Character input apparatus and method for automatically switching input mode in terminal having touch screen

Abstract

Provided is a character input method and apparatus for automatically switching an input mode in a terminal having a touch screen. If a press event occurs in one of key regions displayed in the touch screen, it is determined whether a drag event occurs prior to occurrence of a release event. According to whether the drag event occurs, one of a separate input mode for inputting one of characters of a corresponding character group and a text input mode for inputting a word including one of the characters of the character group is executed. Thus, a user can easily input a character by rapidly selecting a desired input mode.A character input method in a terminal having a touch screen. The character input may include a plurality of key regions, including a first key region and a second key region, being set to be displayed on the touch screen, and at least one character of a plurality of characters for the first region being set to be displayed over the second region based upon a touch input on the first region and a draft input starting from the touch input. A character corresponding to the at least one character is set to be displayed in a display region based on a release of the drag input.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A character input method for automatically switching an input mode in a terminal having a touch screen, the character input method comprising:
 assigning character groups, each of which includes at least two characters, to at least two key regions acquired by dividing a region of the touch screen and displaying the character groups in the corresponding key regions based on one-to-one correspondence; 
 if a press event occurs in a first of the key regions, determining whether a drag event occurs prior to occurrence of a release event; 
 executing one of a separate input mode for inputting one of characters of a corresponding character group and a text input mode for inputting a word including one of the characters of the character group according to whether the drag event occurs; and 
 upon execution of the separate input mode, assigning each character of the character group associated with the first key region to a different one of the key regions other than the first key region and displaying the characters of the character group in the other key regions. 
 
     
     
       2. The character input method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 if the press event occurs in the first key region, counting time from a point of time at which the press event occurs; 
 determining whether the counted time exceeds a previously stored threshold value; and 
 executing one of the separate input mode for inputting one of characters of a corresponding character group and the text input mode for inputting a word including one of the characters of the character group according to a determination result. 
 
     
     
       3. The character input method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether a key region indicated according to distance and direction of the drag event is the same as one of the key regions where the characters of the key region where the press event occurs are displayed; 
 highlighting the indicated key region if it is determined that the key region is the same as one of the key regions; and 
 if the release event occurs in the highlighted key region, outputting a character of the key region where the release event occurs onto, a predetermined input editor window of the touch screen. 
 
     
     
       4. The character input method of  claim 3 , further comprising, each time one of the key regions where the characters of the key region where the press event occurs are displayed is highlighted, outputting the character of the highlighted key region onto the input editor window. 
     
     
       5. The character input method of  claim 3 , wherein the displaying of the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in the key regions based on one-to-one correspondence comprises displaying the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in second portions of the key regions except for first portions where the character groups of the key regions are displayed based on one-to-one correspondence. 
     
     
       6. The character input method of  claim 3 , wherein the displaying of the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in the key regions based on one-to-one correspondence comprises enlarging and displaying the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in the key regions based on one-to-one correspondence, instead of the character groups of the key regions. 
     
     
       7. The character input method of  claim 3 , wherein the displaying of the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in the key regions based on one-to-one correspondence comprises enlarging and displaying the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in at least two key regions of a pop-up window type. 
     
     
       8. The character input method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 if the text input mode is executed, determining whether the release event occurs prior to occurrence of the drag event; 
 if the release event occurs, searching for words including a character of a key region where the release event occurs; 
 detecting a word that is most frequently used based on a search result; and 
 outputting the detected word. 
 
     
     
       9. A character input method for automatically switching an input mode in a terminal having a touch screen, the character input method comprising:
 in a text input mode for inputting a word including one of characters from character groups, each of which includes at least two characters, assigning the character groups to at least two key regions acquired by dividing a region of the touch screen and displaying the character groups in the corresponding key regions based on one-to-one correspondence; 
 if a press event occurs in a first of the key regions, counting time from a point of time at which the press event occurs; 
 if the counted time exceeds a previously stored threshold value, switching to a separate input mode for inputting one of characters from a corresponding character group; 
 upon execution of the separate input mode, assigning each character of the character group associated with the first key region to a different one of the key regions other than the first key region key region and displaying the characters of the character group in the other key regions; 
 determining whether a release event occurs in one of the other key regions assigned to the each character; and 
 outputting a character in the key region where the release event occurs onto a predetermined input editor window of the touch screen. 
 
     
     
       10. The character input method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 if the counted time does not exceed the previously stored threshold value, determining whether the release event occurs; 
 if the release event occurs, searching for words including characters of the key region where the release event occurs; 
 detecting a word that is most frequently used based on a search result; and outputting the detected word. 
 
     
     
       11. A character input method for automatically switching an input mode in a terminal having a touch screen the character input method comprising:
 assigning character groups, each of which includes at least two characters, to at least two key regions acquired by dividing a region of the touch screen and displaying the character groups in the corresponding key regions based on one-to-one correspondence; 
 if a press event occurs in one of the key regions, determining whether a drag event occurs prior to occurrence of a release event; 
 if it is determined that the drag eve occurs, switching to a separate input mode for inputting one of characters of a corresponding character group; 
 upon execution of the separate input mode, checking a distance and a direction of the drag event; 
 displaying a character corresponding to the checked distance and direction of the drag event from among characters of the key region where the press event occurs; and 
 if the release event occurs when the character is displayed, outputting the displayed character. 
 
     
     
       12. The character input method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 if the press event occurs in one of the key regions, counting time from at point of time at which the press event occurs; 
 determining whether the release event occurs within previously stored threshold time; and 
 if it is determined that the release event occurs, executing a text input mode for inputting a word including one of the characters of the corresponding character group. 
 
     
     
       13. The character input method of  claim 11 , wherein the displaying of the character comprises enlarging and displaying the character onto a key region in the form of a pop-up window. 
     
     
       14. The character input method of  claim 11 , wherein the displaying of the character comprises displaying a character corresponding to the checked distance and direction of the drag event. 
     
     
       15. The character input method of  claim 11 , wherein a text input mode is a mode using a T9 input method. 
     
     
       16. A character input apparatus for automatically switching an input mode in a terminal having a touch screen, the character input apparatus comprising:
 a memory configured to store character groups, each of which includes at least two characters, displayed in at least two key regions acquired by dividing a region of the touch screen based on one-to-one correspondence; 
 a touch screen configured to display the character groups in the key regions based on one-to-one correspondence and generating a press event, a release event, and a drag event according to user input to each of the key regions; and 
 a controller configured to:
 determine whether the drag event occurs prior to occurrence of the release event if the press event occurs in a first of the key regions of the touch screen; 
 execute one of a separate input mode for inputting one of characters of a corresponding character group and a text input mode for inputting a word including one of the characters of the character group according to whether the drag event occurs; and 
 upon execution of the separate input mode, assign each character of the character group associated with the first key region to a different one of the key regions other than the first key region and display the characters of the character group in the other key regions. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The character input apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the controller counts time from a point of time at which the press event occurs if the press event occurs in one of the key regions, determines whether the counted time exceeds a previously stored threshold value, and executes one of the separate input mode for inputting one of characters of a corresponding character group and the text input mode for inputting a word including one of the characters of the character group according to a determination result. 
     
     
       18. The character input apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the controller determines whether a key region indicated according to distance and direction of the drag event is the same as one of the key regions where the characters of the key region where the press event occurs are displayed, highlights the indicated key region if it is determined that the key region is the same as one of the key regions, and outputs a character of the key region where the release event occurs onto a predetermined input editor window of the touch screen if the release event occurs in the highlighted key region. 
     
     
       19. The character input apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein each time one of the key regions where the characters of the key region where the press event occurs are displayed is highlighted, the controller outputs the character of the highlighted key region onto the input editor window. 
     
     
       20. The character input apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the touch screen displays the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in second portions of the key regions except for first portions where the character groups of the key regions are displayed based on one-to-one correspondence under the control of the controller. 
     
     
       21. The character input apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the touch screen enlarges and displays the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in the key regions based on one-to-one correspondence, instead of the character groups of the key regions under the control of the controller. 
     
     
       22. The character input apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the touch screen enlarges and displays the characters of the key region where the press event occurs in at least two key regions of a pop-up window type under the control of the controller. 
     
     
       23. The character input apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the controller determines whether the release event occurs prior to occurrence of the drag event if the text input mode is executed, searches for words including a character of a key region where the release event occurs if the release event occurs, detects a word that is most frequently used based on a search result, and outputs the detected word. 
     
     
       24. The character input apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the controller outputs the detected word onto the touch screen using a T9 input method in a text input mode. 
     
     
       25. A character input method in a terminal having a touch screen, the character input method comprising:
 displaying a plurality of key regions, including a first key region and a second key region, on the touch screen, wherein a plurality of respective characters are presented in each of the first and second key regions;   displaying, based upon a touch input on the first region and a drag input starting from the touch input, at least one character of the plurality of characters for the first region over the second region, wherein the at least one character of the plurality of characters for the first key region is assigned to be displayed over the second key region; and   displaying a character corresponding to the at least one character in a display region based on a release of the drag input.    
     
     
       26. The character input method of claim 25, further comprising performing the assigning of the at least one character of the plurality of characters for the first region to be displayed over the second region upon a detected initiation of the drag input.  
     
     
       27. The character input method of claim 26, wherein the initiation of the drag input is detected based on the touch input being maintained for a predetermined period of time and/or a detected movement over the touch screen of a maintained touching of the touch screen beginning at a position over the first key region.  
     
     
       28. The character input method of claim 25, further comprising
 if the touch input occurs on the first region, determining whether the drag input occurs prior to a release of the touch input;   executing one of a separate input mode for inputting at least one character of the plurality of characters for the first key region and a text input mode for inputting a word including at least one character of the plurality of characters for the first key region based on a result of the determining of whether the drag input occurs prior to the release of the touch input; and   displaying the at least one character of the plurality of characters for the first key region over the second key region upon execution of the separate input mode.    
     
     
       29. The character input method of claim 28, further comprising:
 the text input mode is executed based on a determining of whether the release of the touch input occurs prior to an occurrence of the drag input;   if the release of the touch input occurs prior to the occurrence of the drag input, searching for words including a character of a key region where the release of the touch input occurs;   detecting a word that is most frequently used based on a search result; and   outputting the detected word.    
     
     
       30. The character input method of claim 25, wherein the drag input is detected based upon a maintaining and movement of the received touch input relative to the touch screen.  
     
     
       31. The character input method of claim 25, wherein the displaying of the character corresponding to the at least one character in the display region further comprises outputting to a screen of the terminal the character corresponding to the at least one character upon the release of the drag input, indicating a selection of the character corresponding to the at least one character of the plurality of characters for the first key region.  
     
     
       32. The character input method of claim 31, wherein the output of the one of the at least one character is to a predetermined input editor window of the touch screen.  
     
     
       33. The character input method of claim 25, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region.  
     
     
       34. The character input method of claim 33, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying one or more of the characters of the plurality of characters group for the first key region in one or more respective pop-up regions displayed over at least the second key region.  
     
     
       35. The character input method of claim 33, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region only over one or more key regions of the plural key regions, other than the first key region and including the second key region.  
     
     
       36. The character input method of claim 35, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region in one or more respective pop-up regions.  
     
     
       37. The character input method of claim 35, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region over two or more key regions of the plural key regions, other than the first key region and including the second key region.  
     
     
       38. The character input method of claim 37, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region in one or more respective pop-up regions displayed over the two or more key regions of the of the plural key regions.  
     
     
       39. The character input method of claim 25, wherein the drag input is detected based upon a maintaining and movement of a touch input relative to the touch screen.  
     
     
       40. The character input method of claim 25, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying less than all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region.  
     
     
       41. The character input method of claim 40, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying less than all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region in at least one respective pop-up region displayed over at least the second key region.  
     
     
       42. The character input method of claim 40, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying less than all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region only over one or more key regions of the plural key regions, other than the first key region and including the second key regions.  
     
     
       43. The character input method of claim 42, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying less than all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region in at least one respective displayed pop-up region.  
     
     
       44. The character input method of claim 42, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying less than all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region over two or more key regions of the plural key regions, other than the first key region and including the second key region.  
     
     
       45. The character input method of claim 44, wherein the displaying of the at least one character includes displaying less than all of the characters of the plurality of characters for the first key region in at least one respective pop-up region displayed over the two or more key regions of the plural key regions.  
     
     
       46. The character input method of claim 25, further comprising highlighting one or more of the at least one character, as displayed over at least the second key region.  
     
     
       47. The character input method of claim 46, wherein the highlighting of the one or more of the at least one character displayed over at least the second key region is based on the detected drag input.  
     
     
       48. The character input method of claim 47, wherein the highlighted one or more of the at least one character are displayed in a pop-up region.  
     
     
       49. The character input method of claim 47, wherein the displaying of the plural key regions includes displaying a plurality of second key regions, other than the first key region and including the second key region, and the at least one character is displayed in a pop-up region over a select one or more key region of the plurality of second key regions, such that selection of which of the plurality of second key regions the at least one character is displayed over is determined based upon a direction of the detected drag input.  
     
     
       50. The character input method of claim 25, wherein the plural key regions include a plurality of rectangular-type key regions in a form of 3×3 layout.  
     
     
       51. The character input method of claim 50, wherein the plurality of rectangular-type key regions include:
 a 1st key region including a 1st character group having the characters ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’;   a 2nd key region including a 2nd character group having the characters ‘d’, ‘e’, and ‘f’;   a 3rd key region including a 3rd character group having the characters ‘g’, ‘h’, and ‘i’;   a 4th key region including a 3rd character group having the characters ‘j’, ‘k’, and ‘l’;   a 5th key region including a 5th character group having the characters ‘m’, ‘n’, and ‘o’;   a 6th key region including a 6th character group having the characters ‘p’, ‘q’, ‘r’, and ‘s’;   a 7th key region including a 7th character group having the characters ‘t’, ‘u’, and ‘v’; and   a 8th key region including a 8th character group having the characters ‘w’, ‘x’, ‘y’, and ‘z’.    
     
     
       52. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing device to implement the method of claim 25.