Input method editor integration

• US 9,043,300 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hong, Feng, Zhao, Yuke, Guo, Quji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hwa, Shyue Jiunn
• Application Number:
  US12/595,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,603 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 715/205
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• 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: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which an input method editor receives composition inputs in an input method editor environment, the composition inputs based on user inputs. Candidate selections are identified in the input method editor environment based on the composition inputs. Each candidate selection comprises one or more ideograms. The input method editor environment receives a search command based on a user input, and selects one of the candidate selections in response to the search command. The selected candidate selection and the search command are provided to a search engine interface external to the input method editor environment.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, at a computing device including one or more processors, one or more typed keys via a keyboard associated with the computing device, the one of more typed keys representing one or more characters in a first language, respectively;

identifying, at the computing device, candidate selections in an input method editor environment based on the one or more characters in the first language, each candidate selection comprising one or more ideograms in a second language that is a transliteration of the first language;

receiving, at the computing device, in the input method editor environment, a search command, the search command based on a user input;

selecting, at the computing device, one of the candidate selections in response to the search command;

providing, at the computing device, the selected candidate selection and the search command to a search engine interface external to the input method editor environment;

in response to the search command, determining when the search engine interface is active;

when the search engine interface is determined to be active;

providing the selected candidate selection to the search engine interface as a search input, and

invoking a search in the search engine interface; and

when the search engine interface is determined to be inactive;

instantiating the search engine interface,

providing the selected candidate selection to the search engine interface as the search input, and

invoking the search in the search engine interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more characters in the first language are Pinyin characters and the second language is a Chinese language,

identifying the candidate selections comprises identifying Hanzi characters for the one or more ideograms based on Pinyin inputs represented by the one or more characters; and

providing the selected candidate selection and the search command to a search engine interface comprises providing selected Hanzi characters as a search input to the search engine interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the candidate selections in response to the search command comprises manually selecting one of the candidate selections.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

ranking, at the computing device, the candidate selections in the input method editor;

presenting, at the computing device, the candidate selections in the input method editor environment according to the rank; and

wherein selecting one of the candidate selections in response to the search command comprises;

automatically selecting a first ranked candidate selection.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, in an input method editor data store at a computing device including one or more processors, integration commands, each integration command identifying an integration of the input method editor with a corresponding application environment that is external to an input method editor user interface;

identifying, at the computing device, candidate selections in the input method editor user interface, the candidate selections based on one or more typed keys via a keyboard associated with the computing device, the one or more typed keys indicating one or more characters in a first language, respectively, each candidate selection comprising one or more ideograms in a second language that is a transliteration of the first language;

receiving, in the input method editor user interface at the computing device, a specific integration command, the specific integration command based on a user input and corresponding to one of the stored integration commands;

selecting, at the computing device, one of the candidate selections in response to the specific integration command;

providing, at the computing device, the selected candidate selection to the corresponding application environment external to the input method editor user interface;

in response to the specific integration command, determining when the corresponding application environment is active;

when the corresponding application environment is determined to be active;

providing the selected candidate selection to the corresponding application environment, and

invoking an application function that utilizes the selected candidate selection as input; and

when the corresponding application environment is determined to be inactive;

instantiating the corresponding application environment,

providing the selected candidate selection to the corresponding application environment, and

invoking the application function that utilizes the selected candidate selection as input.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the one or more characters in the first language are Pinyin characters and the second language is a Chinese language,

identifying the candidate selections comprises identifying Hanzi characters as the one or more ideograms based on Pinyin inputs represented by the one or more characters; and

providing the selected candidate selection and the specific integration command to the corresponding application interface comprises providing selected Hanzi characters as a search input to a search engine interface.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the application comprises a search engine user interface; and

the application function comprises a search operation.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the application comprises an e-mail application; and

the application function comprises an e-mail composition function.

9. The method of claim 5, comprising:

identifying, at the computing device, a context defined by candidate selections; and

identifying, at the computing device, integration commands related to the identified context; and

enabling, at the computing device, the identified integration commands.

10. The method of claim 5, comprising:

simultaneously presenting, at the computing device, a plurality of integration command activation elements.

11. A system, comprising:

a computing device having one or more processors;

a data store storing one or more input method editor integration commands, each integration command identifying an integration of an input method editor with a corresponding application instance that is external to an input method editor user interface;

a plurality of application interfaces, each application interface associated with one of the corresponding application instances and configured to facilitate data communication from the input method editor to the application instance; and

an input method editor configured to;

identify candidate selections based on one or more typed keys via a keyboard associated with the computing device, the one or more typed keys indicating characters in a first language, respectively, the candidate selections comprising one or more ideograms in a second language that is a transliteration of the first language;

in response to receiving an integration command associated with an application interface, access the application interface, select one of the candidate selections, and provide the selected candidate selection to the corresponding application instance associated with the application interface;

in response to the integration command, determine when the corresponding application instance is active;

when the corresponding application instance is determined to be active;

provide the selected candidate selection to the corresponding application instance, and

invoke an application function that utilizes the selected candidate selection as input; and

when the corresponding application instance is determined to be inactive;

instantiating the corresponding application instance,

providing the selected candidate selection to the corresponding application instance, and

invoking the application function that utilizes the selected candidate selection as input.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each application interface is configured to instantiate its corresponding application instance in response to the input method editor receiving an integration command associated with the application interface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more characters in the first language are Pinyin characters and the second language is a Chinese language, wherein the one or more ideograms are Hanzi characters, and wherein the one or more characters are represent Pinyin inputs.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the selected candidate selection is a user selected candidate selection.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the input method editor is further configured to:

identify contexts defined by candidate selections;

identify integration commands related to the identified contexts; and

enable the identified integration commands.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the identified context is a city context, and the integration command related to the identified context is a weather data command.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the identified context is a stock context, and the integration command related to the identified context is a financial data command.