Handheld electronic device and method employing logical proximity of characters in spell checking

• US 8,296,128 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fux, Vadim, Elizarov, Michael, Kolomiets, Sergey V.
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US13/088,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20110197127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/8, 704/9, 704/10, 345/171, 715/257
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries

Abstract

An improved handheld electronic device and associated method employing an improved spell checking routine enable proposed spelling corrections having a close logical proximity to an active input to be output at a position of preference for easy selection by the user. By way of example, a base character and the various accented forms thereof can be said to have a logical proximity to one another that is closer than their logical proximity to any character having a different base character, whether additionally having a diacritical element or not.

Claims

1. A method of enabling input on an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving an input comprising a series of key selections;

determining base characters for the series of the key selections;

generating a first proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference;

generating a second proposed spelling correction comprising at least one base character difference from the input; and

outputting both the first proposed spelling correction and the second proposed spelling correction, the output promoting a first type of spelling correction over a second type of spelling correction;

wherein the first type of spelling correction, including the first proposed spelling correction, contains differences from the input, the differences selected from a set of diacritical differences; and

wherein the second type of spelling correction, including the second proposed spelling correction, contains spelling corrections having at least one base character difference from the input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference, wherein the third proposed spelling correction differs from the first proposed spelling correction and is a first type of spelling correction;

determining a preferred proposed spelling correction and an alternate proposed spelling correction using linguistic rules to choose between the first proposed spelling correction and the third proposed spelling correction; and

outputting the preferred proposed spelling correction as preferred over the alternate proposed spelling correction and the alternate proposed spelling correction as preferred over the second proposed spelling correction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference, wherein the third proposed spelling correction differs from the first proposed spelling correction and is a first type of spelling correction;

determining a preferred proposed spelling correction and an alternate proposed spelling correction, wherein the preferred proposed spelling correction has a highest associated frequency value between a frequency value associated with the first proposed spelling correction and a frequency value associated with the third proposed spelling correction; and

outputting the preferred proposed spelling correction as preferred over the alternate proposed spelling correction and the alternate proposed spelling correction as preferred over the second proposed spelling correction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first proposed spelling correction is output in a list at a higher position than the second proposed spelling correction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one diacritical difference comprises the input having a diacritical form of a character and a corresponding character of the first proposed spelling correction being a non-diacritical form thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one diacritical difference comprises the input having a diacritical form of a character and a corresponding character of the first proposed spelling correction being a different diacritical form thereof.

7. A user interface for enabling input on an electronic device comprising:

a processor;

an input apparatus comprising a plurality of keys for receiving an input comprising a number of key selections and for providing signals reflecting the key selections to the processor;

an output apparatus for receiving output signals from the processor, the output signals representing an output of a first proposed spelling correction of a first type of spelling correction, and a second proposed spelling correction of a second type of spelling correction, the output promoting a first type of spelling correction over a second type of spelling correction; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein a number of routines that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform operations comprising;

determining base characters for the series of the key selections,

generating the first proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference, and

generating the second proposed spelling correction comprising at least one base character difference from the input;

wherein the first type of spelling correction, including the first proposed spelling correction, contains differences from the input, the differences selected from a set of diacritical differences; and

wherein the second type of spelling correction, including the second proposed spelling correction, contains spelling corrections having at least one base character difference from the input.

8. The user interface of claim 7, wherein the electronic device further performs the operations of:

generating a third proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference, wherein the third proposed spelling correction differs from the first proposed spelling correction and is a first type of spelling correction;

determining a preferred proposed spelling correction and an alternate proposed spelling correction using linguistic rules to choose between the first proposed spelling correction and the third proposed spelling correction; and

generating output signals indicating the preferred proposed spelling correction is preferred over the alternate proposed spelling correction and the alternate proposed spelling correction is preferred over the second proposed spelling correction.

9. The user interface of claim 7, wherein the electronic device further performs the operations of:

generating a third proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference, wherein the third proposed spelling correction differs from the first proposed spelling correction and is a first type of spelling correction;

determining a preferred proposed spelling correction and an alternate proposed spelling correction, wherein the preferred proposed spelling correction has a highest associated frequency value between a frequency value associated with the first proposed spelling correction and a frequency value associated with the third proposed spelling correction; and

generating output signals indicating the preferred proposed spelling correction is preferred over the alternate proposed spelling correction and the alternate proposed spelling correction is preferred over the second proposed spelling correction.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

an input apparatus for providing signals reflecting input to the processor, the input apparatus comprising a plurality of keys;

an output apparatus for receiving output signals from the processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein a number of routines that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform operations comprising;

receiving an input comprising a series of key selections,

determining base characters for the series of the key selections,

generating a first proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference,

generating a second proposed spelling correction comprising at least one base character difference from the input, and

outputting the first proposed spelling correction and the second proposed spelling correction, the output promoting a first type of spelling correction over a second type of spelling correction;

wherein the first type of spelling correction, including the first proposed spelling correction, contains differences from the input, the differences selected from a set of diacritical differences; and

wherein the second type of spelling correction, including the second proposed spelling correction, contains spelling corrections having at least one base character difference from the input.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the electronic device further performs the operations of:

generating a third proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference, wherein the third proposed spelling correction differs from the first proposed spelling correction and is a first type of spelling correction;

determining a preferred proposed spelling correction and an alternate proposed spelling correction using linguistic rules to choose between the first proposed spelling correction and the third proposed spelling correction; and

outputting the preferred proposed spelling correction as preferred over the alternate proposed spelling correction and the alternate proposed spelling correction as preferred over the second proposed spelling correction.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the electronic device further performs the operations of:

generating a third proposed spelling correction comprising the base characters of the input and at least one diacritical difference, wherein the third proposed spelling correction differs from the first proposed spelling correction and is a first type of spelling correction;

determining a preferred proposed spelling correction and an alternate proposed spelling correction, wherein the preferred proposed spelling correction has a highest associated frequency value between a frequency value associated with the first proposed spelling correction and a frequency value associated with the third proposed spelling correction; and

outputting the preferred proposed spelling correction as preferred over the alternate proposed spelling correction and the alternate proposed spelling correction as preferred over the second proposed spelling correction.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the input apparatus comprises a touch-screen.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one diacritical difference comprises the input having a diacritical form of a character and a corresponding character of the first proposed spelling correction being a non-diacritical form thereof.

15. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one diacritical difference comprises the input having a diacritical form of a character and a corresponding character of the first proposed spelling correction being a different diacritical form thereof.