Method and apparatus for phrase replacement

• US 8,996,995 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2010
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ramachandra, Sushma
• Primary Examiner(s): DYER, ANDREW R
• Application Number:
  US13/203,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: 715/261, 715/271, 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/271
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a controller, wherein said controller is arranged to receive touch input identifying an original string; receive a multi-touch input gesture comprising a first and a second touch point in which a distance between a first touch point and a second touch point is changed and to replace said identified original string with a replacement string in response thereto.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of string replacement pairs in a database, the string replacement pairs each comprising a key string and replacement string;

receiving a touch input comprising at least a first and second touch point identifying a user-provided original string displayed between the first and second touch points, wherein the touch input and the user-provided original string are provided via a text editor application;

receiving an indication of a request to replace the user-provided original string in response to receiving an input gesture via the text editor application, the input gesture comprising changing a distance between the first and second touch points;

in response to the input gesture, searching said database for a matching string replacement pair, wherein said matching compares said user-provided original string the key string of a particular string replacement pair of the plurality of string replacement pairs;

identifying an intended replacement string for the user-provided original string based on the corresponding replacement string of the matched particular string replacement pair; and

replacing the user-provided original string in the text editor application with the intended replacement string.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said user-provided original string comprises at least two partial strings which are separated by a space character and wherein said method further comprises:

parsing said user-provided original string for initial letters of said partial strings;

generating a new string comprising the initial letters; and

identifying said intended replacement string based on the new string.

3. A method according to claim 2 further comprising storing said new string and said user-provided original string as a string replacement pair.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

storing said user-provided original string and said intended replacement string as a string replacement pair in said database; and

searching said database for a matching string replacement pair using said user-provided original string as a search key.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the intended replacement string for the user-provided original string comprises:

identifying a plurality of potential replacement strings;

causing display of the plurality of potential replacement strings; and

receiving indication of a selection of one of the plurality of potential replacement strings.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

after replacing the user-provided original string in the text editor application with the intended replacement string, receiving an indication to edit the intended replacement string in the text editor application; and

storing a newly created replacement string for subsequent retrieval and in association with the user-provided original string based on the indication to edit the intended replacement string in the text editor.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user-provided original string comprises at least two partial strings which are separated by at least a space character and wherein the computer program code is further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

parse said user-provided original string for initial letters of said partial strings;

generate a new string comprising the initial letters; and

identify said intended replacement string based on the new string.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the computer program code is further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

store said new string and said user-provided original string as a string replacement pair.

7. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory including a computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to,

store a plurality of string replacement pairs in a database, the string replacement pairs each comprising a key string and replacement string;

receive a touch input comprising at least a first and second touch point identifying a user-provided original string displayed between the first and second touch points, wherein the touch input and the user-provided original string are provided via a text editor application;

receive an indication of a request to replace the user-provided original string in response to receiving an input gesture via the text editor application, the input gesture comprising changing a distance between the first and second touch points;

in response to the input gesture, search said database for a matching string replacement pair, wherein said matching compares said user-provided original string the key string of a particular string replacement pair of the plurality of string replacement pairs;

identify an intended replacement string for the user-provided original string based on the corresponding replacement string of the matched particular string replacement pair; and

replace the user-provided original string in the text editor application with the intended replacement string.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the computer program code is further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

store the user-provided original string and said intended replacement string as a string replacement pair in said database; and

search said database for a matching string replacement pair using said user-provided original string as a search key.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the user-provided original word is an abbreviation of the intended replacement string.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the intended replacement string for the user-provided original string is identified based on an association of the user-provided original string and the intended replacement string.

13. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions to:

store a plurality of string replacement pairs in a database, the string replacement pairs each comprising a key string and replacement string;

receive a touch input comprising at least a first and second touch point identifying a user-provided original string displayed between the first and second touch points, wherein the touch input and the user-provided original string are provided via a text editor application;

receive an indication of a request to replace the user-provided original string in response to receiving an input gesture via the text editor application, the input gesture comprising changing a distance between the first and second touch points;

in response to the input gesture, search said database for a matching string replacement pair, wherein said matching compares said user-provided original string the key string of a particular string replacement pair of the plurality of string replacement pairs;

identify an intended replacement string for the user-provided original string based on the corresponding replacement string of the matched particular string replacement pair; and

replace the user-provided original string in the text editor application with the intended replacement string.