Spatial approaches to text suggestion

• US 9,547,420 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cassidy, Ryan Hastings, Myers, Robert King
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONG H
• Application Number:
  US13/764,491
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 715/780, 715/816
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A user wanting to enter text via a computing device can start entering characters for that text. A text suggestion algorithm can be used to attempt to predict the text the user is typing, and provide options for completing the text entry. Information such as the type of suggestion and common roots for those suggestions can be used to group at least some of the suggestions. An interface element with a spatial layout can be provided to display at least a portion of the suggestions, where the suggestions are arranged according to their relative confidence values and the determined groupings. The font values for each of the displayed suggestions can also be set using the confidence values, such that more likely terms can be displayed with a larger and/or more prominent font in order to allow the user to more easily locate the correct suggestion.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of suggesting text via a computing device, comprising:

receiving character input in a text entry element of an interface of a computing device;

analyzing the character input to determine a plurality of suggestions, the plurality of suggestions are based at least in part upon the character input, the suggestions having respective confidence scores, wherein a first suggestion of the plurality of suggestions is designated as one of a correction type, a common base portion type, or a completion type, the common base portion type including at least a root word, the completion type including at least a corresponding completing word;

determining a two-dimensional spatial layout of at least a portion of the plurality of suggestions, a location in the spatial layout being determined based, at least in part, upon a grouping of the suggestions and a confidence score of the suggestions, wherein first suggestions that share a same completion type are grouped together in a first group, second suggestions that share a same correction type are grouped together in a second group, and third suggestions that share a same common base portion type are grouped together in a third group;

displaying the at least the portion of the plurality of suggestions according to the spatial layout, wherein the first suggestions that form the first group, the second suggestions that form the second group and the third suggestions that form the third group are displayed proximate to one another in the spatial layout;

detecting a user selection of a specified selection of the suggestions displayed according to the spatial layout; and

modifying the character input in the text entry element according to the specified selection.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one font characteristic for a suggestion based at least in part upon the respective confidence score of the suggestion, the font characteristic including at least one of font size, font style, font color, font bold level, font italicize level, font animation, and font angle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the respective confidence score for a suggestion is determined by analyzing information collected for a group of users, the information including at least one of corrections or completions made to text entries by one or more of the group of users.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a second portion of the plurality of suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout, the second portion including one or more additional suggestions related to the specified selection.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein a suggestion is a word suggestion based on the character input, and is designated as one of the correction type, the common base portion type, or the completion type.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting character input in an interface of a computing device;

analyzing the character input to determine a plurality of suggestions, the plurality of suggestions are based at least in part upon the character input, the suggestions having respective confidence scores, wherein a first suggestion of the plurality of suggestions is designated as one of a correction type, a common base portion type, or a completion type, the common base portion type including at least a root word, the completion type including at least a corresponding completing word;

determining a two-dimensional spatial layout of at least a portion of the plurality of suggestions, a location of a suggestion of the portion being determined based, at least in part, upon the respective confidence score of the suggestion, wherein first suggestions that share a same completion type are grouped together in a first group, second suggestions that share a same correction type are grouped together in a second group, and third suggestions that share a same common base portion type are grouped together in a third group;

providing for display the at least the portion of the plurality of suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout, wherein the first suggestions that form the first group, the second suggestions that form the second group and the third suggestions that form the third group are displayed proximate to one another in the spatial layout;

detecting a user selection of a specified selection of the plurality of suggestions displayed according to the spatial layout; and

determining a modified character input based at least in part on the specified selection.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining at least one font characteristic for a suggestion of the spatial layout based at least in part upon the confidence score of the suggestion.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the at least one font characteristic includes at least one of font size, font style, font color, font bold level, font italicize level, font animation, or font angle.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying suggestions with greater confidence values closer to a top of the spatial layout than suggestions with lower confidence values.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein a suggestion is designated as one of a correction type or completion type, wherein suggestions of the correction type and suggestions of the completion type are each grouped together in the spatial layout.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying suggestions, having the root word, proximate to each other according to the spatial layout.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying a second portion of the plurality of suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout, the second portion including one or more additional suggestions related to the specified selection.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the user selection is detected using at least one sensor of the computing device, the at least one sensor including at least one of a camera, a capacitance sensor, a gesture sensor, an infrared sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing for display new suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout in response to at least one of addition, deletion, or alteration of at least one character of the character input in the interface.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein determining the plurality of suggestions includes identifying suggestions that have at least a threshold confidence score.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein a font size of the suggestions is proportional to the respective confidence score.

16. A computing device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

obtain character input entered into an interface of a computing device;

analyze the character input to determine a plurality of suggestions for completing words, the plurality of suggestions are based at least in part upon the character input, the suggestions having respective confidence scores, wherein a first suggestion of the plurality of suggestions is designated as one of a correction type, a common base portion type, or a completion type, the common base portion type including at least a root word, the completion type including at least a corresponding completing word;

determine a spatial layout of at least a portion of the plurality of suggestions, a location of a suggestion of the portion being determined based, at least in part, upon the respective confidence score of the suggestion, wherein first suggestions that share a same completion type are grouped together in a first group, second suggestions that share a same correction type are grouped together in a second group, and third suggestions that share a same common base portion type are grouped together in a third group;

display the at least the portion of the plurality of suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout, wherein the first suggestions that form the first group, the second suggestions that form the second group and the third suggestions that form the third group are displayed proximate to one another in the spatial layout;

detect a user selection of a specified selection of the plurality of suggestions displayed according to the spatial layout; and

modify the character input to correspond to the specified selection.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

determine at least one font characteristic for a suggestion of the spatial layout based at least in part upon the respective confidence score of the suggestion, the font characteristic including at least one of font size, font style, font color, font bold level, font italicize level, font animation, and font angle.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

display suggestions that include the root word proximate one another in the spatial layout.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

display suggestions of a completion type proximate one another and suggestions of a correction type proximate one another according to the spatial layout.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

detect character input entered into an interface of a computing device;

analyze the character input to determine a plurality of suggestions, the plurality of suggestions are based at least in part upon the character input, the suggestions having respective confidence scores, wherein a first suggestion of the plurality of suggestions is designated as one of a correction type, a common base portion type, or a completion type, the common base portion type including at least a root word, the completion type including at least a corresponding completing word;

determine a two-dimensional spatial layout of at least a portion of the plurality of suggestions, a location of a suggestion of the portion being determined based at least in part upon the respective confidence score of the suggestion, wherein first suggestions that share a same completion type are grouped together in a first group, second suggestions that share a same correction type are grouped together in a second group, and third suggestions that share a same common base portion type are grouped together in a third group;

display the at least the portion of the plurality of suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout, wherein the first suggestions that form the first group, the second suggestions that form the second group and the third suggestions that form the third group are displayed proximate to one another in the spatial layout;

detect a user selection of a specified selection of the plurality of suggestions displayed according to the spatial layout; and

determine a modified character input based at least in part on the specified selection.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

display a second portion of the plurality of suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout, the second portion including one or more additional suggestions related to the specified selection.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

providing for display new suggestions arranged according to the spatial layout in response to at least one of addition, deletion, or alteration of at least one character in the character input.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

determine at least one font characteristic for a suggestion of the spatial layout based, at least in part, upon the respective confidence score of the suggestion, the at least one font characteristic including at least one of font size, font style, font color, font bold level, font italicize level, font animation, and font angle.