HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DISAMBIGUATION OF TEXT INPUT AND PROVIDING SPELLING SUBSTITUTION

• US 20100293456A1
• Filed: 07/26/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Rubanovich, Dan, Fux, Vadim
• Granted Patent: US 8,537,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software that is operable to disambiguate text input. The device is structured to identify and output representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a text input. The device is additionally structured to identify and output representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a known spelling substitution particular to a language active on the handheld electronic device.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method of enabling an input into a handheld electronic device of a type including an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory, the method comprising:

detecting an ambiguous input;

generating an original prefix object corresponding to the ambiguous input;

identifying a spelling substitution for the original prefix object; and

outputting the original prefix object in place of the identified spelling substitution.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the input is in a predetermined language, the method further comprising identifying as the spelling substitution a spelling substitution specific to the predetermined language.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising failing to find a language object corresponding with the original prefix object and, responsive thereto, initiating the identifying the spelling substitution.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

obtaining an associated frequency object associated with a language object corresponding with the original prefix object and having a frequency value; and

associating the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the original prefix object.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a prefix object having the spelling substitution.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting a selection of the predetermined language.

17. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory having stored therein a plurality of objects;

an input apparatus comprising a plurality of keys actuatable to provide input to the processor apparatus, each of at least two of the keys having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto; and

an output apparatus structured to receive output signals from the processor and to provide output,

wherein responsive to an ambiguous input, the processor apparatus being structured to generate an original prefix object corresponding to the ambiguous input,

the processor apparatus being structured to identify a spelling substitution for the original prefix object, and

the output apparatus being structured to output the original prefix object in place of the identified spelling substitution.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the input is in a predetermined language, and wherein the processor apparatus is structured to identify as the spelling substitution a spelling substitution specific to the predetermined language.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processor apparatus is structured to fail to find a language object corresponding with the original prefix object and, responsive thereto, to initiate identifying the spelling substitution.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processor apparatus is structured to:

obtain an associated frequency object associated with a language object corresponding with the original prefix object and having a frequency value; and

associate the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the original prefix object.

21. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processor apparatus is structured to generate a prefix object having the spelling substitution.

22. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processor apparatus is structured to detect a selection of the predetermined language.

23. A method of enabling an input into a handheld electronic device of a type including an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having stored therein a plurality of objects including a plurality of language objects and a plurality of frequency objects, at least some of the language objects each .being associated with an associated frequency object, the input apparatus including a plurality of input members, each of at least some of the input members having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto, the method comprising:

detecting an ambiguous input comprising a number of actuations of a number of the input members, at least one of the number of the input members having a plurality of linguistic elements assigned thereto;

generating a number of prefix objects each having a number of the linguistic elements of the number of input members;

generating a prefix object having a spelling substitution; and

outputting the at least one of the prefix objects in place of the prefix object having a spelling substitution.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the input is in a predetermined language, and further comprising identifying as the spelling substitution a spelling substitution specific to the predetermined language.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

identifying a language object corresponding with the prefix object having the spelling substitution;

obtaining an associated frequency object associated with the identified language object and having a frequency value; and

associating the frequency value of the associated frequency object with the at least one of the prefix objects.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising detecting a selection of the predetermined language.