Explicit character filtering of ambiguous text entry

• US 20020196163A1
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Published: 12/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tegic Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Longe, Michael R., Meurs, Pim Van, Kay, David J., Hullfish, Keith Charles, Bradford, Ethan Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,712,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for explicit filtering in ambiguous text entry. The invention provides embodiments including various explicit text entry methodologies, such as 2-key and long pressing. The invention also provides means for matching words in a database using build around methodology, stem locking methodology, word completion methodology, and n-gram searches.

Claims

1. An apparatus for explicit character filtering of ambiguous text entry, said apparatus comprising:

a keyboard and a display each coupled to a processor through appropriate interfacing circuitry, wherein said processor receives input characters from said keyboard and manages output objects to said display;

a memory coupled to said processor, wherein said memory comprises;

an operating system;

disambiguating software;

explicit character filtering in ambiguous text entry software;

an object database; and

optionally one or more application programs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising speech synthesis software and a speaker as a communication aid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said characters comprise, but are not limited to letters, digits, punctuation marks, symbols from any language, Japanese kana, Korean jamos, icons, and the like;

and

wherein objects comprise, but are not limited to sequences of characters, words, part of words, word stems, icons, phone numbers, inventory records, and the like.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for entering an explicit character by any of or any combination of, but not limited to:

2-key explicit entry;

long pressing a key to display and cycle through a character sequence;

long pressing on a key to enter a number/digit explicitly;

changing to a numbers mode and pressing a key to enter a number/digit explicitly;

changing to a multi-tap mode and pressing a key repeatedly to enter a character explicitly;

interpreting ambiguous mode key presses as an explicit character, either by grouping each pair of key presses as a 2-key explicit entry, or by grouping repeated presses of the same key as a multi-tap entry;

using multi-switch keys, thereby permitting ambiguous entry on a simple press and an explicit character entry on a different kind of press;

chording by pressing more than one key simultaneously, with a primary key indicating an ambiguous set of characters and a secondary key indicating which character in the set to select; and

using a softkey as a secondary means for offering any character assigned to a key based on analysis of most likely character associated with a preceding keystroke or based on words in a current word candidate list.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said 2-key explicit entry uses any of, but is not limited to:

a matrix display;

a label including a subset of predetermined sets of associated characters; and

a scrolling list.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, said long pressing further comprising, after said character sequence is displayed, either of, but not limited to:

a next character in said character sequence is highlighted each additional time said key is pressed, ending after a sufficient time elapses between one key press and the next or when a different key is pressed;

or

a next character in said character sequence is highlighted each time a navigation key is pressed.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, said explicit character filtering software further comprising:

when one or more characters in a sequence of characters are explicitly entered, means for retrieving only stored objects from said object database having said explicitly entered characters in corresponding positions,

8. The apparatus of claim 1, said explicit character filtering software further comprising:

means for matching said objects in said database against explicitly entered characters and ambiguously entered characters as long as possible, rather than accepting a default word upon a first explicitly entered character.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, said explicit character filtering software further comprising:

means for selecting a desired character either ambiguously or explicitly, thereby actuating interpreting candidate desired objects using said ambiguously selected and explicitly selected characters by searching said object database for objects with characters associated with said ambiguously selected keys and with said explicitly selected characters, said characters in respective corresponding positions, and presenting said searched objects;

means for determining whether a desired object is among said presented searched objects;

if said desired object is not among said presented searched objects, means for repeating method from said selecting a desired key step; and

means for selecting said desired object.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said presented searched objects are in a predetermined order, or wherein said predetermined order is prioritized.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, said explicit character filtering software further comprising means for building around at least one delimiting character, wherein said at least one delimiting character is, but is by no means limited to, explicitly or ambiguously entered characters, or, characters from a predetermined set of characters.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said means for building around further comprises any of or any combination of:

means for interpreting by matching objects which include explicitly entered characters for a particular sequence;

means for interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that match ambiguous keys that precede said at least one delimiting character;

means for interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that match ambiguous keys that end with said at least one delimiting character;

means for interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that begin with said at least one delimiting character; and

means for interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that follow said at least one delimiting character.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said means for building around is actuated by pressing a next key to obtain a next set of results from multiple searches in said object database.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, said explicit character filtering software further comprising means for stem locking for eliminating re-interpreting one or more series of characters by marking said one or more series of characters as explicitly entered.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, said means for stem locking further comprising any of or any combination of, but not limited to:

a full next locking mechanism, wherein a next key locks one of said one or more series of characters;

unbounded locking by moving cursor over one of said one or more series of characters by using an arrow key;

means for using previously explicitly entered characters preceding a current ambiguous key sequence by matching objects in said database, wherein said objects begin with said explicitly entered characters and match said ambiguously entered key sequence;

object completion capability;

means for allowing pressing a key to be assigned to a locking in function, such as an OK or Select key;

means for allowing pressing an appropriate arrow key to lock in a word completion being offered;

a hierarchy of locking mechanism; and

means for generating objects not stored in said object database.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, said full next locking mechanism further comprising means for identifying and using word boundaries.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, said means for generating objects not stored in said object database further comprising:

means for receiving a first set of characters comprising a series of locked in entries;

means for receiving a subsequent ambiguous entry associated with a second set of characters;

means for searching said database for said desired object using said entered first set of locked in characters and said subsequent ambiguous entry;

if said desired object is found in said database, then means for allowing selecting said desired object; and

means for otherwise performing a second search by locking in and searching on a subset of said second set of characters.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing speech synthesis software and a speaker as a communication aid.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said characters comprise, but are not limited to letters, digits, punctuation marks, symbols from any language, Japanese kana, Korean jamos, icons, and the like;

and

wherein objects comprise, but are not limited to sequences of characters, words, part of words, word stems, icons, phone numbers, inventory records, and the like.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising entering an explicit character by any of or any combination of, but not limited to:

2-key explicit entry;

long pressing a key to display and cycle through a character sequence;

long pressing on a key to enter a number/digit explicitly;

changing to a numbers mode and pressing a key to enter a number/digit explicitly;

changing to a multi-tap mode and pressing a key repeatedly to enter a character explicitly;

interpreting ambiguous mode key presses as an explicit character, either by grouping each pair of key presses as a 2-key explicit entry, or by grouping repeated presses of the same key as a multi-tap entry;

using multi-switch keys, thereby permitting ambiguous entry on a simple press and an explicit character entry on a different kind of press;

chording by pressing more than one key simultaneously, with a primary key indicating an ambiguous set of characters and a secondary key indicating which character in the set to select; and

using a softkey as a secondary means for offering any character assigned to a key based on analysis of most likely character associated with a preceding keystroke or based on words in a current word candidate list.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said 2-key explicit entry uses any of, but is not limited to:

a matrix display;

a label including a subset of predetermined sets of associated characters; and

a scrolling list.

23. The method of claim 21, said long pressing further comprising, after said character sequence is displayed, either of, but not limited to:

highlighting a next character in said character sequence each additional time said key is pressed, ending after a sufficient time elapses between one key press and the next or when a different key is pressed;

or

highlighting a next character in said character sequence each time a navigation key is pressed.

24. The method of claim 18, said explicit character filtering software further comprising:

when one or more characters in a sequence of characters are explicitly entered, means for retrieving only stored objects from said object database having said explicitly entered characters in corresponding positions,

25. The method of claim 18, said explicit character filtering software further comprising:

matching said objects in said database against explicitly entered characters and ambiguously entered characters as long as possible, rather than accepting a default word upon a first explicitly entered character.

26. The method of claim 18, said explicit character filtering software further comprising:

selecting a desired character either ambiguously or explicitly, thereby actuating interpreting candidate desired objects using said ambiguously selected and explicitly selected characters by searching said object database for objects with characters associated with said ambiguously selected keys and with said explicitly selected characters, said characters in respective corresponding positions, and presenting said searched objects;

determining whether a desired object is among said presented searched objects;

if said desired object is not among said presented searched objects, repeating method from said selecting a desired key step; and

selecting said desired object.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said presented searched objects are in a predetermined order, or wherein said predetermined order is prioritized.

28. The method of claim 18, said explicit character filtering software further comprising building around at least one delimiting character, wherein said at least one delimiting character is, but is by no means limited to, explicitly or ambiguously entered characters, or, characters from a predetermined set of characters.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said building around further comprises any of or any combination of:

interpreting by matching objects which include explicitly entered characters for a particular sequence;

interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that match ambiguous keys that precede said at least one delimiting character;

interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that match ambiguous keys that end with said at least one delimiting character;

interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that begin with said at least one delimiting character; and

interpreting by matching objects which include one or more objects that follow said at least one delimiting character.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said building around is actuated by pressing a next key to obtain a next set of results from multiple searches in said object database.

31. The method of claim 18, said explicit character filtering software further comprising stem locking for eliminating re-interpreting one or more series of characters by marking said series of characters as explicitly entered.

32. The method of claim 31, said stem locking further comprising any of or any combination of, but not limited to:

providing a full next locking mechanism, wherein a next key locks one of said one or more series of characters;

providing unbounded locking by moving cursor over one of said one or more series of characters by using an arrow key;

using previously explicitly entered characters preceding a current ambiguous key sequence by matching objects in said database, wherein said objects begin with said explicitly entered characters and match said ambiguously entered key sequence;

providing object completion capability;

allowing pressing a key to be assigned to a locking in function, such as an OK or Select key;

allowing pressing an appropriate arrow key to lock in a word completion being offered;

providing a hierarchy of locking mechanism; and

generating objects not stored in said object database.

33. The method of claim 32, said full next locking mechanism further comprising identifying and using word boundaries.

34. The method of claim 32, said generating objects not stored in said object database further comprising:

receiving a first set of characters comprising a series of locked in entries;

receiving a subsequent ambiguous entry associated with a second set of characters;

searching said database for said desired object using said entered first set of locked in characters and said subsequent ambiguous entry;

if said desired object is found in said database, then allowing selecting said desired object; and

otherwise performing a second search by locking in and searching on a subset of said second set of characters.

18. A method for explicit character filtering of ambiguous text entry, said method comprising:

providing a keyboard and a display each coupled to a processor through appropriate interfacing circuitry, wherein said processor receives input characters from said keyboard and manages output objects to said display; and

providing a memory coupled to said processor, wherein said memory comprises;

an operating system;

disambiguating software;

explicit character filtering in ambiguous text entry software;

an object database; and

optionally one or more application programs.