In-letter word prediction for virtual keyboard

• US 9,122,672 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason Tyler, Pasquero, Jerome, McKenzie, Donald Somerset, Hamilton, Alistair Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): TILLERY, RASHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US13/482,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 715/773, 715/780
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A method including receiving an input of a character from a virtual keyboard rendered on a display, generating a set of characters that includes the character, and displaying the generated set of characters at a location associated with a key of the virtual keyboard of the display which corresponds to a subsequent candidate input character. An electronic device including a display having a virtual keyboard rendered thereupon and a processor, the processor being configured to perform the method. Also disclosed is a keyboard, including a plurality of keys, each key corresponding to one or more different characters of a plurality of characters, wherein in response to receiving an input of a character, the keyboard is configured to perform the method.

Claims

1. An input method in a device having a display configured to display a virtual keyboard, the method comprising:

responsive to a key input, generating two words associated with two predicted keys of the virtual keyboard by a predictive algorithm based on the key input, wherein each of the two words is associated with a respective key of the two predicted keys;

determining that the two words would visually overlap if displayed simultaneously based on a distance between the two predicted keys of the virtual keyboard that are associated with the two words;

in response to the determination, displaying only one of the two words based on a ranking, wherein the displayed word is displayed on the respective key of the two predicted keys;

enabling selection of the displayed word in response to a swipe gesture received through the display; and

displaying the selected word.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the key input is a character selected from an alphabet and displayed on a key of the virtual keyboard.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the key input is a blank space represented by a key of the virtual keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the selection of the displayed word, causing the display of the selected word in a designated input field visually distinct from the virtual keyboard.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed word is positioned at or near the respective key of the virtual keyboard.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the displayed word is based on a subsequent candidate input character determined from the key input.

5. An input method in a device having a display configured to display a virtual keyboard, the method comprising:

receiving an input reflecting selection of a character displayed on a key of the virtual keyboard;

displaying the selected character in a designated input field substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard;

responsive to the key input, generating two words associated with two predicted keys of the virtual keyboard by a predictive algorithm based on the key input, wherein each of the two words is associated with a respective key of the two predicted keys;

determining that the two words would visually overlap if displayed simultaneously based on a distance between the two predicted keys of the virtual keyboard that are associated with the two words;

in response to the determination, displaying only one of the two words based on a ranking, wherein the displayed word is displayed on the respective key of the two predicted keys;

enabling selection of the displayed word with a swipe gesture received through the display; and

displaying the selected word.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

responsive to the selection of the displayed word, causing the display of the selected word in the designated input field.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the displayed word is positioned at or near the respective of the virtual keyboard.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the location of the displayed word is based on a subsequent candidate input character determined from the input.

7. An input method in a device comprising:

displaying on a display of the device a virtual keyboard;

responsive to an input reflecting selection of a key from the virtual keyboard, generating two words associated with two predicted keys of the virtual keyboard by a predictive algorithm based on the key input, wherein each of the two words is associated with a respective key of the two predicted keys;

determining that the two words would visually overlap if displayed simultaneously based on a distance between the two predicted keys of the virtual keyboard that are associated with the two words;

in response to the determination, displaying only one of the two words based on a ranking, wherein the displayed word is displayed on the respective key of the two predicted keys; and

responsive to a swipe input through the display, causing display of the displayed word in a field of the display substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

eliminating display of the word displayed in visual association with the respective key of the virtual keyboard upon display of the selected displayed word in the field of the display substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to an input determined to be different from the swipe input, causing display of a selected character in the field of the display substantially visually distinct from the virtual keyboard regardless of whether a word or a part of a word has been displayed in visual association with a key of the virtual keyboard corresponding to the selected character.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the displayed word is positioned at or near the respective of the virtual keyboard.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the location of the displayed word is based on a subsequent candidate input character determined from the input.