Efficient method and apparatus for text entry based on trigger sequences
First Claim
1. A text-entry system based on trigger sequences comprising:
- 1) a plurality of keys,2) a plurality of printable symbols, said plurality of printable symbols comprising a set of pre-conversion symbols, a set of post-conversion symbols and a set of non-conversion symbols, such that at least one of said plurality of keys is assigned more than one pre-conversion symbols of said set of pre-conversion symbols, andsuch that at least one fixed sequence of keystrokes corresponds to more than one sequence of said pre-conversion symbols, andeach post-conversion symbol of said set of post-conversion symbols being set in a correspondence to at least one pre-conversion symbol,wherein said set of said pre-conversion symbols is disjoint from said set said of post-conversion symbols such that no sequence of pre-conversion symbols is equal to any sequence of post-conversion symbols;
3) a plurality of non-printable symbols, each of which is generated by a keystroke on any one of said plurality of keys, including at least one key of said plurality of keys also having at least one of said pre-conversion symbols or at least one of said non-conversion symbols assigned to it, the plurality of non-printable symbols including a plurality of non-printable symbol-input-end symbols, wherein each non-printable symbol-input-end symbol generated by said at least one key is always generated if and only if one of said at least one of said pre-conversion symbols or said at least one of said non-conversion symbols assigned to said at least one key is displayed in response to a same keystroke which generates said non-printable symbol-input-end symbol;
4) a display to display said plurality of printable symbols,5) a first mechanism to display said plurality of printable symbols in response to keystrokes, and6) a second mechanism to recognize, upon generation of a non-printable symbol-input-end symbol of said plurality of non-printable symbol-input-end symbols, trigger sequences of keystrokes and thereby trigger conversion of m pre-conversion symbols displayed on said display to n post-conversion symbols intended for display on said display,wherein m and n are integers, m≧
1, n≧
1, and m≧
n;
wherein each trigger sequence of keystrokes has two parts;
a) a first part comprising only keystrokes that are minimally required to display said m pre-conversion symbols, said m pre-conversion symbols corresponding to said n post-conversion symbols intended for display on said display, wherein said first part does not comprise a keystroke indicating an end to the entry of keystrokes corresponding to said m pre-conversion symbols, in addition to the minimally required keystrokes to display said m pre-conversion symbols; and
b) a second part including a keystroke on said at least one key, said keystroke triggering conversion of said m pre-conversion symbols into said n post-conversion symbols and at the same time displaying said n post-conversion symbols intended for display together with a pre-conversion symbol or a non-conversion symbol assigned to said at least one key.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Languages based in whole or in part on ideographic characters such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, are often are entered in a computerized text-entry system in a two-phase process. In the first phase, symbols from a first pre-conversion set are entered, then in the second phase, these pre-conversion symbols are converted into a second set of post-conversion symbols. This invention teaches a method and apparatus for the automatic conversion of pre-conversion symbols into post-conversion symbols without requiring an explicit conversion signal to be input by the user. It accomplishes this goal though the design of trigger sequences of keystrokes which are substantially functionally equivalent to an explicit conversion signal input by the user. An apparatus constructed according to the trigger sequence method is particularly well adapted for use on reduced keyboards, and in conjunction with predictive text-entry methods. Explicit constructions are shown for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
163 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A text-entry system based on trigger sequences comprising:
-
1) a plurality of keys, 2) a plurality of printable symbols, said plurality of printable symbols comprising a set of pre-conversion symbols, a set of post-conversion symbols and a set of non-conversion symbols, such that at least one of said plurality of keys is assigned more than one pre-conversion symbols of said set of pre-conversion symbols, and such that at least one fixed sequence of keystrokes corresponds to more than one sequence of said pre-conversion symbols, and each post-conversion symbol of said set of post-conversion symbols being set in a correspondence to at least one pre-conversion symbol, wherein said set of said pre-conversion symbols is disjoint from said set said of post-conversion symbols such that no sequence of pre-conversion symbols is equal to any sequence of post-conversion symbols; 3) a plurality of non-printable symbols, each of which is generated by a keystroke on any one of said plurality of keys, including at least one key of said plurality of keys also having at least one of said pre-conversion symbols or at least one of said non-conversion symbols assigned to it, the plurality of non-printable symbols including a plurality of non-printable symbol-input-end symbols, wherein each non-printable symbol-input-end symbol generated by said at least one key is always generated if and only if one of said at least one of said pre-conversion symbols or said at least one of said non-conversion symbols assigned to said at least one key is displayed in response to a same keystroke which generates said non-printable symbol-input-end symbol; 4) a display to display said plurality of printable symbols, 5) a first mechanism to display said plurality of printable symbols in response to keystrokes, and 6) a second mechanism to recognize, upon generation of a non-printable symbol-input-end symbol of said plurality of non-printable symbol-input-end symbols, trigger sequences of keystrokes and thereby trigger conversion of m pre-conversion symbols displayed on said display to n post-conversion symbols intended for display on said display, wherein m and n are integers, m≧
1, n≧
1, and m≧
n;wherein each trigger sequence of keystrokes has two parts; a) a first part comprising only keystrokes that are minimally required to display said m pre-conversion symbols, said m pre-conversion symbols corresponding to said n post-conversion symbols intended for display on said display, wherein said first part does not comprise a keystroke indicating an end to the entry of keystrokes corresponding to said m pre-conversion symbols, in addition to the minimally required keystrokes to display said m pre-conversion symbols; and b) a second part including a keystroke on said at least one key, said keystroke triggering conversion of said m pre-conversion symbols into said n post-conversion symbols and at the same time displaying said n post-conversion symbols intended for display together with a pre-conversion symbol or a non-conversion symbol assigned to said at least one key. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification