Method and apparatus for text input in various languages

• US 20050195171A1
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tegic Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: James, Christina, Meurs, Pim Van, Aoki, Ann Naomi
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A method and apparatus for facilitating text input for network applications, such as, for example, wireless applications, are described. Multiple input signals are received from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin, e.g. English, language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character including a language character intended by the user to form a word construct in a language. Each input signal is further used to generate at least one proposed language character. At least one proposed word construct is further formed in the language using the at least one proposed language character. Finally, the at least one proposed word construct is displayed for the user on a display screen.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

mapping each character or phonetic symbol in a language to a key on a reduced keyboard by associating its corresponding sound with the closest phonetic sound corresponding to a Latin-based letter assigned to a reduced keyboard key.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if said character or phonetic symbol represents a dipthong of more than one sound, a first sound of said dipthong is used to determine said mapping.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said language comprises any Indic language.

3. A text input method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin-based phonetic equivalents of at least one language character including a language character intended by said user to form a word construct in a language;

forming at least one proposed word construct in said language using said input signals; and

displaying said at least one proposed word construct for said user on a display screen.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

using said each input signal to comprise at least one proposed language character.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said forming step further comprises the step of:

matching said input signals with a corresponding entry in a language database.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of:

facilitating selection by said user of said word construct from said at least one proposed word construct displayed on said display screen.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein said forming step further comprises the steps of:

forming a plurality of character sequences using said at least one proposed language character; and

filtering said plurality of character sequences using a language database to eliminate invalid sequences and to form said at least one proposed word construct.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

forming a plurality of character sequences based on partial and/or completed word constructs retrieved from a database; and

filtering said plurality of character sequences using a linguistic model to eliminate invalid sequences.

10. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

facilitating selection by said user of a word construct that partially or most closely matches said word construct from said at least one proposed word construct; and

facilitating input of further input signals from said user to form said word construct.

11. A text entry method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin-based language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character including a language character intended by said user to form a word construct in a language;

using said each input signal to generate at least one proposed language character;

displaying successively said at least one proposed language character for said user on a display screen; and

facilitating successive selection by said user of said language character for said each input signal to form said word construct.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

matching and displaying word completions based on initial or partial word constructs.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said language comprises any Indic language.

14. A text entry apparatus, comprising:

a user input interface for receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within said user input interface and further representing Latin-based language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character including a language character intended by said user to form a word construct in a language;

a processor coupled to said user input interface for using said each input signal to generate at least one proposed language character and for forming at least one proposed word construct in said language using said at least one proposed language character; and

a display engine coupled to said processor for displaying said at least one proposed word construct for said user on a display screen.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said processor further comprises:

means for retrieving said at least one proposed word construct from a language database.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said user input interface further comprising:

means for facilitating selection by said user of said word construct from said at least one proposed word construct displayed on said display screen.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said processor further comprises:

means for forming a plurality of character sequences using said at least one proposed language character and for filtering said plurality of character sequences using a language database to eliminate invalid sequences and to form said at least one proposed word construct.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said language comprises any Indic language.

19. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said user input interface further comprising:

means for facilitating selection by said user of a word construct that most closely matches said word construct from said at least one proposed word construct and for facilitating input of further input signals from said user to form said word construct.

20. A text entry apparatus, comprising:

a user input interface for receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin-based language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character comprising a language character intended by said user to form a word construct in a language;

a processor coupled to said user input interface for using said each input signal to generate at least one proposed language character; and

a display engine coupled to said processor for displaying successively said at least one proposed language character for said user on a display screen;

said user input interface further comprising means for facilitating successive selection by said user of said language character for said each input signal to form said word construct.

21. A text entry system, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin-based language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character comprising a language character intended by said user to form a predetermined word construct in a language;

means for using said each input signal to generate at least one proposed language character;

means for forming at least one proposed word construct in said language using said at least one proposed language character; and

means for displaying said at least one proposed word construct for said user on a display screen.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for retrieving said at least one proposed word construct from a language database.

23. The system according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for facilitating selection by said user of said word construct from said at least one proposed word construct displayed on said display screen.

24. The system according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for forming a plurality of character sequences using said at least one proposed language character; and

means for filtering said plurality of character sequences using a language database to eliminate invalid sequences and to form said at least one proposed word construct.

25. The system according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for facilitating selection by said user of a word construct that most closely matches said word construct from said at least one proposed word construct; and

means for facilitating input of further input signals from said user to form said word construct.

26. A text entry system, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin-based language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character comprising a language character intended by said user to form a word construct in a language;

means for using said each input signal to generate at least one proposed language character;

means for displaying successively said at least one proposed language character for said user on a display screen; and

means for facilitating successive selection by said user of said language character for said each input signal to form said word construct.

27. A computer readable medium containing executable instruction, which, when executed in a processing system, cause said processing system to perform a text entry method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin-based language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character comprising a language character intended by said user to form a word construct in a language;

using said each input signal to generate at least one proposed language character;

forming at least one proposed word construct in said language using said at least one proposed language character; and

displaying said at least one proposed word construct for said user on a display screen.

28. A computer readable medium containing executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, cause said processing system to perform a text entry method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of input signals from a user, each input signal corresponding to a key within a user input interface and further representing Latin-based language phonetic equivalents of at least one language character comprising a language character intended by said user to form a word construct in a language;

using said each input signal to generate at least one proposed language character;

displaying successively said at least one proposed language character for said user on a display screen; and

facilitating successive selection by said user of said language character for said each input signal to form said word construct.