Handheld electronic device and method for performing spell checking during text entry and for integrating the output from such spell checking into the output from disambiguation

• US 8,547,329 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fux, Vadim, Major, Harry Richmond
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US13/328,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345168-173, 345/184, 341/22, 341/23, 341/26, 341/106, 715221-226, 715/533, 715/811, 715/816, 715/864
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 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, with the output from the spell check routine being visually integrated into the output from the disambiguation routine.

Claims

1. A method of enabling input on a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting as an ambiguous input a plurality of input key selections comprising at least a current input key selection and a preceding input key selection;

responsive to the preceding input key selection;

generating a plurality of prefix objects corresponding with an initial portion of the ambiguous input comprising the preceding input key selection;

for each of at least two of the plurality of prefix objects, identifying a language object that corresponds with the prefix object;

outputting the at least two prefix objects as a proposed textual interpretation of the initial portion of the ambiguous input;

enabling selection from the at least two prefix objects; and

responsive to the current input key selection;

outputting a text output as being a proposed textual interpretation of the ambiguous input and having an arrangement of linguistic elements different than the arrangement of linguistic elements of the ambiguous input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current input key selection occurs prior to a delimiter input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting as the ambiguous input a misspelled ambiguous input, and outputting the text output as a proposed spelling correction.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising outputting an indication that the text output is a proposed spelling correction.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising outputting as the indication a visual indication that the text output is a proposed spelling correction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising failing to identify a language object that corresponds with the ambiguous input and, responsive thereto, outputting the ambiguous input as the text output.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the variant in the memory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the input keys are part of a reduced keyboard.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the input keys are part of a reduced QWERTY keyboard.

10. A handheld electronic device comprising an input apparatus, a processor apparatus, and an output apparatus, the processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, 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:

detecting as an ambiguous input a plurality of input key selections comprising at least a current input key selection and a preceding input key selection;

responsive to the preceding input key selection;

generating a plurality of prefix objects corresponding with an initial portion of the ambiguous input comprising the preceding input key selection; and

for each of at least two of the prefix objects, identifying a language object that corresponds with the prefix object;

outputting the prefix object as a proposed textual interpretation of the initial portion of the ambiguous input; and

enabling a user of the handheld electronic device to select from the at least two prefix objects;

responsive to the current input key selection;

outputting a text output as being a proposed textual interpretation of the ambiguous input and having an arrangement of linguistic elements different than the arrangement of linguistic elements of the ambiguous input.

11. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the current input key selection occurs prior to a delimiter input.

12. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise detecting as the ambiguous input a misspelled ambiguous input, and outputting the text output as a proposed spelling correction.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise outputting an indication that the text output is a proposed spelling correction.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise outputting as the indication a visual indication that the text output is a proposed spelling correction.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise failing to identify a language object that corresponds with the ambiguous input and, responsive thereto, outputting the ambiguous input as the text output.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise storing the variant in the memory.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the input keys are part of a reduced keyboard.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 10, wherein the input keys are part of a reduced QWERTY keyboard.