High efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings

• US 5,218,538 A
• Filed: 06/28/1991
• Issued: 06/08/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wei Zhang
• Original Assignee: Wei Zhang
• Inventors: Zhang, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US07/723,160
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 364/419, 364/943.41, 364/936, 364/226.4, 364/928.6, 341/22, 340/98, 340/99, 340/100, 340/486
• US Class Current: 715/259
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 7/90 Syllable, line, or like type selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

Literal units which correspond to a code of characters of a key unit input on a keyboard are stored in a literal unit library which is accessed by a key unit library when it is determined that the entire key unit has been input. A synonym selection module is provided to retrieve a unique literal unit when more than one literal unit corresponds to the key unit entered. The encoding process provides for faster and more efficient input of information on a keyboard since it is only necessary to input a code of characters referred to as the key unit, such as the consonants of the particular text, to retrieve the desired text from the literal unit library where the literal unit includes characters which default in the key unit.

Claims

1. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings, comprising:

a literal unit library for storing literal units containing characters and combinations of characters, a literal unit in said literal unit library corresponding to a key unit which is composed of a set of keys in accordance with a certain order on a keyboard, and which defaults the keys corresponding to a portion of characters of said literal unit;

determination processing means including a key unit termination determination module for determining whether a signal from a key unit is terminated, and a synonym selection module for determining and selecting a unique literal unit where said key unit corresponds to more than one of said literal units in said literal unit library; and

key unit means for receiving a signal of each said key unit from said keyboard and retrieving the corresponding literal unit from said literal unit library according to the key unit entered.

2. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 1, wherein the key unit corresponding to a literal unit in said literal unit library defaults the keys corresponding to a portion of certain specific characters in said literal unit;

and said key unit including a key indicating the termination of said key unit being used by said key unit termination determination module to determine whether said key unit is terminated.

3. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 2, wherein the key unit corresponding to a literal unit in said literal unit library defaults the keys corresponding to a portion of vowels and semivowels in said literal unit.

4. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 2, wherein the key unit corresponding to a literal unit in said literal unit library defaults the keys corresponding to all of the vowels and semivowels in said literal unit.

5. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 3, wherein the key unit corresponding to a literal unit is composed of the keys on said keyboard corresponding to first consonants of a portion of syllables.

6. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 4, wherein the key unit corresponding to a literal unit is composed of the keys on said keyboard corresponding to the first consonants of all of the syllables.

7. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 3, wherein the key unit corresponding to a literal unit is composed of the keys on said keyboard corresponding to the consonants preceding a portion of the vowels of said literal unit in said literal unit library.

8. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 4, wherein the key unit corresponding to a literal unit is composed of the keys on said keyboard corresponding to the consonants preceding all of the vowels of said literal unit in said literal unit library.

9. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 3, wherein if an ordered combination of the keys on said keyboard including a terminating indicator key corresponds to more than one literal unit in said literal unit library, then the key unit uniquely corresponding to one of these literal units is the ordered combination of the keys plus one of the following keys:

the keys corresponding to a portion of the characters of the literal unit defaulting in the ordered combination of the keys, the keys corresponding to all of the characters of the literal unit defaulting in the ordered combination of the keys, the numeric keys, the space bar, the punctuation keys, the upper case alphabetic keys.

10. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 1, wherein some specific keys on said keyboard are defined as function keys including vowel keys, the space bar, the punctuation keys, the upper case alphabetic keys, the numeric keys and specific consonant keys.

11. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 1, wherein the key units composed, in certain order, of an alphabetic key and one of the function keys are used as simplified codes of some of the literal units in said literal unit library corresponding to those literal units.

12. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 1, wherein the key units composed, in certain order, of any two of said function keys are used as simplified codes of some of the literal units in said literal unit library corresponding to those literal units.

13. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 1, wherein said determination processing means further comprises a mode determination module for determining which of the two possible input modes is being applied to input information from said keyboard, where said two possible input modes are a normal mode and a high efficiency mode.

14. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 13, wherein said mode determination module includes at least one non-automatic input mode determination sub-module for determining which of said two possible input modes is being applied according to a switch signal preceding the input of information.

15. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 13, wherein said mode determination module further includes an automatic input mode determination submodule which automatically determines that the information is being input in the high efficiency mode when the first several keys of the input information form a specific combination which scarcely appears in the first several letters of a word in a certain language, otherwise it is determined that the information is input in normal mode.

16. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to claim 1, wherein ordered combinations of punctuation and symbol keys on said keyboard also constitute key units corresponding to the literal units in said literal unit library.

17. A high efficiency input processing apparatus for alphabetic writings according to any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprises keyboard and computer means for controlling the operation of an system including a output device and the monitor.

18. A correspondence method between literal units and key units, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, a portion of characters of the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to said literal unit.

19. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 18, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, a portion of certain specific characters of the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

20. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 18, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, all of certain specific characters of the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

21. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 19, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, a portion of the vowels and semivowels in the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

22. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 20, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, all of the vowels and semivowels in the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

23. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 21, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, a portion of the consonants of the literal unit further default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

24. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 23, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, consonants other than the first consonant in a portion of the syllables of the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

25. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 23, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, consonants other than the first consonants in all of the syllables of the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

26. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 23, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, consonants other than the consonants preceding a portion of the vowels in the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

27. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 23, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, consonants other than the consonants preceding all of the vowels in the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

28. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 18, characterized in that as compared with the literal unit, characters at certain specific positions of the literal unit default in the key unit corresponding to this literal unit.

29. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 21, characterized in that when a literal unit represents more than one word of text, the key unit corresponding thereto includes at least the first consonants of a portion of the words of this literal unit.

30. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 22, characterized in that when a literal unit represents more than one word of text, the key unit corresponding thereto includes at least the first consonants of all of the words of this literal unit.

31. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 18, characterized in that when a key unit corresponds to more than one literal unit, the key unit uniquely corresponding to one of those literal units comprises the key unit plus a portion of the default characters of this literal unit.

32. A correspondence method between literal units and key units according to claim 18, characterized in that when a key unit corresponds to more than one literal unit, the key unit uniquely corresponding to one of those literal units comprises the key unit plus all of the default characters of this literal unit.

33. A method of determining a high efficiency input method in which some specific characters in words are defaulted during input, characterized in that a determination of whether information is input with the high efficiency input method depends upon whether a combination of the first several characters input belong to a specific combination of characters which are known not to appear together to form a word.

34. A method of determining a high efficiency input method as claimed in claim 33, characterized in that determining whether the information was input with said high efficiency input method according to whether the combination of the first several characters input being part of the specific combinations of characters scarcely appearing in the words of the language input, and if so, then it is determined that the information was input with said high efficiency input method.