Apparatus and method for providing visual indication of character ambiguity during text entry

• US 8,583,440 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tegic Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Stephanick, James, Bradford, Ethan R., Van Meurs, Pim, Eyraud, Richard, Long, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Desir, Pierre-Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOVACEK, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US11/213,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,000 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 9, 704/270, 704/277, 707 1- 5, 345/619, 345/689, 345168-169, 715200-201, 715/204, 715/221, 715/224, 715/700, 715/703
• US Class Current: 704/270
• 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 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing visual indication of character ambiguity and ensuing reduction of such ambiguity during text entry are described. An application text entry field is presented in a display screen, into which the user enters text by means of a reduced keyboard and a disambiguating system. The default or most likely word construct for the current key sequence may be presented at the insertion point of the text entry field. An indication of ambiguity is presented in the display screen to communicate to the user the possible ambiguous characters associated with each key. A word choice list field may also be present to display at least one word construct matching the current key sequence.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

accepting the entry of a key input sequence by a user in a wireless communication device having a reduced keyboard and a display, wherein said reduced keyboard comprises character keys, navigational keys, and at least one selection key, wherein at least one character key corresponds to a plurality of characters;

presenting a graphical user interface to a user comprising at least three discrete fields including each of;

a text entry field;

a character ambiguity field; and

a word choice list field;

simultaneously displaying, during all aspects of text entry, at least one user-selected word construct in said text entry field, candidate characters in said character ambiguity field, and candidate word constructs in said word choice list field, said simultaneously displaying further comprising;

displaying candidate characters in said character ambiguity field in response to pressing of one or more keys by said user, such that entry of the at least one key with more than one character results in an ambiguous key entry, wherein said character ambiguity field displays more than one potential disambiguation of each said ambiguous key entry in said key input sequence;

displaying, in the word choice list field, a plurality of candidate word constructs matching at least one word-level disambiguation of said key input sequence, wherein said candidate word construct comprises at least one candidate character;

emphasizing candidate characters that builds the most likely candidate word construct in said character ambiguity field, wherein said most likely word construct is the most frequently used word construct;

interpreting a pause of a given length after said display of said more than one potential disambiguation of the most recent ambiguous key entry in said key input sequence as an indication of said user'"'"'s intention to enter a character explicitly at the current position in said sequence;

displaying, after said pause, an interactive explicit candidate selection menu within said character ambiguity field, said explicit candidate selection menu containing all of the potential disambiguations of said most recent ambiguous key entry and a selection indicator associated with one of said potential disambiguations;

receiving a selection of an explicit candidate via said interactive explicit candidate selection menu;

truncating said plurality of candidate word constructs based on an explicit character selection at said position in said sequence;

accepting navigational instructions by said user pressing at least one navigational key, wherein said navigational instructions moves said selection indicator to a different potential disambiguation in said explicit candidate selection menu;

accepting a selection instruction by said user pressing said at least one selection key, wherein said selection instruction indicates the explicit command to input the potential disambiguation associated with said selection indicator at that time, said selected potential disambiguation taking the form of an explicitly entered character in a particular position with a word construct;

receiving instructions from said user indicating selection of one word construct from among the plurality of candidate word constructs having said explicitly entered character in a particular position, wherein all of said candidate characters remain visible to said user in said character ambiguity field until said user indication, thereby enabling said user to view alternative disambiguations of said key input sequence; and

displaying said selected word construct in said text entry field.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

facilitating removal or deemphasis of one or more candidate characters, said one or more candidate characters being removed or deemphasized as not part of a candidate word construct.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

in response to a user explicitly selecting a candidate character, facilitating display of only candidate word constructs matching said explicitly selected character in the corresponding position of the key sequence of each word construct.

4. An apparatus, comprising:

a reduced keyboard comprising;

a plurality of character keys, each key corresponding to a plurality of characters, wherein said character keys are for accepting the entry of a key input sequence by a user;

a plurality of navigational keys; and

at least one selection key;

a display for displaying a graphical user interface comprising at least three discrete fields including each of;

a text entry field;

a character ambiguity field; and

a word choice list field;

a processor operatively coupled with a memory, wherein said processor is configured for simultaneously displaying, during all aspects of text entry, at least one user-selected word construct in said text entry field, candidate characters in said character ambiguity field, and candidate word constructs in said word choice list field;

wherein said processor is further configured for displaying, in the word choice list field a plurality of candidate word constructs in response to successive selection of one or more keys, wherein each key corresponds to at least one character, and wherein at least one key corresponds to a plurality of characters;

wherein said processor is further configured for displaying, in the character ambiguity field, all characters for said each key; and

wherein said processor is further configured for emphasizing candidate characters that builds the most likely word construct in said character ambiguity field, wherein said most likely word construct is the most frequently used word construct;

wherein said processor is further configured for interpreting a pause of given length after said display of said more than one potential disambiguation of the most recent ambiguous key entry in said key input sequence as an indication of said user'"'"'s intention to enter a character explicitly at the current position in said sequence;

wherein the processor is further configured for displaying, after said pause, an interactive explicit candidate selection menu in said character ambiguity field, said explicit candidate selection menu containing all of the potential disambiguations of said most recent ambiguous key entry and a selection indicator associated with one of said potential disambiguations;

wherein the processor is further configured for receiving a selection of an explicit candidate via said interactive explicit candidate selection menu;

wherein the processor is further configured for truncating said plurality of candidate word constructs based on an explicit character selection at said position in said sequence;

wherein said processor is further configured for accepting navigational instructions by said user pressing at least one navigational key, wherein said navigational instructions moves said selection indicator to a different potential disambiguation in said explicit candidate selection menu;

wherein said processor is further configured for accepting a selection instruction by said user pressing said at least one selection key, wherein said selection instruction indicates the explicit command to input the potential disambiguation associated with said selection indicator at that time, said selected potential disambiguation taking the form of an explicitly entered character in a particular position with a word construct;

wherein said processor is further configured for receiving instructions from said user indicating selection of one word construct from among the plurality of candidate word constructs having said explicitly entered character in a particular position, wherein all of said candidate characters remain visible to said user in said character ambiguity field until said user indication, thereby enabling said user to view alternative disambiguations of said key input sequence; and

wherein said processor is further configured for displaying said selected word construct in said text entry field.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

means for facilitating removal of deemphasis of one or more characters of said at least one character corresponding to said each key, said characters being removed or deemphasized as not part of a candidate word construct.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing executable instructions, which, when executed in a processing system, cause said processing system to perform a method comprising the steps of:

accepting the entry of a key input sequence by a user in a wireless communication device having a reduced keyboard and a display, wherein said reduced keyboard comprises character keys, navigational keys, and at least one selection key, wherein at least one character key corresponds to a plurality of characters;

presenting a graphical user interface to a user comprising at least three discrete fields including each of;

a text entry field;

a character ambiguity field; and

a word choice list field;

simultaneously displaying, during all aspects of text entry, at least one user-selected word construct in said text entry field, candidate characters in said character ambiguity field, and candidate word constructs in said word choice list field, said simultaneously displaying further comprising;

displaying candidate characters in said character ambiguity field in response to pressing of one or more keys by said user, such that entry of the at least one key with more than one character results in an ambiguous key entry, wherein said character ambiguity field displays more than one potential disambiguation of each said ambiguous key entry in said key input sequence;

displaying, in the word choice list field, a plurality of candidate word constructs matching at least one word-level disambiguation of said key input sequence, wherein said candidate word construct comprises at least one candidate character;

emphasizing candidate characters that builds the most likely candidate word construct in bold form in said character ambiguity field, wherein said most likely word construct is the most frequently used word construct;

interpreting a pause of a given length after said display of said more than one potential disambiguation of the most recent ambiguous key entry in said key input sequence as an indication of said user'"'"'s intention to enter a character explicitly at the current position in said sequence;

displaying, after said pause, an interactive explicit candidate selection menu within said character ambiguity field, said explicit candidate selection menu containing all of the potential disambiguations of said most recent ambiguous key entry and a selection indicator associated with one of said potential disambiguations;

receiving a selection of an explicit candidate via said interactive explicit candidate selection menu;

truncating said plurality of candidate word constructs based on an explicit character selection at said position in said sequence;

accepting navigational instructions by said user pressing at least one navigational key, wherein said navigational instructions moves said selection indicator to a different potential disambiguation in said explicit candidate selection menu;

accepting a selection instruction by said user pressing said at least one selection key, wherein said selection instruction indicates the explicit command to input the potential disambiguation associated with said selection indicator at that time, said selected potential disambiguation taking the form of an explicitly entered character in a particular position with a word construct;

receiving instructions from said user indicating selection of one word construct from among the plurality of candidate word constructs having said explicitly entered character in a particular position, wherein all of said candidate characters remain visible to said user in said character ambiguity field until said user indication, thereby enabling said user to view alternative disambiguations of said key input sequence; and

displaying said selected word construct in said text entry field.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein simultaneously displaying candidate characters in said character ambiguity field and displaying candidate word constructs in said word choice list field, further comprises

facilitating removal or dimming of characters of said at least one character corresponding to said each key which are not part of a candidate word construct.