Input Method Editor

• US 20150121291A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Scott, Matthew Robert, Hou, Huihua, Liu, Weipeng, Xu, Weijiang
• Application Number:
  US13/635,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20150121291A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

An input method editor (IME) may include a normal mode and a rich candidate mode. The IME may present text candidates in response to receiving user inputs in the normal mode, and rich text candidates in addition to the text candidates in response to receiving user inputs in the rich candidate mode.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) for an input method editor (IME), the GUI including:

a composition window to receive user inputs,

a text candidate window to present at least one text candidate, and

a rich candidate window to present at least one rich candidate while the IME is in a rich candidate mode.

2. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, further comprising instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to enable the rich candidate mode of the IME in response to detecting a predetermined user input.

3. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the GUI further includes a rich candidate menu, the rich candidate menu including user selectable options corresponding to a plurality of rich candidate modes.

4. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the IME provides the user input to a search engine and receives the at least one rich candidate from the search engine in response.

5. The computer-readable storage media of claim 4, wherein the search engine is user selectable.

6. The computer-readable storage media of claim 4, wherein the IME further ranks and orders the at least one rich candidate based in part on historical data related to user candidate selections.

7. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the rich candidate mode is at least one of a web mode, a map mode, a video mode, an audio file mode, or an image mode.

8. The computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the at least one rich candidate include at least one of a link to a website, a map, a video file, an audio file, or an image.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to provide an input method editor (IME) within a host application, the IME including a normal mode and a rich candidate mode, the IME to present;

text candidates in response to receiving user inputs in the normal mode, and

rich text candidates, in addition to the text candidates, in response to receiving user inputs in the rich candidate mode.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the IME enters the rich candidate mode in response to receiving a mode prefix string.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the IME includes a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI including a composition window to receive user inputs, a text candidate window to present text candidates, and a rich candidate window to present rich candidates.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the rich candidate window comprises an embedded web browser using a hypertext markup language (HTML).

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the rich candidate mode is at least one of a web mode, a map mode, a video mode, an audio mode, or an image mode.

14. A method comprising:

receiving user inputs in a composition window of an input method editor (IME);

activating a rich candidate mode in response to determining that the user inputs include a predetermined input;

identifying one or more text candidates and one or more rich candidates based at least in part on the user inputs;

presenting the one or more text candidates in a text candidate window; and

presenting the one or more rich candidates in a rich candidate window.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the identifying one or more rich candidates further comprises:

providing the user inputs to a search engine; and

receiving the one or more rich candidates from the search engine.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a user selection corresponding to at least one of the one or more text candidates and the one or more rich candidates; and

inserting the user selection into a host application.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the rich candidate mode includes at least one of a web mode, a map mode, a video mode, an audio mode, and an image mode.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising activating a second rich candidate mode in response to determining that the user inputs also include a second predetermined input.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more text candidates include translations of the user inputs into at least one other language.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more rich candidates include at least one of a link to a website, a map, a video file, an audio file, or an image.