Apparatus and method for input of ideographic Korean syllables from reduced keyboard

• US 7,061,403 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fux, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jr., Timothy
• Application Number:
  US10/282,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 341/22, 341/28, 400/110, 400/472
• US Class Current: 341/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters

Abstract

Systems and methods for input of text symbols into an electronic device comprising a reduced keyboard having keys representing a plurality of characters are disclosed. Possible symbol variants are identified based on character inputs received from the reduced keyboard. Each identified symbol variant is grouped into one of a plurality of groups of symbol variants, each group having an associated priority, according to a type of the symbol variant. Within at least one of the groups, the symbol variants are ranked in decreasing order of frequencies of use of the symbol variants. A list of symbol variants comprising the plurality of groups of symbol variants in order of decreasing priority is then displayed, and an input symbol is selected from the list of symbol variants. The symbol variants of the at least one of the groups of symbol variants are thereby sorted by both priority and frequency of use.

Claims

1. A method for input of text symbols into an electronic device comprising a reduced keyboard, the reduced keyboard having keys representing a plurality of characters, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving character inputs from the reduced keyboard;

identifying symbol variants based on the received character inputs;

grouping each symbol variant in one of a plurality of groups of symbol variants according to a type of the symbol variant, each of the plurality of groups having an associated priority;

ranking the symbol variants within at least one of the groups of symbol variants in decreasing order of frequencies of use of the symbol variants;

displaying a list of symbol variants comprising the plurality of groups of symbol variants in order of decreasing priority; and

selecting an input symbol from the list of symbol variants,

wherein the symbol variants of the at least one of the groups of symbol variants are sorted by both priority and frequency of use;

wherein the text symbols comprise Korean text symbols, and wherein the plurality of groups of symbol variants comprise a Hangul syllables group, a compound Jamo characters group, a basic Jamo characters group, and a group of sequences of characters that violate Korean grammar rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the character inputs comprise characters used to compose the symbol variants.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbol variants comprise Korean Hangul syllables.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the groups of symbol variants comprises the group having a highest priority.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting comprises the step of receiving a symbol selection input from a user of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, implemented in computer software instructions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking comprises the steps of:

accessing stored frequency of use information for each of the symbol variants in the at least one of the groups of symbol variants; and

sorting the symbol variants within the at least one of the groups of symbol variants based on the frequency of use information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of accessing further comprises the steps of, for each of the symbol variants in the at least one of the groups of symbol variants:

determining whether frequency of use information has been stored in a frequency data structure for the symbol variant;

retrieving the frequency of use information where frequency of use information has been stored in a frequency data structure for the symbol variant; and

assuming predetermined frequency of use information where the frequency of use information has not been stored in the frequency data structure for the symbol variant.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting comprises the steps of:

receiving a further character input from a user of the electronic device;

determining whether the further character input is related to a current text symbol or a new text symbol; and

selecting a first symbol variant in the list of symbol variants as the input symbol where the further character input is related to the new text symbol.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of repeating the steps of identifying, grouping, ranking, and displaying where the further character input is related to the current text symbol.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the Hangul syllables group has a highest priority among the plurality of groups.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the compound Jamo characters group has a higher priority than the basic Jamo characters group, and wherein the group of sequences of characters that violate Korean grammar rules has a lowest priority among the plurality of groups.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the groups of symbol variants comprises the Hangul syllables group.

14. A system of inputting text symbols into an electronic device, comprising:

a reduced keyboard having keys representing a plurality of characters for composing text symbols;

an input queue configured to receive character inputs from the reduced keyboard;

a memory configured to store frequency of use information for a plurality of symbols;

an input processor operatively coupled to the memory and the input queue and configured to identify possible symbol variants comprising text symbols at least partially composed of the received character inputs, to assign each of the symbol variants to one of a plurality of groups of symbol variants having associated priorities according to a type of the symbol variant, to sort the symbol variants within at least one of the groups based on the frequency of use information stored in the memory, and to select an input symbol from the list of symbol variants;

a display; and

a user interface coupled between the display and the input processor to display a list of symbol variants comprising the groups of symbol variants in order of decreasing priority on the display;

wherein the plurality of characters include Korean Jamo characters, and wherein the plurality of groups comprise a Korean Hangul syllable group, a compound Jamo character group, and a basic Jamo character group.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the keys include one or more multiple-character keys, each multiple-character key representing more than one character.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the user interface is further configured to display a text input screen on the display, the text input screen comprising a current text input position, and to display a first symbol variant in the list of symbol variants at the current text input position.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the input processor selects an input symbol from the list of variants by:

receiving a further input from the input queue;

determining whether the further input is a symbol selection input indicating a selected symbol variant in the list of symbol variants;

selecting the selected symbol as the input symbol as the input symbol where the further input is a symbol selection input indicating a selected symbol variant in the list of symbol variants;

determining whether the further input is a character input related to a current text symbol or a new text symbol where the further input is not a symbol selection input indicating a selected symbol variant in the list of symbol variants; and

selecting a first symbol variant in the list of symbol variants as the input symbol where the further input is a character input related to the new text symbol.

18. A computer-readable medium storing software code instructions for inputting text symbols into an electronic device comprising a reduced keyboard representing a plurality of characters, the software code instructions comprising instructions for performing the functions of:

receiving character inputs from the reduced keyboard;

identifying symbol variants based on the received character inputs;

grouping each symbol variant in one of a plurality of groups of symbol variants according to a type of the symbol variant, each of the plurality of groups having an associated priority;

ranking the symbol variants within at least one of the groups of symbol variants in decreasing order of frequencies of use of the symbol variants;

displaying a list of symbol variants comprising the plurality of groups of symbol variants in order of decreasing priority; and

selecting an input symbol from the list of symbol variants,

wherein the symbol variants of the at least one of the groups of symbol variants are sorted by both priority and frequency of use;

wherein the text symbols comprise Korean text symbols, and wherein the plurality of groups of symbol variants comprise a Hangul syllables group, a compound Jamo characters group, a basic Jamo characters group, and a group of sequences of characters that violate Korean grammar rules.