Proactive input method editor switching

• US 10,175,770 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Su, Rozner, Eric J., Sze, Chin Ngai, Wei, Yaoguang
• Primary Examiner(s): McIntosh, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US15/293,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20180107283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/129 Handling non-Latin characters, e.g. kana-to-kanji conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

Method and apparatus for proactive IME switching are provided. Embodiments receive a first input using a first input method editor (IME) of a plurality of IMEs. A first string corresponding to the first input is determined using the first IME. Upon receiving an indication that the first string is incorrect, a second IME of the plurality of IMEs is selected based on a mapping between a context of the first input and the second IME, wherein the context of the first input comprises: a first application that the first input was intended for; the first input; and a series of strings determined just before receiving the first input. Finally, a second string for a second input is determined using the second IME.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of preemptive input method editor (IME) switching, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first input to be processed using a first IME of a plurality of IMEs for a single language, wherein each of the plurality of IMEs is configured to map input data of a respective data type to corresponding characters in a respective, predefined manner;

generating a first string of one or more characters by mapping the first input to the first string in the predefined manner according to the first IME;

upon determining that in at least one prior instance, the first string preceded a second string of one or more characters subsequently rejected by the user and after which the user indicated to switch from the first IME to a second IME of the plurality of IMEs, automatically switching, by operation of one or more computer processors, from the first IME to the second IME prior to receiving any input corresponding to the second string; and

generating a third string by mapping a second input to the third string in the predefined manner according to the second IME, wherein the first and third strings are provided as input to one or more applications.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second IME is selected based on a plurality of error records, wherein each of the plurality of error records was generated in response to a respective error, wherein each of the plurality of error records comprises:

a prior input that led to the respective error;

a reference to a prior IME, wherein the prior IME and the first IME are different; and

a reference to a prior application that the prior input was intended for.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second IME is selected based on a plurality of predefined rules, wherein the predefined rules comprise:

a preferred IME for the first application; and

a preferred IME to switch to if using the first IME yields an incorrect string.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first input comprises one of:

audio for use with an audio IME;

one or more Latin alphabet characters;

one or more strokes for use with a stroke IME; and

handwritten input for use with a handwriting IME.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first input is distinct from the second input, wherein the predefined manner according to the first IME is distinct from the predefined manner according to the second IME.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the single language is one of:

Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon determining that in one or more prior instances, the user indicated to switch from the first IME to the second IME just prior to the third string being generated and further indicated to switch from the second IME back to the first IME just subsequent to the third string being generated, automatically switching from the second IME back to the first IME subsequent to generating the third string; and

generating a fourth string by mapping a third input to the fourth string in the predefined manner according to the first IME, wherein each of the first, third, and fourth strings, upon acceptance by the user, is submitted to input to the one or more applications.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the third string is distinct from the second string, wherein each of the plurality of IMEs is of a distinct IME type, wherein the first string immediately preceded the second string in the previous instance, wherein the second string is not provided as input to any of the one or more applications;

wherein the second IME is automatically selected based on a mapping between a context of the first input and the second IME, wherein the context of the first input comprises;

(i) a first application, of the one or more applications, that the first input was intended for;

(ii) the first input; and

a series of strings determined just before receiving the first input.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the second IME is automatically selected based further on a plurality of error records, wherein each of the plurality of error records was generated in response to a respective error, and wherein each of the plurality of error records comprises:

a prior input that led to the respective error;

a reference to a prior IME, wherein the prior IME and the first IME are different; and

a reference to a prior application that the prior input was intended for.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the second IME is automatically selected based still further on a plurality of predefined rules, wherein the predefined rules comprise:

a preferred IME for the first application; and

a preferred IME to switch to if using the first IME yields an incorrect string;

wherein the first and second inputs comprise two distinct input types selected from;

(i) audio for use with an audio IME;

(ii) one or more Latin alphabet characters;

(iii) one or more strokes for use with a stroke IME; and

(iv) handwritten input for use with a handwriting IME.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a third input using a third IME of the plurality of IMEs;

determining a fourth string corresponding to the third input and according to the third IME;

determining that a context of the third input matches a context of each of a plurality of historical IME switches, wherein the context of the third input comprises a series of inputs that were received leading up to the third input, wherein the context of each of the plurality of historical IME switches comprises a series of inputs that were provided leading up to the respective historical IME switch;

selecting a fourth IME of the plurality of IMEs based on determining that the context of the third input matches the context of each of the plurality of historical IME switches; and

determining a fifth string corresponding to a fourth input and according to the fourth IME.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the computer-implemented method is performed by an IME manager, wherein the third string is determined by:

sending second input to a remote server that provides the second IME as a service and receiving the second string from the remote server, wherein each error record further includes, for each application, a respective, distinct weight representing a measure of influence that user-directed IME switching in the respective application is to have on automatic IME switching of the IME manager;

wherein the first input is distinct from the second input, wherein the predefined manner according to the first IME is distinct from the predefined manner according to the second IME, wherein the same language is, in respective instances, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the third string is determined by:

sending the second input to a remote server that provides the second IME as a service; and

receiving the third string from the remote server.

14. A system of preemptive input method editor (IME) switching, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory containing a program executable by the one or more computer processors to perform an operation comprising;

receiving a first input to be processed using a first IME of a plurality of IMEs for a single language, wherein each of the plurality of IMEs is configured to map input data of a respective data type to corresponding characters in a respective, predefined manner;

generating a first string of one or more characters by mapping the first input to the first string in the predefined manner according to the first IME;

upon determining that in at least one prior instance, the first string preceded a second string of one or more characters subsequently rejected by the user and after which the user indicated to switch from the first IME to a second IME of the plurality of IMEs, automatically switching from the first IME to the second IME prior to receiving any input corresponding to the second string; and

generating a third string by mapping a second input to the third string in the predefined manner according to the second IME, wherein the first and third strings are provided as input to one or more applications.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second IME is selected based on a plurality of error records, wherein each of the plurality of error records was generated in response to a respective error, wherein each of the plurality of error records comprises:

a prior input that led to the respective error;

a reference to a prior IME, wherein the prior IME and the first IME are different; and

a reference to a prior application that the prior input was intended for.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the second IME is selected based on a plurality of predefined rules, wherein the predefined rules comprise:

a preferred IME for the first application; and

a preferred IME to switch to if using the first IME yields an incorrect string.

17. A computer program product of preemptive input method editor (IME) switching, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to perform an operation comprising;

receiving a first input to be processed using a first IME of a plurality of IMEs for a single language, wherein each of the plurality of IMEs is configured to map input data of a respective data type to corresponding characters in a respective, predefined manner;

generating a first string of one or more characters by mapping the first input to the first string in the predefined manner according to the first IME;

upon determining that in at least one prior instance, the first string preceded a second string of one or more characters subsequently rejected by the user and after which the user indicated to switch from the first IME to a second IME of the plurality of IMEs, automatically switching from the first IME to the second IME prior to receiving any input corresponding to the second string; and

generating a third string by mapping a second input to the third string in the predefined manner according to the second IME, wherein the first and third strings are provided as input to one or more applications.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second IME is selected based on a plurality of error records, wherein each of the plurality of error records was generated in response to a respective error, wherein each of the plurality of error records comprises:

a prior input that led to the respective error;

a reference to a prior IME, wherein the prior IME and the first IME are different; and

a reference to a prior application that the prior input was intended for.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second IME is selected based on a plurality of predefined rules, wherein the predefined rules comprise:

a preferred IME for the first application; and

a preferred IME to switch to if using the first IME yields an incorrect string.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the third string is determined by:

sending the second input to a remote server that provides the second IME as a service; and

receiving the third string from the remote server.