Revolving on-screen virtual keyboard for efficient use during character input

Abstract

A method includes displaying a user interface on a display of a client device. The user interface includes a virtual keyboard including characters arranged in rows and columns. The method also includes fixing a focus of a cursor displayed in the user interface to a first row or a first column in the virtual keyboard, responsive to receiving a first request to move the cursor in a first direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping the one of the characters around the row or the column to a last row or a last column of the virtual keyboard to present another of the characters within the focus of the cursor, and responsive to receiving a second request to move the cursor in the virtual keyboard in a second direction, moving the focus of the cursor to a list of media item suggestions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 displaying a user interface on a display of a client device, the user interface comprising a virtual keyboard including a plurality of characters arranged in one or more rows and one or more columns;   fixing a focus of a cursor displayed in the user interface to a first row of the one or more rows or a first column of the one or more columns in the virtual keyboard;   responsive to receiving a first request to move the cursor in a first direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping at least a first character of the plurality of characters around the first row or the first column to a last row or a last column of the virtual keyboard to present a second character of the plurality of characters within the focus of the cursor; and   responsive to receiving a second request to move the cursor in a second direction in the virtual keyboard, moving the focus of the cursor to a list of media item suggestions presented adjacent to the first row or the first column to facilitate user selection of one of the media item suggestions.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising restricting movement of the plurality of characters within the virtual keyboard to a direction opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of characters is within the focus of the cursor. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first direction is a horizontal direction; and   the method further comprises, responsive to receiving the first request to move the cursor in the horizontal direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping the at least one of the plurality of characters around the first column to the last column in the virtual keyboard.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first direction is a vertical direction; and   the method further comprises, responsive to receiving the first request to move the cursor in the vertical direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping the at least one of the plurality of characters around the first row to the last row in the virtual keyboard.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a query builder that displays one or more characters as the one or more characters are selected from the virtual keyboard. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the last row is located at an opposing side of the virtual keyboard from the first row and the last column is located at an opposing side of the virtual keyboard from the first column. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 responsive to receiving a third request to select one of the plurality of characters that are within the focus of the cursor, updating the list of media item suggestions to include one or more entries including the selected one of the plurality of characters.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the one or more entries in the list has a media item that is automatically populated based on the selected one of the plurality of characters. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the client device is a television and the first request and the second request are received from a remote controller in communication with the television. 
     
     
         12 . A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:
 displaying a user interface on a display of a client device, the user interface comprising a virtual keyboard including a plurality of characters arranged in one or more rows and one or more columns;   fixing a focus of a cursor displayed in the user interface to a first row of the one or more rows or a first column of the one or more columns in the virtual keyboard;   responsive to receiving a first request to move the cursor in a first direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping at least a first character of the plurality of characters around the first row or the first column to a last row or a last column of the virtual keyboard to present a second character of the plurality of characters within the focus of the cursor; and   responsive to receiving a second request to move the cursor in a second direction in the virtual keyboard, moving the focus of the cursor to a list of media item suggestions presented adjacent to the first row or the first column to facilitate user selection of one of the media item suggestions.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , further comprising restricting movement of the plurality of characters within the virtual keyboard to a direction opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the first direction is a horizontal direction; and   the operations further comprise, responsive to receiving the first request to move the cursor in the horizontal direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping the at least one of the plurality of characters around the first column to the last column in the virtual keyboard.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the first direction is a vertical direction; and   the operations further comprise, responsive to receiving the first request to move the cursor in the vertical direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping the at least one of the plurality of characters around the first row to the last row in the virtual keyboard.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the last row is located at an opposing side of the virtual keyboard from the first row and the last column is located at an opposing side of the virtual keyboard from the first column. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , the operations further comprising:
 responsive to receiving a third request to select one of the plurality of characters that are within the focus of the cursor, updating the list of media item suggestions to include one or more entries including the selected one of the plurality of characters.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the second direction is opposite the first direction. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the client device is a television and the first request and the second request are received from a remote controller in communication with the television. 
     
     
         20 . A system, comprising:
 a memory device;   a processing device operatively coupled to the memory device, the processing device to perform operations comprising:
 displaying a user interface on a display of a client device, the user interface comprising a virtual keyboard including a plurality of characters arranged in one or more rows and one or more columns; 
 fixing a focus of a cursor displayed in the user interface to a first row of the one or more rows or a first column of the one or more columns in the virtual keyboard; 
 responsive to receiving a first request to move the cursor in a first direction in the virtual keyboard, wrapping at least a first character of the plurality of characters around the first row or the first column to a last row or a last column of the virtual keyboard to present a second character of the plurality of characters within the focus of the cursor; and 
 responsive to receiving a second request to move the cursor in a second direction in the virtual keyboard, moving the focus of the cursor to a list of media item suggestions presented adjacent to the first row or the first column to facilitate user selection of one of the media item suggestions.