Method and system of handling the selection of alternates for recognized words

• US 7,590,535 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Altman, Dan W., Williamson, Peter H., Lui, Charlton E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US11/553,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20070053593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 704/235, 345/157, 345/689, 382/186, 382/188, 715/541
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/387 using human interaction, e.g. selection of the best displayed recognition candidate
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

Methods and systems for facilitating the selection of alternates for hand written word. Rules select words user based on operating modes and cursor positions and sequential orderings. User interfaces can also be used to select words and to provide alternates for the selected words having alternates. Words that the recognizer believes correct to a high actual or relative probability may be skipped over in automatic processes, and the display of words that the recognizer is less confident are correct can be modified. The user can adjust such sensitivity settings for determining the probability of correctness.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage media, having computer-executable instructions encoded thereon, for implementing a method comprising:

receiving handwritten data entered on a touch screen display associated with a computing device;

passing the handwritten data to an ink processor component associated with the computing device;

the ink processor component passing the handwritten data to a recognizer of the computing device;

the recognizer returning alternates information and probability information to the ink processor component corresponding to one or more words recognized by the recognizer and which are stored in one or more buffers of the computing device that are associated with the ink processor component;

receiving a request to provide alternates for the one or more words that has alternates and that is within a set of words containing at least two words included in the handwritten input and that have alternates, when no particular word that has alternates has been selected in the set;

determining a current editing mode, in which the computing device is operating with respect to receiving input into the device;

selecting a word in the set that has alternates as a selected word based on the current editing mode, and wherein the selecting of the word includes utilizing the probability information to determine whether any of the wards in the set will actually be selected as having alternates for purposes of providing alternates therefore and such that words that are determined to have a high actual probability of being correct are skipped over and refrained from being the selected word; and

providing alternates for the selected word.

2. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the current editing mode comprises a cursor mode, and wherein selecting the word comprises locating a word relative to a cursor position.

3. The computer storage media of claim 2, wherein locating the word relative to the cursor position comprises determining if the cursor position is adjacent a word having alternates associated therewith.

4. The computer storage media of claim 2, wherein locating the word relative to the cursor position comprises moving to another word having alternates associated therewith.

5. The computer storage media of claim 2, wherein the word relative to the cursor position comprises determining if a cursor that indicates the cursor position is placed on a word having alternates associated therewith.

6. The computer storage media of claim 5, wherein determining if the cursor is placed on a word having alternates associated therewith comprises moving a pointer to the beginning of the word.

7. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the current editing mode comprises a selection mode, wherein the set is determined via a selection operation and the set contains at least two words that each has its own alternates associated therewith, and wherein selecting the word based on the current editing mode comprises selecting a first word in the set that has alternates associated therewith.

8. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein providing alternates for the selected word includes providing a user interface.

9. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying at least part of the set, and modifying the display of each displayed word in the set having alternates associated therewith.

10. The computer storage media of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises utilizing the probability information to determine whether a word in the set that has alternates associated therewith will be considered as having alternates associated therewith for purposes of modifying the display.

11. The computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the user provides data corresponding to a sensitivity level for determining from the probability information whether a word will be considered as having alternates associated therewith.

12. A computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more computer-program product comprises a computing system and wherein the computer-readable media includes system memory.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving handwritten data entered on a touch screen display associated with a computing device;

passing the handwritten data to an ink processor component associated with the computing device;

the ink processor component passing the handwritten data to a recognizer of the computing device;

the recognizer returning alternates information and probability information to the ink processor component corresponding to one or more words recognized by the recognizer and which are stored in one or more buffers of the computing device that are associated with the ink processor component;

receiving a request to provide alternates for the one or more words that has alternates and that is within a set of words containing at least two words included in the handwritten input and that have alternates, when no particular word that has alternates has been selected in the set;

determining a current editing mode, in which the computing device is operating with respect to receiving input into the device;

selecting a word in the set that has alternates as a selected word based on the current editing mode, and wherein the selecting of the word includes utilizing the probability information to determine whether any of the words in the set will actually be selected as having alternates for purposes of providing alternates therefore and such that words that are determined to have a high actual probability of being correct are skipped over and refrained from being the selected word; and

providing alternates for the selected word.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the current editing mode comprises a cursor mode, and wherein selecting the word comprises locating a word relative to a cursor position.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein locating the word relative to the cursor position comprises determining if the cursor position is adjacent a word having alternates associated therewith.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein locating the word relative to the cursor position comprises moving to another word having alternates associated therewith.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the word relative to the cursor position comprises determining if a cursor that indicates the cursor position is placed on a word having alternates associated therewith, and wherein determining if the cursor is placed on a word having alternates associated therewith comprises moving a pointer to the beginning of the word.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the current editing mode comprises a selection mode, wherein the set is determined via a selection operation and the set contains at least two words that each has its own alternates associated therewith, and wherein selecting the word based on the current editing mode comprises selecting a first word in the set that has alternates associated therewith.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises displaying at least part of the set, and modifying the display of each displayed word in the set having alternates associated therewith.

20. A computer system comprising:

a touch screen display configured for receiving handwritten input;

an ink processor component;

a recognizer; and

storage media that includes one or more buffers and stored executable instructions which, when executed by the computer system implement a method comprising;

passing handwritten data received at the touch screen display to an ink processor component associated with the computing device;

the ink processor component passing the handwritten data to a recognizer of the computing device;

the recognizer returning alternates information and probability information to the ink processor component corresponding to one or more words recognized by the recognizer and which are stored in one or more buffers of the computing device that are associated with the ink processor component;

receiving a request to provide alternates for the one or more words that has alternates and that is within a set of words containing at least two words included in the handwritten input and that have alternates, when no particular word that has alternates has been selected in the set;

determining a current editing mode, in which the computing device is operating with respect to receiving input into the device;

selecting a word in the set that has alternates as a selected word based on the current editing mode, and wherein the selecting of the word includes utilizing the probability information to determine whether any of the words in the set will actually be selected as having alternates for purposes of providing alternates therefore and such that words that are determined to have a high actual probability of being correct are skipped over and refrained from being the selected word; and

providing alternates for the selected word.

21. The computer system recited in claim 20, wherein the ink processor component associates word location data and pointers to each ink word stored within the one or more buffers and wherein each ink word is stored with header information that specifies whether each corresponding ink word has corresponding alternates.