Language input user interface

• US 7,403,888 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Zheng, Wang, Jian, Ling, Xianoning, Han, Jian, Lee, Kai-Fu, Zhang, Gao
• Primary Examiner(s): OPSASNICK, MICHAEL N
• Application Number:
  US09/606,811
• Time in Patent Office: 2,946 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2, 704/270, 704/277
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/289 Phrasal analysis, e.g. finite state techniques or chunking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/187 Phonemic context, e.g. pronunciation rules, phonotactical constraints or phoneme n-grams

Abstract

A language input architecture receives input text (e.g., phonetic text of a character-based language) entered by a user from an input device (e.g., keyboard, voice recognition). The input text is converted to an output text (e.g., written language text of a character-based language). The language input architecture has a user interface that displays the output text and unconverted input text in line with one another. As the input text is converted, it is replaced in the UI with the converted output text. In addition to this in-line input feature, the UI enables in-place editing or error correction without requiring the user to switch modes from an entry mode to an edit mode. To assist with this in-place editing, the UI presents pop-up windows containing the phonetic text from which the output text was converted as well as first and second candidate lists that contain small and large sets of alternative candidates that might be used to replace the current output text. The language input user interface also allows a user to enter a mixed text of different languages.

Claims

1. A language input user interface comprising:

a line-based entry area to display on a display device associated with a computer system;

an input text displayed within the line-based entry area; and

an output text, converted from the input text, wherein the output text replaces the input text from which the output text was converted as each portion of the input text is converted, the output text displayed together with unconverted input text within the line-based entry area in at least one continuous string of text, the at least one continuous string of text composed of the output text and the unconverted input text.

2. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the input text comprises a phonetic text and the output text comprises a character-based language text.

3. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the input text comprises Chinese Pinyin and the output text comprises Chinese Hanzi.

4. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the line-based entry area is oriented horizontally.

5. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the output text replaces the input text from which the output text was converted one of:

automatically when the input text is translated; and

after the translation is manually accepted by a user.

6. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the output text is further modified as additional input text is entered.

7. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the output text is rendered fixed in response to user entry of punctuation.

8. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the output text is rendered fixed in response to user confirmation of the output text.

9. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising editing means for editing the output text within the line-based entry area without switching from an entry mode to an edit mode.

10. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising an edit window, invokable by a user, positioned adjacent to particular output text to be edited.

11. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the line-based entry area is oriented in a first direction and further comprising an edit window positioned adjacent to the line-based entry area and oriented in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

12. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising an input text hint, invokable by a user, positioned adjacent to line-based entry area near selected output text to be edited, the input text hint window containing the input text from which the selected output text was converted.

13. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising a candidate list, invokable by a user, positioned adjacent to line-based entry area near selected output text to be edited, the candidate list containing one or more alternate output text candidates that may be substituted for the selected output text.

14. A language input user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the output text candidates are ordered within the candidate list according to a ranking.

15. A language input user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein the candidate list is scrollable and the output candidates are animated during scrolling.

16. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

first and second candidate lists invokable by a user;

the first candidate list containing one or more alternate output text candidates that may be substituted for the selected output text; and

the second candidate list containing a complete set of output text candidates than the first candidate list.

17. A language input user interface as recited in claim 16, wherein the output text candidates in the second candidate list are arranged according to complexity of character construction.

18. A language input user interface as recited in claim 16, wherein the output text candidates are ordered within the first candidate list according to a first metric and the output text candidates are arranged in the second candidate list according to a second metric different than the first metric.

19. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the line-based entry area is oriented in a first direction, and further comprising:

an input text hint positioned above the line-based entry area near selected output text to be edited and oriented in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the input text hint containing the input text from which the selected output text was converted; and

a candidate list positioned below the line-based entry area near the selected output text to be edited, the candidate list containing one or more alternate output text candidates that may be substituted for the selected output text.

20. A language input user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the input text contains phonetic and non-phonetic text and the output text, phonetic input text and non-phonetic input text are displayed together within the line-based entry area.

21. A word processor comprising the language input user interface as recited in claim 1.

22. A language input architecture comprising:

a user interface to enable a user to enter an input text;

a language conversion unit to convert the input text to an output text; and

the user interface being configured to display the converted output text in-line with unconverted input text in at least one continuous string of text, the at least one continuous string of text to be composed of the converted output text and the unconverted input text, wherein the output text is substituted for the input text from which the output text was converted as each portion of the input text is converted.

23. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the input text comprises a phonetic text and the output text comprises a character-based language text.

24. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the input text comprises Chinese Pinyin and the output text comprises Chinese Hanzi.

25. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the user interface presents the output text and unconverted input text within a common horizontal line.

26. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the language conversion unit continues to modify the output text as additional input text is entered, the user interface changing the output text as the output text is modified.

27. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the user interface enables a user to edit the output text without switching from an entry mode to an edit mode.

28. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the user interface presents the output text and unconverted input text within a common line oriented in a first direction and further presents an edit window near selected output text to be edited, the edit window being oriented in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

29. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the user interface presents an input text hint containing the input text from which the selected output text was converted.

30. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the user interface presents a candidate list containing one or more alternate output text candidates that may be substituted for the selected output text.

31. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the user interface presents first and second candidate lists, the first candidate list containing one or more alternate output text candidates that may be substituted for the selected output text and the second candidate list containing a complete set of output text candidates than the first candidate list.

32. A language input architecture as recited in claim 22, wherein the input text contains phonetic and non-phonetic text, further comprising:

the language conversion unit is configured to convert the phonetic text to language text while leaving the non-phonetic text unconverted; and

the user interface is configured to display the language text, unconverted phonetic text, and the non-phonetic text in-line with one another.

33. A word processor comprising the language input architecture as recited in claim 22.

34. One or more computer-recordable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause a computer to:

receive an input string of phonetic text;

convert the input string of phonetic text to an output string of language text; and

display the language text and unconverted phonetic text in-line together in at least one continuous string of text within a line-based entry area, the at least one continuous string of text composed of the language text and the unconverted phonetic text, wherein the language text replaces the phonetic text from which the language text was converted as each portion of the phonetic text is converted.

35. One or more computer-recordable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause a computer to:

receive an input string of phonetic text and non-phonetic text;

convert the phonetic text to language text; and

display the language text, non-phonetic text, and unconverted phonetic text in-line together in at least one continuous string of text within a line-based entry area, the at least one continuous string of text composed of the language text, the non-phonetic text, and the unconverted phonetic text, wherein the language text replaces the phonetic text from which the language text was converted as each portion of the phonetic text is converted.