Displaying a prediction candidate after a typing mistake

• US 9,715,489 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Pinheiro, Gil, Pasquero, Jerome, Walker, David Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blaufeld, Justin R
• Application Number:
  US13/569,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20130125037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 715773, 715710
• 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

A method includes receiving an input string from a virtual keyboard, generating at least one string based on the input string, where the input string is not a substring of the generated string, responsive to a determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string, selecting a candidate character associated with the input string and with the generated string, and displaying the generated string at a location on the virtual keyboard that is associated with the selected candidate character.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an input string having a length N from a virtual keyboard;

generating at least one string of characters based on the input string;

responsive to a determination that the generated string was previously generated for a candidate at least a predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, based on the input string;

when the input string is not a substring of the generated string, selecting a candidate character for the candidate in an N position of the generated string; and

when the input string is a substring of the generated string, selecting a candidate character for the candidate in an N+1 position of the generated string;

responsive to a determination that the generated string was not previously generated for the candidate at least a predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, based on the input string;

when the input string is not a sub string of the generated string and selecting, by at least one processor, a candidate character for the candidate, wherein selecting the candidate character comprises searching a database and identifying the candidate character that was previously associated with the input string and with the generated string and that is a candidate character in an (N+1) position of the generated string; and

displaying the generated string at a location on or near a virtual key of the virtual keyboard that is associated with the selected candidate character.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the generated string was not previously generated based on the input string, receiving a new input character, and associating the new input character with the input string and the generated string.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

associating the new input character comprises storing the association between the new input character, the input string, and the generated string in the database;

the determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string comprises accessing the database; and

selecting the candidate character comprises accessing the database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating at least one string based on the input string comprises generating a string that is statistically likely to be the intended input, given the input string.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed generated string comprises a first displayed generated string, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string, selecting a second candidate character as a character in the (N+1) position in the second generated string, wherein N is the length of the input string; and

displaying the second generated string on the virtual keyboard at a location that is associated with the second selected candidate character.

6. An electronic device comprising a display having a virtual keyboard rendered thereupon, and a processor, the processor configured to perform:

receiving an input string having a length N from the virtual keyboard;

generating at least one string of characters based on the input string;

when the input string is not a substring of the generated string and was previously generated for a candidate at least a predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, selecting a candidate character for the candidate in an N position of the generated string;

when the input string is a substring of the generated string and was previously generated for a candidate at least the predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, selecting a candidate character for the candidate in an N+1 position of the generated string; and

when the input string is not a substring of the generated string and was not previously generated for a candidate at least the predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, based on the input string, selecting a candidate character for the candidate, wherein selecting the candidate character comprises searching a database and identifying the candidate character that was previously associated with the input string and with the generated string and that is a candidate character in an (N+1) position of the generated string; and

displaying the generated string at a location on or near a virtual key of the virtual keyboard that is associated with the selected candidate character.

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

responsive to a determination that the generated string was not previously generated based on the input string, receiving a new input character, and associating the new input character with the input string and the generated string.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein:

associating the new input character comprises storing the association between the new input character, the input string, and the generated string in the database;

the determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string comprises accessing the database; and

selecting the candidate character comprises accessing the database.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein generating at least one string based on the input string comprises generating a string that is statistically likely to be the intended input, given the input string.

10. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the displayed generated string comprises a first displayed generated string, the processor is further configured to perform:

responsive to a determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string, selecting a second candidate character as the character in the (N+1) position in the second generated string, wherein N is the length of the input string; and

displaying the second generated string on the virtual keyboard at a location that is associated with the second selected candidate character.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a set of instructions that are executable by an electronic device to cause the electronic device to perform a method, the method comprising:

acquiring an input string having a length N from a virtual keyboard;

generating at least one string of characters based on the input string;

when the input string is not a substring of the generated string and was previously generated for a candidate at least a predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, selecting a candidate character for the candidate in an N position of the generated string;

when the input string is a substring of the generated string and was previously generated for a candidate at least the predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, selecting a candidate character for the candidate in an N+1 position of the generated string; and

when the input string is not a substring of the generated string was not previously generated for a candidate at least the predetermined threshold number of times, other than the most recent time, based on the input string, selecting a candidate character for the candidate, wherein selecting the candidate character comprises searching a database and identifying the candidate character that was previously associated with the input string and with the generated string and that is a candidate character in an (N+1) position of the generated string; and

providing the generated string for displaying at a location on or near a virtual key of the virtual keyboard that is associated with the selected candidate character.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to a determination that the generated string was not previously generated based on the input string, receiving a new input character, and associating the new input character with the input string and the generated string.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

associating the new input character comprises storing the association between the new input character, the input string, and the generated string in the database;

the determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string comprises accessing the database; and

selecting the candidate character comprises accessing the database.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string is a determination that the generated string was previously generated based on the input string more than a predetermined number of times.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein generating at least one string based on the input string comprises generating a string that is statistically likely to be the intended input, given the input string.