Reduced keyboard disambiguating system for the Korean language

• US 5,945,928 A
• Filed: 01/20/1998
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tegic Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jin Bong, Kushler, Clifford A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US09/009,584
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 341/28, 341/22, 341/23, 345/171, 364/709.12, 364/709.15, 364/709.16, 400/489
• US Class Current: 341/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items

Abstract

A reduced keyboard disambiguating system for the Korean language using word-level disambiguation to resolve ambiguities in keystrokes. A plurality of letters are assigned to each of a plurality of data keys, so that keystrokes on these keys are ambiguous. A user may enter a keystroke sequence wherein each keystroke corresponds to the entry of one letter of a word. Because individual keystrokes are ambiguous, the keystroke sequence can potentially match more than one word with the same number of letters. The keystroke sequence is processed by matching the input keystroke sequence to corresponding stored words or other interpretations. The 14 consonant jamos of the Korean alphabet are assigned to the data keys in their standard alphabetical sequence. The 10 vowel jamos are likewise assigned to the same set of data keys in their standard alphabetical sequence, such that a majority of the data keys are assigned both one or more consonant jamos and one or more vowel jamos. The result is a reduced keyboard that is easily understood and quickly learned by native speakers of Korean, and that is efficient for purposes of disambiguating textual interpretations of input sequences of ambiguous keystrokes.

Claims

1. A keyboard for a Korean language disambiguating text input system for disambiguating ambiguous keystrokes entered by a user, the keyboard comprising a plurality of data keys and one or more unambiguous keys, each of the plurality of data keys being assigned a plurality of jamos so that a textual interpretation of a keystroke sequence entered by the user is ambiguous, the keystroke sequence being terminated by a keystroke of one of the unambiguous keys, wherein:

(a) the 14 consonant jamos are assigned to the plurality of data keys in their standard alphabetical order;

KIYEOK, NIEUN, TIKEUT, RIEUL, MIEUM, PIEUP, SIOS, IEUNG, CIEUC, CHIEUCH, KHIEUKH, THIEUTH, PHIEUPH, and HIEUH; and

(b) the 10 vowel jamos are assigned to the plurality of data keys in their standard alphabetical order;

A, YA, EO, YEO, O, YO, U, YU, EU, and I; and

(c) the majority of keys are assigned some combination of one or more consonant jamos and one or more vowel jamos.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein for each data key which is assigned both consonant and vowel jamos, the one or more consonant jamos appear consistently on one side of the data key, and the one or more vowel jamos appear consistently on the opposite side of the key.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the keyboard comprises nine data keys.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the keyboard comprises eight data keys.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the diphthongs AE, YAE, E, YE, WA, WAE, OE, WEO, WE, WI and YI, and the consonants SSANGKIYEOK, SSANGTIKEUT, SSANGPIEUP, SSANGSIOS and SSANGCIEUC have been added to one or more of the data keys.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the vowels YA, YEO, YO, and YU are omitted from the data keys.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein one or more of the vowels YA, YEO, YO, and YU are omitted from the data keys.