SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INPUTTING TEXT INTO ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20140350920A1
• Filed: 08/06/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Touchtype Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Medlock, Benjamin William, Reynolds, Jonathan Paul
• Granted Patent: US 10,445,424 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

The present invention provides a system comprising a user interface configured to receive text input by a user, a text prediction engine comprising a plurality of language models and configured to receive the input text from the user interface and to generate concurrently text predictions using the plurality of language models, and wherein the text prediction engine is further configured to provide text predictions to the user interface for display and user selection. An analogous method and an interface for use with the system and method are also provided.

Claims

1. A user interface, comprising:

a single or multi-character entry mechanism; and

a word prediction pane;

wherein the word prediction pane is configured to display a plurality of selectable text predictions; and

wherein the word prediction pane is configured such that the most likely text prediction of the plurality of selectable text predictions is always displayed in a center of the word prediction pane.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the word prediction pane comprises a fixed number of display areas, each of which displays one of the plurality of selectable text predictions.

3. The user interface of claim 2, wherein the fixed number of display areas are arranged in a row, with the most likely text prediction of the plurality of selectable text predictions being displayed in a central display area.

4. The user interface of claim 2, wherein there are three display areas, each having a fixed sized and a fixed location.

5. The user interface of claim 4, wherein the three display areas are arranged in a horizontal row, with a central display area being configured to display the most likely text prediction, and display areas on either side of the central display area being configured to display a sequence of characters entered by a user and a second most likely text prediction, respectively.

6. The user interface of claim 2, wherein the plurality of selectable text predictions comprise at least one of a word prediction and a phrase prediction.

7. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a typing pane for displaying user text input.

8. The user interface of claim 7, wherein the user text input includes a current input sequence, and wherein one of the plurality of selectable text predictions corresponds to the current input sequence.

9. The user interface of claim 7, wherein the word prediction pane is part of a touchscreen interface, the user interface being configured such that:

in response to a user touching one selectable text prediction among the plurality of selectable text predictions, the selectable text prediction is displayed in the typing pane.

10. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the word prediction pane comprises a plurality of keys, each key displaying a selectable text prediction from among the plurality of selectable text predictions, wherein a number of keys displayed in the word prediction pane is fixed and a size of each key is independent of a length of a selectable text prediction being displayed.

11. A user interface, comprising:

a single or multi-character entry mechanism; and

a word prediction pane;

wherein the word prediction pane is configured to display a plurality of selectable text predictions; and

wherein the word prediction pane is configured to display a plurality of keys for displaying the plurality of selectable text predictions, wherein a number of keys displayed is fixed and a size of each key is independent of a length of a selectable text prediction being displayed.

12. The user interface of claim 11, wherein one selectable text prediction from among the plurality of selectable text predictions comprises a phrase prediction.

13. The user interface of claim 12, wherein a key displaying the phrase prediction is configured to display the phrase prediction so each word of the phrase prediction is independently selectable.

14. The user interface of claim 11, wherein the word prediction pane is configured to always display a most likely text prediction among the plurality of selectable text predictions in a center key of the word prediction pane.

15. The user interface of claim 11, wherein there are three keys for displaying three selectable text predictions, each key having a fixed size and a fixed location.

16. The user interface of claim 15, wherein the three keys are arranged in a horizontal row, with a central key being configured to display the most likely text prediction, and keys on either side of the central key being configured to display a sequence of characters entered by a user and a second most likely text prediction, respectively.

17. The user interface of claim 11, further comprising a typing pane for displaying user text input.

18. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the user text input includes a current input sequence, and wherein one selectable text prediction among the plurality of selectable text predictions corresponds to the current input sequence.

19. The user interface of claim 17, wherein the word prediction pane is part of a touchscreen interface, the user interface being configured such that:

in response to a user touching a key displaying one selectable text prediction from among the plurality of selectable text predictions, the selectable text prediction of the key is displayed in the typing pane.

20. A user interface, comprising:

a single or multi-character entry mechanism; and

a word prediction pane;

wherein the word prediction pane is configured to display a plurality of selectable text predictions; and

wherein at least one of the plurality of selectable text predictions corresponds to a phrase prediction.

21. The user interface of claim 20, wherein the word prediction pane is configured to display the phrase prediction with parts of the phrase prediction being independently selectable, such that upon user selection of a word of the phrase, the user interface is configured to select for input the selected word and any word or words of the phrase prediction preceding the selected word.

22. The user interface of claim 20, wherein the word prediction pane is configured to always display a most likely selectable text prediction from among the plurality of selectable text predictions in a center of the word prediction pane.

23. The user interface of claim 20, wherein display areas available for each selectable text prediction among the plurality of selectable text predictions remain unchanged regardless of a length of the selectable text prediction being displayed.

24. The user interface of claim 23, wherein display areas for displaying the plurality of selectable text predictions have a fixed size and a fixed location on the word prediction pane.

25. The user interface of claim 24, wherein there are three display areas for displaying three selectable text predictions.

26. The user interface of claim 25, wherein the three areas are arranged in a horizontal row, with a central display area being configured to display a most likely text prediction, and areas on either side of the central area being configured to display a sequence of characters entered by a user and the second most likely text prediction, respectively.

27. The user interface of claim 20, further comprising a typing pane for displaying user text input.

28. The user interface of claim 27, wherein user text input includes a current input sequence, and wherein one selectable text prediction among the plurality of selectable text predictions corresponds to the current input sequence.

29. The user interface of claim 28, wherein the word prediction pane is part of a touchscreen interface, the user interface being configured such that:

in response to a user touching one selectable text prediction from among the plurality of selectable text predictions, the selectable text prediction is displayed in the typing pane.

30. The user interface of claim 20, wherein the word prediction pane is configured to display a selectable text prediction on a key, a size of the key corresponding to a display area for displaying the selectable text prediction, wherein a number of keys displayed in the word prediction pane is fixed and a size of each key is independent of a length of a selectable text prediction being displayed.