Typing Input Systems, Methods, and Devices

• US 20140340313A1
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Zachary Dennis
• Original Assignee: John Zachary Dennis
• Inventors: Dennis, John Zachary
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• 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 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 11/08 by operating selected combinations of multifunction keys

Abstract

Systems, devices, and techniques are disclosed relating to typing input devices. For example a ten-key input device can be provided for receiving input via ten input elements from the ten fingers on a right hand and a left hand. All of the letters of the alphabet can by typed with the ten input elements according to a translation map that maps the ten input elements or combinations of the ten input elements to the letters of the alphabet.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an input device comprising ten input elements; and

a computing device coupled with the input device to receive an input from one or more of the ten input elements, translate the received input into one or more letters of an alphabet based on a translation map that maps eight of the letters of the alphabet to eight of the ten input elements respectively and that maps remaining letters of the alphabet to combinations of the eight input elements, and produce the one or more letters resulting from the translating for further processing or output.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the ten input elements correspond to ten fingers on a right hand and a left hand;

and

wherein the map that maps the eight of the letters comprises a map that maps the eight of the letters to eight fingers of the ten fingers respectively, the eight fingers comprising four fingers of the right hand and four fingers of the left hand excepting thumbs.

3. The system of claim 2,

wherein the alphabet comprises the English alphabet with 26 letters;

and

wherein each of the eight letters comprise letters assigned on a QWERTY keyboard to each of the four fingers of the right hand and the four fingers of the left hand excepting thumbs respectively.

4. The system of claim 3,

wherein a space function is mapped to one of the input elements corresponding to a thumb;

and

wherein a shift function is mapped to one of the input elements corresponding to the other thumb.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the input comprises activations of different ones of the ten input elements, and the producing is responsive to a deactivation of any one of the activated input elements.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the alphabet comprises the English alphabet with 26 letters;

wherein the remaining letters comprise 18 letters of the English alphabet;

wherein the ten input elements correspond to ten fingers on a right hand and a left hand;

wherein the map that maps the remaining eighteen of the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet to combinations of the eight input elements comprises a map that maps the remaining eighteen of the twenty-six letters to combinations of two of eight fingers comprising four fingers of the right hand and four fingers left hand excepting the thumbs; and

wherein a finger of each of the combinations comprises a finger mapped to one of the eighteen of the twenty-six letters based on an association of the finger on a QWERTY keyboard to the one of the eighteen of the twenty six letters.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to receive a chord from at least three different ones of the ten input elements, the one or more letters comprises at least a digraph, and the translating comprises translating based on an order in which at least two of the at least three different input elements are activated.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the chord corresponds to input fingers from both hands, the order indicates a first input finger from one hand for the chord, and the translating comprises translating based on letters associated with the one hand on a QWERTY keyboard.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the computing device is configured to receive an input code having multiple input code blocks, including the chord, and the translating comprises:

replacing a received chord block with alternative singlet code blocks;

replacing received singlet code blocks with an alternative chord; and

producing alternative outputs based on the alternative singlet code blocks and the alternative chord.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to switch to another map in response to a received input indicating the switch to the other map, the other map mapping the ten input elements to numbers 0-9.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the other map maps chorded input from the ten input elements to symbols.

12. A method comprising:

receiving an input code having component blocks that correspond to activation groupings of input elements of an input device;

translating the input code to first text;

checking the first text against a dictionary; and

when the first text does not match an entry in the dictionary,

processing the component blocks to generate one or more permutations that have different activation groupings of the input elements of the input device,

translating the input code to second text, which is different than the first text, in accordance with the one or more permutations, and

checking the second text against the dictionary to determine if the second text is usable to replace the first text.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the processing comprises:

replacing a component block having two digits with two new component blocks each having one digit.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the processing comprises:

replacing a current component block having one digit and a next, different component block having one digit, with a new component block having two digits.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the processing comprises generating at least one alternate component block based on an alternative ordering of at least two digits within one of the component blocks having at least three digits.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises replacing an eastern code with a western code or vice versa.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, when neither the eastern code nor the western code results in translated text found in the dictionary, the generating comprises replacing the eastern and western codes with alternate, less frequently used translations of the component blocks having at least three digits.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising waiting for receipt of a delimiter character to indicate completion of a word before checking the first text against the dictionary.

19. An apparatus comprising:

an input device having input elements; and

a processor programmed to perform the method of any of claims 12-18.

20. A computer-readable medium encoding a computer program operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 12-18.

21. A computer-readable medium encoding a computer program operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations to determine a stenographic chord, the operations comprising:

determining an input code that corresponds to more than two keys on a input device;

determining multiple possible letter combinations that can be mapped to multiple respective combinations of the more than two keys based on a map for mapping the keys on the input device to letters;

determining a frequency of use in language of the determined possible letter combinations; and

assigning a letter combination from the determined possible letter combinations to the input code based on the determined frequency of use, the assigned letter combination to be output when the two or more keys on the input device are input together as a chord.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21,

wherein the assigned letter combination comprises a first letter combination;

wherein determining a frequency of use in language of the determined possible letter combinations comprises determining a first frequency of use for the first letter combination and a second frequency of use of a second letter combination of the multiple letter combinations; and

the operations comprising;

determining that the first frequency of use and the second frequency of use exceed a threshold for frequency of use,

determining that a difference between the first frequency of use of the first letter combination and the second frequency of use of the second letter combination does not exceed a comparison threshold,

assigning the second letter combination to the input code dependent upon a second order of input of the more than two keys and

wherein assigning the first letter combination from the determined possible letter combinations to the input code based on the determined frequency of use comprises assigning the first letter combination to the input code letter dependent upon a first order of input of the more than two keys, the first order and the second order being different orders.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21,

wherein the assigned letter combination comprises a first letter combination;

wherein determining a frequency of use in language of the determined possible letter combinations comprises determining a first frequency of use for the first letter combination and a second frequency of use of a second letter combination of the multiple letter combinations; and

the operations comprising;

determining that the first frequency of use and the second frequency of use exceed a threshold for frequency of use,

determining that the first frequency of use of the first letter combination exceeds the second frequency of use of the second letter combination by more than a threshold, and

wherein assigning the first letter combination from the determined possible letter combinations to the input code based on the determined frequency of use comprises assigning the first letter combination to input code letter irrespective of an order of input of the more than two keys.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21,

wherein determining multiple possible letter combinations comprises determining multiple possible digraphs;

and

wherein assigning a letter combination comprises assigning a digraph from the multiple possible digraphs to the input code dependent upon the digraph being followed by a letter or preceded by a letter.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24,

wherein determining multiple possible letter combinations comprises determining multiple complete words;

and

the operations comprising assigning a word from the multiple complete word to the input code dependent upon the input code being terminated by a delimiter character.

26. An apparatus comprising:

an input device having input elements; and

a processor programmed to perform the operations of any of claims 21-25.

27. A computer-implemented method for determining a stenographic chord, the method comprising the operations of any of claims 21-25.