Handheld electronic device and method for performing optimized spell checking during text entry by providing a sequentially ordered series of spell-check algorithms

• US 8,392,831 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Fux, Vadim, Rubanovich, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): RIES, LAURIE ANNE
• Application Number:
  US12/871,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 715/256, 715/257
• US Class Current: 715/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with a disambiguation routine that is operable to disambiguate text input. In addition to identifying and outputting representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a text input, the device is able to perform a spell check routine during input of a text entry. The spell check routine subjects a text entry to a sequentially ordered series of spell-check algorithms and ceases subjecting the text entry to further spell-check algorithms upon identification of a predetermined quantity of spell-check language objects.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a spell-check operation on a handheld electronic device having stored for execution thereon a number of sequentially ordered spell-check algorithms, the method comprising:

subjecting a text entry on the handheld electronic device to a spell-check algorithm to obtain a resultant expression, and seeking for inclusion in a list any language object determined to be consistent with the resultant expression;

subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to misspelling if the quantity of language objects in the list has not reached a predetermined quantity; and

subsequent to said subjecting the text entry to the first spell-check algorithm related to misspelling, and if the quantity of language objects in the list has not reached the predetermined quantity, subjecting the text entry to at least a first spell-check algorithm related to mistyping.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising subjecting the text entry to at least a first spell-check algorithm related to character configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing as the at least first spell-check algorithm related to character configuration at least a first spell-check algorithm related to ignoring at least one of capitalization and accenting.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ceasing said subjecting and said seeking as to further spell-check algorithms if the quantity of language objects in the list reaches the predetermined quantity.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing as the first spell-check algorithm related to misspelling a first spell-check algorithm related to phonetic replacement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing as the first spell-check algorithm related to mistyping one of:

a spell-check algorithm related to missing character insertion;

a spell-check algorithm related to character swapping;

a spell-check algorithm related to character omission;

a spell-check algorithm related to one of insertion of a <

SPACE>

and separation of the entry into a pair of separate sub-entries; and

a spell-check algorithm related to character exchange.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing as the first spell-check algorithm related to mistyping any two of the following in the gross order of:

a spell-check algorithm related to missing character insertion;

a spell-check algorithm related to character swapping;

a spell-check algorithm related to character omission;

a spell-check algorithm related to one of insertion of a <

SPACE>

and separation of the entry into a pair of separate sub-entries; and

a spell-check algorithm related to character exchange.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, subsequent to said subjecting the text entry to the first spell-check algorithm related to mistyping, and if the quantity of language objects in the list has not reached the predetermined quantity, subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to metaphone analysis.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising employing as the first spell-check algorithm related to metaphone analysis at least a first spell-check algorithm related to generation of a metaphone regular expression.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, subsequent to said subjecting the text entry to the first spell-check algorithm related to generation of a metaphone regular expression, and if the quantity of language objects in the list has not reached the predetermined quantity, subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to metaphone manipulation.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising employing as the first spell-check algorithm related to metaphone manipulation one of:

a spell-check algorithm related to missing metaphone key insertion;

a spell-check algorithm related to metaphone key swapping;

a spell-check algorithm related to metaphone key omission; and

a spell-check algorithm related to metaphone key exchange.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising employing as the first spell-check algorithm related to metaphone manipulation any two of the following in the gross order of:

a spell-check algorithm related to missing metaphone key insertion;

a spell-check algorithm related to metaphone key swapping;

a spell-check algorithm related to metaphone key omission; and

a spell-check algorithm related to metaphone key exchange.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising, subsequent to said subjecting the text entry to the first spell-check algorithm related to mistyping, and prior to said subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to metaphone analysis, and if the quantity of language objects in the list has not reached the predetermined quantity, subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to a predetermined affixation rule.

14. A handheld electronic device comprising an input apparatus, a processor apparatus, and an output apparatus, the input apparatus comprising a number of input keys, at least two of the input keys having a number of linguistic elements assigned thereto, at least two of the input keys each having as the number of linguistic elements assigned thereto a plurality of linguistic elements, the processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory having stored therein a plurality of objects comprising a plurality of language objects, at least two of the language objects each comprising a number of the linguistic elements, the memory having stored therein a number of routines which, when executed by the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to be adapted to perform operations comprising:

subjecting a text entry to a spell-check algorithm to obtain a resultant expression, and seeking for inclusion in a list any language object determined to be consistent with the resultant expression;

subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to misspelling if the quantity of language objects in the list has not reached a predetermined quantity; and

subsequent to said subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to misspelling, and if the quantity of language objects in the list has not reached the predetermined quantity, subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to mistyping.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise subjecting the text entry to a first spell-check algorithm related to character configuration.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise employing as the first spell-check algorithm related to character configuration a first spell-check algorithm related to ignoring one of capitalization and accenting.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise, ceasing said subjecting and said seeking as to further spell-check algorithms if the quantity of language objects in the list reaches the predetermined quantity.