Method of providing a number of search results for a handheld electronic device, and system and handheld electronic device employing the same

• US 8,504,566 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Plestid, Thomas Leonard Trevor
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US11/934,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 707/759, 707/736, 707/758
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• 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 methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A method provides search results for a handheld electronic device including an input apparatus having a plurality of input members, each of at least a portion of which have a plurality of characters assigned thereto. A type of the input apparatus is sent from the device to a server. The device receives a number of activations of a number of the input members, and sends the received number of activations to the server. The server determines a number of possible combinations of the characters based upon the received input apparatus type and the received number of activations, searches for a number of search results as a function of the number of possible combinations of the characters, and sends the number of search results to the device. The device receives the number of search results, and displays at least a portion of the number of search results.

Claims

1. A method of providing a number of search results for a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving an input layout type of the handheld device at a server, wherein the input layout including a plurality of input keys, each of at least one portion of the input keys having a plurality of characters assigned thereto;

receiving a number of selections of a number of the input keys of the input layout at the server;

determining, at the server, a number of possible combinations of the characters based upon the received input layout type and the received number of selections;

disambiguating at the server the number of possible combinations of the characters using an algorithm to provide a rendered output, wherein the disambiguating at the server is a function of a disambiguation type at the handheld electronic device so that the disambiguation algorithm at the server is the same or substantially similar to a disambiguation algorithm of the handheld electronic device;

searching for a number of search results based on the rendered output; and

sending the number of search results from the server to the handheld electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching for the number of search results in a database based upon the rendered output.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the disambiguation at the server responsive to an ambiguous input of a count of selections of a number of the input keys at least one portion of the number of the input keys of the ambiguous input including a plurality of characters assigned thereto; and

providing at the server the rendered output having a count of characters that is equal or substantially equal to the count of selections of the number of the input keys of the ambiguous input.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

using as the plurality of characters, a first character and a second character; and

for each of the at least one portion of the number of the input keys of the ambiguous input including the plurality of characters assigned thereto, and responsive to the ambiguous input, displaying at the handheld electronic device the first character as being uppercase and the second character as being lowercase.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

rendering a disambiguation result at the handheld electronic device responsive to the ambiguous input, before displaying the rendered disambiguation result at the handheld electronic device and before displaying the at least one portion of the number of search results at the handheld electronic device.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying nothing at the handheld electronic device responsive to the ambiguous input until after the server provides the rendered output.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rendering disambiguation results from the disambiguation algorithm at the handheld electronic device;

performing the disambiguation algorithm at the server independent of the disambiguation algorithm of the handheld electronic device; and

sending the rendered disambiguation results at the handheld device to the server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a unique identification of the handheld electronic device to the server;

receiving the unique identification at the server; and

performing the disambiguation at the server as a function of the unique identification.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using as the input layout a keyboard having a sub-type;

modifying the keyboard to provide a different sub-type;

sending the different sub-type from the handheld electronic device to the server;

receiving the different keyboard sub-type at the server; and

determining at the server the number of possible combinations of the characters based upon the received input layout type, the received different keyboard sub-type and the received number of selections.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, as the number of search results, a number of e-mail addresses responsive to a global address lookup.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, as the number of search results, a number of music titles responsive to a music lookup.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, as the number of search results, a number of users of an instant messaging server, wherein the instant messaging server is the server.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, as the number of search results, a number of keys of a user group.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, as the number of search results, a number of names of persons from a social networking server, wherein the social networking server is the server.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using as the server a web server including a web page having a drop down menu; and

receiving the number of selections at the server from the drop down menu on the web page.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using as the server a search engine server including a web page having an entry field; and

receiving the number of selections at the server from the entry field on the web page.

17. A system comprising:

a handheld electronic device comprising;

a processor,

a wireless transceiver,

a display apparatus, and

an input layout including an input layout type and a plurality of input keys, each of at least one portion of the input keys having a plurality of characters assigned thereto;

a server comprising a processor; and

a wireless communication network between the wireless transceiver of the handheld electronic device and the processor of the server,

wherein the processor of the handheld electronic device is configured to send the input layout type to the server, receive a number of selections of a number of the input keys of the input layout, and send the received number of selections to the server,

wherein the processor of the server is configured to;

receive the input layout type,

receive the number of selections,

determine a number of possible combinations of the characters based upon the received input layout type and the received number of selections,

disambiguate the number of possible combinations of the characters using an algorithm to provide a rendered output,

search for a number of search results based on the rendered output, and

send the number of search results to the handheld electronic device,

wherein the disambiguating at the server is a function of a disambiguation type at the handheld electronic device so that the disambiguation algorithm at the server is the same or substantially similar to a disambiguation algorithm of the handheld electronic device, and

wherein the processor of the handheld electronic device is further configured to receive the number of search results, and display at least a portion of the number of search results at the display apparatus.

18. A handheld electronic device for use with a server configured to:

receive an input layout type,

receive a number of selections of a number of input keys of the input layout,

determine a number of possible combinations of characters based upon the received input layout type and the received number of selections,

disambiguate the number of possible combinations of the characters using an algorithm to provide a rendered output,

search for a number of search results based on the rendered output, and

send the number of search results to the handheld electronic device,

wherein disambiguating at the server is a function of a disambiguation type at the handheld electronic device so that the disambiguation algorithm at the server is the same or substantially similar to a disambiguation algorithm of the handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device comprising;

a wireless transceiver;

a display apparatus;

the input layout including the input layout type and the plurality of the input keys, each of the at least one portion of the input keys having the plurality of characters assigned thereto; and

a processor configured to;

send the input layout type from the handheld electronic device to the server,

receive the number of selections of the number of the input keys of the input layout,

send the received number of selections to the server,

receive the number of search results, and

display at least a portion of the number of search results at the display apparatus.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 18, wherein the input layout is a keyboard having a sub-type, the keyboard being configured to be modified to provide a different sub-type, and wherein the processor is further configured to send the different sub-type to the server, such that the server receives the different sub-type and determines the number of possible combinations of the characters based upon the received input layout type, the received different sub-type and the received number of selections.