User interface with augmented searching characteristics

• US 7,907,122 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ZI Corporation of Canada Incorporated (Cerence Inc.)
• Inventors: LaPointe, Jacques, Simpson, Todd, Templeton-Steadman, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen; Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): MISHLER, ROBIN J
• Application Number:
  US11/294,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2748 by matching character strings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

Appliances, methods and devices are disclosed in which a first selection corresponding to symbols is used to identify a non-information function. An object corresponding to the non-information function may be provided and selected to indicate a user'"'"'s desire to execute tasks of the function. Upon receiving the user'"'"'s selection, the function may be executed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an input device including multiple keys, where each key represents one or more symbols and multiple of the keys represent multiple symbols, where said symbols include at least letters and numbers;

a display; and

a processor in communication with the input device and the display;

the processor being programmed to perform operations including;

(a) providing a number of predetermined user-activated application programs, each program correlated with one of multiple predetermined icons, and each program additionally correlated with one or more predetermined words;

(b) receiving identification of one or more user-selected keypresses entered via the input device;

(c) identifying candidate words partially or completely spelled-out by the user-selected keypresses, with each keypress contributing one symbol represented by said keypress toward construction of a word in order of said keypresses;

(d) for each candidate word correlated with one of the predetermined programs, causing the display to present the predetermined icon correlated with the predetermined program, and for each of the predetermined programs not correlated with any of the candidate words, causing the display to omit presentation of the predetermined icon correlated with said predetermined program;

(e) concurrent with operation (d), causing the display to present one or more numerical sequences representing the keypresses, and causing the display to present contacts directory or calendar data responsive to said contacts directory or calendar containing any of the candidate words or numerical sequences, and causing the display to present any dialed or received telephone numbers partially or completely matching any of the numerical sequences;

(f) responsive to receiving additional user-selected keypresses entered via the input device, repeating operations (c) and (d) and (e).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the processor is further programmed to perform operations comprising:

responsive to a candidate word being correlated with multiple predetermined programs, causing the display to present the predetermined icon correlated with each of said multiple programs.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, where said predetermined programs include any of:

commencing a pre-programmed facility of the apparatus, requiring further user input to specify an action for the processor to carry out;

the processor executing a predetermined program without further user input.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, where at least one of the predetermined programs is correlated with multiple different words having different roots.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, where correlation of words to predetermined programs is established by any of:

preprogramming of the processor;

user designation.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, where the predetermined program of commencing a pre-programmed facility of the apparatus includes:

commencing a camera facility of the apparatus, where further user input is required to specify actions including;

taking a photograph and storing said photograph;

taking a photograph and sending said photograph to a recipient without storing said photograph; and

sending a previously stored photograph.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, where the processor is programmed to perform further operations including:

responsive to the operation of receiving identification of one or more user-selected keypresses entered via the input device, displaying one or more text entries represented by the keypresses including any of;

a numerical sequence, a text string, one or more of the candidate words; and

responsive to user selection of one of the displayed text entries, the processor entering the user selected text in a program requiring user input.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, where the user-selected keypresses include multiple keypresses of keys representing multiple symbols, and the operation (c) includes identifying candidate words partially or completely spelled-out by the user-selected keypresses including all possibilities of the multiple symbols from the keys representing multiple symbols.

8. A process of operating a computer-driven apparatus including an input device including multiple keys, where each key represents one or more symbols and multiple of the keys represent multiple symbols, where said symbols include at least letters and numbers, where the apparatus includes a number of predetermined user-activated application programs, and each program is correlated with one of multiple predetermined icons, and each program is additionally correlated with one or more predetermined words, where the process comprises computer-driven operations of:

(a) receiving identification of one or more user-selected keypresses entered via the input device;

(b) according to the keypresses, performing operations as follows;

(b1) identifying one or more candidate words partially or completely spelled-out by the user-selected keypresses, with each keypress contributing one symbol represented by said keypress toward construction of a word in order of said keypresses;

(b2) for each candidate word correlated with one of the predetermined programs, causing a display to present the predetermined icon correlated with the predetermined program, and for each of the predetermined programs not correlated with any of the candidate words, causing the display to omit presentation of the predetermined icon correlated with said predetermined program;

(b3) concurrent with operation (b2), causing the display to present a numerical sequence representing the keypresses;

(b4) concurrent with operation (b2), causing the display to present contacts directory or calendar data responsive to said contacts directory or calendar containing any of the candidate words;

(b5) concurrent with operation (b2), causing the display to present dialed or received telephone numbers partially or completely matching the keypresses; and

(b6) concurrent with operation (b2), causing the display to present one or more of the candidate words.

9. The process of claim 8, further comprising the following operations responsive to the input device receiving implicit or explicit user selection of any item presented by operations (b2) through (b5):

in the case of an icon presented by operation (b2) and selected by the user, invoking the predetermined program correlated with the selected icon;

in the case of a numerical sequence presented by operation (b3) and selected by the user, dialing a telephone call using the selected numerical sequence;

in the case of a calendar or contacts entry data presented by operation (b4) and selected by the user, displaying the selected contacts or calendar data;

in the case of a dialed or received telephone number presented by operation (b5) and selected by the user, placing a telephone call to the selected dialed or received number;

in the case of a candidate word presented by operation (b6) and selected by the user, inserting the selected candidate word into a text application.

11. A computer readable storage device having stored thereon instructions that are executable by a computer, the instructions being capable of causing a computer to perform the operations of claim 8.

14. A computer readable storage device having stored thereon instructions that are executable by a computer, the instructions being capable of causing a computer to perform the operations of claim 8.

10. A process of operating a computer-driven apparatus including an input device including multiple keys, where each key represents one or more symbols and multiple of the keys represent multiple symbols, where said symbols include at least letters and numbers, where the apparatus includes a number of predetermined user-activated application programs, and each program is correlated with one of multiple predetermined icons, and each program is additionally correlated with one or more predetermined words, and the apparatus also includes a display and a processor in communication with the input device and the display, and the process comprises computer-driven operations of:

(a) receiving identification of one or more user-selected keypresses entered via the input device;

(b) identifying candidate words partially or completely spelled-out by the user-selected keypresses, with each keypress contributing one symbol represented by said keypress toward construction of a word in order of said keypresses;

(c) for each candidate word correlated with one of the predetermined programs, causing the display to present the predetermined icon correlated with the predetermined program, and for each of the predetermined programs not correlated with any of the candidate words, causing the display to omit presentation of the predetermined icon correlated with said predetermined program;

(d) concurrent with operation (c), causing the display to present one or more numerical sequences representing the keypresses, and causing the display to present contacts directory or calendar data responsive to said contacts directory or calendar containing any of the candidate words or numerical sequences, and causing the display to present any dialed or received telephone numbers partially or completely matching any of the numerical sequences;

(e) responsive to receiving additional user-selected keypresses entered via the input device, repeating operations (c) and (d) and (e).

12. An apparatus comprising:

a keypad including multiple keys, where each key represents one or more symbols and multiple of the keys represent multiple symbols, where said symbols include at least letters and numbers;

a display; and

at least one processor in communication with the keypad and the display, the processor being programmed to perform operations including;

(a) providing a number of predetermined user-activated programs, each program correlated with one of multiple predetermined icons, and each program additionally correlated with one or more predetermined words;

(b) via the keypad, receiving signals representing a sequence of user-selected keypresses in an order, the sequence of keypresses representing an intended series of symbols, where resolution of the intended series of symbols is ambiguous because some or all of the keypresses concurrently represent multiple symbols;

(c) according to the keypresses, performing operations as follows;

(c1) identifying one or more candidate words partially or completely spelled-out by the user-selected keypresses, with each keypress contributing one symbol represented by said keypress toward construction of a word in order of said keypresses;

(c2) for each candidate word correlated with one of the predetermined programs, causing the display to present the predetermined icon correlated with the predetermined program, and for each of the predetermined programs not correlated with any of the candidate words, causing the display to omit presentation of the predetermined icon correlated with said predetermined program;

(c3) concurrent with operation (c2), causing the display to present a numerical sequence representing the keypresses;

(c4) concurrent with operation (c2), causing the display to present contacts directory or calendar data responsive to said contacts directory or calendar containing any of the candidate words;

(c5) concurrent with operation (c2), causing the display to present one or more dialed or received telephone numbers partially or completely matching the keypresses; and

(c6) concurrent with operation (c2), causing the display to present one or more independently selectable text objects each text object comprising one of the candidate words.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the processor further programmed to perform the following operations responsive to the input device receiving implicit or explicit user selection of any item presented by operations (c2) through (c6):

in the case of an icon presented by operation (c2) and selected by the user, invoking the predetermined program correlated with the selected icon;

in the case of a numerical sequence presented by operation (c3) and selected by the user, dialing a telephone call using the selected numerical sequence;

in the case of a calendar or contacts entry data presented by operation (c4) and selected by the user, displaying the selected contacts or calendar data;

in the case of a dialed or received telephone number presented by operation (c5) and selected by the user, placing a telephone call to the selected dialed or received number;

in the case of a candidate word presented by operation (c6) and selected by the user, inserting the selected candidate word into a text application.

16. A mobile computing device comprising:

a keypad including multiple keys, where each key represents one or more symbols and multiple of the keys represent multiple symbols, where said symbols include at least letters and numbers;

a display;

storage containing application programs, each application program having a predetermined association with at least one access word, some of the application programs associated with multiple different access words; and

a processor in communication with the input device and the display;

the processor programmed to perform operations including;

via the keypad, receiving signals representing a sequence of user-selected keypresses in an order, the sequence of keypresses representing an intended series of symbols, where resolution of the intended series of symbols is ambiguous because some or all of the keypresses concurrently represent multiple symbols;

interpreting the sequence of keypresses to yield multiple candidate text strings partially or completely entered by the user-selected keypresses, with each keypress contributing one symbol represented by said keypress toward construction of a text string in order of said keypresses;

concurrently performing operations comprising;

for each interpretation of the keypress sequence yielding a word, presenting each of the following for user selection;

the word presented as an independently selectable text object, and a predetermined icon representing each application program having an access word matching the yielded word, and from a calendar or contacts directory any entries containing the yielded word;

for each interpretation of the keypress sequence yielding a number, presenting each of the following for user selection;

a raw numerical sequence representing the keypresses, and any dialed and/or received telephone numbers partially or completely matching the number, and from a calendar or contacts directory any entries containing the number;

responsive to user input selecting one of the presented text objects, entering the text object into an application program utilizing text input;

responsive to user input selecting one of the presented icons, activating the program represented by the icon independent of any particular data object;

responsive to user input selecting a presented number, entering the number into a dialer or an application program utilizing text or numerical input;

responsive to user input selecting a presented dialed or received telephone number, initiating a telephone call to the selected number; and

responsive to user input selecting a presented calendar or contacts directory entry, displaying or editing the selected entry.