HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED METHOD EMPLOYING A MULTIPLE-AXIS INPUT DEVICE AND REINITIATING A TEXT DISAMBIGUATION SESSION UPON RETURNING TO A DELIMITED WORD

• US 20110193735A1
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: FUX, Vadim, Kolomiets, Sergey V., Elizarov, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,256,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 11/06 by operating the multifunction key itself in different ways

Abstract

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software. The device provides output in the form of a default output and a number of variants. The output is based largely upon the frequency, i.e., the likelihood that a user intended a particular output, but various features of the device provide additional variants that are not based solely on frequency and rather are provided by various logic structures resident on the device. The device enables editing during text entry and also provides a learning function that allows the disambiguation function to adapt to provide a customized experience for the user. The disambiguation function can be selectively disabled and an alternate keystroke interpretation system provided. During text entry, a user is able to delimit a language entry session, such the entering of a word, by actuating a multiple-axis input device or another input device. The user can also reinitiate the language entry session by actuating a linguistic input member at a location abutting the delimited word.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A method of enabling input on a handheld electronic device that comprises a plurality of keys, at least some of the keys having characters assigned thereto, the method comprising:

monitoring for a number of key inputs, each key input corresponding to at least one selection of one of the plurality of keys;

responsive to a first one of the key inputs, initiating a text entry session on the handheld electronic device;

detecting an input in the handheld electronic device as a delimiter input and, responsive thereto, terminating the text entry session; and

detecting a post-termination key input indicating an entry of a character and, responsive thereto, resuming the text entry session.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the handheld electronic device further comprises a memory that has a plurality of language objects stored therein, the method further comprising:

responsive to the resuming of the text entry session, locating a language object that corresponds to the number of key inputs plus the post-termination key input.

12. A handheld electronic device comprising:

an input apparatus;

an output apparatus; and

a processor apparatus;

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

the input apparatus comprising a plurality of keys, at least some of the keys having characters assigned thereto, and

the memory further having stored therein a number of routines which, when executed on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising;

monitoring for a number of key inputs, each key input corresponding to at least one selection of one of the plurality of keys;

responsive to a first one of the key inputs, initiating a text entry session on the handheld electronic device;

detecting an input in the handheld electronic device as a delimiter input and, responsive thereto, terminating the text entry session; and

detecting a post-termination key input indicating an entry of a character and, responsive thereto, resuming the text entry session.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to the resuming of the text entry session, locating a language object that corresponds to the number of key inputs plus the post-termination key input.

14. A method of enabling input on a handheld electronic device that comprises an output apparatus, an input apparatus comprising a plurality of input keys, and a memory having stored therein a plurality of language objects, at least some of the keys having characters assigned thereto, the method comprising:

detecting selection of a number of input keys;

responsive to detecting a first selection of one of the input keys, initiating a text entry session on the handheld electronic device;

detecting an input from the input apparatus as a delimiter input and, responsive thereto, terminating the text entry session; and

detecting a post-termination key input indicating an entry of a character and, responsive thereto, resuming the language entry session.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining that a focus of the processor apparatus is on a location abutting the text entry session, and detecting a selection of an input key at the location as the post-termination linguistic input member actuation.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting an actuation of a multiple-axis input device as the delimiter input.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the memory has a plurality of language objects stored therein, the method further comprising:

responsive to the resuming of the text entry session, locating a language object that corresponds with the number of key inputs plus the post-termination key input.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising detecting an input from a touch screen display.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising outputting on the touch screen display a depiction representative of a multiple-axis input device.