Handheld electronic device and associated method employing a multiple-axis input device and learning a context of a text input for use by a disambiguation routine

• US 8,417,855 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fux, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Nam, Hyun
• Application Number:
  US13/274,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 710/5, 710/67
• US Class Current: 710/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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 disambiguation software 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 employ contextual data in certain circumstances to prioritize output and to learn new contextual data.

Claims

1. A method of enabling input into a handheld electronic device that comprises a processor and a memory storing a plurality of language objects and contextual data, the method comprising:

detecting a first language object as a first input;

detecting as a second input an input that comprises one or more key selections;

outputting at least a portion of a particular language object and another language object as proposed interpretations of the second input, the at least a portion of the particular language object being output at a position of preference with respect to the at least a portion of the another language object;

detecting a selection of the at least a portion of the another language object; and

responsive to the selection of the at least a portion of the another language object, storing in a data file a key object based on the another language object and an associated contextual value object based on the first language object,

wherein the associated contextual value object is identified based on the key object occurring at a statistically significant incidence with the another language object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying as the particular language object a language object of a length equal to that of the second input;

identifying as the another language object a language object of a length equal to that of the second input; and

responsive thereto, initiating said storing.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting an input from a touch screen display as the selection of the portion of the another language object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual value object is a representation of the first language object.

5. The method of claim 4, the representation being a hash of the first language object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data file is the contextual data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data file is a candidate data file.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving another input of the first language object;

receiving another second input that comprises another key selection, the another key selection being the same as the one or more key selections;

outputting the at least a portion of the another language object and the at least a portion of the particular language object as proposed interpretations of the another second input;

receiving another selection of the at least a portion of the another language object;

locating an entry in the candidate data file comprising another contextual value object that corresponds with the first language object and that is associated with a key object that corresponds with the another language object; and

responsive to locating the entry, moving the another contextual value object and its associated key object from the candidate data file to the contextual data,

wherein the another contextual value object is identified based on its associated key object occurring at a second statistically significant incidence with the another language object.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving another input of the first language object;

receiving another second input that comprises another key selection, the another key selection being the same as the one or more key selections;

outputting the at least a portion of the another language object and the at least a portion of the particular language object as proposed interpretations of the another second input;

receiving a selection of the at least a portion of the particular language object;

locating an entry in the data file comprising another contextual value object that corresponds with the first language object and that is associated with a key object that corresponds with the another language object;

and removing the entry from the data file,

wherein the another contextual value object is identified based on its associated key object occurring at a statistically insignificant incidence with the another language object.

10. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a processor and a memory storing a plurality of language objects and contextual data and a number of routines which, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to be configured to perform operations comprising;

detecting a first language object as a first input;

detecting as a second input an input that comprises one or more key selections;

outputting at least a portion of a particular language object and another language object as proposed interpretations of the second input, the at least a portion of the particular language object being output at a position of preference with respect to the at least a portion of the another language object;

detecting a selection of the at least a portion of the another language object; and

responsive to the selection of the at least a portion of the another language object, storing in a data file a key object based on the another language object and an associated contextual value object based on the first language object,

wherein the associated contextual value object is identified based on the key object occurring at a statistically significant incidence with the another language object.

11. The device of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

identifying as the particular language object a language object of a length equal to that of the second input;

identifying as the another language object a language object of a length equal to that of the second input; and

responsive thereto, initiating said storing.

12. The device of claim 10, the operations further comprising detecting an input from a touch screen display as the selection of the portion of the another language object.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the contextual value object is a representation of the first language object.

14. The device of claim 13, the representation being a hash of the first language object.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the data file is the contextual data.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein the data file is a candidate data file.

17. The device of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

receiving another input of the first language object;

receiving another second input that comprises another key selection, the another key selection being the same as the one or more key selections;

outputting the at least a portion of the another language object and the at least a portion of the particular language object as proposed interpretations of the another second input;

receiving another selection of the at least a portion of the another language object;

locating an entry in the candidate data file comprising another contextual value object that corresponds with the first language object and that is associated with a key object that corresponds with the another language object; and

responsive to locating the entry, moving the another contextual value object and its associated key object from the candidate data file to the contextual data,

wherein the another contextual value object is identified based on its associated key object occurring at a second statistically significant incidence with the another language object.

18. The device of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

receiving another input of the first language object;

receiving another second input that comprises another key selection, the another key selection being the same as the one or more key selections;

outputting the at least a portion of the another language object and the at least a portion of the particular language object as proposed interpretations of the another second input;

receiving a selection of the at least a portion of the particular language object;

locating an entry in the data file comprising a contextual value object that corresponds with the first language object and that is associated with a key object that corresponds with the another language object; and

removing the entry from the data file,

wherein the another contextual value object is identified based on its associated key object occurring at a statistically insignificant incidence with the another language object.