Word prediction

• US 7,698,326 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Thorn, Ola Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US11/627,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45

Abstract

A method includes receiving input from a user via a keypad of the communication device and searching a database and a cache to identify a word or web site identifier based on the received input. The word or web site identifier may correspond to a word or web site identifier that the user intends to input. The method may also include providing the word or web site identifier via a display of the communication device.

Claims

1. A method perform by a communication device, the method comprising:

updating, by the communication device, a database of words and phrases based on text included in messages sent or received by a user of the communication device;

accessing, by the communication device, web sites based on input from the user;

storing, in a cache of the communication device, Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and web site content associated with the accessed web sites, where the cache is different from the updated database;

receiving one or more characters from the user via a keypad of the communication device;

searching, using a processor of the communication device, the updated database to identify at least one first word or URL based on the received one or more characters;

providing the identified at least one first word or URL via a display of the communication device;

receiving one or more additional characters from the user via the keypad without selection of the provided at least one first word or URL;

searching, using the processor, the URLs and web site content stored in the cache to identify at least one second word or URL based on the received one or more characters and based on the received one or more additional characters; and

providing the identified at least one second word or URL via a display of the communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the providing the identified at least one second word or URL comprises:

providing a plurality of words or a plurality of URLs that potentially correspond to information that the user is attempting to enter via the keypad, and

providing the plurality of words or plurality of URLs prior to completion of entry of the information by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, where the searching URLs and the web site content stored in the cache comprises:

searching the URLs and web site content stored in the cache based on at least two prior words of a message input by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing URLs and web site content in the cache for a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at least portions of web pages in the cache for a predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, where the providing the identified at least one second word or URL comprises providing at least one of a plurality of words or a plurality of URLs, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection by the user corresponding to a first one of the plurality of words or a first one of the plurality of URLs;

storing the selected first one of the plurality of words or first one of the plurality of URLs in the updated database in response to the selection, the updated database being a more permanent storage location than the cache; and

performing word recognition based on input from the user via the keypad based on information stored in the updated database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

viewing a picture or image;

identifying a name or word associated with the picture or image; and

storing the identified name or word in the cache.

8. A communication device, comprising:

an input device configured to receive input from a user;

a memory that stores words and phrases based on text included in messages sent or received via the communication device;

a cache that stores web site identifiers and web site content from web sites accessed by the user;

a display; and

a processor to;

search the memory to identify at least one first word or web site identifier based on the received input,

provide the identified at least one first word or web site identifier via a display of the communication device,

receive an indication that the user did not select the provided at least one first word or web site identifier;

search web site identifiers and web site content stored in the cache to identify at least one second word or web site identifier based on the received input,

receive a selection corresponding to the at least one second word or web site identifier that was identified from the cache, and

store the selected at least one second word or web site identifier in the memory.

9. The communication device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

perform word recognition using information stored in the memory and the cache.

10. The communication device of claim 8, where when providing the at least one second word or web site identifier, the processor is to provide at least one uniform resource locator (URL).

11. The communication device of claim 10, where the URL is associated with a web site accessed by the communication device.

12. The communication device of claim 8, where when storing web site content, the processor is to store particular web site content in the cache for a predetermined period of time.

13. The communication device of claim 12, where the processor is further to delete the particular web site content stored in the cache based on at least one of a duration of time that the particular web site content has been stored in the cache or lack of selection by a user via the input device of words or web site identifiers selected from the particular web site content.

14. The communication device of claim 8, where the cache is further to store images or pictures and the processor is further to:

identify a name or word associated with the picture, and

store the identified name or word in the cache.

15. The communication device of claim 8, where the cache comprises an index of words associated with information stored in the communication device.

16. The communication device of claim 8, where the input from the user comprises at least a portion of a message and when searching the cache, the processor is to:

search the cache to identify the at least one second word or web site identifier based on at least two previous words of the portion of the message.

17. The communication device of claim 8, where the input from the user comprises at least a portion of a message and when searching the cache, the processor is to:

search the cache to identify the at least one second word or web site identifier based on a previous word of the portion of the message, the previous word being located at least two words prior to the portion of the message.

18. The communication device of claim 8, where the communication device comprises a mobile terminal.

19. A memory device having stored thereon sequences of instructions executable by at least one processor, the memory device comprising:

one or more instructions to access web sites based on input from a user;

one or more instructions to store, in a cache, web site identifiers and web site content associated with accessed web sites;

one or more instructions to receive one or more characters from the user via an alpha-numeric keypad;

one or more instructions to search a database to identify at least one first potential word or identifier based on receiving a first input from the user, where the database is different from the cache and stores words and phrases based on text included in messages sent or received by the user;

one or more instructions to receive an indication that the user did not select the identified at least one first potential word or identifier, based on receiving additional input from the user;

one or more instructions to search the web site identifiers and web site content stored in the cache to identify at least one second potential word or identifier which the user intends to input, based on the received first input and based on the received additional input; and

one or more instructions to provide the identified at least one second potential word or identifier to the user via a display.

20. The memory device of claim 19, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to:

receive selections from the user corresponding to words or identifiers provided via the display and that were identified from the cache; and

store the selected words or identifiers in the database, the database corresponding to a more permanent database than the cache.