DOCUMENT DATA ENTRY SUGGESTIONS

• US 20130091411A1
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rampson, Benjamin E., Cheng, Karen X.
• Granted Patent: US 8,850,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities

Abstract

A document having multiple data entry areas can be presented, and a list of suggestions for a designated data entry area can be generated. Generating the list can include analyzing a first set of data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document other than the designated data entry area and analyzing a second set of data including data outside the first set of data. The list of suggestions can be presented without having received manual entry of data in the designated data entry area, and user input selecting one of the suggestions can be received. Data represented by the selected suggestion can be entered in the data entry area in response to receiving the user input selecting the selected suggestion.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

presenting a document having multiple data entry areas;

receiving user input directed at a designated data entry area of the multiple data entry areas;

generating a list of suggestions for the designated data entry area, generating the list comprising analyzing data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document other than the designated data entry area;

presenting the list of suggestions without having received manual entry of data in the designated data entry area;

receiving user input selecting one of the suggestions; and

entering data represented by the selected suggestion in the designated data entry area in response to receiving the user input selecting the selected suggestion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document comprises analyzing a structure of the document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document comprises analyzing a layout of a display of the document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document comprises recognizing one or more patterns in the data previously entered into the one or more data entry areas of the document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the list of suggestions comprises using the one or more recognized patterns to predict one or more suggestions and including the one or more predicted suggestions in the list of suggestions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the list of suggestions further comprises analyzing one or more dictionaries outside the document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the list of suggestions further comprises meshing one or more suggestions from analyzing the one or more dictionaries outside the document with one or more suggestions from analyzing data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the list of suggestions comprises displaying the list of suggestions as a floating menu proximal to the designated data entry area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the list of suggestions comprises displaying the list of suggestions on a touch screen.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the list of suggestions comprises displaying the list of suggestions proximal to a displayed keyboard on a touch screen.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a manual entry of text into the designated data entry area, and refining the list of suggestions in response to receiving the manual entry of text.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

presenting a document having multiple data entry areas;

receiving user input directed at a designated data entry area of the multiple data entry areas;

generating a list of suggestions for the designated data entry area, generating the list comprising analyzing a first set of data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document other than the designated data entry area and analyzing a second set of data comprising data outside the first set of data;

presenting the list of suggestions;

receiving user input selecting one of the suggestions; and

entering data represented by the selected suggestion in the data entry area in response to receiving the user input selecting the selected suggestion.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the second set of data comprises data manually entered in the designated data entry area.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the second set of data comprises one or more entries in a dictionary.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein presenting the list of suggestions comprises presenting the list of suggestions without having received manual entry of data in the designated data entry area.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the acts further comprise receiving a manual entry of data into the designated data entry area, and refining the list of suggestions in response to receiving the manual entry of data.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein generating the list of suggestions and presenting the list of suggestions are done in response to receiving user input directed at the designated data entry area.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein analyzing data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document comprises analyzing a structure selected from a group consisting of a structure of the document, a layout of a display of the document, and combinations thereof.

19. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory comprising instructions stored thereon that when executed by at least one processor cause at least one processor to perform acts comprising;

presenting a document comprising a grid having multiple data entry areas;

receiving user input directed at a designated data entry area of the data entry areas;

in response to receiving the user input directed at the designated data entry area, generating a list of suggestions for the designated data entry area, generating the list comprising analyzing a first set of data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document other than the designated data entry area and analyzing a second set of data comprising data manually entered in the designated data entry area and one or more entries in a dictionary;

in response to receiving the user input directed at the designated data entry area, presenting the list of suggestions without having received manual entry of data in the designated data entry area;

receiving a manual entry of data into the designated data entry area;

refining the list of suggestions in response to receiving the manual entry of data;

receiving user input selecting one of the suggestions; and

entering data represented by the selected suggestion in the data entry area in response to receiving the user input selecting the selected suggestion.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein analyzing data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the document comprises analyzing a structure selected from a group consisting of a structure of the document, a layout of a display of the document, and combinations thereof.