HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DUAL-MODE DISAMBIGUATION OF TEXT INPUT

• US 20080001785A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Elizarov, Michael G., Rubanovich, Dan, Fux, Vadim
• Granted Patent: US 7,586,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software that is operable to disambiguate text input. In response to an ambiguous editing input at a location preceding at least a portion of an output word, the software performs one disambiguation operation with respect to the editing input and another disambiguation operation with respect to the editing input in combination with the at least portion of the output word. The results are output in order of decreasing frequency value, with the results of the one disambiguation operation having the portion of the output word appended thereto.

Claims

1. A method of enabling input into a handheld electronic device of a type comprising an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor apparatus that comprises a memory having stored therein a plurality of objects including a number of language objects, the input apparatus including a plurality of input members, at least some of the input members each having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto, the method comprising:

providing as a first output a number of linguistic elements;

detecting as an ambiguous editing input a number of input member actuations at a location that precedes at least a portion of the first output;

employing a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input to generate a number of first linguistic results;

employing a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output to generate a number of second linguistic results; and

outputting at least one of;

at least some of the first linguistic results, and

at least some of the second linguistic results.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of objects further comprise a plurality of frequency objects, at least some of the frequency objects each having a frequency value, at least some of the language objects each having a frequency object associated therewith, and further comprising outputting said at least one of:

at least some of the first linguistic results, and

at least some of the second linguistic results

in order of decreasing frequency value.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising comparing at least a first frequency value of at least one of the first linguistic results with at least a first frequency value of at least one of the second linguistic results.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a number of first prefix objects that each comprise a number of the linguistic elements of the number of input member actuations;

for each of at least some of the first prefix objects, identifying a language object that corresponds with the first prefix object, and associating with the first prefix object the frequency value of the frequency object associated with the identified language object;

generating a number of second prefix objects that each comprise a number of the linguistic elements of the number of input member actuations and at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output;

for each of at least some of the second prefix objects, identifying a language object that corresponds with the second prefix object, and associating with the second prefix object the frequency value of the frequency object associated with the identified language object;

arranging at least some of the first and second prefix objects is a result list in order of decreasing frequency value; and

outputting at least a portion of the result list as said at least one of;

at least some of the first linguistic results, and

at least some of the second linguistic results.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

appending to each of at least some of the first prefix objects at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output; and

removing from the result list at least one of a first prefix object and a second prefix object that is a relatively lesser frequency duplicate of at least one of another first prefix object and another second prefix object.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

employing as the number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of a portion of the first output that precedes the number of input member actuations; and

employing as the number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output and in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of a portion of the first output that precedes the number of input member actuations.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting as said at least some of the first linguistic results at least some of the first linguistic results each having appended thereto at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that one of the first linguistic results is a complete word and that one of the second linguistic results is a complete word, outputting the one of the first linguistic results and the one of the second linguistic results in decreasing order of frequency value at a position of highest priority, and outputting the first linguistic results appended with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output.

9. A handheld electronic device comprising:

an input apparatus comprising a plurality of input members, at least some of the input members each having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto;

an output apparatus; and

a processor apparatus that comprises a processor and a memory having stored therein a plurality of objects including a number of language objects, the memory further having stored therein a number of routines which, when executed on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising;

providing as a first output a number of linguistic elements;

detecting as an ambiguous editing input a number of input member actuations at a location that precedes at least a portion of the first output;

employing a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input to generate a number of first linguistic results;

employing a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output to generate a number of second linguistic results; and

outputting at least one of;

at least some of the first linguistic results, and

at least some of the second linguistic results.

10. The handheld electronic device of claim 9 wherein the plurality of objects further comprise a plurality of frequency objects, at least some of the frequency objects each having a frequency value, at least some of the language objects each having a frequency object associated therewith, and wherein the operations further comprise outputting said at least one of:

at least some of the first linguistic results, and

at least some of the second linguistic results

in order of decreasing frequency value.

11. The handheld electronic device of claim 10 wherein the operations further comprise comparing at least a first frequency value of at least one of the first linguistic results with at least a first frequency value of at least one of the second linguistic results.

12. The handheld electronic device of claim 10 wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a number of first prefix objects that each comprise a number of the linguistic elements of the number of input member actuations;

for each of at least some of the first prefix objects, identifying a language object that corresponds with the first prefix object, and associating with the first prefix object the frequency value of the frequency object associated with the identified language object;

generating a number of second prefix objects that each comprise a number of the linguistic elements of the number of input member actuations and at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output;

for each of at least some of the second prefix objects, identifying a language object that corresponds with the second prefix object, and associating with the second prefix object the frequency value of the frequency object associated with the identified language object;

arranging at least some of the first and second prefix objects is a result list in order of decreasing frequency value; and

outputting at least a portion of the result list as said at least one of;

at least some of the first linguistic results, and

at least some of the second linguistic results.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 12 wherein the operations further comprise:

appending to each of at least some of the first prefix objects at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output; and

removing from the result list at least one of a first prefix object and a second prefix object that is a relatively lesser frequency duplicate of at least one of another first prefix object and another second prefix object.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise:

employing as the number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of a portion of the first output that precedes the number of input member actuations; and

employing as the number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output a number of language objects that each correspond with at least a portion of the editing input in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output and in combination with at least some of the linguistic elements of a portion of the first output that precedes the number of input member actuations.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise outputting as said at least some of the first linguistic results at least some of the first linguistic results each having appended thereto at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise determining that one of the first linguistic results is a complete word and that one of the second linguistic results is a complete word, outputting the one of the first linguistic results and the one of the second linguistic results in decreasing order of frequency value at a position of highest priority, and outputting the first linguistic results appended with at least some of the linguistic elements of the at least portion of the first output.