Chinese character conversion apparatus with no need to input tone symbols

• US 6,327,560 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Chi-Hsuen
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US09/468,832
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/8, 704/10, 707/534, 707/535, 707/536, 707/532, 400/109, 400/110, 400/484, 434/156, 434/157, 434/159, 434/160, 434/167, 434/169, 345/171, 382/185, 341/28
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232

Abstract

A Chinese character conversion apparatus with no need to input tone symbols increases the input efficiency. The Chinese character conversion apparatus can sever automatically the successive input phonetic symbols into a plurality of syllables that are in consistent with the phonetic combination rule, no matter whether there is a tone symbol input or not. Each syllable or each syllable stream constituted from a plurality of syllables has a group of corresponding homonymous characters or phrases in the dictionary. Since the input of the tone symbol may be omitted in the present invention, the input speed of the user may be increased. Furthermore, incorrect input caused by incorrect tone symbol can thus be avoided.

Claims

1. A Chinese character conversion apparatus without tone symbol input, comprising:

a phonetic symbol memory unit for storing a plurality of symbols for consonants, transition vowels, vowels and tones of Chinese language;

a dictionary for storing a plurality of syllable streams and the corresponding Chinese characters and phrases;

a syllable severing unit which severs an input phonetic symbol row into at least one syllable according to a tone symbol or a space key, if no tone symbol or space key being inputted, said syllable severing unit severing said input phonetic symbol row into said syllables according to the acceptable arrangement sequence of the consonant, transition vowel and vowel in said phonetic symbol memory unit;

a conversion initializing unit for composing the desired syllable stream according to the above severed syllables and the previously inputted ones, and then for setting the starting conversion position in the composed stream and its conversion length;

a conversion processing unit for repeatedly adjusting said syllable stream constituted by said conversion starting position and said conversion length according to set said conversion starting position and said conversion length;

a dictionary searching unit for searching said dictionary for Chinese character/phrase with said syllable stream from said conversion processing unit as a searching key;

a syllable editing unit operable by an user to amend said Chinese character searched from said dictionary due to a mistake made by said syllable severing unit; and

a homonymous character/phrase selecting unit operable by an user to select a correct Chinese character/phrase other than said Chinese character/phrase searched from the dictionary due to a mistake made by the automatic determination of homonymous character/phrase.