MOBILE TERMINAL AND TEXT INPUT METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100009720A1
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Youn, Jong-Keun, Lee, In-Jik, CHA, Sun-Hwa, Kwak, Jae-Do
• Granted Patent: US 8,498,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for recognizing a voice and converting it into a text, and more particularly, a method for preferentially voice-recognizing a word starting with a character inputted through a keypad before voice is inputted and converting it into a text, and a mobile terminal implementing such method. The mobile terminal includes a keypad to receive an input of a specific character from a user; a controller to recognize voice input from the user based on words starting with the specific character, and to convert the recognized voice into text; and a display to display the text under a control of the controller.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a keypad configured to receive an input of a specific character from a user as a key input;

a controller configured to recognize voice input from the user based on words starting with the specific character as a voice input, and to convert the recognized voice into text; and

a display configured to display the text under a control of the controller.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the keypad is one of a software keypad displayed on the display and a hardware keypad provided in the mobile terminal.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller sets the words starting with the specific character input through the keypad as a range of search words for voice recognition, and recognizes the voice input from the user within the set range of the search words.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller outputs, by voice or text messages, help information related to inputting the text by combining the key input and the voice input.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller displays indicator information indicating that an input of the text can be performed by combining the key input and the voice input.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein if a plurality of characters are allocated to each key disposed on the keypad, the controller sets the words starting with all characters allocated to the each key as a range of search words.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller displays the specific character input through the keypad on one side of a screen display, or displays the specific character within a sentence currently being written.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein if the specific character input through the keypad is displayed on the one side of the screen display, the controller clears the specific character from the screen display if the voice input of the word starting with the specific character is completed.

9. A text input method of a mobile terminal, comprising:

receiving an input of a specific character through a keypad in a voice recognition mode as a key input;

recognizing voice input from a user based on words starting with the specific character as a voice input; and

converting the recognized voice into a text and inputting the text as a content of a text message.

10. The text input method of a mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the step of recognizing the voice comprises:

setting the words starting with the specific character as a range of search words for voice recognition, and

recognizing the voice input from the user within the set range of search words.

11. The text input method of a mobile terminal of the claim 9, wherein the specific character is input through one of a software keypad displayed on a display and a hardware keypad provided in the mobile terminal.

12. The text input method of a mobile terminal of claim 9, further comprising:

outputting help information related to inputting the text that combines the key input and the voice input.

13. The text input method of a mobile terminal of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying indicator information indicating that the input of the text can be performed by combining the key input and the voice input.

14. The text input method of a mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein if a plurality of characters are allocated to each key disposed on the keypad, a range of search words is set to words starting with at least one or more characters allocated to the each key.

15. The text input method of a mobile terminal of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a specific character input through the keypad on a screen display; and

clearing the specific character from the screen display if the voice input of a word starting with the specific character is completed.

16. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a user input configured to receive input of a first character of a word from a user;

a controller configured to recognize a voice input from a user pronouncing the word that includes the first character, and to convert the voice input into a text of the word; and

a display to first display the first character when input by the user, then to display the word including the first character when the voice input is converted into the text of the word.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the first character is used to define a range of search words used in converting the voice input into the text of the word.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the user input is a key input or a touch screen input.