Apparatus and method for providing visual indication of character ambiguity during text entry

• US 20050283358A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Eyraud, Richard, Bradford, Ethan R., Longe, Michael R., Meurs, Pim Van, Stephanick, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing visual indication of character ambiguity and ensuing reduction of such ambiguity during text entry are described. An application text entry field is presented in a display screen, into which the user enters text by means of a reduced keyboard and a disambiguating system. The default or most likely word construct for the current key sequence may be presented at the insertion point of the text entry field. An indication of ambiguity is presented in the display screen to communicate to the user the possible ambiguous characters associated with each key. A word choice list field may also be present to display at least one word construct matching the current key sequence.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

in response to pressing of one or more keys by a user, where at least one key corresponds to a plurality of characters, presenting an ambiguity field in a display screen to facilitate display of at least one character corresponding to each of said one or more keys; and

facilitating display of at least one candidate word construct matching a sequence of said one or more keys.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of presenting said ambiguity field further comprises the step of:

facilitating display in highlighted form of a candidate character of said at least one character corresponding to each of said one or more keys, said candidate character being part of a selected candidate word construct.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of presenting said ambiguity field further comprises the step of:

facilitating removal or deemphasis of one or more characters of said at least one character corresponding to each of said one or more keys, said one or more characters being removed or deemphasized as not part of a candidate word construct.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in response to a user selecting a character of said at least one character corresponding to each of said one or more keys, facilitating display of only candidate word constructs matching said selected character in the corresponding position of the key sequence of each word construct.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

means for presenting a text entry field in a display screen to facilitate display of a selected word construct, in response to successive selection of one or more keys, each key corresponding to at least one character;

means for presenting an ambiguity field in said display screen to facilitate display of at least one character for said each key; and

means for facilitating display of at least one word construct formed by combining said at least one character for said each key, said at least one word construct including said selected word construct.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for facilitating display in highlighted form of a candidate character of said at least one character for said each key, said candidate character being selected as part of said selected word construct.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for facilitating display in highlighted form of a candidate word construct of said at least one word construct, said candidate word construct being selected as most likely to represent a word desired by said user.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for facilitating removal or deemphasis of characters of said at least one character corresponding to said each key, said characters being removed or deemphasized as not part of a candidate word construct.

9. A machine-readable medium containing executable instructions, which, when executed in a processing system, cause said processing system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

in response to processing of a plurality of keys by said user, where each key corresponds to at least one character forming at least one word construct, presenting an ambiguity field in a display screen to facilitate display of said at least one character for said each key; and

facilitating display in highlighted form of a candidate word construct of said at least one word construct, said candidate word construct being selected as most likely to represent a word construct desired by said user.

10. The machine-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein said step of presenting said ambiguity field further comprises the step of:

facilitating display in highlighted form of a candidate character of said at least one character corresponding to said each key, said candidate character being selected as part of said candidate word construct.

11. The machine-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein said step of presenting said ambiguity field further comprises the step of:

facilitating removal or dimming of characters of said at least one character corresponding to said each key which are not part of a candidate word construct.

12. A method, comprising the steps of:

to select a symbol in response to a user input, where said user input is ambiguous with regard to an intended symbol presenting an ambiguity field in a display screen to display at least one symbol, that potentially corresponds to said user'"'"'s intended input symbol; and

facilitating display in highlighted form of a candidate symbol sequence.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said steps of presenting said ambiguity field further comprises the step of:

facilitating display in highlighted form of a candidate symbol of said at least one symbol corresponding to said intended symbol, said candidate symbol being part of a selected candidate symbol sequence.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of presenting said ambiguity field further comprises the step of:

facilitating the removal or deemphasis of one or more symbols of said at least one symbol corresponding to said intended symbol, said one or more symbols being removed or deemphasized as not part of a candidate symbol sequence.

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

in response to a user selecting a symbol, facilitating display of only candidate symbol sequences matching said selected symbol in a corresponding position in said symbol sequence.