Reduced keyboard text input system for the Japanese language

• US 6,636,162 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2000
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kushler, Clifford A., Bradford, Ethan R., Flinchem, Edward P., Matsuo, Daiju
• Primary Examiner(s): EDWARDS JR, TIMOTHY
• Application Number:
  US09/577,282
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 341/22, 341/28, 379/368, 707/535, 400/110, 345/168
• US Class Current: 341/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• 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 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items

Abstract

A reduced keyboard system for the Japanese language which uses word-level disambiguation of entered keystroke sequences, and which enables the user to select the desired interpretation of an ambiguous input key sequence as kana, and then select the desired textual interpretation associated with the selected kana interpretation. The system uses a highly compressed database format which has several advantages in terms of reduced size and minimal processing requirements during operation. Also disclosed is a reduced keyboard system which uses sequences of two keystrokes to specify each syllable, including the syllables with palatalized vowels that are written with two kana each. Input sequences of keystrokes are interpreted as ordered pairs of keystrokes which select a character according to its position in a two-dimensional matrix. The first keystroke of each ordered pair specifies the row of the matrix in which the desired character appears, and the second keystroke of each pair specifies the column. The organization of the characters in the first five columns of the matrix conforms to the manner in which the Japanese syllabary is learned and conceptualized by a native Japanese speaker. An additional three columns are organized in a manner that corresponds with the natural model of how the syllables with palatalized vowels are formed (each as a combination of two kana). Up to two more specialized columns are added to handle two special cases that do not fit into the simple patterns of the first eight columns.

Claims

1. A disambiguating system for disambiguating ambiguous input sequences entered by a user and generating textual output in the Japanese language, the disambiguating system comprising:

a) a user input device having a plurality of inputs, each of a plurality of said inputs associated with a plurality of characters, an input sequence being generated each time an input is selected by manipulating the user input device and corresponding to the sequence of inputs that have been selected, the generated input sequence having a textual interpretation that is ambiguous due to the plurality of characters associated with each input;

b) a memory containing data used to construct a plurality of Yomikata text objects, each of the plurality of Yomikata text objects being associated with an input sequence and a frequency of use value, wherein each of the plurality of Yomikata text objects in the memory specifies a sequence of kana to be output to the user, said Yomikata text objects comprise root word objects, and one or more suffix objects that correspond to the root word objects;

c) a display; and

d) a processor coupled to the user input device, memory, and display, the processor adapted for identifying from the memory all Yomikata text objects according to the generated input sequence, wherein said identified Yomikata text objects are root word objects that are associated with the generated input sequence, and wherein said identified Yomikata text objects are combinations of root word objects and suffix objects when the combination is associated with the generated input sequence, and the processor further adapted for generating an output signal causing the display to display at least one of the identified Yomikata text objects as a textual interpretation of the generated input sequence.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each suffix object is associated with a predefined suffix class.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein root and suffix objects are stored in the memory in a tree structure, said tree structure is comprised of a plurality of nodes, and each node is associated with an input sequence and with one or more Yomikata objects.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each root word object comprises a class specifier when associated with at least one suffix object, and said class specifier identifies one or more predefined suffix classes that include one or more suffix objects that were previously determined to be associated with the root word object.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the suffix objects are stored in the memory in suffix tree structures according to their respective suffix classes, each of said suffix tree structures comprises a plurality of nodes, and each node is associated with at least a portion of an input sequence and with one or more Yomikata objects, and wherein said root word objects are stored in the memory in a root tree structure, said root tree structure comprises a plurality of nodes, and each node is associated with at least a portion of an input sequence and a root word object.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each suffix object comprises a frequency of use value for indicating the suffix object'"'"'s frequency of use relative to other suffix objects within the associated predefined suffix class and each root word object comprises a frequency of use value for indicating the root word object'"'"'s frequency of use relative to the other root word objects.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the relative frequency of use values are logarithmic values.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said processor identifies from the memory all Yomikata text objects according to the generated input sequence and the associated class specifiers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor comprises a frequency component for determining a frequency of use value of each of the identified Yomikata text objects, determines the order of the identified Yomikata text objects according to the determined frequency of use values, and instructs the display to display the identified Yomikata text objects according to the determined order.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the frequency component determines the frequency of use value of each of the identified Yomikata text objects by:

(a) when the identified Yomikata text object is a root word object corresponding to the entire input sequence and the root word object is predefined to appear suffixed, determining the frequency of use associated with each identified Yomikata text object;

(b) when the identified Yomikata text object is a root word object corresponding to the entire input sequence and the root word object is predefined to appear unsuffixed, determining the product of the frequency of use value associated with each identified Yomikata text object and a predefined relative frequency; and

(c) when the identified Yomikata text object is a combination of a root word object and one or more suffix objects, determining the product of the frequency of use value associated with the root word object and the relative frequency of use values associated with the one or more suffix objects.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said frequency component further comprises an ordering component for resolving order when the determined frequency of two or more identified Yomikata text objects are the same,

wherein, when two or more identified Yomikata text objects have the same determined frequency of use value, said ordering component identifies the identified Yomikata text object with the longer root word object and orders the identified Yomikata text object with the longer root word object before the other identified Yomikata text objects;

wherein, when two or more identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency have different root word objects of the same length, the identified Yomikata text object with the root word object that is first in the root word tree structure is ordered prior to the other identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency having root word objects of the same length; and

wherein, when two or more identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency have the same root word objects, the identified Yomikata text object with the suffix object that is first in a suffix tree structure is ordered prior to the other identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the suffix classes are separated into a set of one or more verb suffix classes, a set of one or more noun suffix classes, and a set of one or more adjective suffix classes.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the suffix objects are stored in the memory in suffix tree structures within the sets of verb, noun, and adjective suffix classes, said tree structures are comprised of a plurality of nodes, each node being associated with at least a portion of an input sequence and with one or more Yomikata objects, and wherein said root word objects are stored in the memory in a root tree structure, said root tree structure being comprised of a plurality of nodes, each node being associated with at least a portion of an input sequence and a root word object.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each suffix object comprises a frequency of use value for indicating the suffix object'"'"'s frequency of use value relative to other suffix objects within the suffix class set, and each root word object comprises a frequency of use value for indicating the root word object'"'"'s frequency of use relative to the other root word objects.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the relative frequency of use value associated with the suffix object is a logarithmic value.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said processor identifies from the memory all Yomikata text objects according to the generated input sequence and the associated class specifiers.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor comprises a frequency component for determining a frequency of use value of each of the identified Yomikata text objects, determining the order of the identified Yomikata text objects according to the determined frequency of use values, and instructing the display to display the identified Yomikata text objects according to the determined order.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the frequency component determines the frequency of use value of each of the identified Yomikata text objects by:

(a) when the identified Yomikata text object is a root word object corresponding to the entire input sequence and the root word object is predefined to appear suffixed, determining the frequency of use associated with each identified Yomikata text object;

(b) when the identified Yomikata text object is a root word object corresponding to the entire input sequence and the root word object is predefined to appear unsuffixed, determining the product of the frequency of use value associated with each identified Yomikata text object and a predefined relative frequency; and

(c) when the identified Yomikata text object is a combination of a root word object and the one or more suffix objects, determining the product of the frequency of use value associated with the root word object and the relative frequency of use values associated with the one or more suffix objects.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said frequency component further comprises an ordering component for resolving order when the determined frequency of two or more identified Yomikata text objects are the same,

wherein, when two or more identified Yomikata text objects have the same determined frequency of use value, said ordering component identifies the identified Yomikata text object with the longer root word object and orders the identified Yomikata text object with the longer root word object before the other identified Yomikata text objects;

wherein, when two or more identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency have different root word objects of the same length, the identified Yomikata text object with the root word object that is first in the root word tree structure is ordered prior to the other identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency having root word objects of the same length; and

wherein, when two or more identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency have the same root word objects, the identified Yomikata text object with the suffix object that is first in a suffix tree structure is ordered prior to the other identified Yomikata text objects with the same determined frequency.