Phonetic-based text input method

• US 8,200,475 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kotipalli, Krishna V
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Jialong
• Application Number:
  US10/777,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20050182616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,042 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/172, 341/22, 341/26, 709/246, 704/2, 704/3
• US Class Current: 704/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/126 Character encoding

Abstract

A method for transliterating languages in a computer system is disclosed. The method includes using a phonetic mapping engine to map languages to phonetic strings and vice versa. A user unfamiliar with a keyboard layout for a particular language may type phonetic strings using a known keyboard layout of a language known to the user. The typed input is captured by a keyboard hook, and based on a predefined phonetic mapping scheme, can be converted to the desired language.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for transliterating languages in a computing device comprising:

receiving a text string in a first alphabet on a keyboard, the text string inputted as a first keystroke typing sequence according to a first keyboard layout of the first alphabet, but the keyboard actually is of a second keyboard layout of a second alphabet, the second keyboard layout different from the first keyboard layout such that the text string is not inputted as a second keystroke typing sequence according to the second keyboard layout, the first keystroke typing sequence different from the second keystroke typing sequence; and

converting the text string in the first alphabet to a second text string in the second alphabet via a phonetic mapping scheme between the first alphabet and the second alphabet, such that the second text string corresponds to the second keystroke typing sequence, the phonetic mapping scheme configured to map respective characters of the second alphabet to one or more characters of the first alphabet.

2. The method of claim 1, the first alphabet different from the second alphabet.

3. The method of claim 1, the first alphabet comprising a first set of characters, the second alphabet comprising a second set of characters, the first set comprising at least one character not comprised in the second set, and the second set comprising at least one character not comprised in the first set.

4. The method of claim 1, the first alphabet comprising a first set of characters, the second alphabet comprising a second set of characters, a majority of characters comprised in the first set of characters not comprised in the second set, and a majority of characters comprised in the second set of characters not comprised in the first set.

5. The method of claim 1, the phonetic mapping scheme configured to map a first character of the second alphabet to two or more characters of the first alphabet.

6. The method of claim 5, the two or more characters of the first alphabet comprising a consonant and a vowel, the first character of the second alphabet comprising a consonant.

7. The method of claim 1, the text string typed by a user.

8. The method of claim 1, a scan code corresponding to at least one character of the text string in the first alphabet not equal to a scan code of a character in the second alphabet phonetically mapped to the at least one character of the text string in the first alphabet.

9. The method of claim 1, the first alphabet a Latin alphabet and the second alphabet an Indic alphabet.

10. A computer readable memory device comprising computer readable instructions for performing a method for transliterating languages, which when executed via a microprocessor perform actions comprising:

receiving a text string in a first alphabet on a keyboard the text string inputted as a first keystroke typing sequence according to a first keyboard layout of the first alphabet, but the keyboard actually is of a second keyboard layout of a second alphabet, the second keyboard layout different from the first keyboard layout such that the text string is not inputted as a second keystroke typing sequence according to the second keyboard layout, the first keystroke typing sequence different from the second keystroke typing sequence; and

converting the text string in the first alphabet to a second text string in the second alphabet via a phonetic mapping scheme between the first alphabet and the second alphabet, such that the second text string corresponds to the second keystroke typing sequence, the phonetic mapping scheme configured to map respective characters of the second alphabet to one or more characters of the first alphabet.

11. The computer readable memory device of claim 10, a scan code corresponding to at least one character of the text string in the first alphabet not equal to a scan code of a character in the second alphabet phonetically mapped to the at least one character of the text string in the first alphabet.

12. The computer readable memory device of claim 10, the first alphabet different from the second alphabet.

13. The computer readable memory device of claim 12, the text string in the first alphabet comprising at least one character that is not present in the second text string in the second alphabet.

14. The computer readable memory device of claim 10, the keyboard labeled with characters of the second alphabet.

15. The computer readable memory device of claim 10, the actions comprising:

if a determination is made that the phonetic mapping scheme between the first alphabet and the second alphabet is not available, converting the text string in the first alphabet to a third text string in a third alphabet via a second phonetic mapping scheme between the first alphabet and the third alphabet, and converting the third text string in the third alphabet to a fourth text string in the second alphabet via a third phonetic mapping scheme between the third alphabet and the second alphabet.

16. The computer readable memory device of claim 15, the first alphabet a Latin alphabet, the second alphabet a non-Latin alphabet, and the third alphabet a non-Latin alphabet, a majority of characters of the first alphabet not comprised in the second alphabet.

17. A system for transliterating languages comprising:

a processing unit; and

memory operatively coupled to the processing unit and comprising instructions that when executed by the processing unit perform a method comprising;

receiving a text string in a first alphabet on a keyboard, the text string inputted as a first keystroke typing sequence according to a first keyboard layout of the first alphabet, but the keyboard actually is of a second keyboard layout of a second alphabet, the second keyboard layout different from the first keyboard layout such that the text string is not inputted as a second keystroke typing sequence according to the second keyboard layout, the first keystroke typing sequence different from the second keystroke typing sequence; and

converting the text string in the first alphabet to a second text string in the second alphabet via a phonetic mapping scheme between the first alphabet and the second alphabet,-such that the second text string corresponds to the second keystroke typing sequence, the phonetic mapping scheme configured to map respective characters of the second alphabet to one or more characters of the first alphabet.

18. The system of claim 17, comprising:

if a determination is made that the phonetic mapping scheme between the first alphabet and the second alphabet is not available, converting the text string in the first alphabet to a third text string in a third alphabet via a second phonetic mapping scheme between the first alphabet and the third alphabet, and converting the third text string in the third alphabet to a fourth text string in the second alphabet via a third phonetic mapping scheme between the third alphabet and the second alphabet.

19. The system of claim 17, comprising providing a hooked input for display to a user, the hooked input comprising the text string in the first alphabet and the second text string in the second alphabet.

20. The system of claim 17, comprising sending the second text string in the second alphabet to an active application in response to receiving a termination character.