Handheld Electronic Device Providing Confirmation of Input, and Associated Method

• US 20080158020A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A letter confirmation system is provided on a handheld electronic device. The letter confirmation provides highlighting of various letters that have been input to the handheld electronic device during a string of member input actuations. The letter confirmation system can additionally provide predictive linguistic elements that would be appropriate next inputs. Various types of highlights can be provided in various combinations to provide various indications to a user.

Claims

1. A method of enabling input on a handheld electronic device comprising a processor apparatus and an interface apparatus, the processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory in electronic communication with one another, the memory having stored therein a plurality of objects comprising a plurality of language objects and a plurality of linguistic elements, at least some of the language objects each comprising a number of the linguistic elements, the interface apparatus having an input portion comprising a plurality of input members, at least some of the input members each having a number of the linguistic elements assigned thereto, the interface apparatus being structured to highlight one or more of the linguistic elements in the input portion responsive to signals from the processor apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting an input comprising a number of input member actuations including a current input member actuation;

identifying a language object having at least an initial portion that corresponds with the linguistic elements of the input;

identifying in said language object at least one of;

a current linguistic element that is consistent with a linguistic element assigned the input member of the current input member actuation and that is positioned in the language object at a location that corresponds with the current input member actuation, and

a predictive linguistic element that is positioned in the language object at a location adjacent and subsequent to the current linguistic element;

highlighting in the input portion at least one of the current linguistic element and the predictive linguistic element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying as said language object a plurality of language objects each having an initial portion that corresponds with the linguistic elements of the input, identifying as said predictive linguistic element a predictive linguistic element for each of the plurality of language objects, and highlighting in the input portion as the predictive linguistic element a plurality of the predictive linguistic elements.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein at least some of the language objects each have a frequency value associated therewith, and further comprising varying the highlighting in the input portion of the plurality of predictive linguistic elements according to the frequency values of the language objects from which the plurality of predictive linguistic elements are obtained.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the input members each have as the number of linguistic elements assigned thereto a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto, and wherein the objects further comprise a disambiguation routine executable on the processor, and further comprising:

employing the disambiguation routine to identify as a default language object a language object having at least an initial portion that corresponds with the input; and

responsive to each input member actuation of the input, highlighting in the input portion a linguistic element assigned to the input member that is consistent with a correspondingly positioned linguistic element in the default language object.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, with each successive input member actuation of the input, highlighting in the input portion a linguistic element that is assigned to an input member of each of a number of immediately preceding input member actuations and that is consistent with a correspondingly positioned linguistic element in the default language object.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying as said default language object a different language object than that which was identified as a preceding default language object having at least an initial portion that corresponded with a portion of the input preceding the current input member actuation and, responsive to the current input member actuation, highlighting in the input portion a different linguistic element of an input member of the input than was highlighted in accordance with the preceding default language object.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising employing a frequency of input member actuations of the input to determine the quantity of input members preceding the current input member actuation for which a linguistic element is highlighted, wherein the quantity increases as said frequency decreases.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising employing as said highlighting an initial highlighting that changes to a default highlighting after an interval, and employing a frequency of input member actuations of the input to determine a duration of the interval, wherein the duration increases as said frequency decreases.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising employing as said highlighting of a linguistic element of an input member both a first highlighting and a second highlighting, the first highlighting varying with the quantity of times the linguistic element exists in the initial portion of the default language object, the second highlighting varying with a recency of actuation of the input member.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing as said highlighting a repetitive sequential highlighting of each said linguistic element that is assigned to an input member of each of a number of immediately preceding input member actuations.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the interface apparatus further comprises a password input field, and further comprising:

determining that a focus of the processor apparatus is on the password input field; and

responsive to each input member actuation of the input, providing as said highlighting a temporary highlighting of said linguistic element assigned to the input member followed by an absence of highlighting of said linguistic element.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining that the quantity of input member actuations in the input and the quantity of linguistic element in the default language object and are equal, responsive thereto, highlighting a finalization input member.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

highlighting in the input portion the current linguistic element with a first highlighting; and

highlighting in the input portion the predictive linguistic element with a second highlighting different than the first highlighting.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface apparatus further comprises an output portion, and further comprising:

detecting a finalization input;

outputting at a text input location on the output portion a word corresponding with the input; and

sequentially highlighting in the input portion the linguistic elements corresponding with the word.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the input corresponds with two language objects each having a quantity of linguistic elements equal to the quantity of input member actuations in the input and, responsive thereto, providing another highlight.

16. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory in electronic communication with one another, the memory having stored therein a plurality of objects comprising a plurality of language objects and a plurality of linguistic elements, at least some of the language objects each comprising a number of the linguistic elements; and

an interface apparatus having an input portion comprising a plurality of input members, at least some of the input members each having a number of the linguistic elements assigned thereto, the interface apparatus being structured to highlight one or more of the linguistic elements in the input portion responsive to signals from the processor apparatus;

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;

detecting an input comprising a number of input member actuations including a current input member actuation;

identifying a language object having at least an initial portion that corresponds with the linguistic elements of the input;

identifying in said language object at least one of;

a current linguistic element that is consistent with a linguistic element assigned the input member of the current input member actuation and that is positioned in the language object at a location that corresponds with the current input member actuation, and

a predictive linguistic element that is positioned in the language object at a location adjacent and subsequent to the current linguistic element;

highlighting in the input portion at least one of the current linguistic element and the predictive linguistic element.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 16 wherein at least some of the input members each have as the number of linguistic elements assigned thereto, a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto, wherein the objects further comprise a disambiguation routine executable on the processor, and wherein the operations further comprise:

employing the disambiguation routine to identify as a default language object a language object having at least an initial portion that corresponds with the input; and

responsive to each input member actuation of the input, highlighting in the input portion a linguistic element assigned to the input member that is consistent with a correspondingly positioned linguistic element in the default language object.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 16 wherein the operations further comprise:

highlighting in the input portion the current linguistic element with a first highlighting; and

highlighting in the input portion the predictive linguistic element with a second highlighting different than the first highlighting.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 16 wherein the operations further comprise determining that the input corresponds with two language objects each having a quantity of linguistic elements equal to the quantity of input member actuations in the input and, responsive thereto, providing another highlight.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 16 wherein the interface apparatus comprises a touch screen, the touch screen comprising a detecting component structured to provide an input to the processor apparatus responsive to an actuation, the touch screen additionally comprising a display component structured to provide visual output, said input portion of the interface apparatus comprising a portion of the detecting component and a portion of the displaying component, the displaying component being structured to display a given linguistic element and to display a highlighting of the given linguistic element in the input portion, the detecting component being structured to provide an input to the processor apparatus responsive to an actuation of the given linguistic element.