Correcting data inputted into a mobile communications device

• US 8,473,843 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lundy, Michael T., Van Orden, Mathew Jay, Annan, Brandon Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGGETT, ANDREA C.
• Application Number:
  US12/058,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20090249232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/257
• US Class Current: 715/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for inputting data into a mobile communications device having a touchscreen. An illustrative method includes receiving a user-entered character string and automatically replacing the user-entered character string with a suggested character string. The suggested character string is marked with a visual indication of the replacement and the visual indication is maintained even if the suggested character string is a correctly spelled word. An input region associated with the visual indication is provided such that a set of alternative character strings as suggested replacements may be provided incident to receiving touch input to the input region.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of inputting data into a mobile communications device having a touchscreen, the method comprising:

receiving a user-entered character string;

displaying the user-entered character string at a first position on the touchscreen, wherein a cursor is displayed at a second position on the touchscreen indicating where a next entered character will be displayed, wherein the second position is different than the first position;

automatically replacing the user-entered character string with a suggested character string, thereby providing a replacement character string displayed at the first position on the touchscreen;

marking the replacement character string displayed at the first position on the touchscreen with a visual indication that the replacement character string replaced the user-entered character string;

maintaining the visual indication that the replacement character string has automatically replaced the user-entered character string even when the suggested character string is a correctly spelled word, wherein the visual indication is maintained when a second replacement character string is marked with a second visual indication that the second replacement character string has automatically replaced a second user-entered character string;

providing an input region associated with the visual indication that can receive touch input, wherein the input region is defined by a portion of the touchscreen that surrounds the replacement character string that is marked with the visual indication, and wherein the input region is separate from the cursor; and

incident to receiving touch input by way of the input region, presenting a set of alternative character strings as suggestions for replacing the replacement character string, wherein receiving touch input by way of the input region does not change a position of the cursor.

2. The media of claim 1 wherein the user-entered character string is a misspelled word.

3. The media of claim 1 wherein the user-entered character string is a correctly spelled word.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the suggested character string is a correctly spelled word that has at least one character in common with the first character string.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein the user-entered character string is not recognized by the mobile touchscreen device.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein marking the replacement character string with a visual indication comprises underlining at least a portion of the replacement character string.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein marking the replacement character string with a visual indication comprises displaying at least a portion of the replacement character string in a color that is different than a color used to display a character string that has not been replaced.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the input region comprises an area on the touchscreen in which the replacement character string is displayed.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein the set of alternative character strings comprises one or more character strings each having at least one character in common with the user-entered character string, and wherein one of the two or more character strings is the user-entered character string.

10. The media of claim 9, further comprising providing an input region corresponding to each of the two or more character strings.

11. The media of claim 10, further comprising replacing the replacement character string with one of the one or more character strings incident to receiving touch input by way of the input region associated with the one of the one or more character strings.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of inputting data into a mobile communications device having a touchscreen, the method comprising:

presenting an option to a user that permits the user to select an active or inactive state associated with an automatic-correction function that automatically replaces a user-entered character string with a suggested character string, wherein the suggested character string is determined regardless of whether the automatic-correction function is set to the active or the inactive state;

receiving a user selection comprising one of an active or inactive state associated with the automatic-correction function, wherein the automatic-correction function is set to an active or an inactive state, respectively;

receiving a user-entered character string;

referencing a dictionary database that comprises a plurality of recognized character strings;

automatically determining a suggested character string regardless of whether the automatic-correction function is set to the active or the inactive state, wherein the suggested character string comprises one of the plurality of recognized character strings suggested as a replacement for the user-entered character string;

determining whether the automatic-correction function is set to the active or the inactive state;

when the automatic-correction function is set to the inactive state, then;

(A) preserving the user-entered character string as entered by the user, and

(B) marking the user-entered character string with a visual indication that indicates the suggested character string has been determined; and

when the automatic-correction function is set to the active state, then;

(A) automatically replacing the user-entered character string with the suggested character string,

(B) marking the suggested character string with a visual indication that the suggested character string replaced the user-entered character string, and

(C) maintaining the visual indication that the suggested character string replaced the user-entered character string, until touch input is received that corresponds to an instruction to remove the visual indication.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the dictionary database comprises one or more databases each comprising a plurality of recognized character strings.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein referencing the dictionary database comprises querying at least one of the one or more databases to identify a suggested character string that has one or more characters in common with the user-entered character string.

15. The media of claim 12, further comprising providing an input region corresponding to the visual indication that can receive touch input, wherein incident to receiving touch input by way of the input region, a set of alternative character strings as suggestions for replacing the suggested character string is provided.

16. The media of claim 15, further comprising presenting an option to the user that permits the user to select an inactive state associated with the automatic-correction function, wherein the option is presented incident to receiving touch input by way of the input region.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of inputting data into a mobile communications device having a touchscreen, the method comprising:

receiving a user-entered character string that is displayed at a location on the touchscreen;

referencing a dictionary database that comprises a plurality of recognized character strings;

automatically replacing the user-entered character string on the touchscreen with a first suggested character string, wherein the first suggested character string is one of the plurality of recognized character strings, and wherein the first suggested character string becomes a replacement string at the location on the touchscreen;

marking the replacement character string with a visual indication that the replacement character string replaced the user-entered character string, the visual indication comprising an input region that can receive touch input;

incident to receiving touch input by way of the input region, presenting an option for removing the first suggested character string from the dictionary database;

incident to receiving touch input representing a user selection of the option for removing the first suggested character string from the dictionary database,

(A) removing the first suggested character string from the dictionary database, and

(B) when the first suggested character string is removed from the dictionary database, then replacing the replacement character string at the location on the touchscreen with the user-entered character string that was originally entered or with a second suggested character string; and

maintaining the visual indication after removing the suggested character string from the dictionary database.

18. The media of claim 17, further comprising presenting an option for adding the user-entered character string to the dictionary database, wherein the option is presented incident to receiving touch input by way of the input region.