TEXT TYPE-AHEAD

• US 20090271700A1
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, O'Connell, Brian M., Walker, Keith R., Morgan, Fabian F., White Eagle, Sarah V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/261
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

Methods and arrangements of text entry are discussed. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to index segments of text from multiple sources and receive segments of text being entered into text-entry applications in a floating application. The embodiments may also involve matching the segments of text to indexed segments of text and entering completions of the received segments of text into the text-entry applications. The completions may be based upon the matching, and the completion of a segment may be entered into the text-entry application from which it was received.

Claims

1. A method of text entry by a floating application, the method comprising:

indexing segments of text from multiple sources by the floating application, the indexing comprising;

requesting text from another application on a remote computing device;

receiving text from the other application in response to the request;

dividing the received text into segments of received text; and

indexing the segments of received text; and

completing text entered into a plurality of text-entry applications, the completing by the floating application, wherein completing text entered into a text-entry application comprises;

receiving in the floating application a segment of text being entered into the text-entry application;

matching the segment of text to an indexed segment of text; and

entering a completion of the segment of text into the text-entry application via the floating application, the completion based upon the matching.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indexing comprises indexing segments of text from sources based upon a specification of sources from a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching comprises filtering the segments of text based upon a specification of sources from a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the matching and the entering comprise:

matching the segment of text to a plurality of indexed segments of text;

displaying the plurality of indexed segments of text to a user;

receiving from the user a selection of one of the plurality of indexed segments of text; and

entering a completion of the segment of text based upon the selection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the displaying comprises ordering the plurality of indexed segments of text based upon a frequency of selection by a user.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the displaying and the entering comprise:

displaying the plurality of indexed segments of text to the user;

receiving additional text input from the user;

removing from the display one or more segments not matching the additional text input, thereby producing a narrowed display; and

entering a segment from the narrowed display.

7. A method of text entry by a floating application, the method comprising:

indexing segments of text from multiple sources by the floating application, wherein indexing at least one of the segments of text comprises assigning to the segment of text values of one or more attributes;

completing text entered into a plurality of text-entry applications, the completing by the floating application, wherein completing text entered into a text-entry application comprises;

receiving in the floating application a segment of text being entered into the text-entry application;

matching the segment of text to an indexed segment of text; and

entering a completion of the segment of text into the text-entry application via the floating application, the completion based upon the matching.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the matching comprises filtering the segments of text based upon a value of an attribute of one or more of the segments of text.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the matching and the entering comprise:

matching the segment of text to a plurality of indexed segments of text;

displaying the plurality of indexed segments of text to a user, the displaying comprising ordering the plurality of indexed segments of text based upon the values of an attribute;

receiving from the user a selection of one of the plurality of indexed segments of text; and

entering a completion of the segment of text based upon the selection.

10. An apparatus to enter text into applications, the apparatus comprising a floating application, the floating application comprising:

an indexing module to index segments of text from multiple sources, the indexing module comprising;

a selection module to request text from another application on a remote computing device and receive text from the other application in response to the request; and

a segmenting module to divide the received text into segments of received text, wherein the indexing module is to index the segments of received text;

a completion module to complete text entered into a plurality of text-entry applications, the completion module comprising;

a receiver to receive a segment of text being entered into a text-entry application;

a matcher to match the segment of text to an indexed segment of text; and

a text-entry module to enter a completion of the segment of text into the text-entry application, the completion based upon the matching.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the matching module is to match the segment of text to a plurality of segments of indexed text;

the completion module further comprises a display module to display the plurality of segments of indexed text and to receive from the user a selection of one of the plurality of segments of indexed text; and

the text entry module is to enter a completion of the segment of text based upon the selection.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the indexing module further comprises an attribute module to assign to at least one segment of text values of one or more attributes.

13. A computer program product for entering text by a floating application, the computer program comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

index segments of text from multiple sources by the floating application, the indexing comprising;

requesting text from another application on a remote computing device;

receiving text from the other application in response to the request;

dividing the received text into segments of received text; and

indexing the segments of received text; and

complete text entered into a plurality of text-entry applications, the completing by the floating application, wherein completing text entered into a text-entry application comprises;

receiving in the floating application a segment of text being entered into the text-entry application;

matching the segment of text to an indexed segment of text; and

entering a completion of the segment of text into the text-entry application via the floating application, the completion based upon the matching.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program which causes the computer to index comprises a computer readable program which causes the computer to index segments of text from sources based upon a specification of sources from a user.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program which causes the computer to match comprises a computer readable program which causes the computer to:

filter the sources based upon a specification of sources from a user; and

match the segment of text to an indexed segment of text from the filtered sources.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program which causes the computer to match and to enter comprises a computer readable program which causes the computer to:

match the segment of text to a plurality of indexed segments of text;

display the plurality of indexed segments of text to a user;

receive from the user a selection of one of the plurality of indexed segments of text; and

enter a completion of the segment of text based upon the selection.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program which causes the computer to display comprises a computer readable program which causes the computer to order the plurality of indexed segments of text based upon a frequency of selection by a user.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program which causes the computer to display comprises a computer readable program which causes the computer to order the plurality of indexed segments of text by the values of an attribute.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program which causes the computer to display and to enter comprises a computer readable program which causes the computer to:

display the plurality of indexed segments of text to the user;

receive additional text input from the user;

remove from the display one or more segments not matching the additional text input, thereby producing a narrowed display; and

enter a segment from the narrowed display.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer useable medium comprises a transmission medium.