Systems and methods for character string auto-suggestion based on degree of difficulty

• US 10,289,638 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2017
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuen, Jenny, St. Clair, Luke
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X
• Application Number:
  US15/664,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20170357713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 10, 704230-257, 704270-277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/253 Grammatical analysis; Style critique
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

In one embodiment, the method includes receiving one or more characters inputted by a user; calculating a degree of difficulty of a character string, wherein the degree of difficulty is based on the characters inputted by the user, and wherein the characters inputted by the user comprise a portion of the character string; and if the degree of difficulty is equal to or exceeds a pre-determined threshold, then presenting, on a display of the computing device, an auto-suggestion for completing the character string; else, not presenting, on the display of the computing device, the auto-suggestion for completing the character string.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by a computing device:

receiving one or more characters inputted by a user;

calculating a degree of difficulty of a character string based on (1) one or more indications of difficulty corresponding to a complexity of the character string, wherein one or more weighting factors are applied to one or more of the indications of difficulty, and (2) the characters inputted by the user, wherein the characters inputted by the user comprise a portion of the character string; and

if the degree of difficulty is equal to or exceeds a pre-determined threshold,

presenting, on a display of the computing device, an auto-suggestion for completing the character string;

else,

not presenting, on the display of the computing device, the auto-suggestion for completing the character string.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indications of difficulty comprising:

a length of the character string;

a number of special characters in the character string;

or

a number of capitalizations in the character string.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pre-determined threshold is based on one or more of the indications of difficulty.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the weighting factors are determined by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the weighting factors are determined by a manufacturer of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indications of difficulty comprising:

a number of keyboard shifts associated with entering the character string;

or

a keyboard positional distance among input characters in the character string.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the pre-determined threshold is based on one or more of the indications of difficulty.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein one or more weighting factors are applied to one or more of the indications of difficulty.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more of the weighting factors are determined by the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein one or more of the weighting factors are determined by a manufacturer of the computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of difficulty is equal to the pre-determined threshold when the degree of difficulty is within a rate of error associated with the pre-determined threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the rate of error comprises a rate of error for determining the degree of difficulty of the user completing the character string.

13. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

receive one or more characters inputted by a user;

calculate a degree of difficulty of a character string based on (1) one or more indications of difficulty corresponding to a complexity of the character string, wherein one or more weighting factors are applied to one or more of the indications of difficulty, and (2) the characters inputted by the user, wherein the characters inputted by the user comprise a portion of the character string; and

if the degree of difficulty is equal to or exceeds a pre-determined threshold,

present, on a display of the computing device, an auto-suggestion for completing the character string;

else,

not present, on the display of the computing device, the auto-suggestion for completing the character string.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein the indications of difficulty comprising:

a length of the character string;

a number of special characters in the character string;

or

a number of capitalizations in the character string.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the pre-determined threshold is based on one or more of the indications of input difficulty.

16. The media of claim 13, wherein one or more of the weighting factors is determined by the user.

17. The media of claim 13, wherein one or more of the weighting factors is determined by a manufacturer of the computing device.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

receive one or more characters inputted by a user;

calculate a degree of difficulty of a character string based on (1) one or more indications of difficulty corresponding to a complexity of the character string, wherein one or more weighting factors are applied to one or more of the indications of difficulty, and (2) the characters inputted by the user, wherein the characters inputted by the user comprise a portion of the character string; and

if the degree of difficulty is equal to or exceeds a pre-determined threshold,

present, on a display of the computing device, an auto-suggestion for completing the character string;

else,

not present, on the display of the computing device, the auto-suggestion for completing the character string.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the indications of difficulty comprising:

a length of the character string;

a number of special characters in the character string;

or

a number of capitalizations in the character string.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the pre-determined threshold is based on one or more of the indications of difficulty.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein one or more of the weighting factors are determined by the user.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein one or more of the weighting factors are determined by a manufacturer of the computing device.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the indications of difficulty comprising:

a number of keyboard shifts associated with entering the character string;

or

a keyboard positional distance among input characters in the character string.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the degree of difficulty is equal to the pre-determined threshold when the degree of difficulty is within a rate of error associated with the pre-determined threshold.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the rate of error comprises a rate of error for determining the degree of difficulty of the user completing the character string.