Famous Patents
3M employee and church chorister Art Fry needed something to temporarily mark pages in his hymnal. He was in luck because his colleague, Spencer Silver, accidentally developed a glue that was too weak for other purposes. After initially discouraging consumer response, Post-it Notes became a hit in 1979.
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8185841 | Electronic text input involving a virtual keyboard and word completion functionality on a touch-sensitive display screen A text input method for an electronic apparatus having a user interface with a touch-sensitive display screen, where a virtual keyboard is presentable on the display screen to facilitate text input for a user by pointing at different virtual keys of the virtual keyb... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8151209 | User input for an electronic device employing a touch-sensor A graphical text entry system for an electronic device is provided. The electronic device may be, for example, a portable or hand-held electronic device such as a cellular telephone, PDA, or the like. The system includes a graphical text entry screen and a graphical... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8146011 | Virtual keyboard input means with multiple input focuses and method thereof The invention discloses a virtual keyboard input means with multiple input focuses and method thereof, relating to the field of information security. The means includes a control module and a virtual keyboard. The virtual keyboard is a virtual keyboard unit controll... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8099676 | Logon management software, control device, and logon management method A logon management software application is executed in a print control device (4) connectable to an information processing device (1), and performs the steps of: detecting if a hardware keyboard (38) is connected to the print control device duri... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8086966 | Electronic apparatus and method of initializing setting items thereof An electronic apparatus is provided. The electronic apparatus is controlled by using parameters relating to a plurality of setting items, including: a specifying unit performing an operation of specifying a setting item out of the plurality of setting items; and a d... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8078984 | Virtual keyboard text replication The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for replicating text at a virtual keyboard. Characters submitted to, displayed at, or accumulated for submission to an application data field are echoed at a keyboard data field that is... | 12/13/2011 |
| 8065624 | Virtual keypad systems and methods Accordingly, a virtual keypad system for inputting text is provided. A virtual keypad system includes a remote controller having at least one touchpad incorporated therein and divided into a plurality of touch zones. A display device is in data communication with th... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8001467 | Method of inputting letter in mobile terminal through extraction of proposed letter set Disclosed is a method of inputting letters in a mobile terminal by using letter keys each of which has at least one letter allocated thereto. In the method, after there is an input of at least two letter keys, first proposed letter sets are extracted from combinatio... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7941760 | Soft keyboard display for a portable multifunction device A computer-implemented method for displaying soft keyboards at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display is disclosed. An application with a plurality of objects is displayed on the touch screen display. A first gesture by a user on a first object in ... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7925986 | Methods and systems for a linear character selection display interface for ambiguous text input Methods of and systems for entering ambiguous text input via a linear character selection display are provided. A system for entering an alphanumeric string includes presentation logic for displaying on a presentation device an alphabet arranged into a row of letter... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7900156 | Activating virtual keys of a touch-screen virtual keyboard A method of operating a touch screen to activate one of a plurality of virtual keys is provided. A touch location is determined based on location data pertaining to touch input on the touch screen, wherein the touch input is intended to activate one of the plurality... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7886233 | Electronic text input involving word completion functionality for predicting word candidates for partial word inputs A text input method is described for an electronic apparatus having a user interface with text input means and a display screen. Word completion functionality is provided for predicting word candidates for partial word inputs made by the user with the text input mea... | 02/08/2011 |
| 7844914 | Activating virtual keys of a touch-screen virtual keyboard A method of operating a touch screen to activate one of a plurality of virtual keys is provided. A touch location is determined based on location data pertaining to touch input on the touch screen, wherein the touch input is intended to activate one of the plurality... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7831923 | Providing visual keyboard guides according to a programmable set of keys Mechanisms for providing visual keyboard guides according to a programmable set of keys are provided. With the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, a user may select for which keys of a keyboard the user wishes to receive visual guides on a display of a data ... | 11/09/2010 |
| 7779364 | System and method for generating a graphical user input interface via an associated display The subject application is directed to a system and method for generating a graphical user input interface via an associated graphical user interface. Data representative of a user input interface from storage. Preferably, this data includes graphical representation... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7752569 | Software key labeling on software keyboards In an embodiment, a software keyboard includes a software key with a first label and a second label, where both the first and the second label are visible. The first label may be displayed on the software key so as to indicate that the first label is active. In an e... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7747961 | Display device, user interface, and method for providing menus A display device may include a display unit, a touch detecting unit that detects a touch on the display unit, a touch-position detecting unit that detects a touch position on the touch detecting unit and outputs coordinate data of the position, a display control uni... | 06/29/2010 |
| 7739615 | Color encoded keyboard and method A computer keyboard optimized for generating multi-color text documents is described. A standard keyboard includes a plurality of selected function keys that are programmed to change the document text color when activated. The function keys are displayed on a comput... | 06/15/2010 |
| 7721222 | Dynamic language text generation system and method A non-English text generation system and method is presented by which text can be generated in any language without a keyboard. Initially, only a few base characters or radicals of a language are displayed. A desired character or derivative symbol is reached by look... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7703035 | Method, system, and apparatus for keystroke entry without a keyboard input device A method, system, and apparatus for entering alpha-numeric and non-alpha numeric data without the use of a keyboard input device are provided. According to one method, a grid is displayed on a display screen that includes one or more alpha-numeric characters. Distin... | 04/20/2010 |
| 7694231 | Keyboards for portable electronic devices A plurality of icons are displayed on a touch-sensitive display. A respective icon in at least a subset of the plurality of icons corresponds to two or more symbols. A contact by a user with the touch-sensitive display that corresponds to the respective icon is dete... | 04/06/2010 |
| 7685532 | Data input device, image processing device, data input method and computer readable recording medium on which data input program is recorded A method for displaying a plurality of key icons on a display includes displaying a first screen on the display, the first screen having at least one first key icon and a plurality of second key icons, wherein the first key icon corresponds to a first input instruct... | 03/23/2010 |
| 7673252 | Method for protecting a character entered at a graphical interface The present invention provides a method for protecting a character entered at a graphical interface. The method comprises the steps of: generating a set of images that form a complete image of a keypad having a button-to-character assignment; displaying the graphica... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7614008 | Operation of a computer with touch screen interface A touch screen computer executes an application. A method of operating the touch screen computer in response to a user is provided. A virtual input device is provided on the touch screen. The virtual input device comprises a plurality of virtual keys. It is detected... | 11/03/2009 |
| 7581179 | Information retrieving apparatus An information retrieving apparatus for retrieving predetermined information according to an input of text information, including an input operation section which selects characters from a defined predetermined character list and performs input instructions, a displ... | 08/25/2009 |
| 7487461 | System and method for issuing commands based on pen motions on a graphical keyboard A command pattern recognition system based on a virtual keyboard layout combines pattern recognition with a virtual, graphical, or on-screen keyboard to provide a command control method with relative ease of use. The system allows the user conveniently issue command... | 02/03/2009 |
| 7478338 | Palette-based graphical user interface A palette-based graphical user interface for a computer-implemented system. The palettes can be customized in a number of different ways to make them more user-friendly. ... | 01/13/2009 |
| 7461350 | Application specific key buttons in a portable device Aspects of the invention implement and execute commands of applications and/or services on portable devices with various key button configurations. Certain aspects of the invention create and display an intermediary user interface on a display of a portable device i... | 12/02/2008 |
| 7417625 | Method and system for providing input mechanisms on a handheld electronic device Reassigning direction-related keys in a handheld device is disclosed. Activation of one of at least two direction-related keys on a rotatable panel of a hand held device is detected, wherein the activation is based on user input for navigating a display of the handh... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7395506 | Spy-resistant keyboard A method, system and article of manufacture for providing a spy-resistant keyboard. The spy-resistant keyboard provides a user with additional protection against unauthorized observers while the user is interfacing with a system implementing the spy-resistant keyboa... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7385592 | Graphic user interface for data processing device Graphic User Interface for Data Processing Device A handheld data processing device (82) has a touch-sensitive display screen (84) and interface means for generating a graphic user interface (GUI) on the screen, the GUI having one or more image element... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7345675 | Apparatus for manipulating an object displayed on a display device by using a touch screen Apparatus and a method of operation manipulates the display of an object on the display surface of a display device in accordance with sensing touching contact on a touch panel, superimposed on the display surface and simulating movement of the displayed object in a... | 03/18/2008 |
| RE40153 | Multi-touch system and method for emulating modifier keys via fingertip chords A multi-touch system is disclosed that recognizes simultaneous touchdown of four fingers on, above, or below the home row of keys as a modifier chord and applies modifiers such as Shift, Ctrl, or Alt to subsequent touch activity until none of the chord fingertips re... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7339580 | Method and apparatus for integrating manual input Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, compliant, and flexible multi-touch surface. The surface consists of compressible cushion dielectric, el... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7337410 | Virtual workstation In accordance with the present invention there is provided devices and methods for controlling a microprocessor controlled device in a virtual environment through the use of at least one sensor disposed at least one user's finger and a scanner, said sensor and scann... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7334192 | System and method for enabling manipulation of graphic images to form a graphic image An instrument includes a display screen which includes a bitmap graphical user interface including an on-screen menu, and a control element which enables movement of the on-screen menu corresponding to movement of the control element, enables the user to manipulate ... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7321360 | Systems, methods and devices for efficient communication utilizing a reduced number of selectable inputs Embodiments of the subject invention relate to systems, methods, and devices providing a reduced number of selectable inputs that enable efficient communication. One aspect of what is disclosed are embodiments of a systematic code, which systematic code enables effi... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7319454 | Two-button mouse input using a stylus A system and method for emulating the functional behavior of a two-button mouse-type computer input device is described. A predetermined input generated by digitizing pen and a digitizing writing surface is received, and a user interface having a plurality of soft b... | 01/15/2008 |
| 7308652 | Entry of a password through a touch-sensitive computer screen A keyboard graphic is displayed on a touch-sensitive display screen of a computing system when it is determined that a password should be entered, so that the password can be entered by touching individual spaces within the keyboard graphic. The keyboard graphic may... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7296233 | Spy-resistant keyboard A method, system and article of manufacture for providing a spy-resistant keyboard. The spy-resistant keyboard provides a user with additional protection against unauthorized observers while the user is interfacing with a system implementing the spy-resistant keyboa... | 11/13/2007 |
