REDUCED KEYBOARD WITH PREDICTION SOLUTIONS WHEN INPUT IS A PARTIAL SLIDING TRAJECTORY

• US 20120036469A1
• Filed: 07/24/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: SURAQUI, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A reduced virtual keyboard system for text input on electronic devices is disclosed. Text input is performed by creating a tracing trajectory. Dynamic prediction solutions are created during the tracing process, thus avoiding the need for a user to complete the entire word trajectory. The system also allows a mixture of tapping actions and sliding motions for the same word. The system may comprise a Long Words Dictionary database having first letters corresponding to predetermined keys of the keyboard. Alternatively, the system uses a Dictionary and a database management tool to find long words.

Claims

1. A system for disambiguating a text input of a sub-word of a long word on an electronic device, comprising:

a virtual keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys;

an input pointing device adapted for inputting the text input by the pointing device being placed on a key of the keyboard corresponding to the first character of the sub-word, and then by the input device being moved to subsequent keys corresponding to subsequent characters of the sub-word, so as to produce a trajectory pattern;

a dictionary database associated with the keyboard and the pointing device, the dictionary database comprising words and associated frequencies of usage;

a long word dictionary (LWD) derived from the dictionary database, having a smaller size than that of the dictionary database and configured according to an arrangement of the keys in the keyboard; and

a partial trajectory recognition module associated with the keyboard and the pointing device, wherein the trajectory pattern is evaluated to produce sub-word solutions;

wherein the sub-word solutions are used in conjunction with the LWD to selectively recognize at least one prediction solution corresponding to at least one long word.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the input pointing device is at least one chosen from the list including:

a finger;

a mouse;

a remote control; and

a pen.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the trajectory pattern is creatable using the pointing device by at least one chosen from the list including:

tapping;

tracing; and

a combination of tapping and tracing.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the LWD has a plurality of classes, each of the classes containing long words having a first letter corresponding to predetermined keys of the keyboard.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the number of words included in the LWD is limitable by at least one LWD parameter.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one LWD parameter is chosen from the list including:

maximum number of letters; and

minimum frequency.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the arrangement of the keys in the keyboard is adapted to the respective language used and chosen from a list including:

QWERTY;

Dvorak;

AZWRTY, Svorak, and Colemak.

8. The system according to claim 4, further including a means for generating and/or erasing the at least one word prediction solution during tracing.

9. The system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one prediction solution is displayed following a finger-move and a long-press.

10. The system according to claim 4, further including a means for determining possible intermediate letter candidates of the long word according to a partial trajectory.

11. A method of disambiguating a text input of a sub-word of a long word on an electronic device, comprising the steps of:

taking a virtual keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys;

using an input pointing device to input the text input by placing the pointing device on a key of the keyboard corresponding to the first character of the sub-word, and then moving the pointing device to subsequent keys corresponding to subsequent characters of the sub-word, so as to produce a trajectory pattern;

configuring a dictionary database associated with the keyboard and the pointing device, whereby the dictionary database comprises words and associated frequencies of usage;

deriving a long word dictionary (LWD) from the dictionary database, the LWD having a smaller size than that of the dictionary database and configured according to an arrangement of the keys in the keyboard; and

evaluating the trajectory pattern in a partial trajectory recognition module associated with the keyboard and the pointing device and producing sub-word solutions;

whereby the sub-word solutions are used in conjunction with the LWD to selectively recognize at least one word prediction solution corresponding to at least one long word.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the input pointing device is at least one chosen from the list including:

a finger;

a mouse;

a remote control; and

a pen.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the trajectory pattern is created using the pointing device by at least one chosen from the list including:

tapping;

tracing; and

a combination of tapping and tracing.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the LWD has a plurality of classes, each of the classes containing long words having a first letter corresponding to predetermined keys of the keyboard.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the number of words included in the LWD is limited by at least one LWD parameter.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one LWD parameter is chosen from the list including:

maximum number of letters; and

minimum frequency.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the arrangement of the keys in the keyboard is adapted to the respective language used and chosen from a list including:

QWERTY;

Dvorak;

AZWRTY, Svorak, and Colemak.

18. The method according to claim 15, further including a means for generating and erasing the at least one word prediction solution during tracing.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one prediction solution is displayed following a finger-move.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one prediction solution is displayed following a finger-up.

21. The method according to claim 14, further including a means for determining possible intermediate letter candidates of the long word according to a partial trajectory.

22. A method of disambiguating a text input of a sub-word of a long word on an electronic device, comprising the steps of:

taking a virtual keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys;

using an input pointing device to input the text input by placing the pointing device on a key of the keyboard corresponding to the first character of the sub-word, and then moving the pointing device to subsequent keys corresponding to subsequent characters of the sub-word, so as to produce a trajectory pattern;

configuring a dictionary database associated with the keyboard and the pointing device, the dictionary database comprising words and associated frequencies of usage;

utilizing a database management tool to operate upon the dictionary database; and

evaluating the trajectory pattern in a partial trajectory recognition module associated with the keyboard and the pointing device and producing sub-word solutions;

whereby the sub-word solutions are used in conjunction with the dictionary database and the database management tool to selectively recognize at least one word prediction solution corresponding to at least one long word.

23. A system for disambiguating a text input of a sub-word of a long word on an electronic device, comprising:

a virtual keyboard having a plurality of virtual keys;

an input pointing device adapted for inputting the text input by the pointing device being placed on a key of the keyboard corresponding to the first character of the sub-word, and then by being moved to subsequent keys corresponding to subsequent characters of the sub-word, so as to produce a trajectory pattern;

a dictionary database associated with the keyboard and the pointing device, the dictionary database comprising words and associated frequencies of usage;

a database management tool operatable upon the dictionary database; and

a partial trajectory recognition module associated with the keyboard and the pointing device, wherein the trajectory pattern is evaluated to produce sub-word solutions;

wherein the sub-word solutions are used in conjunction with the dictionary database and the database management tool to selectively recognize at least one word prediction solution corresponding to at least one long word.