Abstract:
An electronic device includes a processor configured to execute: accepting a character input; causing a display module to display a character or a character string, which has been input by the character input; causing the display module to display a plurality of words which are conversion candidates corresponding to the input character or character string; causing the display module to display, responding to designation by a user of a word of the plurality of words which are conversion candidates, at least one synonym corresponding to the designated word; and causing the display module to display, responding to selection by the user of a synonym of the displayed at least one synonym, the selected synonym in place of the input character or character string.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-191068, filed Sep. 13, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electronic device configured to execute a character conversion process of converting input characters in order to create a sentence, etc., a character conversion method, and a storage medium. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     An information terminal apparatus, such as a personal computer, a mobile phone or a tablet terminal, is equipped with an application program which manages a character input process for creating a sentence. This character input process program includes a prediction conversion function for estimating, when a character input from a keyboard has been started, a word or an idiom, which a user wishes to input, and displaying a candidate character string. 
     A conventional character input apparatus comprises a prediction conversion function, which starts an application program of, e.g., e-mail, when a television broadcast is being received, and preferentially displays, if a character is input, a conversion candidate relating to the content of the television broadcast (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2006-301693). 
     The conventional prediction conversion function of input characters is such that a word or an idiom, which agrees with input characters or agrees with a first input character, is searched from pre-prepared dictionary data or past input history data, and is displayed as a conversion candidate. However, when a user wishes to use, for a sentence to be created, a wording that is not usual or an expression that is different from a usual one, there is a case in which the user cannot find a conversion candidate which he/she wishes to use. 
     The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problem, and an object of the invention is to provide a character conversion apparatus which can cause synonyms to be also displayed as conversion candidates when prediction conversion is performed in response to a character input, and also provide a character conversion method and a storage medium. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An electronic device according to the present invention includes a processor configured to execute: accepting a character input; causing a display module to display a character or a character string, which has been input by the character input; causing the display module to display a plurality of words which are conversion candidates corresponding to the input character or character string; causing the display module to display, responding to designation by a user of a word of the plurality of words which are conversion candidates, at least one synonym corresponding to the designated word; and causing the display module to display, responding to selection by the user of a synonym of the displayed at least one synonym, the selected synonym in place of the input character or character string. 
     Advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a configuration of a character input system using a tablet terminal  10  according to an embodiment of a character conversion apparatus of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic circuit of the tablet terminal  10 . 
         FIG. 3  is a view illustrating the content of a conversion history database  13   c  which is stored in the tablet terminal  10 . 
         FIG. 4  is a view illustrating the content of a synonym conversion table  13   d  which is stored in the tablet terminal  10 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a synonym acquisition process between the tablet terminal  10  in the character input system and an external synonym dictionary server  30  or electronic dictionary  20 . 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a sentence input process by the tablet terminal  10 . 
         FIG. 7A ,  FIG. 7B  and  FIG. 7C  are views illustrating a display operation on a character input screen  11   a , which is involved in the sentence input process of the tablet terminal  10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a configuration of a character input system using a tablet terminal  10  according to an embodiment of a character conversion apparatus of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic circuit of the tablet terminal  10 . 
     The character input system includes the tablet terminal  10  which is operated by a user. A Web server (a synonym dictionary server in this case)  30  on a network N is connected to the tablet terminal  10  via a wireless communication module  16 , or an electronic dictionary  20  is connected to the tablet terminal  10  via a wired communication module  15 , where necessary. 
     For example, when a sentence of e-mail is to be created, a character input screen  11   a  is displayed on a touch-panel-equipped display module  11  of the tablet terminal  10 . If an input of characters is instructed by the user, a keyboard (soft keyboard)  11   b  of the hiragana syllabary or alphabet is displayed under the character input screen  11   a.    
     If an arbitrary character of the keyboard  11   b  is touched, the touched character is displayed on the character input screen  11   a  as an unfinalized character. At this time, a character string of a conversion candidate corresponding to the input character is generated, and the character string of the conversion candidate is displayed on a candidate display area  11   c  which is located between the character input screen  11   a  and the input keyboard  11   b.    
     Incidentally, the electronic dictionary  20  and synonym dictionary server  30  include dictionary databases of synonyms which are not included in a dictionary database  13   b  of the tablet terminal  10 . 
     In the electronic circuit of the tablet terminal  10 , a CPU  12  functioning as a computer is provided. 
     The CPU  12  controls the operations of respective components according to a terminal control program  13   a  prestored in a storage device  13 , with a RAM  18  being used as a work memory. Incidentally, the terminal control program may be read in the storage device  13  from an external storage medium  14 , such as a memory card, via a storage medium read module  15 , or may be downloaded and read in via the wireless communication module  16  from the Web server (a program server in this case)  30  which is set up on the communication network N such as the Internet, or may be read in from an external information device via the wired communication module  17 . 
     As the terminal control program  13   a  stored in the storage device  13 , in addition to the system program for managing the control of the entirety of the terminal, application programs for managing various processes, such as a mail process, a table process and a video/audio multimedia process, are stored. In the meantime, a character input function included in various application programs operates in association with a prediction conversion function that is to be described in the embodiment. 
     In the storage device  13 , the dictionary database  13   b , a conversion history database  13   c  and a synonym conversion database  13   d  are stored. 
     In the dictionary database  13   b , basic dictionary data, such as a Japanese dictionary, an English-Japanese dictionary and a Japanese-English dictionary, are stored. Each dictionary data is stored such that each entry (word) and explanatory information, which corresponds to the entry, are associated. 
       FIG. 3  is a view illustrating the content of the conversion history database  13   c  which is stored in the tablet terminal  10 . 
     In this conversion history database  13   c , a word, which was selected as a conversion character string from among words or idioms (hereinafter, “idiom” is included in the meaning of “word”, and each of “word” and “idiom” may be referred to as “word”) of conversion candidates displayed on the candidate display area  11   c  in the character input process at a time of creating a sentence, etc., and the number of times of selection of this selected word, are associated and stored. 
       FIG. 4  is a view illustrating the content of the synonym conversion table  13   d  which is stored in the tablet terminal  10 . 
     The synonym conversion table  13   d  stores synonyms corresponding to frequently used words among the words stored in the conversion history database  13   c , the synonyms being read out from the synonym dictionary included in the external electronic dictionary  20  or from the synonym dictionary server  30  on the network N. 
     The RAM  18  includes a display data memory  18   a  and a sentence data memory  18   b.    
     The display data memory  18   a  stores display data which is to be displayed on the touch-panel-equipped display module  11 . 
     The sentence data memory  18   b  stores sentence data which was input to the character input screen  11   a.    
     In this tablet terminal  10 , the CPU  11  controls the operations of the respective circuit components according to instructions of various processes described in the terminal control program  13   a , and software and hardware operate in cooperation. Thereby, the character input function, which will be described in the following operational description, is realized. 
     Next, the operation of the tablet terminal  10  is described. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a synonym acquisition process between the tablet terminal  10  and the external synonym dictionary server  30  or electronic dictionary  20 . 
     In this synonym acquisition process, to start with, in the tablet terminal (character conversion apparatus)  10 , those words among the words stored in the conversion history database  13   c  (see  FIG. 3 ), which have been selected as conversion characters a predetermined number of times (twice in this case) or more, are read out and listed (step A 1 ). This step may be executed after a sentence creation process corresponding to various application programs has been performed, or may be executed at predetermined time intervals. In the case of  FIG. 3 , the words “trick” and “get angry” are read out and listed. The created word list is transmitted to the synonym dictionary server  30  on the communication network N via the wireless communication module  16  (step A 2 ). Incidentally, the destination of transmission may be the electronic dictionary  20 . 
     In the synonym dictionary server  30 , if the word list has been received (step B 1 ), synonyms corresponding to each word in the word list are acquired from the synonym dictionary possessed by the synonym dictionary server  30  (step B 2 ). For example, data “deceive, cheat, . . . ” of synonyms corresponding to the received word “trick” are acquired, and “offend, resent, . . . ” corresponding to the received word “get angry” are acquired. In the present invention, synonyms include words having substantially the same meaning and words having similar meanings. 
     Then, the synonym data acquired from the synonym dictionary is transmitted to the tablet terminal  10  that is the transmission source of the word list (step B 3 ). 
     In the tablet terminal  10 , if the data of synonyms transmitted from the synonym dictionary server  30  has been received (step A 3 ), the data of synonyms is associated with each word of the word list, and the synonym conversion table  13   d , as shown in  FIG. 4 , is newly generated, or the already stored synonym conversion table  13   d  is updated by the received data (step A 4 ). 
     By this synonym acquisition process, the tablet terminal  10  can have the synonym conversion table  13   d  which corresponds to words, which were selected as conversion characters in the past a predetermined number of times or more, that is, words frequently used in sentences, without incorporating a synonym dictionary with a large volume of data in the dictionary database  13   b.    
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a sentence input process by the tablet terminal  10 . 
       FIG. 7A ,  FIG. 7B  and  FIG. 7C  are views illustrating a display operation on the character input screen  11   a , which is involved in the sentence input process of the tablet terminal  10 . 
     If a character input process for inputting a sentence has been started in association with the execution of an arbitrary application program, the keyboard  11   b  is displayed, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     If a touch operation is performed on the keyboard  11   b  and characters “g” and “e” are input, for example, as illustrated in  FIG. 7A  (step S 1 ), a character string “ge” is displayed as an unfinalized character string h1 on the character input screen  11   a . At this time, words “get”, “get angry”, “Georgia”, “geometric”, “geography”, . . . of conversion candidates are searched from the dictionary database  13   b  and conversion history database  13   c  in accordance with the input characters (step S 2 ), and are displayed on the candidate display area  11   c  in a list form as prediction conversion words (step S 3 ). 
     For example, even when a word which the user wishes to input, among the words of conversion candidates displayed in the list form, is “get angry”, there is a case in which the user wishes to find a word of other wording. In such a case, as illustrated in  FIG. 7B , the word “get angry” is designated by a single touch and identification display h2 is effected (step S 4  (Yes)), it is determined whether there are synonyms corresponding to the designated word, based on the synonym conversion table  13   d  (step S 5 ). 
     In this case, if it is determined that there are synonyms “offend”, “resent”, . . . , which correspond to the designated word “get angry”, based on the synonym conversion table  13   d  (see  FIG. 4 ) (step S 5  (Yes)), these synonyms are read out and displayed in a list form in a synonym display area  11   c ′ which is displayed in a window in the candidate display area  11   c  (step S 6 ). 
     If “offend” h2′ is selected by a double-touch from among the synonyms displayed in the list form (step S 7  (Yes)), the selected synonym “offend” h2′ is displayed, as illustrated in  FIG. 7C , in place of the unfinalized characters h1 “ge” displayed on the character input screen  11   a  (step S 8 ). 
     At this time, the candidate display area  11   c  and synonym display area  11   c ′ are deleted from the character input screen  11   a.    
     Then, the selected synonym “offend” is registered in the conversion history database  13   c  (see  FIG. 3 ), and the number of times of selection thereof is newly set, or updated and set (step S 9 ). 
     On the other hand, as illustrated in the above-described  FIG. 7A , if a desired conversion-candidate word “get angry” has been double-touched and selected from among the candidate words displayed in the candidate display area  11   c  (step S 10  (Yes)), the selected word “get angry” is input and displayed in place of the characters “ge” in the sentence displayed as the unfinalized characters h1 on the character input screen  11   a  (step S 11 ). 
     Then, the selected word “get angry” is registered in the conversion history database  13   c  (see  FIG. 3 ), and the number of times of selection thereof is updated (step S 12 ). 
     In the meantime, if an additional character is input from the state illustrated in  FIG. 7A , words of new conversion candidates are searched and displayed in a list form, with the additional character being included in the unfinalized characters h1 (step S 4  (No)→S 10  (No)→S 1 ˜S 3 ). 
     Thus, according to the character conversion function of the tablet terminal  10 , if a word, which the user wishes to input, is input in units of a character from the input keyboard  11   b , the words of conversion candidates corresponding to the input character (unfinalized character h1) are displayed in the list form. Then, if one of the words of conversion candidates displayed in the list form is designated by a single touch, synonyms corresponding to the designated word are displayed in a list form. If a synonym h2′, which the user wishes to input, is selected from among the synonyms displayed in the list form, the synonym h2′ is displayed in place of the unfinalized characters h1. 
     Thus, when prediction conversion is executed in response to a character input, since synonyms are also displayed as conversion candidates, the range of selection of words at a time of creating a sentence is increased, and the degree of freedom of expression can be enhanced. 
     In addition, according to the tablet terminal  10 , the conversion history data in the past character input is stored, synonyms are acquired from the external electronic dictionary  20  or synonym dictionary server  30  with respect to words with a large number of times of use as targets, and the synonym conversion table  13   d  is generated. 
     Therefore, in the tablet terminal  10 , synonyms corresponding to words with a history of use can be acquired and utilized, without incorporating a synonym dictionary with a large volume of data in the dictionary database  13   b.    
     Incidentally, the methods of the respective processes and databases of the tablet terminal  10  of the character input system described in each of the embodiments, that is, the respective methods of the synonym acquisition process illustrated in the flowchart of  FIG. 5 , which are executed by accessing the synonym dictionary server  30  (or electronic dictionary  20 ) from the tablet terminal  10 , and the sentence input process illustrated in the flowchart of  FIG. 6 , and the databases including the dictionary database  13   b , can all be stored as computer-executable programs in the external storage medium  14  such as a memory card (ROM card, RAM card, etc.), a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) or a semiconductor memory, and can be distributed. In addition, the computer of the electronic device including the touch-panel-equipped display module  11  reads the program stored in the external storage medium  14  into the storage device  13 , and the operation is controlled by this read-in program. Thereby, it is possible to realize the synonym acquisition function and the sentence input function that is capable of executing prediction conversion of synonyms, which have been described in the embodiments, and to execute the same processes by the above-described methods. 
     In addition, the data of the program for realizing each of the above-described methods can be transmitted over the network N in the form of program codes, and this program data is taken into the computer of the electronic device including the touch-panel-equipped display module  11  by the communication module  16  ( 17 ). Thereby, it is possible to realize the above-described synonym acquisition function and the sentence input function that is capable of executing prediction conversion of synonyms. 
     In the meantime, in the above-described embodiment of the character input apparatus, such a configuration is adopted that the sentence input process is executed by the tablet terminal  10  alone, based on the dictionary database  13   b , conversion history database  13   c  and synonym conversion table  13   d  which are possessed by the tablet terminal  10 . 
     By contrast, such a configuration may be adopted that, with no special function being possessed by the terminal side that is operated by the user, the server apparatus on the network (cloud system) N, which is communicable from the terminal, is made to possess the dictionary database  13   b , conversion history database  13   c , synonym conversion table  13   d  or synonym dictionary  30 . By the server apparatus, the list  11   c  of candidate words, which have been searched from the dictionary database  13   b  in response to a character input on the terminal side, is transmitted to the terminal and is displayed. Then, responding to designation of the candidate word, the list  11   c ′ of synonyms, which have been read out of the synonym conversion table  13   d  or synonym dictionary  30 , is transmitted to the terminal and is displayed. 
     According to this configuration, even in the case of a terminal having no special function, by accessing the server apparatus, synonyms can also be displayed as conversion candidates in association with the prediction conversion corresponding to a character input, as in each of the above embodiments, and a more appropriate word, which the user wishes to input, can easily be selected and input. 
     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.