keyboard with respect to the plurality of keys of the second graphical keyboard; and   the first relative location on the first graphical keyboard is substantially the same as the second relative location on the second graphical keyboard.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface comprises a touchscreen, and wherein the additional user input comprises, with respect to the initial user input, at least one sliding movement across the touchscreen in the at least one selection direction corresponding to the at least one selected alternate character. 
     
     
         13 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , further encoded with instructions to:
 remove the alternate characters from display in response to receiving the additional user input.   
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the additional user input comprises motion in a sequence of different selection directions corresponding to the at least one selected alternate character. 
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the additional user input specifies selections of multiple different alternate characters. 
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 1 , further encoded with instructions to:
 display, via the user interface, the at least one selected alternate character in a graphical character area that is separate and distinct from the graphical keyboard; and   refrain from displaying, in the graphical character area, the character in the group of characters that is associated with the selected key.   
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 displaying a graphical keyboard via a user interface of a computing device, the graphical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys that are associated with a group of characters;   receiving, by the computing device via the user interface, initial user input specifying a selection of a key from the plurality of keys of the graphical keyboard, wherein the initial user input comprises an initiation of a contact with the user interface, and wherein the selected key is associated with a character in the group of characters;   responsive to receiving the initial user input, displaying a plurality of alternate characters via the user interface, wherein each alternate character is displayed to indicate at least one corresponding selection direction that is associated with that alternate character, and wherein at least one of the alternate characters is not included within the group of characters associated with the keys of the graphical keyboard; and   receiving, by the computing device via the user interface, additional user input specifying a selection of at least one of the plurality of alternate characters, wherein the additional user input comprises motion in the at least one selection direction corresponding to the at least one selected alternate character, and wherein the additional user input further comprises a release of the contact from the user interface.   
     
     
         18 . A computing device, comprising:
 one or more processors;   a user interface;   a display module operable by the one or more processors to display a graphical keyboard via the user interface, the graphical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys that are associated with a group of characters;   a user interface controller operable by the one or more processors to receive, via the user interface, initial user input specifying a selection of a key from the plurality of keys of the graphical keyboard, wherein the initial user input comprises an initiation of a contact with the user interface, and wherein the selected key is associated with a character in the group of characters; and   means for determining a plurality of alternate characters that are to be displayed in response to receiving the initial user input, wherein each alternate character is displayed to indicate at least one corresponding selection direction that is associated with that alternate character, wherein at least one of the alternate characters is not included within the group of characters associated with the keys of the graphical keyboard, and   wherein the user interface controller is operable to receive, via the user interface, additional user input specifying a selection of at least one of the plurality of alternate characters, the additional user input comprising motion in the at least one selection direction corresponding to the at least one selected alternate character, and the additional user input further comprising a release of the contact from the user interface.   
     
     
         19 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein two or more of the alternate characters are not included in the group of characters associated with the keys of the graphical keyboard. 
     
     
         20 . The computing device of  claim 19 , wherein each of the alternate characters is not included in the group of characters associated with the keys of the graphical keyboard. 
     
     
         21 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the means for determining comprises an alternate character manager that is operable by the one or more processors to determine the plurality of alternate characters that are to be displayed in response to receiving the initial user input. 
     
     
         22 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the user interface controller is operable to receive the initial user input and the additional user input via user input provided by one continuous movement while maintaining the contact with the user interface. 
     
     
         23 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the display module is operable to display each of the plurality of alternate characters within a distinct graphical display unit. 
     
     
         24 . The computing device of  claim 23 , wherein graphical arrows associated with the distinct graphical display units indicate the at least one corresponding selection direction associated with each of the plurality of alternate characters. 
     
     
         25 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein relative positions of the plurality of alternate characters, with respect to a position of the selected key on the graphical keyboard, indicate the at least one corresponding selection direction associated with each of the alternate characters. 
     
     
         26 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the display module is operable to display the plurality of alternate characters after the contact with the user interface from the initial user input has been maintained for a defined period of time. 
     
     
         27 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the user interface comprises a touchscreen. 
     
     
         28 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the additional user input comprises motion in a sequence of different selection directions corresponding to the at least one selected alternate character. 
     
     
         29 . The computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the display module is operable to display, via the user interface, the at least one selected alternate character in a graphical character area that is separate and distinct from the graphical keyboard, and to refrain from displaying, in the graphical character area, the character in the group of characters that is associated with the selected key.