Method and apparatus for correcting words

• US 5,594,640 A
• Filed: 10/19/1994
• Issued: 01/14/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Temkin, David, Meier, John R., Capps, Stephen P., Beernink, Ernest H.
• Primary Examiner(s): McElheny, Jr., Donald E.
• Application Number:
  US08/325,575
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 364/419.13, 364/419.15, 364/419.17, 364/419.14, 364/146, 364/192, 395/155, 395/156, 395/159, 395/147, 395/146, 382/9, 382/13, 382/37, 382/38, 382/40
• US Class Current: 715/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/987 with the intervention of an operator
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/387 using human interaction, e.g. selection of the best displayed recognition candidate

Abstract

A method for correcting recognized words in a computer system including the steps of: (a) entering an ink object into a computer system with a pointing device; (b) recognizing the ink object as a word object; (c) displaying the word object on a display of the computer system; (d) detecting a correction request made by a user pertaining to the displayed word object; and (e) displaying a list of alternative words for the word object on the display. Preferably, the list of alternative words includes a shifted-case version of the word object, a number of alternative words provided by a word recognizer, and the original ink object that was entered into the computer system. A user can select one of these alternative words to replace the misrecognized word object. Alternatively, a user may enter a word into the computer system by means of a keyboard image to replace the original word object with the newly entered word. When using the keyboard correction mode, the user has the opportunity to add the word to a dictionary list used by a word recognizer of the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for correcting recognized words in a computer system comprising the steps of:

entering handwritten ink data into a computer system with a pointer;

recognizing the handwritten ink data as a word and a number of alternative words, said word and said alternative words being included in a word list;

displaying said word on a display screen of said computer system;

detecting an alternative word list gesture made by said user pertaining to said displayed word with said pointer;

displaying said word list for said displayed word on said display screen in response to detecting said alternative word list gesture; and

detecting a selection of one of said words in said list by said user and replacing said displayed word with said selection.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said pointer is a stylus, and wherein said alternative word list gesture includes a double tap of said stylus within a bounding box of said displayed word.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said word list includes a shifted-case version of said word, where at least a first character of said shifted-case version is of an opposite case as at least a first character of said word.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said word list includes a number of alternative words provided by a word recognizer implemented by a central processing unit which performed said recognizing step.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising the step of displaying an image of said ink data on said display screen proximate to said word list after said alternative word gesture has been detected.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein said step of detecting a selection of one of said alternative words includes detecting a selection of one of said shifted-case version, said number of alternative words provided by said word recognizer, and said ink, and replacing said word with said selection.

7. A method as recited in claim 2 further comprising the step of displaying an icon representing a keyboard on said display screen proximate to said word list after said alternative word gesture has been detected.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a selection of said icon;

displaying an image of a keyboard on said display screen; and

detecting gestures made by said stylus on said image of said keyboard to enter a replacement word into said computer system.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

looking for said replacement word in a dictionary list; and

selectively entering said replacement word into said dictionary list if said replacement word was not found in said dictionary list.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein said step of selectively entering said replacement word comprises the steps of:

querying a user whether said replacement word should be entered into said dictionary list; and

entering said replacement word into said dictionary list at the request of the user.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein said step of selectively entering said replacement word comprises the step of entering said replacement word in a rejection list if said user requests that said replacement word is not to be entered into said dictionary list.

12. A computer system with word correction capabilities comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a pointer coupled to said CPU and operative to enter handwritten ink data into said computer system;

a recognizer implemented by said CPU and operative to recognize said handwritten ink data as a word and a number of alternative recognized words for said handwritten ink, said word and said alternative words being included in a word list;

a display screen coupled to said CPU and operative to display said word;

means for detecting an alternative word list gesture made by a user pertaining to said displayed word with said pointer, said means for detecting an alternative word list gesture being implemented on said CPU;

means for displaying said word list for said displayed word on said display screen, said means for displaying said word list being implemented on said CPU and said display screen; and

means for detecting a selection of one of said words in said word list by a user and replacing said displayed word with said selection, said means for detecting a selection being implemented on said CPU.

13. A computer system as recited in claim 12 wherein said word list includes a shifted-case version of said word, where at least a first character of said shifted-case version is of an opposite case as at least a first character of said word.

14. A computer system as recited in claim 13 wherein said word list includes a number of alternative words provided by said recognizer.

15. A computer system as recited in claim 14 further comprising means for displaying an image of said ink on said display screen proximate to said word list after said alternative word gesture has been detected, said means for displaying an image being implemented on said CPU and said display screen.

16. A computer system as recited in claim 15 wherein said means for detecting a selection of one of said words includes detecting a selection of one of said shifted-case version, said number of alternative words provided by said word recognizer, and said handwritten ink, and replacing said word with said selection, said means for detecting a selection being implemented on said CPU.

17. A computer system as recited in claim 12 further comprising means for displaying an icon representing a keyboard on said display screen proximate to said word list after said alternative word gesture has been detected, said means for displaying an icon being implemented on said CPU and said display screen.

18. A computer system as recited in claim 17 further comprising:

means for detecting a selection of said icon implemented on said CPU;

means for displaying an image of a keyboard on said display screen, said means for displaying being implemented on said CPU and said display screen; and

means for detecting gestures made by said pointer on said keyboard to enter a replacement word into said computer system, said means for detecting gestures being implemented on said CPU.

19. A computer system as recited in claim 18 further comprising:

means for looking for said replacement word in a dictionary list; and

means for selectively entering said replacement word into said dictionary list if said replacement word was not found in said dictionary list, wherein said means for looking for said replacement word object and said means for selectively entering said replacement word object are implemented on said CPU.

20. A computer system as recited in claim 19 wherein said means for selectively entering comprises:

means for querying a user whether said replacement word should be entered into said dictionary list, said means for querying being implemented on said CPU and said display screen; and

means for entering said replacement word into said dictionary list at the request of the user, said means for entering being implemented on said CPU.

21. A computer system as recited in claim 20 wherein said means for selectively entering includes:

means for entering said replacement word in a rejection list if said user requests that said replacement word is not to be entered into said dictionary list, said means for entering being implemented on said CPU.

22. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for:

(a) recognizing ink data as a word, wherein said ink data is input into a computer system by a user using a pointer, and wherein said word is one of a number of alternative recognized words for said ink data, said alternative words being provided in a word list;

(b) displaying said word on a display screen of said computer system;

(c) detecting an alternative word list gesture made by a user pertaining to said displayed word with said pointer;

(d) displaying said word list for said displayed word on said display screen; and

(e) detecting a selection of one of said alternative words by a user and replacing said displayed word with said selection.

23. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 22 wherein said pointer is a stylus, said ink data is an ink object, said word is a word object, and said alternative words are alternative word objects, and wherein said computer system further comprises an input tablet overlaying said display screen of said computer system, said input tablet being operative to enter an ink object into said computer system when contacted by said stylus, wherein said alternative word list gesture is made by said user on said tablet, and wherein said selection of one of said alternative word objects by a user is made when said stylus has been engaged with said tablet over said selected alternative word object.

24. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 22 wherein said word list of alternative words includes a shifted-case version of said word, where at least a first character of said shifted-case version is of an opposite case as at least a first character of said word.