Mobile terminal and text input method thereof

• US 8,498,670 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cha, Sun-Hwa, Lee, In-Jik, Kwak, Jae-Do, Youn, Jong-Keun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US12/425,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20100009720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 455/563, 455/550.1, 455/418, 455/79
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for recognizing a voice and converting it into a text, and more particularly, a method for preferentially voice-recognizing a word starting with a character inputted through a keypad before voice is inputted and converting it into a text, and a mobile terminal implementing such method. The mobile terminal includes a keypad to receive an input of a specific character from a user; a controller to recognize voice input from the user based on words starting with the specific character, and to convert the recognized voice into text; and a display to display the text under a control of the controller.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display unit;

an input unit configured to input a voice command; and

a controller configured to;

start activation of a voice recognition function based on a button input or a touch input;

determine a meaning of the voice command by analyzing a context and content of the voice command within a specified domain of database accessed by the mobile terminal, wherein the specified domain of database comprises a portion of database associated with a menu or sub-menus of the menu currently displayed on the display unit;

execute a text message writing function if the voice command corresponds to execution of the text message writing function; and

input contents of a message by using a speech to text (STT) function,

wherein the contents of the message is inputted by combining a voice input and a key input if the STT function is selected while the text message writing function is being executed.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the voice cognition function is activated when a particular button or portion of a touch screen is touched.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the determining step is updated through a learning process of trials and errors.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the specified domain further comprises a domain related to a specific application currently displayed on the display unit when the voice command is inputted.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller outputs a result value corresponding to the meaning of the voice command in a form of a text message or a voice.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to make a request to a user whether to execute a function corresponding to the output result value, when the voice command is judged to have a low recognition rate or a plurality of meanings, and the controller outputs a plurality of menus relating to the respective meanings.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to output a plurality of menus relating to respective meanings and execute a specific menu selected by a user.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the text message writing function includes at least one of a short message service (SMS) function, a multimedia message service (MMS) function, an e-mail function, a memo function, a schedule function or a to-do list function.

9. A text input method of a mobile terminal, the text input method comprising:

activating a voice recognition function based on a button input or a touch input;

specifying a domain of a database that is referred to for voice recognition into a domain related to an application currently displayed on a display;

receiving a voice command related to the displayed application;

analyzing a context and content of the voice command based on the specified domain of the database and recognizing a meaning of the voice command;

outputting a result corresponding to the recognized meaning;

executing a text message writing function as the application if the voice command corresponds to execution of the text message writing function; and

inputting contents of a message by using a speech to text (STT) function, wherein the contents of the message is inputted by combining a voice input and a key input if the STT function is selected while the text message writing function is being executed.

10. The text input method of claim 9, wherein the voice recognition function is automatically terminated when a predetermined time period elapses.

11. The text input method of claim 9, wherein the button input is an input of a hardware button or a soft touch button.

12. The text input method of claim 9, wherein the voice recognition function is activated by one of a user sound, a sound effect, short or long-range wireless signal and a user'"'"'s gesture.

13. The text input method of claim 9, wherein analyzing the context and content of the voice command is updated through a learning process.

14. The text input method of claim 9, wherein the result corresponding to the recognized meaning is outputted in a form of a text message or a voice.

15. The text input method of claim 9, further comprising:

requesting a user whether to execute a specific function corresponding to the output result, wherein the specific function includes a saving function or a send function; and

executing a corresponding function according to the user'"'"'s response.

16. The text input method of claim 9, wherein the text message writing function includes a short message service (SMS) function, a multimedia message service (MMS) function, an e-mail function, a memo function, a schedule function or a to-do list function.

17. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display unit;

an input unit configured to input a voice command; and

a controller configured to;

activate a voice recognition function based on a button input or a touch input,

specify a domain of a database that is referred to for voice recognition into a domain related to an application currently displayed on the display,

receive a voice command related to the displayed application,

analyze a context and content of the voice command based on the specified domain of the database and recognize a meaning of the voice command,

output a result corresponding to the recognized meaning,

execute a text message writing function as the application if the voice command corresponds to execution of the text message writing function; and

input contents of a message by using a speech to text (STT) function, wherein the contents of a message is inputted by combining a voice input and a key input if the STT function is selected while the text message writing function is being executed.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the voice recognition function is activated when a particular button or portion of a touch screen is touched.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the application includes at least one of a text message, an e-mail, a call, a menu, or multimedia content.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein information related to the domain of the database used as a reference for the application is updated through a learning process.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller specifies a domain of a database that is referred to for voice recognition into a domain related to the application currently displayed on the display when the voice command is inputted.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller outputs the result corresponding to the recognized meaning in a form of a text message or a voice.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to make a request to a user whether to execute a function corresponding to the output result, when the voice command is recognized to have a low recognition rate or a plurality of meanings, and the controller outputs a plurality of menus relating to the respective meanings.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to output a plurality of menus relating to the respective meanings and execute a specific menu selected by a user.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the text message writing function includes at least one of a short message service (SMS) function, a multimedia message service (MMS) function, an e-mail function, a memo function, a schedule function or a to-do list function.