Handheld electronic device and method for disambiguation of text input and providing spelling substitution

• US 7,786,979 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Rubanovich, Dan, Fux, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): DHARIA, PRABODH M
• Application Number:
  US11/331,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20070165003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-173, 345/184, 715810-816, 715/236, 715/257, 715/745, 715261-263, 715/215, 341 20- 23, 704 1- 10, 708/446
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software that is operable to disambiguate text input. The device is structured to identify and output representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a text input. The device is additionally structured to identify and output representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a known spelling substitution particular to a language active on the handheld electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of enabling an input into a handheld electronic device of a type including an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having stored therein a plurality of objects including a plurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects, at least some of the language objects each being associated with an associated frequency object, the input apparatus including a plurality of input members, each of at least some of the input members having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto, the method comprising:

detecting an ambiguous input comprising a number of actuations of a number of the input members, at least one of the number of the input members having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto;

generating a number of prefix objects each having a number of the linguistic elements of the number of input members;

identifying a spelling substitution for at least a portion of at least one of the prefix objects;

generating a prefix object having the spelling substitution;

identifying a language object corresponding with the prefix object having the spelling substitution; and

outputting the at least one of the prefix objects in place of the prefix object having the spelling substitution.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the input is in a predetermined language, and further comprising identifying as the spelling substitution an spelling substitution specific to the predetermined language.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising failing to find a language object corresponding with the at least one of the prefix objects and, responsive thereto, initiating said identifying an spelling substitution.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

obtaining an associated frequency object associated with the identified language object and having a frequency value; and

associating the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the at least one of the prefix objects.

5. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory having stored therein a plurality of objects comprising a plurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects, at least some of the language objects each being associated with an associated frequency object;

an input apparatus comprising a plurality of input members actuatable to provide input to the processor apparatus, each of at least some of the input members having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto;

an output apparatus structured to receive output signals from the processor and to provide output;

responsive to an ambiguous input comprising a number of actuations of a number of input members, at least one of which having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto, the processor apparatus being structured to generate a number of prefix objects that each include a number of the linguistic elements of the number of input members;

the processor apparatus being structured to identify an spelling substitution for at least a portion of at least one of the prefix objects and to generate a prefix object having the spelling substitution;

the processor apparatus being structured to identify a language object corresponding with the prefix object having the spelling substitution; and

the output apparatus being structured to output the at least one of the prefix objects in place of the prefix object having the spelling substitution.

6. The handheld electronic device of claim 5 wherein the input is in a predetermined language, and wherein the processor apparatus is structured to identify as the spelling substitution an spelling substitution specific to the predetermined language.

7. The handheld electronic device of claim 5 wherein the processor apparatus is structured to fail to find a language object corresponding with the at least one of the prefix objects and, responsive thereto, to initiate identifying said spelling substitution.

8. The handheld electronic device of claim 7 wherein the processor apparatus is structured to:

obtain an associated frequency object associated with the identified language object and having a frequency value; and

associate the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the at least one of the prefix objects.