Command inputting method

• US 6,101,461 A
• Filed: 07/08/1997
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Justsystems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Justsystems Corporation
• Inventors: Sakai, Akinori, Wakatsuki, Seiko, Ukigawa, Hatsuko, Ukigawa, Kazunori, Amou, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDOUARD, PATRICK NESTOR
• Application Number:
  US08/889,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/9, 704/3, 704/10, 707/532, 707/534, 707/535, 341/28, 382/185
• US Class Current: 704/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• 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 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232

Abstract

The present invention comprises a Chinese character information outputting step for outputting Chinese character information corresponding to an input arbitrary character string by referring to a Chinese dictionary in which Chinese character information comprising a command and/or at least one Chinese character correlated to a character string. Chinese character information is received from the Chinese character information outputting step and the correlated Chinese character is displayed as a candidate for conversion in a list. The present invention includes a selecting step of selecting a desired Chinese character or a command from the Chinese character information displayed in the list and a determining step for determining which of a Chinese character and a command has been selected. The command is executed when a command has been selected and the input character string is replaced with Chinese characters displayed when it is determined in the determining step that a Chinese character has been selected.

Claims

1. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana (Japanese character)-to-Chinese character conversion comprising the steps of:

receiving a string comprising a plurality of characters through a keyboard;

determining whether the character string is a command or not by looking up the string in command information comprising a command correlated to a character string;

executing a corresponding command when it is determined in the determining step that the string is a command; and

replacing the string with at least one corresponding Chinese character when it is not determined that the character string is a command.

2. A computer-readable medium in which a program causing a computer to execute the method of claim 1 is recorded.

3. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana (Japanese character)-to-Chinese character conversion comprising the steps of:

receiving a string comprising a plurality of characters through a keyboard;

retrieving first Chinese character information or second Chinese character information corresponding to the character string by looking up the string in a Chinese character dictionary in which the first Chinese character information, comprising at least one Chinese character correlated to a character string, and the second Chinese character information, comprising a command and at least one Chinese character correlated to a character string, are previously stored;

displaying the retrieved first Chinese character information or second Chinese character information as candidates for conversion in a list;

receiving input for selecting a desired Chinese character or a command from the first Chinese character information or second Chinese character information displayed in a list;

determining which of a Chinese character or a command has been selected or not according to a result of selection in said selecting step;

replacing, when it is determined in said determining step that a Chinese character has been selected, the string with at least one corresponding Chinese character and displaying the at least one Chinese character; and

executing the corresponding command when it is determined in said determining step that a command has been selected.

4. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 3;

wherein said Chinese character dictionary includes a plurality of second Chinese character information for which the same command has been set.

5. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 3 further comprising a generating step of registering a command in the first Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary and generating second Chinese character information.

6. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

generating second Chinese character information that specifies a series of processing steps for the first Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary; and

changing a command for the second Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary to a macro command.

7. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 3 further comprising:

a step of changing or deleting a command or a macro command for the second Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary.

8. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 3;

wherein different colors or attributes are used for a command and a Chinese character respectively when listed in said listing step.

9. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 6;

wherein different colors or attributes are used in displaying a command, a macro command, and a Chinese character, respectively, when listed in a list in said listing step.

10. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 3;

wherein a command or a macro command can be selected only just after a carriage return is entered.

11. A computer-readable medium in which a program causing a computer to execute the method of claim 3 is recorded.

12. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion comprising the steps of:

receiving a string comprising a plurality of characters through a keyboard;

retrieving first Chinese character information or second Chinese character information corresponding to the string by looking up the string in a Chinese character dictionary in which the first Chinese character information, comprising at least one Chinese character correlated to a character string, and second Chinese character information, comprising a command and at least one Chinese character correlated to a character string are previously stored;

displaying a first candidate Chinese character from among the retrieved first Chinese character information and second Chinese character information as a candidate for conversion;

specifying whether the first candidate Chinese character displayed in said first candidate displaying step had been selected or not;

displaying in a list the first Chinese character information and second Chinese character information when the Chinese character as a first candidate Chinese character was not selected in said specifying step;

receiving input for selecting a desired Chinese character or a command from the first Chinese character information or second Chinese character information displayed in a list;

determining which of a Chinese character or a command has been selected or not according to a result of selection in said selecting step;

replacing the string with at least one Chinese character and displaying the at least one Chinese character when the first candidate Chinese character has been selected in said selecting step or when it is determined in said determining step that a Chinese character has been selected; and

executing a corresponding command when it is determined in said determining step that a command has been selected.

13. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 12;

wherein said Chinese character dictionary includes a plurality of second Chinese character information for which the same command has been set.

14. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 12 further comprising a generating step of registering a command in the first Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary and generating second Chinese character information.

15. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 12 comprising the steps of:

generating second Chinese character information that specifies a series of processing steps for the first Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary; and

changing a command for the second Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary to a macro command.

16. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 12 further comprising:

a step of changing or deleting a command or a macro command for the second Chinese character information in said Chinese character dictionary.

17. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 12;

wherein different colors or attributes are used for a command and a Chinese character respectively when listed in said listing step.

18. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 15;

wherein different colors or attributes are used in display for command, a macro command, and a Chinese character, respectively, when listed in a list in said listing step.

19. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 12;

wherein a command or a macro command can be selected only just after carriage return is entered.

20. A computer-readable medium in which a program causing a computer to execute the method of claim 12 is recorded.

21. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion comprising the steps of:

receiving a string comprising a plurality of characters through a keyboard;

retrieving first Chinese character information or second Chinese character information corresponding to the string by looking up the string in a Chinese character dictionary in which the first Chinese character information, comprising at least one Chinese character correlated to a character string, and second Chinese character information, comprising a command and at least one Chinese character correlated to a character string;

are previously stored;

displaying in a list the retrieved first Chinese character information and second Chinese character information as candidates for conversion;

receiving input for selecting a desired Chinese character or a macro command from the first Chinese character information or second Chinese character information displayed in a list;

determining which of a Chinese character or a macro command has been selected or not according to a result of selection in said selecting step;

replacing the string with at least one Chinese character and displaying the at least one Chinese character when it is determined in said determining step that a Chinese character has been selected; and

executing the corresponding macro command when it is determined in said determining step that a macro command has been selected.

22. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana-to-Chinese character conversion according to claim 21;

wherein a command or a macro command can be selected only just after carriage return is entered.

23. A computer-readable medium in which a program causing a computer to execute the method of claim 21 is recorded.

24. A command inputting method used when inputting characters using software for Kana (Japanese character)-to-Chinese character conversion, comprising the steps of:

receiving a string comprising a plurality of characters through a keyboard;

determining by looking up the string in command information comprising a character string and a command correlated to said character string whether the string matches a character string in said command information;

determining by referring to command execution restricting information which restricts conditions for execution of each command are satisfied or not when it is determined that the string matches said character string in said command information;

executing the corresponding command when it is determined that the conditions for execution are satisfied; and

replacing the string with at least one corresponding Chinese character when it is not determined that the character string is a command.

25. A computer-readable medium in which a program causing a computer to execute the method of claim 24 is recorded.