Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7165021?dq=5,960,411
Timestamp: 2016-05-30 10:51:43
Document Index: 748182660

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Patent US7165021 - Chinese language input system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsInitials of the Chinese language are classified into nine initial groups. The first touch of a numeric key of a cellular phone selects an initial group including the initial of the desired syllable for input. The second touch of a numeric key selects one of initial-final groups, each including an initial...http://www.google.com/patents/US7165021?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7165021 - Chinese language input systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7165021 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/968,010Publication dateJan 16, 2007Filing dateOct 2, 2001Priority dateJun 13, 2001Fee statusLapsedAlso published asCN1389777A, US20020194001Publication number09968010, 968010, US 7165021 B2, US 7165021B2, US-B2-7165021, US7165021 B2, US7165021B2InventorsJin SuganoOriginal AssigneeFujitsu LimitedExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (7), Referenced by (7), Classifications (15), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetChinese language input system
US 7165021 B2Abstract
Initials of the Chinese language are classified into nine initial groups. The first touch of a numeric key of a cellular phone selects an initial group including the initial of the desired syllable for input. The second touch of a numeric key selects one of initial-final groups, each including an initial and one of five final groups. These final groups comprise a simple final group and four types of complex final groups. The third touch of a numeric key specifies a final to determine the desired syllable.
1. A Chinese language input program embodied on a computer-readable medium comprising code segments to control a computer to execute:
an initial group specifying step of specifying one off the initial groups;
a second presentation step of presenting initial-final groups, each including both an initial in the specified initial group and one of a plurality of final groups including finals able to be used with the initial;
an initial-final group specifying step of specifying one of the initial-final groups;
a third presentation step of presenting syllable definition information including finals in the specified initial-final group; and
a syllable definition step of defining a syllable for input by specifying one of the finals in the syllable definition information;
wherein the final groups comprise:
a first final group including simple finals,
a second final group including complex finals which are transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is a, e, or o,
a third final group including complex finals which are transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is i or y,
a fourth final group including complex finals which are transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is u or w, and
a fifth final group including complex finals which are transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is v or the first letters are yu.
2. The program according to claim 1, further comprising a code segment to control the computer to execute;
a step of obtaining a Chinese character based on the syllable defined in said syllable definition step.
said syllable definition information includes special syllables incapable of being transcribed by any initial in the initial groups and any final in the final groups.
4. The program according to claim 1, further comprising a code segment to control the computer to execute:
a tone specifying step of specifying a tone corresponding to a syllable for input.
5. The program according to claim 4, wherein
said tone specifying step is executed after said initial-final group specifying step; and
said third presentation step makes the syllable definition information involve the tone specified in said tone specifying step, and presents the syllable definition information involving the tone.
6. The program according to claim 1, wherein said initial groups comprise:
a first initial group including two initials transcribed into letters b and p respectively;
a second initial group including two initials transcribed into letters m and f respectively;
a third initial group including two initials transcribed into letters d and t respectively;
a fourth initial group including two initials transcribed into letters n and l respectively;
a fifth initial group including three initials transcribed into letters g, k and h respectively;
a sixth initial group including three initials transcribed into letters j, zh and z respectively;
a seventh initial group including three initials transcribed into letters q, ch and c respectively;
a eighth initial group including three initials transcribed into letters x, sh and s respectively; and
a ninth initial group including an initial transcribed into a letter r and a zero initial.
said second presentation step, when the first initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including one of the initials transcribed into the letters b and p respectively and one of the first, second and third final groups;
when the second initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-initial groups each including the initial transcribed into the letter m and one of the first, second and third final groups, and initial-final groups each including the initial transcribed into the letters f and one of the first and second final groups;
when the third initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including one of the initials transcribed into the letters d and t respectively and one of the first, second, third and fourth final groups;
when the fourth initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including one of the initials transcribed into the letters n and l respectively and one of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth final groups;
when the fifth initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including one of the initials transcribed into the letters g, k and h respectively and one of the first, second and fourth final groups;
when the sixth initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including the initial transcribed into the letter j and one of the first, third and fifth finals, and initial-final groups each including one of the initials transcribed into the letters zh and z respectively and one of the first, second and fourth final groups;
when the seventh initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including the initial transcribed into the letter q and one of the first, third and fifth finals, and initial-final groups each including one of the initials transcribed into the letters ch and c respectively and one of the first, second and fourth final groups;
when the eighth initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including the initial transcribed into the letter x and one of the first, third and fifth finals, and initial-final groups each including one of the initials transcribed into the letters sh and s respectively and one of the first, second and fourth final groups;
when the ninth initial group is specified in said initial group specifying step, presents initial-final groups each including the initial transcribed into the letter r and one of the first, second and fourth final groups, and initial-final groups each including the zero initial and one of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth final groups.
8. A Chinese language input apparatus comprising:
an input part having keys;
a controller for executing program-based processing, said controller being connected to both the input part and the displaying part; and
a storing device which contains a Chinese language input program comprising code segments to control the computer to execute:
an initial group specifying step of specifying one of the initial groups,
a second presentation step of presenting initial-final groups, each including both an initial in the specified initial group and one of a plurality of final groups including finals able to be used with the initial,
an initial-final group specifying step of specifying one of the initial-final groups,
a third presentation step of presenting syllable definition information including finals in the specified initial-final group, and
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said program further comprises a code segment to control the computer to execute:
11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said program further comprises a code segment to control the computer to execute:
12. A Chinese language input method comprising:
an initial group specifying step of specifying one of the initial groups;
said syllable definition information includes special syllables incapable of being transcribed by an initial in the initial groups and any final in the final groups.
16. A Chinese language input program embodied on a computer-readable medium comprising code segments to control a computer to execute:
a second presentation step of presenting initial-final groups, each including both an initial in the specified initial group and one of a plurality of final groups including finals able to be used with the initial, said final groups comprising a single final group, including simple finals, and a plurality of complex final groups which are distinguished from one another by a first letter of Pinyin with which their included complex finals are transcribed;
a syllable definition step of defining a syllable for input by specifying one of the finals in the syllable definition information.
17. A Chinese language input apparatus comprising:
a first presentation step of presenting initial groups into which initials of the Chinese language are classified,
a second presentation step of presenting initial-final groups, each including both an initial in the specified initial group and one of a plurality of final groups including finals able to be used with the initial, said final groups comprising a single final group, including simple finals, and a plurality of complex final groups which are distinguished from one another by a first letter of Pinyin with which their included complex finals are transcribed,
an initial-initial group specifying step of specifying one of the initial-final groups,
18. A Chinese language input method comprising:
19. A Chinese language input method comprising:
presenting initial-final groups, each including both an initial in the specified initial group and one of a plurality of final groups including finals able to be used with the initial;
specifying one of the initial-final groups;
presenting syllable definition information including finals in the specified initial-final group; and
defining a syllable for input by specifying one of the finals in the syllable definition information;
wherein no more than fifteen specification choices are presented in any of the presentations. Description
This invention relates to a system for inputting the Chinese language via limited number of keys. The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent application No. 2001-179120 (filed on Jun. 13, 2001), which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Chinese phonemes have a dimension of tones. The basic tones in Mandarin Chinese are composed of four types of tones, or first, second, third, and fourth tones. Hereinafter, it is assumed that ones referred to simply as “syllables” include no tonic factor. Syllables including tonic factors will be referred to as “syllables with tones.” According to the method, Chinese characters are converted based on “syllables” or “syllables with tones.”
A Chinese syllable is divided into two parts, an initial corresponding to a consonant and a final corresponding to a vowel. In this connection, a final may include any semivowel preceding its vowel, and any consonant following its vowel. According to another method for input, the initial and final are each input by a single keystroke each so that a total of two keystrokes determine a syllable. The method, however, requires a keyboard having thirty-odd keys for the sake of entering initials and finals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a program product, an apparatus and a method for defining a Chinese syllable with three keystrokes of a limited number of keys to realize user-friendly input of the Chinese language.
The Chinese language input program according to the present invention employs the following configuration to accomplish the above object. The program comprises code segments to control a computer to execute following steps.
The steps comprise a first presentation step of presenting initial groups into which initials of the Chinese language are classified; an initial group specifying step of specifying one of the initial groups; a second presentation step of presenting initial-final groups, each including both an initial in the specified initial group and a final group including finals able to be used with the initial; an initial-final group specifying step of specifying one of the initial-final groups; a third presentation step of presenting syllable definition information including finals in the specified initial-final group; and a syllable definition step of defining a syllable for input by specifying one of the finals in the syllable definition information.
The initial groups, the initial-final groups, and the syllable definition information may be displayed on-screen with phonetic symbols for transcribing the Chinese pronunciation. The phonetic symbols may be used in accordance with Pinyin, Bopomofo, or the Wade system. The program according to the present invention is applicable to various types of information equipment, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants, each having a microcomputer equivalent to a controller and keys whose number is about 10.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the second displaying part at the Chinese input (selecting an initial) mode;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the initial table;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing initial-final tables;
FIG. 22 is a flowchart shows the processing according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of input of the Chinese characters;
FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the example of input of the Chinese characters; and
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a popular type cellular phone.
The present invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings in accordance with the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a cellular phone's configuration relating to the process for inputting the Chinese language. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of the cellular phone.
This cellular phone comprises a first displaying part 11, a second displaying part 12, an input part 13, a cursor 14, a mode button 15, and a controller 20. The first displaying part 11 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and is able to display characters, numerals and other symbols. The second displaying part 12 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display. On the surface of the displaying part 12 the input part 13, which is composed of a transparent touch pad, is provided. The cursor 14 acquires designations toward four directions, or upward, downward, left, and right. The mode button 15 is used for changing input modes. These modes are a phone number mode for inputting a digit with a keystroke, an alphanumeric mode for inputting an alphanumeric letter with two keystrokes, and a Chinese mode for inputting a Chinese character with three keystrokes to be described later.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic views of the second displaying part 12 in the alphanumeric input mode. When the alphanumeric mode is set by the mode button 15 being pushed, the displaying part 12 is set as shown in FIG. 3. When the “NUM” button in the FIG. 3 is pressed, the controller 20 changes the screen to the state shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4 the numerals “1,” “2,” “3,” “4,” “5,” “6,” “7,” “8,” “9” and “0,” and symbols “*” and “#” are displayed. Note that in the phone number mode the displaying part 12 is also set as shown in FIG. 4.
The input of the Chinese language will be described bellow in detail. FIG. 6 is a table of syllables used in the standard Mandarin Chinese. In the table, each row corresponds to an initial, and each column corresponds to a final. A syllable is defined by an initial selected from the rows and a final selected from the columns. Note that the row of the empty set symbol “φ” is for the syllables each composed of a final without any initial. The empty set symbol “φ” corresponds to the zero initial in Chinese phonology.
Further, there are stored an initial table D, initial-final tables D1–D9, and syllable tables D11–D99 in the ROM of the controller 20. The initial table D is referred at the initial selecting stage 24 a, the initial-final tables D1–D9 are referred at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b, and the syllable tables D11–D99 are referred at the final selecting stage 24 c. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the initial table D, which includes records each having “button,” “alternative,” and “pointer” fields. In the “button” fields, numerals corresponding to “1,” “2,” “3,” . . . , shown as buttons in FIG. 4, are stored.
The records in the initial table D correspond to the initial groups, respectively. In the “alternative” field of the record, a string is stored of letters representing the corresponding initial group. In the “pointer” field of the record, a pointer to one of the initial-final groups D1–D9 is stored. Note that at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b only one of the initial-final groups D1–D9 is referred. In other words, the “pointer” in the record corresponding to the initial group, selected at the initial selecting stage 24 a, designates one of the initial-final tables D1–D9.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the respective positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0 are displayed in FIG. 4, “bp,” “mf,” “dt,” “nl,” “gkh,” “jzhz,” “qchc,” “xshs,” “ryw,” and “SYM” are displayed. The “bp,” “mf,” “dt,” “nl,” “gkh,” “jzhz,” “qchc,” “xshs” and “ryw” buttons correspond to the first through ninth initial groups, respectively. The user selects one of the initial groups with the first touch of a button. Note that for input of a syllable composed solely of a final, the “ryw” button should be pushed.
After the first touch of the button completes the initial selecting stage 24 a, the initial-final selecting stage is executed. In the initial-final selecting stage 24 b, one of the initial-final tables D1–D9 is referred. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the initial-final tables D1–D9, each having a plurality of records. Each record in the table has “button,” “alternative,” and “pointer” fields.
In the “button” fields, numerals corresponding respectively to the buttons “1,” “2,” “3,” . . . , displayed in FIG. 4, are stored. In the “alternative” field, a string is stored of letters corresponding to both an initial and a final group. In the “pointer” field, a pointer to one of the syllable tables D11–D99 is stored. Note that at the final selecting stage 24 c only one of the syllable tables D11–D99 is referred. More specifically, the “pointer” in the record, selected at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b, designates one of the syllable tables D11–D99.
The initial-final tables D1–D9 are created in accordance with the method of this invention for classifying initials. The method for classifying initials is described bellow. This method is newly developed, based on the statistics and analysis of data on the Chinese language in order to restrict the number of final groups to 10 or less, with the previous method according to the Chinese phonetics being fully adopted.
The second final group is composed of complex finals which are each transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is a, e, or o in Pinyin. The third final group is composed of complex finals which are each transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is i or y in Pinyin. The fourth final group is composed of complex finals which are each transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is u or w in Pinyin. The fifth final group is composed of complex finals which are each transcribed into groups of letters in which the first letter is v or the first letters are yu in Pinyin. According to this embodiment, the first to fifth final groups are symbolized by “?”, “*”, ”i* or y*”, “u* or w*”, and “v* and yu*”, respectively. The alternative symbol representations of the third through fifth groups (y*, w*, and yu*) are used when the respective complex finals have the zero initial.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing views of the second displaying part 12 at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b. After a touch of a button displayed in FIG. 5 completes the initial selecting stage 24 a, one of screens (D1)–(D9) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12 at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b. More specifically, when the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “bp” in FIG. 5, the screen (D1) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D1) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are displayed in FIG. 4, “b?,” “b*,” “bi*,” “p?,” “p*,” and “pi*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “mf” in FIG. 5, the screen (D2) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D2) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are displayed in FIG. 4, “m?,” “m*,” “mi*,” “f?,” and “f*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “dt” in FIG. 5, the screen (D3) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D3) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are displayed in FIG. 4, “d?,” “d*,” “di*,” “du*,” “t?,” “t*,” “ti*,” and “tu*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “nl” in FIG. 5, the screen (D4) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D4) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are displayed in FIG. 4, “n?,” “n*,” “ni*,” “nu/v*,” “l?,” “l*,” “li*,” and “lu/v*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “gkh” in FIG. 5, the screen (D5) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D5) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are displayed in FIG. 4, “g?,” “g*,” “gu*,” “k?,” “k*,” “ku*,” “h?,” “h*,” and “hu*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “jzhz” in FIG. 5, the screen (D6) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D6) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are displayed in FIG. 4, “j?,” “ji*,” “ju*,” “zh?,” “zh*,” “zhu*,” “z?,” “z*,” and “zu*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “qchc” in FIG. 5, the screen (D7) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D7) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are displayed in FIG. 4, “q?,” “qi*,” “qu*,” “ch?,” “ch*,” “chu*,” “c?,” and “cu*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “xshs” in FIG. 5, the screen (D8) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D8) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are displayed in FIG. 4, “x?,” “xi*,” “xu*,” “sh?,” “sh*,” “shu*,” “s?,” “s*,” and “su*” are displayed, respectively.
When the button pushed at the initial selecting stage 24 a is “ryw” in FIG. 5, the screen (D9) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. According to the screen (D9) in FIG. 10, in the positions where 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are displayed in FIG. 4, “r?,” “r*,” “ru*,” “?,” “*,” “y*,” “w*,” and “yu*” are displayed, respectively.
The second touch of a key selects one of the records of the initial-final table (D1–D9). That is, an initial is specified and a final group is selected with the second touch of a key. Note that a record of an initial-final table (D1–D9) being selected corresponds to an initial-final group being specified. After the second touch of a key, the processing proceeds to the final selecting stage 24 c, where one of the syllable tables D11–D99 is referred.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the syllable tables D11–D99, each having a plurality of records. Each record in the syllable table (D11–D99) has “button,” “final,” and “syllable” fields.
In the “button” fields, numerals corresponding to the buttons “1,” “2,” “3,” . . . displayed in FIG. 4, are stored, respectively. In the “final” field, a string of letters representing a final is stored. In the “syllable” field, a string of letters representing a syllable, composed of the initial specified at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b and the final stored in the “final” field, is stored.
FIGS. 12–20 are schematic views, each showing the second displaying part 12 at the step of selecting a final. After a touch of a button of D1–D9 in FIG. 10 completes the initial-final selecting stage 24 b, one of screens in FIGS. 12–20 is displayed on the displaying part 12. The screens in FIGS. 12–20 correspond to the syllable specifying information.
More specifically, when the button pushed at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b is “b?” in FIG. 10 (D1), alternatives of syllables, “ba,” “bo,” “bi,” and “bu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 12 (D11).
When the button “b*” in FIG. 10 (D1) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “bai,” “bei,” “bao,” “ban,” “ben,” “band,” and “beng,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 12 (D12).
When the button “bi*” in FIG. 10 (D1) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “bie,” “biao,” “bian,” “bin,” “bing,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 12 (D13).
When the button “p?” in FIG. 10 (D1) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “pa,” “po,” “pi,” and “pu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 12 (D14).
When the button “p*” in FIG. 10 (D1) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “pai,” “pei,” “pao,” “pou,” “pan,” “pen,” “pang,” and “peng,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 12 (D15).
When the button “pi*” in FIG. 10 (D1) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “pie,” “piao,” “pian,” “pin,” and “ping,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 12 (D16).
On the other hand, when the button “m?” in FIG. 10 (D2) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ma,” “mo,” “me,” “mi,” and “mu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12, and a special syllable “m” is also displayed thereon, as shown in FIG. 13 (D21).
When the button “m*” in FIG. 10 (D2) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “mai,” “mei,” “mao,” “mou,” “man,” “men,” “mang,” and “meng,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 13 (D22).
When the button “mi*” in FIG. 10 (D2) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “mie,” “miao,” “miu,” “mian,” “min,” and “ming,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 13 (D23).
When the button “f?” in FIG. 10 (D2) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “fa,” “fo,” and “fu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 13 (D24).
When the button “f*” in FIG. 10 (D2) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “fei,” “fou,” “fan,” “fen,” “fang,” and “feng,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 13 (D25).
On the other hand, when the button “d?” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “da,” “de,” “di,” and “du,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D31).
When the button “d*” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “dai,” “dei,” “dao,” “dou,” “dan,” “dang,” “deng,” and “dong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D32).
When the button “di*” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “dia,” “die,” “diao,” “diu,” “dian,” and “ding,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D33).
When the button “du*” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “duo,” “dui,” “duan,” and “dun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D34). Note that in FIG. 14 (D34) parenthesized “dong” is displayed. The parenthesized “dong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “dong,” “dong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “t?” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ta,” “te,” “ti,” and “tu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D35).
When the button “t*” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “tai,” “tei,” “tao,” “tou,” “tan,” “tang,” “teng,” and “tong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D36).
When the button “ti*” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “tie,” “tiao,” “tian,” and “ting,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D37).
When the button “tu*” in FIG. 10 (D3) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “tuo,” “tui,” “tuan,” and “tun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 14 (D38). Note that in FIG. 14 (D38) parenthesized “tong” is displayed. The parenthesized “tong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “tong,” “tong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
On the other hand, when the button “n?” in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “na,” “ne,” “ni,” “nu,” and “nv,” are displayed on the displaying part 12, and a special syllable “n” is also displayed thereon, as shown in FIG. 15 (D41).
When the button “n*” in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “nai,” “nei,” “nao,” “nou,” “nan,” “nen,” “nang,” “neng,” and “nong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 15 (D42).
When the button “ni*” in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “nie,” “niao,” “niu,” “nian,” “nin,” “niang,” and “ning,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 15 (D43).
When the button “nu/v*,” equivalent to nu*/nv*, in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “nuo,” “nve,” and “nuan,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 15 (D44). Note that in FIG. 15 (D44) parenthesized “nong” is displayed. The parenthesized “nong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “nong,” “nong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “l?” in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “la,” “lo,” “le,” “li,” “lu,” and “lv,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 15 (D45).
When the button “l*” in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “lai,” “lei,” “lao,” “lou,” “lan,” “lang,” “leng,” and “long,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 15 (D46).
When the button “li*” in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “lia,” “lie,” “liao,” “liu,” “lian,” “lin,” “liang,” and “ling,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 15 (D47).
When the button “lu/v*,” equivalent to lu*/lv*, in FIG. 10 (D4) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “luo,” “lve,” “luan,” and “lun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 15 (D48). Note that in FIG. 15 (D48) parenthesized “long” is displayed. The parenthesized “long” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “long,” “long” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
On the other hand, when the button “g?” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ga,” “ge,” and “gu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D51).
When the button “g*” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “gai,” “gei,” “gao,” “gou,” “gan,” “gen,” “gang,” “geng,” and “gong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D52).
When the button “gu*” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “gua,” “guo,” “guai,” “gui,” “guan,” “gun,” and “guang,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D53). Note that in FIG. 16 (D53) parenthesized “gong” is displayed. The parenthesized “gong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “gong,” “gong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “k?” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ka,” “ke,” and “ku,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D54).
When the button “k*” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “kai,” “kei,” “kao,” “kou,” “kan,” “ken,” “kang,” “keng,” and “kong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D55).
When the button “ku*” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “kua,” “kuo,” “kuai,” “kui,” “kuan,” “kun,” and “kuang,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D56). Note that in FIG. 16 (D56) parenthesized “kong” is displayed. The parenthesized “kong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “kong,” “kong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “h?” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ha,” “he,” and “hu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D57).
When the button “h*” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “hai,” “hei,” “hao,” “hou,” “han,” “hen,” “hang,” “heng,” and “hong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12, and a special syllable “hng” is also displayed thereon, as shown in FIG. 16 (D58).
When the button “hu*” in FIG. 10 (D5) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “hua,” “huo,” “huai,” “hui,” “huan,” “hun,” and “huang,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 16 (D59). Note that in FIG. 16 (D59) parenthesized “hong” is displayed. The parenthesized “hong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “hong,” “hong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
On the other hand, when the button “j?” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ji,” and “ju,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D61). Note that in FIG. 17 (D61) parenthesized “jia” and “ju” are displayed. The parenthesized “jia” and “ju” are unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “jia” and “ju,” “jia” and “ju” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “ji*” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “jia,” “jie,” “jiao,” “jiu,” “jian,” “jin,” “jiang,” “jing,” and “jiong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D62).
When the button “ju*” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “jue,” “juan,” and “jun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D63). Note that in FIG. 17 (D63) parenthesized “jiong” is displayed. The parenthesized “jiong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “jiong,” “jiong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “zh?” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “zha,” “zhe,” “zhi,” and “zhu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D64). Note that in FIG. 17 (D64) parenthesized “zhi” is displayed. The parenthesized “zhi” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “zhi,” “zhi” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “zh*” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “zhai,” “zhei,” “zhao,” “zhou,” “zhan,” “zhen,” “zhang,” “zheng,” and “zhong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D65).
When the button “zhu*” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “zhua,” “zhuo,” “zhuai,” “zhui,” “zhuan,” “zhun,” and “zhuang,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D66). Note that in FIG. 17 (D66) parenthesized “zhong” is displayed. The parenthesized “zhong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “zhong,” “zhong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “z?” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “za,” “ze,” “zi,” and “zu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D67). Note that in FIG. 17 (D67) parenthesized “zi” is displayed. The parenthesized “zi” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “zi,” “zi” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “z*” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “zai,” “zei,” “zao,” “zou,” “zan,” “zen,” “zang,” “zeng,” and “zong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D68).
When the button “zu*” in FIG. 10 (D6) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “zuo,” “zui,” “zuan,” and “zun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 17 (D69). Note that in FIG. 17 (D69) parenthesized “zong” is displayed. The parenthesized “zong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “zong,” “zong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
On the other hand, when the button “q?” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “qi,” and “qu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D71). Note that in FIG. 18 (D71) parenthesized “qia” and “qu” are displayed. The parenthesized “qia” and “qu” are unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “qia” and “qu,” “qia” and “qu” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “qi*” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “qia,” “qie,” “qiao,” “qiu,” “qian,” “qin,” “qiang,” “qing,” and “qiong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D72).
When the button “qu*” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “que,” “quan,” and “qun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D73). Note that in FIG. 18 (D73) parenthesized “qiong” is displayed. The parenthesized “qiong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “qiong,” “qiong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “ch?” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “cha,” “che,” “chi,” and “chu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D74). Note that in FIG. 18 (D74) parenthesized “chu” is displayed. The parenthesized “chu” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “chu,” “chu” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “ch*” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “chai,” “chao,” “chou,” “chan,” “chen,” “chang,” “cheng,” and “chong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D75).
When the button “chu*” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “chuo,” “chuai,” “chui,” “chuan,” “chun,” and “chuang,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D76). Note that in FIG. 18 (D76) parenthesized “chong” is displayed. The parenthesized “chong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “chong,” “chong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “c?” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ca,” “ce,” “ci,” and “cu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D77). Note that in FIG. 18 (D77) parenthesized “cu” is displayed. The parenthesized “cu” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “cu,” “cu” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “c*” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “cai,” “cao,” “cou,” “can,” “cen,” “cang,” “ceng,” and “cong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D78).
When the button “cu*” in FIG. 10 (D7) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “cuo,” “cui,” “cuan,” and “cun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 18 (D79). Note that in FIG. 18 (D79) parenthesized “cong” is displayed. The parenthesized “cong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “cong,” “cong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
On the other hand, when the button “x?” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “xi,” and “xu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D81). Note that in FIG. 19 (D81) parenthesized “xia” and “xu” are displayed. The parenthesized “xia” and “xu” are unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “xia” and “xu,” “xia” and “xu” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “xi*” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “xia,” “xie,” “xiao,” “xiu,” “xian,” “xin,” “xiang,” “xing,” and “xiong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D82).
When the button “xu*” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “xue,” “xuan,” and “xun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D83). Note that in FIG. 19 (D83) parenthesized “xiong” is displayed. The parenthesized “xiong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “xiong,” “xiong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “sh?” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “sha,” “she,” “shi,” and “shu,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D84). Note that in FIG. 19 (D84) parenthesized “shi” is displayed. The parenthesized “shi” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “shi,” “shi” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “sh*” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “shai,” “shei,” “shao,” “shou,” “shan,” “shen,” “shang,” and “sheng,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D85).
When the button “shu*” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “shua,” “shuo,” “shuai,” “shui,” “shuan,” “shun,” and “shuang,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D86).
When the button “s?” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “sa,” “se,” “si,” and “su,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D87). Note that in FIG. 19 (D87) parenthesized “si” is displayed. The parenthesized “si” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “si,” “si” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “s*” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “sai,” “sao,” “sou,” “san,” “sen,” “sang,” “seng,” and “song,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D88).
When the button “su*” in FIG. 10 (D8) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “suo,” “sui,” “suan,” and “sun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 19 (D89). Note that in FIG. 19 (D89) parenthesized “song” is displayed. The parenthesized “song” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “song,” “song” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
On the other hand, when the button “r?” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “re,” “ri,” and “ru,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 20 (D91). Note that in FIG. 20 (D91) parenthesized “ri” is displayed. The parenthesized “ri” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “ri,” “ri” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “r*” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “rao,” “rou,” “ran,” “ren,” “rang,” “reng,” and “rong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 20 (D92).
When the button “ru*” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ruo,” “rui,” “ruan,” and “run,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 20 (D93). Note that in FIG. 20 (D93) parenthesized “rong” is displayed. The parenthesized “rong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “rong,” “rong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
When the button “?” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “a,” “o,” “e,” “yi,” “wu,” “yu,” “^e,” and “er,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 20 (D94).
When the button “*” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ai,” “ei,” “ao,” “ou,” “an,” “en,” “ang,” “eng,” and “ong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12, and a special syllable “ng” is also displayed thereon, as shown in FIG. 20 (D95).
When the button “y*” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “ya,” “ye,” “yao,” “you,” “yan,” “yin,” “yang,” “ying,” and “yong,” are displayed on the displaying part 12, and a special syllable “yo” is also displayed thereon, as shown in FIG. 20 (D96).
When the button “w*” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “wa,” “wo,” “wai,” “wei,” “wan,” “wen,” “wang,” and “weng,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 20 (D97).
When the button “yu*” in FIG. 10 (D9) is pushed, alternatives of syllables, “yue,” “yuan,” and “yun,” are displayed on the displaying part 12 as shown in FIG. 20 (D98). Note that in FIG. 20 (D98) parenthesized “yong” is displayed. The parenthesized “yong” is unnecessary, if only Pinyin is adopted. However, instead of the parenthesized “yong,” “yong” without parenthesis should be displayed, if Bopomofo is adopted.
As described above, an initial group is specified at the initial selecting stage 24 a, an initial is determined and a final group is also specified at the initial-final selecting stage 24 b, and a syllable is determined at the final selecting stage 24 c. Note that elements each stored in the “syllable” field in the syllable tables D11–D99 in FIG. 11, are displayed in FIGS. 12–20. Instead of that, elements each stored in the “final” field may be displayed.
Besides the standard syllables shown in FIG. 6, the special syllables are included in FIGS. 12–20. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing procedures for inputting the special syllables. As shown in FIG. 21, the special syllable “m” is input by “mf” in FIG. 5 being selected at the initial selecting stage, “m?” in FIG. 10 (D2) being selected at the initial-final selecting stage, and “m” in FIG. 13 (D21) being selected. Note that the place where “m” is displayed in FIG. 13 (D21) corresponds to that where “0” is displayed in FIG. 4. More specifically, the place where “0” is displayed in FIG. 4 has connotations of exceptions, and used for input of the special syllables.
The special syllable “n” is input by “nl” in FIG. 5 being selected at the initial selecting stage, “n?” in FIG. 10 (D4) being selected at the initial-final selecting stage, and “n” in FIG. 15 (D41) being selected at the final selecting stage.
The special syllable “hng” is input by “gkh” in FIG. 5 being selected at the initial selecting stage, “h*” in FIG. 10 (D5) being selected at the initial-final selecting stage, and “hng” in FIG. 16 (D58) being selected at the final selecting stage.
The special syllable “ng” is input by “ryw” in FIG. 5 being selected at the initial selecting stage, “*” in FIG. 10 (D9) being selected at the initial-final selecting stage, and “ng” in FIG. 20 (D95) being selected at the final selecting stage.
The special syllable “yo” is input by “ryw” in FIG. 5 being selected at the initial selecting stage, “y*” in FIG. 10 (D9) being selected at the initial-final selecting stage, and “yo” in FIG. 20 (D96) being selected at the final selecting stage.
It should be noted that the controller 20 refers to the pointer buffer 22 to recognize the present stage, which is the initial selecting stage, the initial-final selecting stage, or the final selecting stage. More specifically, the stage is the initial selecting stage when the pointer buffer 22 is NULL. The stage is the initial-final selecting stage when one of D1–D9 is stored in the pointer buffer 22. The stage is the final selecting stage when one of D11–D99 is stored in the pointer buffer 22.
At step S6 the controller 20 specifies which one of the buttons shown in FIG. 5 is touched, based on the place on the input part 13 touched by the user. That is, the controller 20 specifies which one of the records in the initial table D in FIG. 8 is selected by the user. Then the controller 20 displays the initial group stored in the “alternative” field in the specified record on the first displaying part 11. For example, when the record whose “alternative” is “bp” is specified, “bp” is displayed on the displaying part 11.
At step S7 the controller 20 writes to the pointer buffer 22 to set the input stage as the initial-final selecting stage. More specifically, the controller 20 obtains the value stored in the “pointer” field in the record specified at S6, and writes the obtained value to the pointer buffer 22. For example, when the record whose “alternative” is “bp” is specified, “D1” is stored in the pointer buffer 22.
At step S8 the controller 20 refers one of the initial-final tables D1–D9 in FIG. 9 corresponding to the value stored in the pointer buffer 22 to display alternatives of the initial-final groups on the second displaying part 12. One of the screens (D1)–(D9) in FIG. 10 is displayed on the displaying part 12. For example, when “D1” is stored in the pointer buffer 22, the screen (D1) in FIG. 10 is displayed. The processing returns to S3.
At step S9, because the stage has been specified as the initial-final selecting stage, the controller 20 specifies which one of the buttons displayed in FIG. 10 is touched based on the place on the input part 13 touched by the user. That is, the controller 20 specifies which one of the records in the initial-final tables D1–D9 is selected by the user. Then, the controller 20 displays the initial-final group stored in the “alternative” field of the specified record on the first displaying part 11, instead of the initial group displayed thereon. For example, the record whose “alternative” is “b?” is specified, the initial-final group “b?” is displayed on the displaying part 11, instead of the initial group “bp” displayed thereon
At step S10 the controller 20 writes to the pointer buffer 22 to set the input stage as the final selecting stage. More specifically, the controller 20 obtains the value stored in the “pointer” field in the record specified at S9 from the records in the initial-final tables D1–D9 in FIG. 9, and writes the obtained value to the pointer buffer 22. For example, when the record whose “alternative” is “b?” is specified, “D11” is stored in the pointer buffer 22.
At step S11 the controller 20 refers one of the syllable tables D11–D99 in FIG. 11 corresponding to the value stored in the pointer buffer 22 to display alternatives of the syllables on the second displaying part 12. One of the screens (D11)–(D99) in FIGS. 12–20 is displayed on the displaying part 12. For example, when “D11” is stored in the pointer buffer 22, the screen (D11) in FIG. 12 is displayed. The processing returns to S3.
At step S12, because the stage has been specified as the final selecting stage, the controller 20 specifies which one of the buttons displayed in FIGS. 12–20 is touched based on the place on the input part 13 touched by the user. That is, the controller 20 specifies which one of the records in the syllable tables D11–D99 in FIG. 11 is selected by the user. The “syllable” of the specified record is determined as the syllable input by the user.
At step S16 the controller 20 judges whether the input stage is the final selecting stage or not. Note that when one of D11–D99 is stored in the pointer buffer 22, the input stage is final selecting stage. The processing advances to S17 in the case that the stage is the final selecting stage, or alternatively advances to S18 in all other cases.
At step S17 the controller 20 judges the tone based on the input via cursor 14 by the user, and displays a screen including denotation of the tone. The processing returns to S3. More specifically, the controller 20 judges that the first tone has been designated if the upward direction of the cursor 14 was input, the second tone has been designated if the right direction of the cursor 14 was input, the third tone has been designated if the downward direction of the cursor 14 was input, or the fourth tone has been designated if the left direction of the cursor 14 was input. Then the controller 20 assigns “1” if the first tone is designated, assigns “2” if the second tone is designated, assigns “3” if the third tone is designated, or assigns “4” if the fourth tone is designated, to display the screen including both the “syllable” of the syllable tables D11–D99 in FIG. 11 and one of “1”–“4” assigned corresponding to the tone which should follow to said “syllable” on the second displaying part 12.
It should be noted that according to the description on S12, what is transmitted to the conversion module 25 is a “syllable.” However, if the user designates the tone, what is transmitted to the conversion module 25 is a “syllable with a tone.” In this case, the conversion module 25 selects a Chinese character taking the tone into account.
More specific description of input is described bellow with reference to the FIGS. 24 and 25. The example of the input is on “dianhuaji” in Pinyin corresponding to the string of Chinese characters which means a telephone set. Each of the display examples P01–P10 in FIGS. 24 and 25 schematically shows both the displaying parts 11 and 12.
The screen displayed first is shown in P01 in FIG. 24, according to which the alternatives of initial groups in the initial table D are displayed on the second displaying part 12. Note that nothing is displayed on the first displaying part 11. When the user pushes the button of “dt” to select the initial group “dt,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P02.
In the state P02, “dt” is displayed on the first displaying part 11, and the alternatives of the initial-final groups in the initial-final table D3 are displayed on the second displaying part 12. When the user pushes the button of “di*” to select the initial-final gourp “di*,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P3.
In the state P3, “di*” is displayed on the first displaying part 11, and the alternatives of the syllables in the syllable table D33 are displayed on the second displaying part 12. When the user pushes the button of “dian” to select the syllable “dian,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P04.
In the state P04, the Chinese character corresponding to the syllable “dian” is displayed on the first displaying part 11. On the second displaying part 12, the alternatives of initial groups in the initial table D are displayed for the next input of a syllable. When the user pushes the button of “gkh” to select the initial group “gkh,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P05.
In the state P05, both the Chinese character corresponding to the input syllable and the initial group “gkh” newly selected are displayed on the first displaying part 11. On the second displaying part 12, the alternatives are displayed of the initial-final groups in the initial-final table D5. When the user pushes the button of “hu*” to select the initial-final group “hu*,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P6.
In the state P6, both the Chinese character corresponding to the input syllable and the initial-final group “hu*” newly selected are displayed on the first displaying part 11. On the second displaying part 12, the alternatives are displayed of syllables in the syllable table D59. When the user pushes the button of “hua” to select the syllable “hua,” the displaying part 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P07 in FIG. 25.
In the state P07, the string of Chinese characters that means telephone is displayed on the first displaying part 11, because the conversion module 25 executed conversion again. The conversion was made based on both the syllable “dian” previously input and the syllable “hua” input after “dian,” because the syllable “hua” was specified after the Chinese character corresponding to dian was displayed in the state P06. That is, the Chinese characters corresponding to “dianhua” are displayed on the first displaying part 11. On the second displaying part 12, the alternatives are displayed of initial groups in the initial table D. When the user pushes the button of “jzhz” to select the initial group “jzhz,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P08.
In the state P08, both the Chinese characters corresponding to the input syllables and the initial group “jzhz” newly selected are displayed on the first displaying part 11. On the second displaying part 12, the alternatives are displayed of the initial groups in the initial-final table D6. When the user pushes the button “j?” to select the initial-final group “j?,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P09.
In the state P09, both the Chinese characters corresponding to the input syllables and the selected initial-final group “j?” on the first displaying part 11. On the second displaying part 12, the alternatives are displayed of syllables in the syllable table D61. When the user pushes the button “ji” to select the syllable “ji,” the displaying parts 11 and 12 are switched to the state shown as P10.
In the state P10, the Chinese characters are displayed corresponding to the syllables “dianhuaji” which means a telephone set on the first displaying part 11. On the second displaying part 12, the alternatives of the initial groups in the initial table D are displayed for the next input of a syllable.
That is, the syllable “dian” is specified only by “dt,” “di*,” and “dian” being selected with three keystrokes. Then, the syllable “hua” is specified only by “gkh,” “hu*,” and “hua” being selected with three keystrokes. Further, the syllable “ji” is specified only by “jzhz,” “j?,” and “ji” being selected with three keystrokes.
With the Chinese language input program configured as described above, three touches of limited number of keys are sufficient to specify a syllable in the Chinese language. The Chinese characters presented for selection are narrowed down, by the corresponding syllable being uniquely specified. That enables very efficient input of the Chinese language. Besides, the Chinese language input program provides the input procedure newly developed based on the phonetics of the Chinese language. Therefore, the users easily learn the procedure to input the Chinese language.
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