Directional input system with automatic correction

• US 8,294,667 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tegic Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Longé, Michael R., Palmer, Brian, Hullfish, Keith Charles, Brams, Doug
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US12/837,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20100277416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345173-179, 345/168, 455/550, 455/566, 715/773
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• 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 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• 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 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/253 Grammatical analysis; Style critique
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32

Abstract

A system associated with a text entry application, such as email or instant messaging, comprises an optional onscreen representation of a circular keyboard, a list of potential linguistic object matches, and a message area where the selected words are entered. The circular keyboard is manipulated via a hardware joystick or game-pad with analog joystick or omni-directional rocker switch built therein. The user points the joystick in the general direction of the desired letter, and then continues pointing roughly to each letter in the desired word. Once all letters have been roughly selected, buttons are used to select a specific word from the list of potential matches and send the selected word to the message area.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating operations for text entry, the system comprising:

a directional input tool having a mapping between different actual radial directions and different text characters, said directional input tool configured to use for sequentially pointing in an intended radial direction toward intended characters of at least part of an intended word;

a determining processor configured for determining angular similarity between each actual pointing direction and radial directions of different characters in the mapping, for using the determined angular similarity to compute different possible combinations of intended characters that could form the intended word, and for presenting a list of potential matching words, where the presentation favors potential matching words according to factors including an aggregate angular similarity of constituent characters of a potential matching word to the actual pointing directions;

a selecting processor for selecting the intended word from the list; and

a displaying processor for displaying the selected word in a human-readable message composition display area.

2. A computer-implemented method for facilitating operations for text entry, the method comprising:

by using a directional input tool having a mapping between different actual radial directions and different text characters, sequentially pointing in an intended radial direction toward intended characters of at least part of an intended word;

determining, by a determining processor, angular similarity between each actual pointing direction and radial directions of different characters in the mapping, using the determined angular similarity to compute different possible combinations of intended characters that could form the intended word, and presenting a list of potential matching words, where the presentation favors potential matching words according to factors including an aggregate angular similarity of constituent characters of a potential matching word to the actual pointing directions;

selecting, by a selecting processor, the intended word from the list; and

displaying, by a displaying processor, the selected word in a human-readable message composition display area.

3. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

by using a directional input tool having a mapping between different actual radial directions and different text characters, sequentially pointing in an intended radial direction toward intended characters of at least part of an intended word;

determining angular similarity between each actual pointing direction and radial directions of different characters in the mapping, using the determined angular similarity to compute different possible combinations of intended characters that could form the intended word, and presenting a list of potential matching words, where the presentation favors potential matching words according to factors including an aggregate angular similarity of constituent characters of a potential matching word to the actual pointing directions;

selecting the intended word from the list; and

displaying the selected word in a human-readable message composition display area.