Handheld electronic device with text disambiguation

• US 7,091,885 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: 2015825 Ontario Incorporated
• Inventors: Elizarov, Michael G., Kolomiets, Sergey V., Fux, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/858,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20050270183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 341/22, 341/23, 341/67, 341/106, 715/810, 715/532, 704/4, 704/257, 704/201, 704/277, 704/3, 379/88.1, 710/1, 368/168
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software. The device provides output in the form of a default output and a number of variants. The output is based largely upon the frequency, i.e., the likelihood that a user intended a particular output, but various features of the device provide additional variants that are not based solely on frequency and rather are provided by various logic structures resident on the device. The device enables editing during text entry and also provides a learning function that allows the disambiguation function to adapt to provide a customized experience for the user. The disambiguation function can be selectively disabled and an alternate keystroke interpretation system provided. Additionally, the device can facilitate the selection of variants by displaying a graphic of a special <NEXT> key of the keypad that enables a user to progressively select variants generally without changing the position of the user'"'"'s hands on the device.

Claims

1. A method of disambiguating an input into a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device including an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having a plurality of objects stored thereon, the plurality of objects including a plurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects, each of at least a portion of the language objects of the plurality of language objects being associated with an associated frequency object of the plurality of frequency objects, the plurality of language objects including a plurality of word objects and a plurality of n-gram objects, substantially each n-gram object of the plurality of n-gram objects including at least a first character, the input apparatus including a plurality of input members, each of at least a portion of the input members of the plurality of input members having a plurality of characters assigned thereto, the method comprising:

detecting an ambiguous input including a number of input member actuations of a number of the input members of the plurality of input members, each of at least a portion of the input members of the number of input members including a number of characters assigned thereto, at least one of the input members of the number of input members having a plurality of characters assigned thereto;

generating a number of prefix objects corresponding with the ambiguous input, each prefix object of the number of prefix objects including a number of the characters of the number of the input members of the ambiguous input;

for each prefix object of at least a portion of the number of prefix objects, seeking a corresponding language object of the plurality of language objects that corresponds with the prefix object;

generating a result by, for each prefix object of at least a portion of the number of prefix objects, said at least a portion being a quantity of one of zero and greater than zero, identifying a word object of the plurality of word objects, the identified word object corresponding with the prefix object, obtaining an associated frequency object of the plurality of frequency objects, the associated frequency object being associated with the identified word object and having a frequency value, and associating the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the prefix object;

for at least a portion of the prefix objects of the result, generating an output set of the prefix objects sorted according to the frequency values associated therewith;

outputting an output including the prefix objects of at least a portion of the output set organized in descending order of frequency value;

detecting an editing input as to one of the prefix objects of the output, the one of the prefix objects of the output including a number of characters;

detecting as the editing input an editing actuation of an input member of the plurality of input members having a plurality of characters assigned thereto as to one of the characters of the one of the prefix objects of the output;

employing the editing actuation in the context of the other characters of the one of the prefix objects of the output as an additional ambiguous input;

generating a number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional ambiguous input;

for each additional prefix object of at least a portion of the number of additional prefix objects, seeking a corresponding language object of the plurality of language objects that corresponds with the additional prefix object;

generating an additional result by, for each additional prefix object of at least a portion of the number of additional prefix objects, said at least a portion being a quantity of one of zero and greater than zero, identifying a word object of the plurality of word objects, the identified word object corresponding with the additional prefix object, obtaining an associated frequency object of the plurality of frequency objects, the associated frequency object being associated with the identified word object and having a frequency value, and associating the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the additional prefix object;

for at least a portion of the additional prefix objects of the additional result, generating an additional output set of the additional prefix objects sorted according to the frequency values associated therewith; and

outputting an additional output including the additional prefix objects of at least a portion of the additional output set organized in descending order of frequency value to output a number of proposed edited objects.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a movement input, and responsive to said detecting a movement input determining to which of the characters of the one of the prefix objects of the output the editing actuation is directed.

3. A handheld electronic device comprising

a processor unit including a processor, an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having a plurality of objects and a routine stored therein;

the plurality of objects including a plurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects, each of at least a portion of the language objects of the plurality of language objects being associated with an associated frequency object of the plurality of frequency objects, the plurality of language objects including a plurality of word objects and a plurality of n-gram objects, substantially each n-gram object of the plurality of n-gram objects including at least a first character;

the input apparatus including a plurality of input members, each of at least a portion of the input members of the plurality of input members having a plurality of characters assigned thereto;

the routine being adapted to detect an ambiguous input including a number of input member actuations of a number of the input members of the plurality of input members, each of at least a portion of the input members of the number of input members including a number of characters assigned thereto, at least one of the input members of the number of input members having a plurality of characters assigned thereto;

the routine being adapted to generate a number of prefix objects corresponding with the ambiguous input, each prefix object of the number of prefix objects including a number of the characters of the number of the input members of the ambiguous input;

for each prefix object of at least a portion of the number of prefix objects, the routine being adapted to seek a corresponding language object of the plurality of language objects that corresponds with the prefix object;

the routine being adapted to generate a result by, for each prefix object of at least a portion of the number of prefix objects, said at least a portion being a quantity of one of zero and greater than zero, identifying a word object of the plurality of word objects, the identified word object corresponding with the prefix object, obtaining an associated frequency object of the plurality of frequency objects, the associated frequency object being associated with the identified word object and having a frequency value, and associating the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the prefix object;

for at least a portion of the prefix objects of the result, the routine being adapted to generate an output set of the prefix objects sorted according to the frequency values associated therewith;

the routine being adapted to output an output including the prefix objects of at least a portion of the output set organized in descending order of frequency value;

the routine being adapted to detect an editing input as to one of the prefix objects of the output, the one of the prefix objects of the output including a number of characters;

the routine being adapted to detect as the editing input an editing actuation of an input member of the plurality of input members having a plurality of characters assigned thereto as to one of the characters of the one of the prefix objects of the output;

the routine being adapted to employ the editing actuation in the context of the other characters of the one of the prefix objects of the output as an additional ambiguous input;

the routine being adapted to generate a number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional ambiguous input;

for each additional prefix object of at least a portion of the number of additional prefix objects, the routine being adapted to seek a corresponding language object of the plurality of language objects that corresponds with the additional prefix object;

the routine being adapted to generate an additional result by, for each additional prefix object of at least a portion of the number of additional prefix objects, said at least a portion being a quantity of one of zero and greater than zero, identifying a word object of the plurality of word objects, the identified word object corresponding with the additional prefix object, obtaining an associated frequency object of the plurality of frequency objects, the associated frequency object being associated with the identified word object and having a frequency value, and associating the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the additional prefix object;

for at least a portion of the additional prefix objects of the additional result, the routine being adapted to generate an additional output set of the additional prefix objects sorted according to the frequency values associated therewith; and

the routine being adapted to output an additional output including the additional prefix objects of at least a portion of the additional output set organized in descending order of frequency value to output a number of proposed edited objects.

4. The handheld electronic device of claim 3, wherein the routine is adapted to detect a movement input, and responsive to said detection of a movement input, to determine to which of the characters of the one of the prefix objects of the output the editing actuation is directed.