IN-LETTER WORD PREDICTION FOR VIRTUAL KEYBOARD

• US 20130120266A1
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason Tyler, Pasquero, Jerome, McKenzie, Donald Somerset, Hamilton, Alistair Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,122,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• 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 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A method including receiving an input of a character from a virtual keyboard rendered on a display, generating a set of characters that includes the character, and displaying the generated set of characters at a location associated with a key of the virtual keyboard of the display which corresponds to a subsequent candidate input character. An electronic device including a display having a virtual keyboard rendered thereupon and a processor, the processor being configured to perform the method. Also disclosed is a keyboard, including a plurality of keys, each key corresponding to one or more different characters of a plurality of characters, wherein in response to receiving an input of a character, the keyboard is configured to perform the method.

Claims

1. An input method in a device having a display configured to display a virtual keyboard, the method comprising:

responsive to a key input, displaying in visual association with one or more keys of the virtual keyboard one or more words or parts of words determined by a predictive algorithm and based on a distance between the keys of the virtual keyboard associated with the words or parts of words; and

enabling selection of one or more of the displayed words or parts of words in response to a swipe gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the key input is a character selected from an alphabet and displayed on a key of the virtual keyboard.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the key input is a blank space represented by a key of the virtual keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a selection of one of the displayed words or parts of words, causing display of the selected word or part of word in a designated input field visually distinct from the virtual keyboard.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the displayed words or parts of words are positioned at or near the one or more keys of the virtual keyboard.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the one or more of the displayed words or parts of words is based on a subsequent candidate input character determined from the key input.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the words or parts of words to display comprises determining whether any two of the words or parts of words would visually overlap with each other if displayed simultaneously, and selecting, based on a ranking, only one of the two overlapping words or parts of words for display.

5. An input method in a device having a display configured to display a virtual keyboard, the method comprising:

receiving an input reflecting selection of a character displayed on a key of the virtual keyboard;

displaying the selected character in a designated input field substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard;

displaying in visual association with one or more characters displayed on respective one or more keys of the virtual keyboard one or more words or parts of words determined by a predictive algorithm and based on a distance between the respective keys of the virtual keyboard; and

enabling selection of one or more of the displayed words or parts of words with a swipe gesture.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

responsive to a selection of the one of the displayed words or parts of words, causing display of the selected word or part of word in the designated input field.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more of the displayed words or parts of words are positioned at or near the respective one or more keys of the virtual keyboard.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the location of the one or more of the displayed words or parts of words is based on a subsequent candidate input character determined from the input.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the words or parts of words to display comprises determining whether any two of the words or parts of words would visually overlap with each other if displayed simultaneously, and selecting, based on a ranking, only one of the two overlapping words or parts of words for display.

7. An input method in a device comprising:

displaying on a display of the device a virtual keyboard;

responsive to an input reflecting selection of a key from the virtual keyboard, displaying in visual association with one or more keys of the virtual keyboard one or more words or parts of words determined by a predictive algorithm and based on a distance between the keys of the virtual keyboard associated with the words or parts of words; and

responsive to a swipe input, causing display of a selected one of the displayed words or parts of words in a field of the display substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

eliminating display of the words or parts of words displayed in visual association with the one or more keys of the virtual keyboard upon display of the selected one of the displayed words or parts of words in the field of the display substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to an input determined to be different from the swipe input, causing display of a selected character in the field of the display substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard regardless of whether a word or a part of a word has been displayed in visual association with a key of the virtual keyboard corresponding to the selected character.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more of the displayed words or parts of words are positioned at or near the one or more keys of the virtual keyboard.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the location of one or more of the displayed words or parts of words is based on a subsequent candidate input character determined from the input.

10. An input method in a device having a display configured to display a virtual keyboard in a first field of the display, the method comprising:

receiving an input;

determining that the input reflects a swipe operation associated with a particular key of the virtual keyboard; and

causing display, in a second field of the display substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard, of a word or a part of a word selected for display in visual association with the particular key of the virtual keyboard by a predictive algorithm and based on a distance between the particular key and keys in visual association with other words or parts of words selected for display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predictive algorithm uses one of (i) one or more characters or (ii) one or more words, previously displayed in the second field to select the one of one or more words or parts of words for display in visual association with the particular key of the virtual keyboard.