CONTEXT-DEPENDENT PREDICTION AND LEARNING WITH A UNIVERSAL RE-ENTRANT PREDICTIVE TEXT INPUT SOFTWARE COMPONENT

• US 20080281583A1
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fourthwall Media Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fourthwall Media Incorporated
• Inventors: SLOTHOUBER, Louis P., Johnston, Jeffrey W., Davis, Eric H., Young, Michael K.
• Application Number:
  US12/116,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20080281583A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A system and method for supporting predictive text entry in software applications by sharing a common, predictive, software text-entry widget within a consumer device across multiple software applications and input contexts. The method comprises: a software application invoking an instance of a text-entry widget in a particular input context, the application optionally providing the widget a description of allowed symbols and a dictionary of expected symbol strings associated with the current context, the widget modifying a virtual keyboard display and predictive algorithm data according to the allowed symbols and dictionary, the user entering text via the widget, the widget returning the entered text to the application, and the application optionally including information derived from entered text in the associated dictionary to enhance the predictive capability of the widget on future invocations.

Claims

1. A method of sharing a common, predictive, software text-entry component within a consumer device across multiple software applications and input contexts, the method comprising:

invoking a text-entry component by one of the software applications in one of the input contexts;

providing to the text-entry component a description of allowed symbols and a dictionary of expected symbol strings associated with the one of the input contexts;

modifying a default virtual keyboard display and default predictive algorithm data of the text-entry component according to the description of allowed symbols and the dictionary of expected signal strings;

accepting input text by a user of the consumer device via the text-entry component;

terminating the text-entry component, whereby the terminating causes returning entered text to the calling application; and

modifying the dictionary by the application in response to the entered text to enhance predictive capability of the component on future invocations in the input context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text-entry component comprises a software function, class, or component provided in a dynamically linked shared library, accessible to one or more applications executing on the consumer device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the text-entry component comprises a software function, a class, a component provided in a statically linked library, or source code, incorporated into the object code of applications executing on the consumer device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dictionary is accessible to one or more applications executing on the consumer device that require text input for the one of the input contexts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modification of the virtual keyboard display and predictive algorithm data of the text-entry component reduces the number of key activations required to enter desired text for the input context using an input device associated with the consumer device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard display includes a current string display, one or more keys associated with individual symbols from the set of allowed symbols, and one or more control keys associated with behaviors of the text-entry component, wherein exactly one of the keys is highlighted.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtual keyboard display further comprises one or more keys associated with symbols from the set of allowed symbols predicted by the prediction algorithm.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtual keyboard display further comprises one or more keys associated with strings predicted by the prediction algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer device comprises a digital television.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer device comprises a mobile phone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer device comprises a personal computer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumer device comprises a kiosk.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the input device comprises a five-key directional keypad.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the five-key directional keypad is located on a remote control capable of controlling a digital television.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the text entry device is a thumb wheel and selection switch.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the text entry device is a touch-sensitive switch network overlaying the virtual keyboard.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the text entry device is a touch-sensitive mouse pad using touch-and-drag to navigate and a dedicated selection switch to select.

18. The method of claim 5, wherein the text entry device is a microphone and speech recognition software responsive to spoken navigation and selection commands.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the spoken navigation and selection commands correspond to up, down, left, right, and enter.

20. The method of claim 5, wherein the entry of text comprises:

use of the text entry device to navigate to a desired key on the virtual keyboard using provided navigation commands and selecting the desired key using provided selection commands.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the predictive algorithm data utilizes a trie data structure.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the default predictive algorithm data comprises symbol frequency statistics and expected symbol strings in a format consistent with the prediction algorithm employed.

23. The method of claim 5, wherein the consumer device is a telephone and the input device comprises a twelve-key telephone keypad.

24. A system for sharing a common, predictive, software text-entry component within a consumer device across multiple software applications and input contexts, comprising:

a module for invoking a text-entry component by one of the software applications in one of the input contexts;

a module for providing to the text-entry component a description of allowed symbols and a dictionary of expected symbol strings associated with the one of the input contexts;

a module for modifying a default virtual keyboard display and default predictive algorithm data of the text-entry component according to the description of allowed symbols and the dictionary of expected signal strings;

a module for accepting input text by a user of the consumer device via the text-entry component;

a module for terminating the text-entry component, whereby the terminating causes returning entered text to the calling application; and

a module for modifying the dictionary by the application in response to the entered text to enhance predictive capability of the component on future invocations in the input context.