Navigational interface providing auxiliary character support for mobile and wearable computers

• US 7,719,521 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jinnai, Yusuke, Yang, Sheng-Lung, Shimada, Tetsurou
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad; Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): CERULLO, LILIANA P
• Application Number:
  US11/207,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20070040811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 345/171, 345/156, 345/173, 341/28
• US Class Current: 345/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/129 Handling non-Latin characters, e.g. kana-to-kanji conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A text input mechanism is provided especially for non-keyboard input devices for inputting text for languages that include large numbers of characters and that are not based on the Roman alphabets. Reading symbols of a language are presented to the user for selection. Reading symbols can be phonetic symbols for composing a pronunciation for a character in the language. Reading symbols can also be sub-characters that make up characters in the language. Upon a user specifying one or more reading symbols for a character, all characters in the language that match the specified reading symbols are dynamically identified and displayed to the user. The user can select the desired character from the displayed characters. The selected character is then entered into a computing system.

Claims

1. In a computing system, a method for inputting text to the computing system through a navigational interface including an input device, the method comprising:

receiving a selection stroke that begins on a central sensory portion of a sensor pattern of the navigational interface containing multiple sensory portions including the central sensory portion and a plurality of petal sensory portions;

displaying on a display reading symbols for a language, wherein the display comprises a central area and a periphery surrounding the central area, the periphery comprising a plurality of information elements each referencing a petal sensory portion of the plurality of petal sensory portions, the displaying comprising;

displaying consonants on the periphery;

after the consonants are displayed on the periphery and a user input is provided indicating that selection by a user of a consonant from the consonants is completed, displaying vowels and tones on the periphery by replacing the consonants with the vowels and tones; and

after the vowels and tones are displayed on the periphery and a user input is provided indicating that selection by the user of at least one vowel of the vowels and a tone of the tones is completed, displaying one or more candidate characters in the language based on the selected tone and the selected consonant and the selected at least one vowel; and

receiving one or more selection strokes selecting one or more of the reading symbols and the tone, comprising;

receiving at least one selection stroke of the one or more selection strokes selecting the consonant of the consonants;

while the consonants on the periphery are replaced with the vowels and tones, receiving at least one selection stroke of the one or more selection strokes selecting the at least one vowel of the vowels, and

receiving a selection stroke of the one or more selection strokes selecting the tone of the tones; and

while the vowels and tones on the periphery are replaced with the one or more candidate characters in the language generated based on the selected tone and the selected one or more of the reading symbols, receiving a character selection stroke selecting a character from the one or more candidate characters.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon receiving the character selection stroke, inputting the character to the computing system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the reading symbols include phonetic symbols for the language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the reading symbols include sub-characters used for composing characters in the language.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a language for the text, the determining includes:

receiving a language selection stroke identifying the language.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the one or more of the reading symbols for the language with the plurality of petal sensory portions, wherein the tones are associated with one petal sensory portion from the plurality of petal sensory portions.

7. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, that when executed, perform a method for inputting text to a computing system through a navigational interface including an input device, the method comprising:

receiving a selection stroke that begins on a central sensory portion of a sensor pattern of the navigational interface containing multiple sensory portions including the central sensory portion and a plurality of petal sensory portions;

displaying on a display reading symbols for a language, wherein the display comprises a central area and a periphery surrounding the central area, the periphery comprising a plurality of information elements each referencing a petal sensory portion of the plurality of petal sensory portions, the displaying comprising;

displaying consonants on the periphery;

after the consonants are displayed on the periphery and a user input is provided indicating that selection by a user of a consonant from the consonants is completed, displaying vowels and tones on the periphery by replacing the consonants with the vowels and tones; and

after the vowels and tones are displayed on the periphery and a user input is provided indicating that selection by the user of at least one vowel of the vowels and a tone of the tones is completed, displaying one or more candidate characters in the language based on the selected tone and the selected consonant and at least one vowel; and

receiving one or more selection strokes selecting one or more of the reading symbols and the tone, comprising;

while the consonants on the periphery are replaced with the vowels and tones,

receiving at least one selection stroke of the one or more selection strokes selecting the at least one vowel of the vowels;

receiving a selection stroke of the one or more selection strokes selecting the tone of the tones; and

while the vowels and tones on the periphery are replaced with the one or more candidate characters in the language generated based on the selected tone and the selected one or more of the reading symbols, displaying the selected tone and the selected one or more of the reading symbols on the central area of the display; and

receiving a character selection stroke selecting a character from the one or more candidate characters.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying the one or more candidate characters on the periphery; and

upon receiving the character selection stroke, inputting the character to the computing system.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more of the reading symbols include phonetic symbols for the language.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more of the reading symbols include sub-characters used for composing characters in the language.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

associating the one or more of the reading symbols for the language with the plurality of petal sensory portions.

12. A method for inputting text to a computing system through a navigational interface including an input device, the method comprising:

receiving a selection stroke that begins on a central sensory portion of a sensor pattern of the navigational interface containing multiple sensory portions including the central sensory portion and a plurality of petal sensory portions;

displaying on a display symbols corresponding to at least one language, wherein the display comprises a central area and a periphery surrounding the central area, the periphery comprising a plurality of information elements each referencing a petal sensory portion of the plurality of petal sensory portions;

selecting a symbol from the symbols, the symbol associated with a language from the at least one language;

displaying on a display a plurality of reading symbols associated with the language, the displaying comprising;

displaying consonants on the periphery;

after the consonants are displayed on the periphery and a user input is provided indicating that selection by a user of a consonant from the consonants is completed, displaying vowels and tones on the periphery by replacing the consonants with the vowels and tones; and

after the vowels and tones are displayed on the periphery and a user input is provided indicating that selection by the user of at least one vowel of the vowels and a tone of the tones is completed, displaying one or more candidate characters in the language based on the selected tone and the selected consonant and the selected at least one vowel; and

receiving selection strokes corresponding to reading symbols selected from the plurality of reading symbols and the tone, comprising;

selecting the consonant of the consonants;

while the consonants on the periphery are replaced with the vowels and tones,

receiving at least one selection stroke of the one or more selection strokes selecting the at least one vowel of the vowels, and

receiving a selection stroke of the one or more selection strokes selecting the tone of the tones; and

while the vowels and tones on the periphery are replaced with the one or more candidate characters in the language generated based on the selected tone and the selected reading symbols, displaying the selected tone and the selected reading symbols on the central area of the display; and

receiving a character selection stroke selecting the character from the one or more candidate characters.