INTELLIGENT ELISION

• US 20090287470A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Farnsworth, Andrew, Vanden Heuvel, David Noel
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/20 Natural language analysis semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30

Abstract

A user interface routine includes an intelligent elision routine having a plurality of language objects, plurality of abbreviation objects, and a plurality of preference objects. Each language object that has an associated abbreviation object and preference object is an abbreviatable language object. The user interface routine and/or the intelligent elision routine is structured to determine a text field'"'"'s length, also identified as a limited space, receive a text string and replace selected language objects in the text string with the associated abbreviation objects to create an abbreviated text string. The process is, preferably, repeated on the abbreviated text string until the abbreviated text string is shorter than the limited space or until no more abbreviatable language objects are in the text string.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a user of a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device including a display and a processor apparatus, the processor apparatus having a processor and a memory, the processor apparatus structured to provide output signals to the display, the memory having a plurality of routines stored therein, at least one routine structured to present a user interface, the user interface structured to present text in a limited space on the display, the limited space having a length, the memory further having a plurality of objects stored therein, the plurality of objects including a plurality of abbreviatable language objects and a plurality of abbreviated language objects, each of the plurality of abbreviatable language objects having an associated abbreviated language object, the method comprising:

a) receiving a text string having at least one abbreviatable language objects, the text string to be presented in the limited space;

b) determining that the text string has a length that is longer than the limited space;

c) identifying each abbreviatable language object in the text string;

d) replacing at least one abbreviatable language object of the text string with the associated abbreviated language object, thereby creating an abbreviated text string; and

e) presenting the abbreviated text string in the limited space.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, prior to the step of presenting the abbreviated text string in the limited space, the method includes the further steps of:

f) determining that the abbreviated text string has a length that is longer than the limited space; and

g) further replacing at least one abbreviatable language object of the abbreviated text string with the associated abbreviated language object.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein, prior to the step of presenting the abbreviated text string in the limited space, the method includes the further step of:

repeating steps f) and g) until the abbreviated text string has a length that is shorter than the limited space.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein, prior to the step of presenting the abbreviated text string in the limited space, the method includes the further steps of:

h) determining that no abbreviatable language objects remain in the abbreviated text string; and

i) truncating the abbreviated text string sufficiently to be presented in the limited space.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the memory further has a plurality of preference objects stored therein, the preference objects being ranked from lowest to highest, each of the plurality of abbreviatable language object having an associated preference object, and wherein the step of replacing at least one abbreviatable language object of the text string, thereby creating an abbreviated text string includes the step of:

replacing the abbreviatable language object that has the lowest ranked associated preference object.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of repeating steps f) and g) until the abbreviated text string has a length that is shorter than the limited space includes, for each cycle, the step of:

replacing the abbreviatable language object that has the lowest ranked associated preference object; and

wherein, if two or more abbreviatable language objects have associated preference objects with the same rank, the longest of the abbreviatable language objects is replaced.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes non-standard abbreviated language objects.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes null abbreviated language objects.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes non-standard abbreviated language objects.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes null abbreviated language objects.

11. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a display;

a processor apparatus having a processor and a memory;

the processor apparatus structured to provide output signals to the display;

the memory having a plurality of routines stored therein;

at least one routine structured to present a user interface;

the user interface structured to present text in a limited space on the display;

the limited space having a length;

the memory further having a plurality of objects stored therein, the plurality of objects including a plurality of abbreviatable language object and a plurality of abbreviated language objects, each of the plurality of abbreviatable language object having an associated abbreviated language object;

the processor apparatus being structured to execute the user interface routine;

the user interface routine structured to receive a text string having a plurality of language objects including at least one abbreviatable language object, the text string to be presented in the limited space, determine that the text string has a length that is longer than the limited space, identify each abbreviatable language object in the text string, replace at least one abbreviatable language object of the text string with the associated abbreviated language object, thereby creating an abbreviated text string, and present the abbreviated text string in the limited space.

12. The handheld electronic device of claim 11 wherein, prior to presenting in the limited space the abbreviated text string, the user interface routine is structured to:

determine that the abbreviated text string has a length that is longer than the limited space; and

replacing at least one abbreviatable language object of the abbreviated text string with the associated abbreviated language object.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 12 wherein, during each repeating cycle at a point after replacing an abbreviatable language object of the abbreviated text string with the associated abbreviated language object, but prior to presenting the abbreviated text string in the limited space, the user interface routine is structured to determine if the abbreviated text string has a length that is longer than the limited space, and, if so, replacing at least one more abbreviatable language objects of the abbreviated text string with the associated abbreviated language object, until the abbreviated text string has a length that is shorter than the limited space.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 13 wherein the user interface routine is structured to determine that no abbreviatable language objects remain in the abbreviated text string and truncate the abbreviated text string sufficiently to be presented in the limited space.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 13 wherein:

the memory further has a plurality of preference objects stored therein, each the preference objects having a rank;

each of the plurality of abbreviatable language objects having an associated preference object; and

wherein the user interface routine is structured to initially replace the abbreviatable language object that has the lowest ranked associated preference object.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein:

the user interface routine is structured to further replace the abbreviatable language objects in the abbreviated text string wherein the abbreviatable language object replaced is the abbreviatable language object that has the lowest ranked associated preference object; and

wherein the user interface routine is structured to continue replacing the abbreviatable language objects until the abbreviated text string has a length that is shorter than the limited space.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 16 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes non-standard abbreviated language objects.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 16 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes null abbreviated language objects.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 11 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes non-standard abbreviated language objects.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 11 wherein the plurality of abbreviated language objects includes null abbreviated language objects.