DOCUMENT DATA ENTRY SUGGESTIONS

• US 20140365874A1
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• 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 9,400,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/243
• 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:

providing a document having multiple data entry areas;

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

generating a list of one or more 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;

providing the list of one or more suggestions automatically in response to the receiving of the user input selecting the designated data entry area, the providing of the list being performed at a time when manual entry of data has not been received in the designated data entry area;

receiving user input selecting one of the one or more 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 one or more 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 one or more suggestions.

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

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the list of one or more suggestions further comprises:

including in the list one or more suggestions from analyzing the one or more dictionaries outside the document; and

including in the list 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 providing the list of one or more suggestions comprises displaying the list of one or more suggestions as a floating menu proximal to the designated data entry area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the list of one or more suggestions comprises displaying the list of one or more suggestions on a touch screen.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the list of one or more suggestions comprises displaying the list of one or more 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 one or more suggestions in response to receiving the manual entry of text.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of one or more suggestions is a list of multiple suggestions.

13. 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;

displaying a document having multiple data entry areas;

receiving a user input action selecting a designated data entry area of the multiple data entry areas;

generating a list of one or more 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;

displaying the list of one or more suggestions automatically in response to the receiving of the user input action selecting the designated data entry area, the displaying of the list being performed at a time when manual entry of data has not been received in the designated data entry area;

receiving user input selecting one of the one or more 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.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein displaying the list of one or more suggestions comprises displaying the list of one or more suggestions proximal to a displayed keyboard on a touch screen.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the document comprises a grid and the data entry areas of the document are data entry areas in the grid.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein generating the list of one or more suggestions further comprises analyzing one or more dictionaries outside the document.

17. The computer system of claim 13, 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.

18. 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;

displaying a document comprising multiple data entry areas;

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

generating a list of one or more suggestions for the designated data entry area, generating the list comprising analyzing a set of data previously entered into one or more data entry areas of the grid other than the designated data entry area, analyzing the set of data comprising identifying a pattern spanning multiple entries in the set of data and including in the list at least one suggestion that fits the identified pattern, the at least one suggestion that fits the pattern not having been included in the data entry areas prior to the receipt of the user input directed at the designated data entry area;

in response to receiving the user input directed at the designated data entry area, displaying the list of one or more suggestions;

receiving user input selecting one of the one or more 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.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the pattern comprises multiple entries including terms that are in a list of related terms, and wherein identifying the pattern comprises accessing the list of related terms.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the identified pattern is an ordered sequential pattern, and wherein the at least one suggestion that fits the pattern continues the ordered sequential pattern.