US Patent 8390583 Pressure sensitive user interface for mobile devices

Virtual keypads are provided which determine an intended user key entry based upon location of keystrokes as well as other keystroke characteristics such as keystroke shape and/or pressure. Virtual keypad layouts which include overlapping or multi-character keys may be used to reduce typing errors on small pressure sensing touch screens. Keystrokes on overlapping or multi-character keys may be disambiguated using measured pressures applied to the pressure sensing touch screen as well as other keystroke characteristics such as keystroke shape. Additional user interfaces are provided which exploit pressure sensing touch screen capable of discriminating magnitudes of pressure exerted upon the touch screen surface.