Method and apparatus for predicting text

• US 8,195,448 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Exponent Group Trust
• Original Assignee: Exponent Group Trust
• Inventors: Dargan, John Paisley
• Primary Examiner(s): Godbold, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUERRA-ERAZO, EDGAR X
• Application Number:
  US11/849,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 704/4, 704/6, 704/9, 704/10, 704/251, 704/257
• US Class Current: 704/10
• 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

Abstract

A method for text prediction for cell phone text messaging or for other applications. The preferred embodiment for predictive text involves the use of weighted positional digrams and a partial word dataset as well as optional elements involving three different types of voice recognition. Alternative embodiments involve the use of trigrams and quadgrams. The use of this text prediction system for a crossword game application is also described.

Claims

1. A method of predicting letters in a word being typed comprising the steps of:

a) considering a letter entered into a text receiving apparatus by a user by pressing a key on the text receiving apparatus, the text receiving apparatus having a plurality of keys to enter text and at least one of the plurality of keys having at least two letters assigned thereto;

b) providing a partial word list, the partial word list having a predetermined number of portions of words and at least one following letter associated with each word portion, wherein each of the at least one following letters immediately follows each of the word portions and each of the word portions includes the first letter of each of the word portions;

c) comparing at least one letter previously entered into the text receiving apparatus with the partial word list;

d) suggesting only a single letter to the user, the single letter being the at least one following letter to be added to the at least one previously entered letter based on the partial word list and the pressed key.

2. The method of predicting letters according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a) providing a set of digrams, the digrams comprising two letter combinations, each of the digrams having assigned a weighted value representing a frequency of occurrence in a given word based on a location of the digram in the word being typed;

b) considering the letter entered into a text messaging apparatus by a user by pressing one of the plurality of keys on the text receiving apparatus when the at least one previously entered letter entered into the text receiving apparatus is not present in the partial word list;

c) suggesting a following letter that would come after the at least one previously entered letter from the list of digrams when one of the plurality of keys is pressed, the suggested following letter being based on the pressed key and also on a location of the at least one previously entered letter and the suggested following letter in the word and frequency of the occurrence of a resulting digram of the at least one previously entered letter and suggested letter in the location in the word being typed.

3. The method of predicting letters according to claim 2, further comprising the step of providing a key on the text receiving apparatus having associated therewith a cycle function, the cycle function causing the next letter associated with a previously pressed key to be selected for input into the text receiving apparatus when the cycle key is activated.

4. The method of predicting letters according to claim 2, further comprising the step of providing a microphone for orally entering a letter into the text receiving apparatus.

5. The method of predicting letters according to claim 4, wherein the orally entered letter alters the suggested following letter, the orally entered letter being assigned to the same key as the suggested letter.

6. The method of predicting letters according to claim 4, wherein the orally entered letter comprises only vowels.

7. The method of predicting letters according to claim 2, further comprising the step of providing a microphone for orally entering words into the text receiving apparatus, wherein the words being entered orally including a predetermined number of words.

8. The method of predicting letters according to claim 7, wherein the words being entered orally having no more than five letters.

9. The method of predicting letters in a word according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

providing a set of predetermined number of multi-grams, the multi-grams having two letter and three letter combinations, and at least one following letter associated with each multi-gram;

considering at least one previously entered letter by the user;

suggesting the at least one following letter to be added to the at least one previously entered letter based on the pressed key and also on the at least one previously entered letter.

10. A method of predicting letters in a word being typed comprising the steps of:

a) providing a partial word list, the partial word list having a predetermined number of portions of words and at least one following letter associated with each word portion, wherein each of the at least one following letters immediately follows each of the word portions and each of the word portions includes the first letter of the word;

b) providing a set of digrams, the digrams comprising two letter combinations, each of the digrams having assigned a value representing a frequency of occurrence in a given word based on a location of the digram in the word being typed;

c) considering at least one letter previously entered into a text messaging apparatus by a user, the text messaging apparatus having a plurality of keys to enter text and at least one of the plurality of keys having at least two letters assigned thereto;

d) suggesting only a single letter to the user, the single letter being the at least one following letter to be added to the at least one previously entered letter of a word entered by a user based on the partial word list when the at least one previously entered letter of a word is present in the partial word list;

e) suggesting a single following letter that would come after the previously entered letter from the list of digrams when the at least one previously entered letter is not present in the partial word list, the suggested following letter being suggested based on the pressed key and also on a location of the at least one previously entered letter and the suggested letter in the word and frequency of the occurrence of a resulting digram of the at least one previously entered letter and suggested letter in the location in the word being typed; and

f) repeating steps c) through e) until the word is complete.

11. A method of predicting letters in a word being typed comprising the steps of:

a) providing a set of digrams, the digrams comprising only two letter combinations, each of the digrams having assigned a value representing a frequency of occurrence in a given word based on a location of the digram in the word being typed;

b) considering at least one letter previously entered into a text messaging apparatus by a user, the text messaging apparatus having a plurality of keys to enter text and at least one of the plurality of keys having at least two letters assigned thereto;

c) suggesting a following letter that would come after the previously entered letter from the list of digrams, the suggested following letter being suggested based on the pressed key and also on a location of the at least one previously entered letter and the suggested letter in the word and frequency of the occurrence of a resulting digram of the at least one previously entered letter and suggested letter in the location in the word being typed; and

d) repeating steps b) and c) until the word is complete.

12. A method of predicting letters in a word being typed comprising the steps of:

1) performing a first check comprising the steps of;

a) considering a letter entered into a text receiving apparatus by a user by pressing a key on the text receiving apparatus, the text receiving apparatus having a plurality of keys to enter text and at least one of the plurality of keys having at least two letters assigned thereto;

b) providing a partial word list, the partial word list having a predetermined number of portions of words and at least one following letter associated with each word portion, wherein each of the at least one following letters immediately follows each of the word portions and each of the word portions includes the first letter of each of the word portions;

c) comparing at least one letter previously entered into the text receiving apparatus with the partial word list;

d) suggesting only a single letter to the user, the single letter being the at least one following letter to be added to the at least one previously entered letter based on the partial word list and the pressed key; and

2) if no match is found, performing a second check comprising the steps of;

a) providing a set of digrams, the digrams comprising two letter combinations, each of the digrams having assigned a weighted value representing a frequency of occurrence in a given word based on a location of the digram in the word being typed;

b) considering the letter entered into a text messaging apparatus by a user by pressing one of the plurality of keys on the text receiving apparatus when the at least one previously entered letter entered into the text receiving apparatus is not present in the partial word list;

c) suggesting a following letter that would come after the at least one previously entered letter from the list of digrams when one of the plurality of keys is pressed, the suggested following letter being based on the pressed key and also on a location of the at least one previously entered letter and the suggested following letter in the word and frequency of the occurrence of a resulting digram of the at least one previously entered letter and suggested letter in the location in the word being typed.

13. A method of predicting letters according to claim 12, wherein the second check is performed prior to the first check.