Method and system for intelligent text entry on a numeric keypad

• US 6,346,894 B1
• Filed: 10/06/1999
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lundy, David H., Connolly, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): EDWARDS JR, TIMOTHY
• Application Number:
  US09/414,303
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 341/22, 341/23, 379/93.18, 379/93.27, 379/88.11, 379/88.01, 345/168, 345/141, 704/271, 704/237, 704/260
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques

Abstract

A method and system for intelligent text entry on a keypad. First, a user selects a key on a keypad. Then, an application predicts which character of those corresponding to that key is intended by the user. The predicted character is then presented to the user for confirmation. If the user confirms the selection, the character is stored. If the user rejects the character, the application presents a new character to the user until a character is finally confirmed. It is only when the predicted character is not the intended character that the user is required to iterate through character choices.

Claims

1. A method for character prediction and entry using a telephone keypad comprising a plurality of keys, at least one of the plurality of keys being associated with a plurality of characters, the method comprising:

(a) detecting a selection of a first key on a telephone keypad of a telephone, the first key being associated with a first plurality of characters;

(b) creating an n-gram for each of the first plurality of characters associated with the first key selected in (a);

(c) determining a respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b);

(d) comparing the probabilities of each of the n-grams;

(e) selecting the n-gram associated with the highest probability;

(f) presenting the character associated with the n-gram selected in (e) to a user via a voice prompt and not via a visual display, wherein the characters not associated with the n-gram of the highest probability are not presented to the user;

(g) in response to a detection of a selection of a cycle key, presenting another character associated with the first key selected in (a) to the user via a voice prompt and not via a visual display; and

(h) in response to a detection of a selection of a second key associated with a second plurality of characters, presenting a character from the second plurality of characters to the user via a voice prompt and not via a visual display, wherein the first key is the same as or different from the second key and wherein the second plurality of characters is the same as or different from the first plurality of characters;

wherein the respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b) is based on a part-of-speech of a word being entered and wherein the part-of-speech of the word being entered is based on a part-of-speech of a previously-entered word.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (c) comprises determining a respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b) by indexing a probability table with each of the n-grams created in (b).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (c) comprises determining a respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b) by indexing a decision tree with each of the n-grams created in (b).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cycle key comprises a “

#”

key.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein (g) is repeated until the user selects another key on the keypad.

6. A method for character prediction and entry using a telephone keypad comprising a plurality of keys, at least one of the plurality of keys being associated with a plurality of characters, the method comprising:

(a) detecting a selection of a key on a telephone keypad of a telephone, the key being associated with a plurality of characters;

(b) creating an n-gram for each of the plurality of characters associated with the key selected in (a);

(c) determining a respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b) by indexing a probability table with each of the n-grams created in (b);

(d) comparing the probabilities of each of the n-grams;

(e) selecting the n-gram associated with the highest probability;

(f) presenting the character associated with the n-gram selected in (e) to a user via a voice prompt, wherein the characters not associated with the n-gram of the highest probability are not presented to the user;

(g) presenting another character associated with the key selected in (a) to the user via a voice prompt in response to the user selecting a cycle key; and

(h) in response to a detection of a selection of second key associated with a second plurality of characters, presenting a character from the second plurality of characters associated with the second key to the user via a voice prompt, wherein the second key is the same as or different from the key selected in (a) and wherein the second plurality of characters is the same as or different from the plurality of characters associated with the key selected in (a);

wherein the respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b) is based on a part-of-speech of a word being entered and wherein the part-of-speech of the word being entered is based on a part-of-speech of a previously-entered word.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein (g) is repeated until the user selects another key on the keypad.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the cycle key comprises a “

#”

key.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the probability table comprises only entries of n-grams that have a non-zero probability.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the probability table comprises a plurality of n-gram/key combinations.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the characters presented in (f) and (g) are presented via a voice prompt and not via a visual display.

12. A method for character prediction and entry using a telephone keypad comprising a plurality of keys, at least one of the plurality of keys being associated with a plurality of characters, the method comprising:

(a) detecting a selection of a key on a telephone keypad of a telephone, the key being associated with a plurality of characters;

(b) creating an n-gram for each of the plurality of characters associated with the key selected in (a);

(c) determining a respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b) by indexing a decision tree with each of the n-grams created in (b);

(d) comparing the probabilities of each of the n-grams;

(e) selecting the n-gram associated with the highest probability;

(f) presenting the character associated with the n-gram selected in (e) to a user via a voice prompt, wherein the characters not associated with the n-gram of the highest probability are not presented to the user;

(g) presenting another character associated with the key selected in (a) to the user via a voice prompt in response to the user selecting a cycle key; and

(h) in response to a detection of a selection of second key associated with a second plurality of characters, presenting a character from the second plurality of characters associated with the second key to the user via a voice prompt, wherein the second key is the same as or different from the key selected in (a) and wherein the second plurality of characters is the same as or different from the plurality of characters associated with the key selected in (a);

wherein the respective probability of each of the n-grams created in (b) is based on a part-of-speech of a word being entered and wherein the part-of-speech of the word being entered is based on a part-of-speech of a previously-entered word.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein (g) is repeated until the user selects another key on the keypad.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the cycle key comprises a “

#”

key.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the decision tree comprises only entries of n-grams that have a non-zero probability.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the decision tree comprises a plurality of n-gram/key combinations.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the characters presented in (f) and (g) are presented via a voice prompt and not via a visual display.