Completing a word or acronym using a multi-string having two or more words or acronyms

• US 9,557,890 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Michael K. Colby
• Inventors: Colby, Michael K
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Sookil
• Application Number:
  US13/761,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20130205242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

This disclosure describes techniques enabling character-string completion. These techniques present characters and character strings responsive to a selected prior character and enable selection of one of these characters or character strings quickly, easily, and/or accurately.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting, based on a selected character, in a completion interface, and at a same time, multiple character strings representing later parts of words or acronyms of which the selected character is a prior part, at least one of the multiple character strings being a multi-string having two or more character strings of the multiple character strings, the multi-string presented based on an aggregate likelihood of selection of each of the two or more characters strings in the multi-string, the multi-string having or completing a long word and at least one of the two or more character strings having or completing a short word, the short word being shorter than the long word and being a constituent part of the long word, the short word and the long word being presented at the same time and in the completion interface;

enabling selection, through the completion interface and with a single, continuous gesture, to select the short word or the long word through selection of one of the multiple character strings, wherein selecting the multiple character strings for the short word would be selecting a portion of the multiple character strings for the long word;

receiving selection, through the completion interface, of the short word or the long word of the one of the multiple character strings through the single, continuous gesture; and

providing the selected short word or long word of the one of the multiple character strings.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected character is received from an application associated with a gesture-sensitive character-entry interface and at a second application, the second application presenting the multiple character strings in the completion interface, the completion interface and partially obscuring the gesture-sensitive character-entry interface.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the aggregate likelihood of selection of each of the two or more character strings of the multi-string is measured by combining a likelihood of the long word and the short word that is included in the multi-string relative to other potential character strings of which the selected character is the prior part.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the multi-string is determined to be presented based on an amount of display real estate taken up by the multi-string relative to the other potential character strings.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein enabling selection through the completion interface and with the single, continuous gesture enables selection through a straight line from a starting point at a key of a gesture-sensitive character-entry interface, the starting point at a tap and ending with the straight line.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the single, continuous gesture includes a first portion at which the selected character is selected, and a second portion at which the short word or the long word is selected.

7. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory having one or more instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving an indication indicating selection of a character, the selection of the character through a gesture-sensitive character-entry interface;

presenting or causing presentation of, responsive to the selection of the character, based on the character, and through a completion interface, multiple characters at a same time and superimposed over at least a portion of the gesture-sensitive character-entry interface or adjacent to a location at which the character was selected, the multiple characters continuing a character string of which the character is a prior part, at least one of the multiple characters being a multi-string having or completing a long word and a short word, the short word being shorter than the long word and being a constituent part of the long word, the short word and the long word being presented at the same time and in the completion interface, the multi-string determined based on an aggregate likelihood of selection of the long word and the short word;

enabling selection, through the completion interface, to select one of the multiple characters, wherein selecting the multiple characters for the short word would be selecting a portion of the multiple characters for the long word;

receiving selection, through the completion interface, of the short word or the long word through selection of one of the multiple characters; and

providing or presenting the selected short word or long word.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein presenting or causing presentation is responsive to determining that a gesture selecting the character through the gesture-sensitive character-entry interface has not ended or indicates selection of the completion interface.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein providing or presenting is responsive to receiving an indication that a gesture received through the completion interface is complete.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the indication is received from a first application associated with the gesture-sensitive character-entry interface and at a second application, the second application presenting the multiple characters in the completion interface and providing or presenting the selected one of the multiple characters provides the selected one of the multiple characters to the first application.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the gesture-sensitive character-entry interface includes a control, selection of which selects a set of characters, and the operations further comprising, prior to receiving the indication indicating selection of the character:

receiving a prior indication indicating selection of the set of characters;

presenting or causing presentation of, responsive to the selection of the set of characters and based on the control that is selected, the set of characters in a prior user interface superimposed adjacent a location of the control;

enabling selection, through a gesture, to select one of the set of characters; and

receiving selection of the selected character of the set of characters and through the gesture, and

wherein receiving the indication indicating selection of the character indicates the selected character of the set of characters.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising, responsive to receiving an indication that a gesture selecting the short word or the long word is complete, providing a grammatical character and removing the user interface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the grammatical character is a space, comma, or period inserted after the character string.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the grammatical character is a language or emphasis character altering, or inserted at, a character in the character string.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the determination of the character strings is further based on an amount of display real estate available to present the character strings.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the multiple characters or the completion interface are partially opaque.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the multiple characters are determined based on words of a language, acronyms or text strings of the language, words or acronyms or text strings based on a user history, or lengths of the words of the language.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein presenting or causing presentation is responsive to determining that a first portion of a gesture selects the character through the gesture-sensitive character-entry interface.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the gesture includes a second portion, the second portion received through the completion interface and selecting the short word or the long word.

20. A method comprising:

presenting a first user interface having, and enabling selection of, multiple characters or character strings through a gesture or gesture portion, the multiple characters or character strings presented at least partially obscuring an unselected character entry control of a second user interface and adjacent to or surrounding a selected character entry control of the second user interface, the multiple characters or character strings determined based on an aggregate likelihood of selection of the characters or character strings, at least one of the character strings having or completing a long word and a short word, the short word being shorter than the longword and being a constituent part of the long word, the short word and the long word being presented at a same time in the first user interface; and

responsive to selection through the first user interface to select the short word or the long word through selection of one of the multiple characters or character strings, wherein selecting the multiple characters or character strings for the short word would be selecting a portion of the multiple characters or character strings for the long word, providing the selected short word or long word of the one of the multiple characters or character strings and ceasing to present at least a portion of the first user interface.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the multiple characters or character strings are partially opaque effective to enable both the multiple characters or character strings and the unselected character entry control of the second user interface to be visible.