System and Method for Text Entery

• US 20090009367A1
• Filed: 07/07/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Hirshberg
• Original Assignee: David Hirshberg
• Inventors: Hirshberg, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• 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: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08

Abstract

A text entry system for an electronic device comprising: an input subsystem receives user input operations, interprets them as letters, characters, symbols, commands or functions, where the said received user operations interpreted as letters are comprising:

• • (1) single letter operations that select any possible letter from the alphabet,
  • (2) letter group operations that select a group of possible letters from the alphabet; and
    a text prediction subsystem receives a sequence of the said single letter entries and letter group entries, and produces a list of possible words the user intends to enter based on a priori database of words; and a word processing subsystem, receives the said list of possible words, displays them to the user, receives the user selection of the desired word and further processes the text entry as required.

Claims

1. A text entry system for an electronic device comprising:

(a) an input subsystem receives user input operations, interprets the said input operations as letters, characters, symbols, commands or functions, where the said received user operations interpret as letters are comprising;

(1) single letter operations that select any possible letter from the alphabet,

(2) letter group operations that select a group of possible letters from the alphabet; and

(b) a text prediction subsystem receives a sequence of the said single letter entries and letter group entries, and produces a list of possible words the user intends to enter based on a priori database of words; and

(c) a word processing subsystem, receives the said list of possible words, displays the said list to the user, receives the user selection of the desired word and further processes the text entry as required.

2. A text entry system according to claim 1, where the said input subsystem comprising of keypad with keys and some of the keys are used for entering the said single letter operations and some other keys are used for entering a letter group operation.

3. A text entry system according to claim 2, where one or more of the said keys are push button keys.

4. A text entry system according to claim 2, where one or more of the said keys are touch sensitive keys on a touch sensitive surface or a touch sensitive screen.

5. A text entry system according to claim 1, where the said input subsystem comprising of keypad with keys and some of the keys are used for entering the said letter group operations and simultaneous key selection combinations of the said keys are used for entering a single letter operation.

6. A text entry system according to claim 1, where the said input subsystem comprising of keypad with keys and some of the keys are used for entering the said single letters operations and simultaneous key selection combinations of the said keys are used for entering a letter group operation.

7. A text entry system according to claim 1, where the said input subsystem interprets user gestures over a two-dimensional surface or over a three-dimensional space for single letter operations or letter group operations or both single letter and letter group operations.

8. A text entry system according to claim 4, where some of the said keys key area is arranged in nested arrangement and the nesting key activation is interpreted as a letter group operation and the said group contains the letters of all the nested letter groups or single letters reside in the said nesting key.

9. A text entry system according to claim 2, where one or more of the said keys are multi-functional keys.

10. A text entry system according to claim 9, where one or more of the said multifunctional keys contain at least the functionality of two or more single letter selection functions and the functionality of a letter group selection function contains all single letter selection functions associated with the said key.

11. A text entry system according to claim 10, where the letter group operation is associated with press or touch operation on the said multifunctional key and the single letter operations associated with directional key activation such as slide, swipe or tilt or directional gesture applied to the said multifunctional key.

12. A text entry system according to claim 10, where the letter group operation is associated with press or touch operation on the said multifunctional key and the single letter operations associated with press or touch operation on the said multifunctional key accompanied with directional gesture of the said electronic device or directional gesture over other objects on the said electronic device.

13. A text entry system according to claim 9, where the selected letters in the letter group are dependant on the touch or press location on the key area.

14. A text entry system according to claim 1, where the said text prediction subsystem provides a sorted list of words based on alphabetical order or a priori frequency of the word in the language.

15. A text entry system according to claim 1, where the input subsystem provides together with the said letter group selection, a probability of each letter in the group and the said text prediction subsystem receives the said probabilities and provides a sorted list of words based on a posteriori probability according to a weighting between the a priori frequency of the word in the language and the probability of the selection of each letter by the user.

16. A text entry system according to claim 1, where the said text prediction subsystem provides a list of words with a length longer then the length of the received sequence of single letters and letter groups and the word processing subsystem enables the user to select the possible word completion.

17. A method for inputting text information into an electronic device using a user interface apparatus, the method comprising:

(a) a user input operations, for letters, characters, symbols, commands or functions, where the said user operations for letters are further comprising;

(1) single letter operations that select any possible letter from the alphabet,

(2) letter group operations that select a group of possible letters from the alphabet; and

(b) a text prediction processor received sequence of the said single letter entries and letter group entries, and produces a list of possible words the user intend to enter based on a priori database of words; and

(c) a word processing processor, receives the said list of possible words, displays them to the user, and receives the user selection of the desired word from the said list.

18. A method of claim 17, where one or more of the said single letter input operations and one or more of the said letter group input operations are both key selection operations.

19. A method of claim 18, where one or more of the said input operations are pressing a push button key.

20. A method of claim 18, where one or more of the said input operations are touching a key on a touch sensitive surface or a touch sensitive screen.

21. A method of claim 17, where the said letter group operations are single key selections and the single letter operations are simultaneous selection of several keys.

22. A method of claim 17, where the said single letter operations are single key selections and the letter group operations are simultaneous selection of several keys.

23. A method of claim 17, where the said input operations are user gestures over a two-dimensional surface or over three-dimensional space for single letter operations or for letter group operations or for both single letter and letter group operations.

24. A method of claim 20, where some of the said keys area arranged in nested arrangement and the nesting key selection performs a letter group operation and the said group contains the letters of all the nested letter groups or single letters reside in the said nesting key.

25. A method of claim 18, where one or more of the said keys are multi-functional keys.

26. A method of claim 25, where one or more of the said multifunctional key contain at least the functionality of two or more single letter selection functions and the functionality of a letter group selection function contains all single letter selection functions associated with the said key.

27. A method of claim 26, where the letter group operation is associated with a press or touch operation on the said multifunctional key and the single letter operations associated with directional key activation such as slide, swipe or tilt or directional gesture applied to the said multifunctional key.

28. A method of claim 26, where the letter group operation is associated with a press or touch operation on the said multifunctional key and the single letter operations are associated with a press or touch operation on the said multifunctional key accompanied by a directional gesture of the said electronic device or directional gesture over other objects on the said electronic device.

29. A method of claim 25, where the selected letters in the letter group are in accordance with the touch or press location on the key area.

30. A method of claim 17, where the list of possible words displayed is sorted in alphabetical order or in a priori frequency in the language order.

31. A method of claim 17, where the letter group input operation induces a selection probability for each letter in the letter group and the said text prediction processor receive the said probabilities and provide a sorted list of words based on a posteriori probability according to a weighting between the a priori frequency of the word in the language and the probability of the selection of each letter by the user.

32. A method of claim 17, where the said text prediction processor provides a list of words with lengths longer then the length of the received sequence of single letters and letter groups and the user can select the possible word completion.