Method, Apparatus and Computer Program product for Providing a Word Input Mechanism

• US 20090187846A1
• Filed: 01/18/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Paasovaara, Susanna
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/34 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• 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
• 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 methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a word input mechanism may include a processing element. The processing element may be configured to determine a plurality of candidate words available for selection based on context information, provide for a display of the plurality of candidate words in a candidate word field, receive a selection of at least one of the candidate words, and include a selected candidate word in a text entry.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a plurality of candidate words available for selection based on context information;

providing for a display of the plurality of candidate words in a candidate word field;

receiving a selection of at least one of the candidate words; and

including a selected candidate word in a text entry.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of candidate words comprises determining candidate words as a predetermined number of words having a probability of following a previous entry above a threshold.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of candidate words comprises determining candidate words as a predetermined number of words having a probability of being used for a particular application above a threshold.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein providing for a display of the plurality of candidate words in the candidate word field comprises providing for the display of the candidate words in a word cloud.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising modifying a display characteristic of each of the candidate words based on a probability associated with each corresponding one of the candidate words.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of the at least one of the candidate words comprises receiving an input defining a sequence of more than one selected candidate words.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising updating a portion of the candidate words in the candidate word field after each selection.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein updating the portion of the candidate words comprises updating a portion of the candidate word field that is not proximate to the selected candidate word.

9. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for determining a plurality of candidate words available for selection based on context information;

a second executable portion for providing for a display of the plurality of candidate words in a candidate word field;

a third executable portion for receiving a selection of at least one of the candidate words; and

a fourth executable portion for including a selected candidate word in a text entry.

10. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the first executable portion includes instructions for determining candidate words as a predetermined number of words having a probability of following a previous entry above a threshold.

11. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the first executable portion includes instructions for determining candidate words as a predetermined number of words having a probability of being used for a particular application above a threshold.

12. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the second executable portion includes instructions for providing for the display of the candidate words in a word cloud.

13. A computer program product according to claim 9, further comprising a fifth executable portion for modifying a display characteristic of each of the candidate words based on a probability associated with each corresponding one of the candidate words.

14. A computer program product according to claim 9, wherein the third executable portion includes instructions for receiving an input defining a sequence of more than one selected candidate words.

15. A computer program product according to claim 9, further comprising a fifth executable portion for updating a portion of the candidate words in the candidate word field after each selection.

16. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the fifth executable portion includes instructions for updating a portion of the candidate word field that is not proximate to the selected candidate word.

17. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

determine a plurality of candidate words available for selection based on context information;

provide for a display of the plurality of candidate words in a candidate word field;

receive a selection of at least one of the candidate words; and

include a selected candidate word in a text entry.

18. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to determine the plurality of candidate words by determining candidate words as a predetermined number of words having a probability of following a previous entry above a threshold.

19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to determine the plurality of candidate words by determining candidate words as a predetermined number of words having a probability of being used for a particular application above a threshold.

20. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to provide for a display of the plurality of candidate words in the candidate word field by providing for the display of the candidate words in a word cloud.

21. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to modify a display characteristic of each of the candidate words based on a probability associated with each corresponding one of the candidate words.

22. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to receive the selection of the at least one of the candidate words by receiving an input defining a sequence of more than one selected candidate words.

23. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to update a portion of the candidate words in the candidate word field after each selection.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to update the portion of the candidate words by updating a portion of the candidate word field that is not proximate to the selected candidate word.

25. A user interface generated in accordance with instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, the user interface comprising:

an input mechanism configured to receive an indication of a determination of a plurality of candidate words available for selection based on context information and to receive a selection of at least one of the candidate words;

a candidate word field configured to define portion of a display for including the plurality of candidate words; and

a text field configured for including a selected candidate word in a text entry.