Terminal apparatus, method and computer program for selecting a symbol string

• US 20050207656A1
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sorvari, Antti Sakari, Kahari, Markus Tapio
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

The invention relates to a terminal apparatus, comprising: a display, a memory, and a user interface for receiving a sample string including one or several symbols. In order to achieve a user-friendly solution for selecting a symbol string the terminal apparatus is configured to: retrieve, from said memory symbol strings with a first part that matches with a sample string and to display the retrieved symbol strings on said display such that if the group of symbol strings includes an identical first part, then at least for these symbol strings only the first part is displayed and only once, display on said display, in response to a user selection via said user interface, information relating to those retrieved symbol strings which have an identical first part with the user selected symbol string, and receive, via said user interface, a second user selection identifying a selected symbol string.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus, comprising:

a display,

a memory, and

a user interface for receiving a sample string including one or several symbols, the terminal apparatus is configured to;

retrieve, as a response to the sample string, from said memory symbol strings with a first part that at least partly matches with the sample string and to display the retrieved symbol strings at least in part on said display, such that if the group of retrieved symbol strings includes several symbol strings with an identical first part, then at least for these symbol strings only the first part is displayed and only once,

display on said display, as a response to a user selection via said user interface, information relating to those retrieved symbol strings which have an identical first part with the user selected symbol string, and

receive, via said user interface, a second user selection identifying one of those symbol strings whose information is displayed on the display, as a selected symbol string.

2. The terminal apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

said terminal apparatus comprises a browser,

said retrieved symbol strings are links whose first part consist of a host name and whose second part consists of a destination in said host, and

said terminal apparatus is configured to, as a response to said second user selection, provide the user of the terminal apparatus access via the browser to the host and destination indicated by the selected symbol string.

3. The terminal apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

said retrieved symbol strings are phone book entries, and

said terminal apparatus is configured to, as a response to said second user selection, provide the user access to the phone book entry indicated by the selected symbol string.

4. The terminal apparatus as in claim 1, wherein

said retrieved symbol strings are email address book entries, and

said terminal apparatus is configured to, as a response to said second user selection, provide the user access to the email address book entry indicated by the selected symbol string.

5. The terminal apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said terminal apparatus is configured to:

compile a statistics indicating the most frequently selected symbol strings by storing information in the memory each time a symbol string is selected for use, and

display said retrieved symbol strings on the display by taking into account said statistics, such that at least the most relevant symbol strings are displayed in order of relevance as indicated by said statistics.

6. The terminal apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said terminal apparatus is a mobile station of a cellular radio system.

7. A method for selecting a symbol string, said method comprising:

receiving a user input,

retrieving from a memory, as a response to said input, symbol strings whose content can be logically divided into at least a first part and a second part, said retrieving is carried out by retrieving from the memory only symbol strings whose first part matches at least partly with a sample string, if such a sample string including one or several symbols has been received in said user input,

displaying the retrieved symbol strings at least in part on a display such that if the group of retrieved symbol strings includes several symbol strings with an identical first part, then at least for these symbol strings only the first part is displayed and only once,

receiving a user selection identifying one of said at least in part displayed symbol strings as selected,

displaying on said display information relating to those retrieved symbol strings which have an identical first part with the selected symbol string, and

receiving a second user selection identifying one of those symbol strings, whose information is displayed on the display, as the selected symbol string.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein

said information displayed on said display includes said second part of the respective symbol strings.

9. The method as in claim 7, wherein

said information displayed on said display includes additional information which is retrieved from the memory.

10. The method as in claim 7, wherein

said retrieved symbol strings are links whose first part consists of a host name and whose second part consists of a destination in said host, and

said information displayed on said display includes the title of the destination.

11. The method as in claim 7, wherein said method comprises:

compiling statistics indicating the most frequently selected symbol strings by storing information in a memory each time a symbol string is selected for use, and

displaying said retrieved symbol strings at least in part on the display by taking into account said statistics, such that at least the most relevant symbol strings are displayed in order of relevance as indicated by said statistics.

12. A computer readable program carrier including a computer program for selecting a symbol string by performing steps comprising:

receiving a user input,

retrieving from a memory, as a response to said input, symbol strings whose content can be logically divided into at least a first part and a second part, said retrieving is carried out by retrieving from the memory only symbol strings whose first part matches at least partly with a sample string, if such a sample string including one or several symbols has been received in said user input,

displaying the retrieved symbol strings at least in part on a display such that if the group of retrieved symbol strings includes several symbol strings with an identical first part, then at least for these symbol strings only the first part is displayed and only once,

receiving a user selection identifying one of said at least in part displayed symbol strings as selected,

displaying on said display information relating to those retrieved symbol strings which have an identical first part with the selected symbol string, and

receiving a second user selection identifying one of those symbol strings, whose information is displayed on the display, as the selected symbol string.

13. The computer readable program carrier as in claim 12, wherein the computer program said information displayed on said display includes said second part of the respective symbol strings.

14. The computer readable program carrier as claim 12, wherein said information displayed on said display includes additional information which is retrieved from the memory.

15. The computer readable program carrier as in claim 12, wherein:

said retrieved symbol strings are links whose first part consists of a host name and whose second part consists of a destination in said host, and

said information displayed on said display includes the title of the destination.

16. The computer readable program carrier as in claim 12, wherein the computer program further performs steps comprising:

compiling statistics indicating the most frequently selected symbol strings by storing information in a memory each time a symbol string is selected for use, and

displaying said retrieved symbol strings at least in part on the display by taking into account said statistics, such that at least the most relevant symbol strings are displayed in order of relevance as indicated by said statistics.

17. A computer program, wherein said computer program is arranged to control a programmable apparatus to:

receive a user input,

retrieve from a memory symbol strings whose first part matches at least partly with a sample string, if such a sample string including one or several symbols has been received in said user input,

display the retrieved symbol strings at least in part on a display such that if the group of retrieved symbol strings includes several symbol strings with an identical first part, then at least for these symbol strings only the first part is displayed and only once,

receive a user selection identifying one of said at least in part displayed symbol strings as selected,

display on said display information relating to those retrieved symbol strings which have an identical first part with the selected symbol string, and

receive a second user selection identifying one of those symbol strings, whose information is displayed on the display, as the selected symbol string.

18. The computer program as in claim 17, wherein said computer program is arranged to control a programmable apparatus to:

compile statistics indicating the most frequently selected symbol strings by storing information in a memory each time a symbol string is selected for use, and

display said retrieved symbol strings at least in part on the display by taking into account said statistics, such that at least the most relevant symbol strings are displayed in order of relevance as indicated by said statistics.