Handheld electronic device with text disambiguation

• US 7,324,083 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Elizarov, Michael G., Kolomiets, Sergey V., Fux, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): DHARIA, PRABODH M
• Application Number:
  US10/858,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20060007118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-173, 345/184, 345/156, 341/22, 341/23, 341/26, 715/811, 715/816, 715/533, 710/67
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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.

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 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 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;

generating a result by, for each prefix object of at least a portion of the number of prefix objects, 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 another input member actuation of an input member of the plurality of input members;

generating a number of other prefix objects corresponding with the ambiguous input plus the another input member actuation;

determining that substantially each other prefix object of the number of other prefix objects is an orphan prefix object for which a corresponding word object of the plurality of word objects was not identified;

determining that the another input member actuation corresponds with a symbol from among a number of predetermined symbols; and

employing the another input member actuation as a delimiter input representative of a delimiter symbol to delimit the ambiguous input from the another input member actuation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a number of additional input member actuations of a number of input members of the plurality of input members, treating the number of additional input member actuations of a number of input members of the plurality of input members as an additional ambiguous input, generating a number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional input member actuation delimited from the ambiguous input and the another input member actuation, and for each additional prefix object of the number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional input member actuation, seeking a corresponding language object of the plurality of language objects that corresponds with the additional prefix object.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating a number of output members, each of at least a portion of the output members including a prefix object of the number of prefix objects corresponding with the ambiguous input, the symbol from among the number of predetermined symbols, and an additional prefix object of the number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional input member actuation, and outputting as an additional output each of at least a portion of the output members of the number of output members.

4. 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;

the routine being adapted to generate a result by, for each prefix object of at least a portion of the number of prefix objects, 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 another input member actuation of an input member of the plurality of input members;

the routine being adapted to generate a number of other prefix objects corresponding with the ambiguous input plus the another input member actuation;

the routine being adapted to determine that substantially each other prefix object of the number of other prefix objects is an orphan prefix object for which a corresponding word object of the plurality of word objects was not identified;

the routine being adapted to determine that the another input member actuation corresponds with a symbol from among a number of predetermined symbols; and

the routine being adapted to employ the another input member actuation as a delimiter input representative of a delimiter symbol to delimit the ambiguous input from the another input member actuation.

5. The handheld electronic device of claim 4, wherein the routine is adapted to detect a number of additional input member actuations of a number of input members of the plurality of input members, to treat the number of additional input member actuations of a number of input members of the plurality of input members as an additional ambiguous input, to generate a number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional input member actuation delimited from the ambiguous input and the another input member actuation, and for each additional prefix object of the number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional input member actuation, to seek a corresponding language object of the plurality of language objects that corresponds with the additional prefix object.

6. The handheld electronic device of claim 5, wherein the routine is adapted to generate a number of output members, each of at least a portion of the output members including a prefix object of the number of prefix objects corresponding with the ambiguous input, the symbol from among the number of predetermined symbols, and an additional prefix object of the number of additional prefix objects corresponding with the additional input member actuation, and to output as an additional output each of at least a portion of the output members of the number of output members.