Future Apple Watches may allow you to write on their screens

Future Apple Watches may allow you to write on their screens with your finger or an Apple Pencil. Apple has been granted a patent (number US 11640237 B2) for a “handwriting keyboard for screens.”

About the patent

The patent relates generally to computer user interfaces, and more specifically to techniques for handwriting on small screens. In the patent, Apple notes that some of these wearable devices include touch sensitive surfaces, but the screens are of such small size that it is difficult to enter text on the device directly. 

However, the tech giant says that most techniques for handwriting on small screens using electronic devices, “are generally cumbersome and inefficient.” Apple wants to offer a technique provides electronic devices with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for handwriting on small screens. 

Summary of the patent

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “The present disclosure generally relates to handwriting on touch sensitive surfaces. In some examples, text suggestions strokes entered on a touch sensitive surface are viewed and selected in response to a rotatable input mechanism. In some examples, text determined from a set of strokes on the touch sensitive surface is revised based on a subsequently entered stroke on the touch sensitive surface. 

“In some examples, a determination is made whether to include a stroke in a set of strokes based a time between the stroke and the previous stroke. In some examples, determining text based on a set of stroke is interrupted to determined revised text based on the set of strokes and a second stroke.”