SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTEXT BASED PREDICTIVE TEXT ENTRY ASSISTANCE

• US 20110029862A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: SCOTT, Sherryl Lee Lorraine, FUX, Vadim, GRIFFIN, Jason Tyler
• Application Number:
  US12/512,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029862A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/261
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A device is provided for executing a method for providing context based predictive text entry. The device has a processor and a keyboard, a display screen, and a storage device connected to the processor. The method comprises receiving an input from the keyboard, the input comprising a character of a string; gathering relevant contextual data based on the input; retrieving any relevant stored data from the storage device based on the input; generating at least one context based prediction based on the received input, the contextual data, and any relevant stored data; displaying at least one option for completing the string on the display screen based on the at least one prediction; and completing the string if one of the options displayed on the display screen is selected by way of a further input.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor for controlling operation of the device;

a keyboard coupled to the processor for accepting an input;

at least one display device coupled to the processor for communicating an output;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a storage device coupled to the processor;

the device including a predictive text module resident in the memory for execution by the processor, the predictive text module being configured to;

receive an input from the keyboard, the input comprising a character of a string;

gather relevant contextual data based on the input;

retrieve any relevant stored data from the storage device based on the input;

generate at least one context based prediction based on the received input, the contextual data, and any relevant stored data;

display at least one option for completing the string on the display screen based on the at least one prediction; and

complete the string if one of the options displayed on the display screen is selected by way of a further input.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the displaying at least one option on the display screen based on the at least one prediction includes displaying at least one suggested completion of the string for selection based on the at least one context based prediction.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the displaying at least one option on the display screen based on the at least one prediction further includes displaying at least one visual aid on the display screen, the visual aid for aiding a user in selecting input options for completing the string.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the visual aid includes a visual depiction of the keyboard having a plurality of keys on the display screen and further includes at least one of:

one or more enlarged keys on the keyboard, one or more of the keys on the keyboard having an outlined periphery, differential shading being applied to one or more of the keys on the keyboard, and different coloring being applied to one or more of the keys on the keyboard.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one visual aid includes differential visual aids that suggest an order of further key inputs for completing the string.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the display screen is a touch screen and the keyboard forms part of the touch screen, and receiving an input from the keyboard includes receiving an input from the touch screen.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the contextual data includes at least one of an application currently being used on the wireless device for which the input and string are intended, a type of field within an application for which the input is intended, actions taken on the wireless device previous to the input, grammatical context of the input and the string, positional context of the input and the string relative to other words, the country in which the wireless device is located, the time of day at which the input is received, and the date on which the input is received.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the relevant stored data includes at least one of historical contextual information about habits of particular users of the wireless device, web addresses previously entered into the wireless device and frequency of the web addresses, words previously entered into a word processor on the wireless device and frequency of the words, email addresses previously entered into wireless device and frequency of the email addresses, and phone numbers previously entered into wireless device and frequency of the phone numbers.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the relevant stored data includes preloaded data and subsequently learned data.

10. A method for providing context based predictive text entry on a device having a processor and a keyboard, display screen, and storage device connected to the processor, the method comprising:

receiving an input from the keyboard, the input comprising a character of a string;

gathering relevant contextual data based on the input;

retrieving any relevant stored data from the storage device based on the input;

generating at least one context based prediction based on the received input, the contextual data, and any relevant stored data;

displaying at least one option for completing the string on the display screen based on the at least one prediction; and

completing the string if one of the options displayed on the display screen is selected by way of a further input.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the displaying at least one option on the display screen based on the at least one prediction includes displaying at least one suggested completion of the string for selection based on the at least one context based prediction.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the displaying at least one option on the display screen based on the at least one prediction further includes displaying at least one visual aid on the display screen, the visual aid for aiding a user in selecting input options for completing the string.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the visual aid includes a visual depiction of the keyboard having a plurality of keys on the display screen and further includes at least one of:

one or more enlarged keys on the keyboard, one or more of the keys on the keyboard having an outlined periphery, differential shading being applied to one or more of the keys on the keyboard, and different coloring being applied to one or more of the keys on the keyboard.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one visual aid includes differential visual aids that suggest an order of further key inputs for completing the string.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the display screen is a touch screen and the keyboard forms part of the touch screen, and receiving an input from the keyboard includes receiving an input from the touch screen.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the contextual data includes at least one of an application currently being used on the wireless device for which the character and string are intended, a type of field within an application for which the input is intended, actions taken on the wireless device previous to the input, grammatical context of the input and the string, the country in which the wireless device is located, the time of day at which the input is received, and the date on which the input is received.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the relevant stored data includes at least one of historical contextual information about habits of particular users of the wireless device, web addresses previously entered into the wireless device and frequency of the web addresses, words previously entered into a word processor on the wireless device and frequency of the words, email addresses previously entered into wireless device and frequency of the email addresses, and phone numbers previously entered into wireless device and frequency of the phone numbers.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the relevant stored data includes preloaded data and subsequently learned data.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable code stored thereon, for execution by a processor of a device, the computer program product causing the processor to provide context based predictive text entry on the device, the device also having a keyboard, display screen, and storage device connected to the processor, the computer program product comprising:

code for receiving an input from the keyboard, the input comprising a character of a string;

code for gathering relevant contextual data based on the input;

code for retrieving any relevant stored data from the storage device based on the input;

code for generating at least one context based prediction based on the received input, the contextual data, and any relevant stored data;

code for displaying at least one option for completing the string on the display screen based on the at least one prediction; and

code for completing the string if one of the options displayed on the display screen is selected by way of a further input.