Keyboard system with automatic correction

• US 9,557,916 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Brams, Douglas, Robinson, B. Alex, Long, Michael R., Palmer, Brian H., Hullfish, Keith C.
• Primary Examiner(s): SPOONER, LAMONT M
• Application Number:
  US14/071,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20140058725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/9, 704/10, 345/168, 345/17
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Alternative textual interpretations of each sequence of inputs detected within an auto-correcting keyboard region are determined. Actual keystroke contract locations may occur outside the boundaries of specific keyboard key regions associated with the actual characters of word interpretations proposed for selection. The distance from each contact location to each corresponding intended character may increase with the expected frequency of the intended word. An intended word is selected from among generated interpretations and is automatically accepted for output.

Claims

1. A text entry system comprising:

an auto-correcting virtual keyboard region that includes a plurality of characters of an alphabet, wherein one or more of the plurality of characters corresponds to a location with known coordinates in the auto-correcting virtual keyboard region, and wherein a location associated with user interaction is determined when a user interacts within the auto-correcting virtual keyboard region;

a location value calculation component that calculates, for a determined interaction location in an input sequence of interaction locations, a set of weighted location values between the interaction location and the known coordinate locations corresponding to a plurality of neighboring characters within the auto-correcting virtual keyboard region;

a word evaluation component that identifies at least one candidate object using information regarding both preceding and succeeding user interactions in determining an intended character for each user interaction and for said at least one candidate object, evaluates said at least one candidate object by calculating a matching metric based on the calculated location, and ranks the at least one candidate object based on the calculated matching metric values; and

a selection component for identifying at least one candidate object according to said evaluated ranking and for presenting said at least one identified object to the user.