Touchscreen keyboard with corrective word prediction

• US 9,128,921 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason Tyler, Hamilton, Alistair Robert, McKenzie, Donald Somerset McCulloch, Pasquero, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Neway, Samuel G
• Application Number:
  US13/484,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 715/773
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• 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 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

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a touchscreen keyboard with corrective word prediction. A method for correcting text input on an electronic device is described. The method comprises: displaying a virtual keyboard on a touchscreen, the virtual keyboard including a plurality of keys; receiving input from the virtual keyboard; generating one or more predicted sets of characters in accordance with the received input; and displaying a predicted set of characters at a designated location when the received input does not match one of the predicted sets of characters.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying a virtual keyboard on a touchscreen, the virtual keyboard including a plurality of character keys and at least some of the keys are configured for displaying characters;

receiving an input of one or more characters from the virtual keyboard;

generating a set of predicted words in accordance with the input of one or more characters;

determining that a plurality of the predicted words in the set correspond to a plurality of subsequent candidate input characters;

displaying in a first format a predicted word which represents a candidate word correction which corrects the input of one or more characters, wherein the candidate word correction is displayed at a location within the virtual keyboard adjacent a last input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard;

displaying in a second format different from the first format a subset of the plurality of predicted words at a plurality of select locations within the virtual keyboard, wherein the subset of the plurality of predicted words represent candidate word predictions which do not correct the input of one or more characters, the plurality of select locations being selected using the plurality of subsequent candidate input characters, wherein the candidate word predictions are positioned adjacent the corresponding subsequent candidate input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard; and

inputting the candidate word correction in response to detecting a swipe on or near the last input character.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate word correction replaces letters in the received input and/or removes letters in the received input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the candidate word correction completes the received input while correcting the received input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate word prediction is a highest ranked word which corrects the input of one or more characters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inputting comprises replacing the current word in an input field with the displayed predicted set of characters.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

highlighting keys in the virtual keyboard corresponding to the received input.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a rank for each predicted word in the set of predicted words based on the input of one or more characters;

wherein only a single highest ranked word corresponding to each subsequent candidate input character is displayed at each respective select location, and wherein each highest ranked word corresponding to each subsequent candidate input character is positioned adjacent the corresponding subsequent candidate input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard.

6. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor;

a touchscreen coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to;

display a virtual keyboard on a touchscreen, the virtual keyboard including a plurality of character keys and at least some of the keys are configured for displaying characters;

receive an input of one or more characters from the virtual keyboard;

generate a set of predicted words in accordance with the input of one or more characters;

determine that a plurality of the predicted words in the set correspond to a plurality of subsequent candidate input characters;

display in a first format a predicted word which represents a candidate word correction which corrects the input of one or more characters, wherein the candidate word correction is displayed at a location within the virtual keyboard adjacent a last input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard;

displaying in a second format different from the first format a subset of the plurality of predicted words at a plurality of select locations within the virtual keyboard, wherein the subset of the plurality of predicted words represent candidate word predictions which do not correct the input of one or more characters, the plurality of select locations being selected using the plurality of subsequent candidate input characters, wherein the candidate word predictions are positioned adjacent the corresponding subsequent candidate input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard; and

input the candidate word correction in response to detecting a swipe on or near the last input character.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the candidate word correction replaces letters in the received input and/or removes letters in the received input.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the candidate word correction completes the received input while correcting the received input.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the candidate word prediction is a highest ranked word which corrects the input of one or more characters.

10. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to replace the current word in an input field with the displayed predicted set of characters.

11. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to highlight keys in the virtual keyboard corresponding to the received input.

15. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a rank for each predicted word in the set of predicted words based on the input of one or more characters;

wherein only a single highest ranked word corresponding to each subsequent candidate input character is displayed at each respective select location, and wherein each highest ranked word corresponding to each subsequent candidate input character is positioned adjacent the corresponding subsequent candidate input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard.

13. A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a handheld electronic device, cause the handheld electronic device to perform a method on an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a virtual keyboard on a touchscreen, the virtual keyboard including a plurality of character keys and at least some of the keys are configured for displaying characters;

receiving an input of one or more characters from the virtual keyboard;

generating a set of predicted words in accordance with the input of one or more characters;

determining that a plurality of the predicted words in the set correspond to a plurality of subsequent candidate input characters;

displaying in a first format a predicted word which represents a candidate word correction which corrects the input of one or more characters, wherein the predicted word is displayed at a location within the virtual keyboard adjacent a last input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard;

displaying in a second format different from the first format a subset of the plurality of predicted words at a plurality of select locations within the virtual keyboard, wherein the subset of the plurality of predicted words represent candidate word predictions which do not correct the input of one or more characters, the plurality of select locations being selected using the plurality of subsequent candidate input characters, wherein the candidate word predictions are positioned adjacent the corresponding subsequent candidate input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard; and

inputting the candidate word correction in response to detecting a swipe on or near the last input character.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a rank for each predicted word in the set of predicted words based on the input of one or more characters;

wherein only a single highest ranked word corresponding to each subsequent candidate input character is displayed at each respective select location, and wherein each highest ranked word corresponding to each subsequent candidate input character is positioned adjacent the corresponding subsequent candidate input character and in a manner that does not overlap with any other key on the virtual keyboard.