Non-native language writing aid method and tool

• US 7,224,346 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sheng, Ye
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh; Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US10/166,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,814 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/169, 345/171, 345/700, 345705-711, 345/172, 707 1- 8, 715530-536, 704 1- 10, 382309-311
• US Class Current: 345/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/284 Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates

Abstract

A non-native language writing aid method and a tool for implementing the same intercept and captures the user'"'"'s input, and display possible words and their interpretation in real time adjacent a cursor input. The tool can automatically adjust and select more possible words and their interpretation, while the user sequentially inputs characters constituting the input, until he/she chooses one word or makes a confirmation on his/her input. The invention may implement spelling check and meaning verification in real time, and provide expression prompting and a fuzzy search function, so that non-native language input speed can be greatly improved. The present invention is not limited to specific applications and can be incorporated into existing applications.

Claims

1. A method, suitable for use in a word processing application, for aiding a user to write a document in a non-native language, the method comprising:

receiving an input string;

automatically determining a language used for the input string;

if the input string is in the non-native language, the method further comprising;

presenting a string list of one or more possible strings in the non-native language corresponding to the input string;

presenting a translation of the possible strings in a native language proximate the possible strings; and

setting a match strategy which determines display priority of at least one of the possible strings based on a configuration of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the input string is in the non-native language, the method further comprising presenting string usage instruction proximate the possible strings.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the string usage instruction includes an exemplary sentence demonstrating candidate string usage.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the string usage instruction includes indicating whether the possible string is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the input string is in the non-native language, the method further comprising automatically adjusting and selecting additional possible strings and interpretations of the additional possible strings, while the user sequentially inputs characters constituting the input string, until the user selects one of the possible strings from the string list.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the string list is presented proximate a word processing cursor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking the input string for spelling errors.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in real time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the language used for the input string includes detecting in real-time the language used for inputting words.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically adjusting and selecting additional possible strings and interpretations of said additional possible strings while the user sequentially inputs characters constituting the input until the user chooses one of the possible strings.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the translation of the possible strings in the native language proximate the possible strings includes displaying possible words corresponding to the input while the user sequentially inputs characters constituting the input string adjacent a cursor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting the string list of one or more possible strings in the non-native language corresponding to the input string includes displaying interpretation of said words while the user sequentially inputs characters constituting the input string adjacent the cursor.