TEXT ENTRY WITH WORD PREDICTION, COMPLETION, OR CORRECTION SUPPLEMENTED BY SEARCH OF SHARED CORPUS

• US 20120117101A1
• Filed: 11/10/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: UNRUH, Erland
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

Searching a shared corpus is used to supplement word prediction, completion, and/or correction of text entry. A user input device at a client device receives user entry of text input comprising a string of symbols. The client device wirelessly transmits instructions to a remote site to conduct a search of a corpus using the string as a contiguous search term. From the remote site, the client device receives results of the search, including multiple sets of one or more words, each set occurring in the corpus immediately after the search term. The client device uses the received sets in word prediction, completion, and/or correction.

Claims

1. A method, comprising operations of:

via user input device, receiving user entry of text input comprising a string of symbols;

wirelessly transmitting instructions to a remote site to conduct a search of a corpus using at least an ending portion of the string as a contiguous search term;

wirelessly receiving results of the search from the remote site including multiple sets of one or more words, each set occurring in the corpus immediately after the search term; and

employing said sets to perform any one or more of;

correcting displayed text input, completing displayed text input, predicting future text input.

2. A computer readable storage medium containing non-transitory storage of a program to perform operations including the operations of claim 1.

3. A computer readable storage medium containing non-transitory storage of a first program executable by a computer to install a second program upon the computer, the second program configured to perform operations including the operations of claim 1.

4. An apparatus comprising circuitry of multiple interconnected electrically conductive elements configured to perform operations including the operations of claim 1.

5. A handheld computing apparatus, comprising:

a display;

at least one user input device; and

at least one processor coupled to the display and the user input device, the processor programmed to perform operations including the operations of claim 1.

6. The invention of claim 1 or 2 or 4 or 5, the employing operation comprising any one or more of:

displaying one or more of the sets as completions of a word being currently entered via the user input device;

displaying one or more of the sets as predictions of one or more next words to be entered via the user input device.

7. The invention of claim 1 or 2 or 4 or 5, the operations further include, based on rankings of the sets according to criteria including number of appearances of the sets in the search results, ordering the displayed sets according to the rankings.

8. The invention of claim 1 or 2 or 4 or 5, the operations further comprising:

during user entry of the string, repeating the transmitting, receiving, and employing operations responsive to any of;

entry of each symbol in the string, entry of a space or predefined delimiter in the string, completion of a word in the string.

9. The invention of claim 1 or 2 or 4 or 5, where:

the string includes multiple words;

the operations further comprise proposing corrections to one or more of the words, where corrections to at least one of the words are made based on context including words subsequent to the corrected word.

10. A method, comprising:

via one or more user input devices of a first handheld computing device, receiving entry of text input comprising a string of symbols;

the first device wirelessly transmitting the string to a remote site;

the remote site conducting a search of a corpus using at least an ending portion of the string as a contiguous search term to yield results including one or more instances of the string in the corpus;

the remote site identifying one or more words following one or more of the instances of the string in the corpus, and wirelessly transmitting the identified words to the first device; and

the first device displaying a listing of one or more of the identified words in association with any one or more of;

a prediction of completion of the received text input, a prediction of future text input via the user input device, a correction as to the text input received vita the user input device.

11. The invention of claim 10,

the transmitting operation comprising:

at each of multiple times while text input is being entered, transmitting instructions to the remote site to conduct a search of the corpus using contents of at least an ending portion of the string at said time; and

the operations further comprise repeating the conducting, identifying, and displaying operations for contents of the string at each of the multiple times.

12. The invention of claim 11, where the multiple times correspond to any of:

after entry of each symbol in the text input, after entry of a space or other predefined delimiter in the text input, after completion of a word in the text input.

13. The invention of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

(a) the remote site establishing multiple predefined vocabularies associated with different topics;

(b) responsive to receiving the string from the first device, the remote site identifying one or more of the vocabularies whose associated topic is most closely related to content of the string;

(c) the remote site wirelessly transmitting one or more of the identified vocabularies to the first device; and

(d) the first device receiving and storing the transmitted one or more vocabularies and thereafter employing the stored vocabularies in performing any of;

predicting completion of received text input, predicting next words following received text input, or correcting received text input.

14. The invention of claim 13, where operations (b) through (d) are performed while the device is receiving additional text input in expansion of the string.

15. The invention of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

the remote site adding the string to the corpus.

16. The invention of claim 10,

the operations further comprising the remote site adding the string to the corpus, and also adding strings from one or more second devices other than the first device to the corpus;

and

where the operation of the first device displaying a listing of one or more of the identified words includes displaying one or more words added to the corpus from strings of the one or more second devices.

17. The invention of claim 10, the operations further comprising aborting any one or more of the transmitting, conducting, identifying, or displaying operations responsive to any of:

typing speed of a user of the first device exceeding prescribed criteria, the remote site having received multiple s trings from the first device for which the transmitting operation has not yet completed.