PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8289283-B2
Application Number: US-4230908-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Language input interface on a device

Abstract:
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for inputting text. A virtual keyboard is presented in a first region of a touch sensitive display of a device. An input representing a phonetic string is received on the virtual keyboard. The entered phonetic string is presented in a second region of the touch sensitive display. One or more candidates are identified based on the phonetic string. At least a subset of the candidates is presented. An input selecting one of the candidates is received. The entered phonetic string is replaced with the selected candidate.

Claims:
1. A method comprising:
 presenting a virtual keyboard corresponding to a first alphabet in a first region of a touch-sensitive display of a device; 
 receiving an input on the virtual keyboard representing a phonetic string; 
 presenting the phonetic string in a second region of the touch-sensitive display; 
 identifying one or more candidate representations based on the phonetic string, wherein the candidate representations correspond to a second alphabet different from the first alphabet; 
 presenting a candidate tray including at least a subset of the candidate representations; 
 receiving an input of a selected candidate representation of the candidate representations; and 
 replacing the entered phonetic string with the selected candidate representation. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the phonetic string comprises Chinese romanization; and 
 the candidates comprise Chinese characters. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the phonetic string comprises Japanese romanization; and 
 the candidates comprise one or more of the group consisting of Japanese kanji characters and Japanese kana symbols. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the virtual keyboard comprises keys corresponding to letters of the Latin alphabet. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the candidates comprise multi-character words. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying one or more candidates based on the phonetic string comprises identifying one or more candidates using text prediction from the phonetic string. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein presenting at least a subset of the candidates comprises presenting the subset of the candidates in an order determined based on the text prediction. 
     
     
       8. A portable device comprising:
 a touch-sensitive display; 
 memory; 
 one or more processors; and 
 instructions stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the instructions comprising instructions to:
 present a virtual keyboard corresponding to a first alphabet in a first region of the touch-sensitive display of a device; 
 receive an input on the virtual keyboard representing a phonetic string; 
 present the phonetic string in a second region of the touch-sensitive display; 
 identify one or more candidaterepresentations based on the phonetic string, wherein the candidate representations correspond to a second alphabet different from the first alphabet; 
 present a candidate tray including at least a subset of the candidate representations in the first region; 
 receive an input of a selected candidate representation selecting one of the candidate representations; and 
 replace the entered phonetic string with the selected candidate representation. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the phonetic string comprises Chinese romanization; and 
 the candidates comprise Chinese characters. 
 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the phonetic string comprises Japanese romanization; and 
 the candidates comprise one or more of the group consisting of Japanese kanji characters and Japanese kana symbols. 
 
     
     
       11. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the virtual keyboard comprises keys corresponding to letters of the Latin alphabet. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the candidates comprise multi-character words. 
     
     
       13. The device of  claim 8 , further comprising instructions to identify one or more candidates using text prediction from the phonetic string. 
     
     
       14. The device of  claim 13 , further comprising instructions to present the subset of the candidates in an order determined based on the text prediction. 
     
     
       15. A computer program product, encoded on a tangible program carrier, operable to cause a portable device to perform operations comprising:
 presenting a virtual keyboard corresponding to a first alphabet in a first region of a touch-sensitive display of a device; 
 receiving an input on the virtual keyboard representing a phonetic string; 
 presenting the phonetic string in a second region of the touch-sensitive display; 
 identifying one or more candidate representations based on the phonetic strings wherein the candidate representations correspond to a second alphabet different from the first alphabet; 
 presenting a candidate tray including at least a subset of the candidate representations in the first region; 
 receiving an input of a selected candidate representation of the candidate representations; and 
 replacing the entered phonetic string with the selected candidate representation. 
 
     
     
       16. The program product of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the phonetic string comprises Chinese romanization; and 
 the candidates comprise Chinese characters. 
 
     
     
       17. The program product of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the phonetic string comprises Japanese romanization; and 
 the candidates comprise one or more of the group consisting of Japanese kanji characters and Japanese kana symbols. 
 
     
     
       18. The program product of  claim 15 , wherein the virtual keyboard comprises keys corresponding to letters of the Latin alphabet. 
     
     
       19. The program product of  claim 15 , wherein the candidates comprise multi-character words. 
     
     
       20. The program product of  claim 15 , wherein identifying one or more candidates based on the phonetic string comprises identifying one or more candidates using text prediction from the phonetic string. 
     
     
       21. The program product of  claim 20 , wherein presenting at least a subset of the candidates comprises presenting the subset of the candidates in an order determined based on the text prediction. 
     
     
       22. A method comprising:
 presenting a virtual keyboard corresponding to a first alphabet in a first region of a touch-sensitive display of a device; 
 receiving an input on the virtual keyboard representing a phonetic string; 
 presenting the phonetic string in a second region of the touch-sensitive display; 
 identifying one or more candidate representations based on the phonetic string, wherein the candidate representations correspond to a second alphabet different from the first alphabet; 
 presenting at least a subset of the candidate representations inline with the phonetic string in the second region, where the candidate representations are displayed according to an orientation of text in the second region; 
 receiving an input selecting one of the candidaterepresentations; and 
 replacing the entered phonetic string with the selected candidate representation. 
 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising identifying one or more additional candidate representations based on the phonetic string in a third alphabet different from the first and second alphabets, wherein the candidate tray includes at least a subset of the additional candidate representations. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the candidate tray further includes the phonetic string. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second alphabet comprises logographic characters. 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the candidate tray is presented in place of the virtual keyboard. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the candidate tray is presented in place of the virtual keyboard. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the candidate tray is presented in place of the virtual keyboard.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The subject matter of this specification is related generally to text input interfaces. 
     Traditional computer keyboards may be too large for portable devices, such as mobile phones, multimedia players, or personal digital assistants (PDAs). Some portable devices include a smaller version of the traditional computer keyboard or use a virtual keyboard to receive user input. A virtual keyboard can be of the form of a software application or a feature of a software application to simulate a computer keyboard. For example, in a portable device with a touch-sensitive display, a virtual keyboard can be used by a user to input text by selecting or tabbing areas of the touch-sensitive display corresponding to keys of the virtual keyboard. 
     These smaller keyboards and virtual keyboards may have keys that correspond to more than one character. For example, some of the keys can, by default, correspond to a character in the English language, for example, the letter “a,” and may also correspond to other additional characters, such as another letter or the letter with an accent option, e.g., the character “ä,” or other characters with accent options. Because of the physical limitations (e.g., size) of the virtual keyboard, a user may find it difficult to type characters not readily available on the virtual keyboard. 
     Input methods for devices having multi-language environments can present unique challenges with respect to input and spelling correction which may need to be tailored to the selected language to ensure accuracy and an efficient workflow. 
     SUMMARY 
     In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of presenting a virtual keyboard in a first region of a touch sensitive display of a device, receiving an input representing a phonetic string on the virtual keyboard, presenting the entered phonetic string in a second region of the touch sensitive display, identifying one or more candidates based on the phonetic string, presenting at least a subset of the candidates in the first region or the second region, receiving an input selecting one of the candidates, and replacing the entered phonetic string with the selected candidate. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, computer program products, and computer readable media. 
     Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. Text in languages that require phonetic string-to-character conversion can be input more efficiently on a portable device. Error correction and word prediction techniques can be applied to entry of East Asain languages. 
     The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example mobile device. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an example implementation of the mobile device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 3A-3F  illustrate an example user interface for entering text. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example text input process. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example Mobile Device 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example mobile device  100 . The mobile device  100  can be, for example, a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, a network appliance, a camera, a smart phone, an enhanced general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phone, a network base station, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, or a combination of any two or more of these data processing devices or other data processing devices. 
     Mobile Device Overview 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  100  includes a touch-sensitive display  102 . The touch-sensitive display  102  can implement liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, light emitting polymer display (LPD) technology, or some other display technology. The touch sensitive display  102  can be sensitive to haptic and/or tactile contact with a user. 
     In some implementations, the touch-sensitive display  102  can comprise a multi-touch-sensitive display  102 . A multi-touch-sensitive display  102  can, for example, process multiple simultaneous touch points, including processing data related to the pressure, degree, and/or position of each touch point. Such processing facilitates gestures and interactions with multiple fingers, chording, and other interactions. Other touch-sensitive display technologies can also be used, e.g., a display in which contact is made using a stylus or other pointing device. Some examples of multi-touch-sensitive display technology are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,323,846, 6,570,557, 6,677,932, and 6,888,536, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  100  can display one or more graphical user interfaces on the touch-sensitive display  102  for providing the user access to various system objects and for conveying information to the user. In some implementations, the graphical user interface can include one or more display objects  104 ,  106 . In the example shown, the display objects  104 ,  106 , are graphic representations of system objects. Some examples of system objects include device functions, applications, windows, files, alerts, events, or other identifiable system objects. 
     Example Mobile Device Functionality 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  100  can implement multiple device functionalities, such as a telephony device, as indicated by a phone object  110 ; an e-mail device, as indicated by the e-mail object  112 ; a network data communication device, as indicated by the Web object  114 ; a Wi-Fi base station device (not shown); and a media processing device, as indicated by the media player object  116 . In some implementations, particular display objects  104 , e.g., the phone object  110 , the e-mail object  112 , the Web object  114 , and the media player object  116 , can be displayed in a menu bar  118 . In some implementations, device functionalities can be accessed from a top-level graphical user interface, such as the graphical user interface illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Touching one of the objects  110 ,  112 ,  114 , or  116  can, for example, invoke corresponding functionality. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  100  can implement network distribution functionality. For example, the functionality can enable the user to take the mobile device  100  and provide access to its associated network while traveling. In particular, the mobile device  100  can extend Internet access (e.g., Wi-Fi) to other wireless devices in the vicinity. For example, mobile device  100  can be configured as a base station for one or more devices. As such, mobile device  100  can grant or deny network access to other wireless devices. 
     In some implementations, upon invocation of device functionality, the graphical user interface of the mobile device  100  changes, or is augmented or replaced with another user interface or user interface elements, to facilitate user access to particular functions associated with the corresponding device functionality. For example, in response to a user touching the phone object  110 , the graphical user interface of the touch-sensitive display  102  may present display objects related to various phone functions; likewise, touching of the email object  112  may cause the graphical user interface to present display objects related to various e-mail functions; touching the Web object  114  may cause the graphical user interface to present display objects related to various Web-surfing functions; and touching the media player object  116  may cause the graphical user interface to present display objects related to various media processing functions. 
     In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interface environment or state of  FIG. 1  can be restored by pressing a button  120  located near the bottom of the mobile device  100 . In some implementations, each corresponding device functionality may have corresponding “home” display objects displayed on the touch-sensitive display  102 , and the graphical user interface environment of  FIG. 1  can be restored by pressing the “home” display object. 
     In some implementations, the top-level graphical user interface can include additional display objects  106 , such as a short messaging service (SMS) object  130 , a calendar object  132 , a photos object  134 , a camera object  136 , a calculator object  138 , a stocks object  140 , a weather object  142 , a maps object  144 , a notes object  146 , a clock object  148 , an address book object  150 , and a settings object  152 . Touching the SMS display object  130  can, for example, invoke an SMS messaging environment and supporting functionality; likewise, each selection of a display object  132 ,  134 ,  136 ,  138 ,  140 ,  142 ,  144 ,  146 ,  148 ,  150 , and  152  can invoke a corresponding object environment and functionality. 
     Additional and/or different display objects can also be displayed in the graphical user interface of  FIG. 1 . For example, if the device  100  is functioning as a base station for other devices, one or more “connection” objects may appear in the graphical user interface to indicate the connection. In some implementations, the display objects  106  can be configured by a user, e.g., a user may specify which display objects  106  are displayed, and/or may download additional applications or other software that provides other functionalities and corresponding display objects. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  100  can include one or more input/output (I/O) devices and/or sensor devices. For example, a speaker  160  and a microphone  162  can be included to facilitate voice-enabled functionalities, such as phone and voice mail functions. In some implementations, an up/down button  184  for volume control of the speaker  160  and the microphone  162  can be included. The mobile device  100  can also include an on/off button  182  for a ring indicator of incoming phone calls. In some implementations, a loud speaker  164  can be included to facilitate hands-free voice functionalities, such as speaker phone functions. An audio jack  166  can also be included for use of headphones and/or a microphone. 
     In some implementations, a proximity sensor  168  can be included to facilitate the detection of the user positioning the mobile device  100  proximate to the user&#39;s ear and, in response, to disengage the touch-sensitive display  102  to prevent accidental function invocations. In some implementations, the touch-sensitive display  102  can be turned off to conserve additional power when the mobile device  100  is proximate to the user&#39;s ear. 
     Other sensors can also be used. For example, in some implementations, an ambient light sensor  170  can be utilized to facilitate adjusting the brightness of the touch-sensitive display  102 . In some implementations, an accelerometer  172  can be utilized to detect movement of the mobile device  100 , as indicated by the directional arrow  174 . Accordingly, display objects and/or media can be presented according to a detected orientation, e.g., portrait or landscape. In some implementations, the mobile device  100  may include circuitry and sensors for supporting a location determining capability, such as that provided by the global positioning system (GPS) or other positioning systems (e.g., systems using Wi-Fi access points, television signals, cellular grids, Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)). In some implementations, a positioning system (e.g., a GPS receiver) can be integrated into the mobile device  100  or provided as a separate device that can be coupled to the mobile device  100  through an interface (e.g., port device  190 ) to provide access to location-based services. 
     In some implementations, a port device  190 , e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, or a docking port, or some other wired port connection, can be included. The port device  190  can, for example, be utilized to establish a wired connection to other computing devices, such as other communication devices  100 , network access devices, a personal computer, a printer, a display screen, or other processing devices capable of receiving and/or transmitting data. In some implementations, the port device  190  allows the mobile device  100  to synchronize with a host device using one or more protocols, such as, for example, the TCP/IP, HTTP, UDP and any other known protocol. 
     The mobile device  100  can also include a camera lens and sensor  180 . In some implementations, the camera lens and sensor  180  can be located on the back surface of the mobile device  100 . The camera can capture still images and/or video. 
     The mobile device  100  can also include one or more wireless communication subsystems, such as an 802.11b/g communication device  186 , and/or a Bluetooth™ communication device  188 . Other communication protocols can also be supported, including other 802.x communication protocols (e.g., WiMax, Wi-Fi, 3 G), code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), etc. 
     Example Mobile Device Architecture 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram  200  of an example implementation of the mobile device  100  of  FIG. 1 . The mobile device  100  can include a memory interface  202 , one or more data processors, image processors and/or central processing units  204 , and a peripherals interface  206 . The memory interface  202 , the one or more processors  204  and/or the peripherals interface  206  can be separate components or can be integrated in one or more integrated circuits. The various components in the mobile device  100  can be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines. 
     Sensors, devices, and subsystems can be coupled to the peripherals interface  206  to facilitate multiple functionalities. For example, a motion sensor  210 , a light sensor  212 , and a proximity sensor  214  can be coupled to the peripherals interface  206  to facilitate the orientation, lighting, and proximity functions described with respect to  FIG. 1 . Other sensors  216  can also be connected to the peripherals interface  206 , such as a positioning system (e.g., GPS receiver), a temperature sensor, a biometric sensor, or other sensing device, to facilitate related functionalities. 
     A camera subsystem  220  and an optical sensor  222 , e.g., a charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) optical sensor, can be utilized to facilitate camera functions, such as recording photographs and video clips. 
     Communication functions can be facilitated through one or more wireless communication subsystems  224 , which can include radio frequency receivers and transmitters and/or optical (e.g., infrared) receivers and transmitters. The specific design and implementation of the communication subsystem  224  can depend on the communication network(s) over which the mobile device  100  is intended to operate. For example, a mobile device  100  may include communication subsystems  224  designed to operate over a GSM network, a GPRS network, an EDGE network, a Wi-Fi or WiMax network, and a Bluetooth™ network. In particular, the wireless communication subsystems  224  may include hosting protocols such that the device  100  may be configured as a base station for other wireless devices. 
     An audio subsystem  226  can be coupled to a speaker  228  and a microphone  230  to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and telephony functions. 
     The I/O subsystem  240  can include a touch screen controller  242  and/or other input controller(s)  244 . The touch-screen controller  242  can be coupled to a touch screen  246 . The touch screen  246  and touch screen controller  242  can, for example, detect contact and movement or break thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensitivity technologies, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch screen  246 . 
     The other input controller(s)  244  can be coupled to other input/control devices  248 , such as one or more buttons, rocker switches, thumb-wheel, infrared port, USB port, and/or a pointer device such as a stylus. The one or more buttons (not shown) can include an up/down button for volume control of the speaker  228  and/or the microphone  230 . 
     In one implementation, a pressing of the button for a first duration may disengage a lock of the touch screen  246 ; and a pressing of the button for a second duration that is longer than the first duration may turn power to the mobile device  100  on or off. The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of the buttons. The touch screen  246  can, for example, also be used to implement virtual or soft buttons and/or a keyboard. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  100  can present recorded audio and/or video files, such as MP3, AAC, and MPEG files. In some implementations, the mobile device  100  can include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod™. The mobile device  100  may, therefore, include a 30-pin connector that is compatible with the iPod™. Other input/output and control devices can also be used. 
     The memory interface  202  can be coupled to memory  250 . The memory  250  can include high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical storage devices, and/or flash memory (e.g., NAND, NOR). The memory  250  can store an operating system  252 , such as Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks. The operating system  252  may include instructions for handling basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks. In some implementations, the operating system  252  can be a kernel (e.g., UNIX kernel). 
     The memory  250  may also store communication instructions  254  to facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices, one or more computers and/or one or more servers. The memory  250  may include graphical user interface instructions  256  to facilitate graphic user interface processing; sensor processing instructions  258  to facilitate sensor-related processing and functions; phone instructions  260  to facilitate phone-related processes and functions; electronic messaging instructions  262  to facilitate electronic-messaging related processes and functions; web browsing instructions  264  to facilitate web browsing-related processes and functions; media processing instructions  266  to facilitate media processing-related processes and functions; GPS/Navigation instructions  268  to facilitate GPS and navigation-related processes and instructions; camera instructions  270  to facilitate camera-related processes and functions; and/or other software instructions  272  to facilitate other processes and functions, e.g., security processes and functions. The memory  250  may also store other software instructions (not shown), such as web video instructions to facilitate web video-related processes and functions; and/or web shopping instructions to facilitate web shopping-related processes and functions. In some implementations, the media processing instructions  266  are divided into audio processing instructions and video processing instructions to facilitate audio processing-related processes and functions and video processing-related processes and functions, respectively. An activation record and International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)  274  or similar hardware identifier can also be stored in memory  250 . 
     Language data  276  can also be stored in memory  250 . Language data  276  can include, for example, word dictionaries (i.e., list of possible words in a language) for one or more languages, dictionaries of characters and corresponding phonetics, one or more corpuses of characters and character compounds, and so on. 
     Each of the above identified instructions and applications can correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functions described above. These instructions need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures, or modules. The memory  250  can include additional instructions or fewer instructions. Furthermore, various functions of the mobile device  100  may be implemented in hardware and/or in software, including in one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     Language Input Interface 
       FIGS. 3A-3F  illustrate an example user interface for entering multi-lingual text on mobile device  100 . Mobile device  100  can display a text input area  302  and a virtual keyboard  304  on the touch-sensitive display  102 . The text input area  302  can be any area where input text can be displayed, e.g., a note-taking application, an email application, and so on. In some implementations, the text input area  302  can be one or more text fields located in a document (e.g., a web page rendered in a web browser application). The virtual keyboard  304  includes one or more virtual keys  303  that each correspond to a letter in an alphabet (e.g., Latin alphabet). The virtual keyboard  304  can include a keyboard toggle key  308  for toggling between letter keys and keys for numbers, punctuation, etc. (i.e., either letter keys or numbers/punctuation keys can be displayed in the virtual keyboard  304 ). A user can enter text by touching the touch-sensitive display  102  on the areas of the desired keys of the virtual keyboard  304 ; the user selects or hits the desired keys of the virtual keyboard  304 . Letters, numbers, etc. corresponding to the touched keys are displayed in the text input area  302  as unconverted current input  310 -A. The user can hit the backspace key  306  to delete the last input character. 
     In some implementations, the mobile device  100  includes capability to input text in a non-English language using Latin alphabet virtual keyboard. For example, the mobile device  100  can include capability for inputting Chinese and/or Japanese text, including Chinese or Japanese characters and symbols, using a Latin alphabet virtual keyboard (e.g., virtual keyboard with letters arranged in a QWERTY layout). For example, the device  100  can include a Chinese or Japanese text entry mode that utilizes a Latin alphabet keyboard. A user can use the virtual keyboard to enter a phonetic string of letters representing sounds or syllables in the non-English language. For example, a user can user the virtual keyboard to type in a romanization of one or more characters or symbols in Chinese or Japanese. 
     For convenience, the implementations in this specification will be described in reference to entry of Japanese language text. It should be appreciated, however, that the described implementations can be applied to other non-English languages (e.g., Chinese). More generally, the described implementations can be applied to any text input interface that involves identification, presentation, and selection of candidates for inputs, regardless of language (e.g., Latin alphabet romanization to non-Latin-alphabet text, spelling and grammar correction, thesaurus features, etc.). 
     When a user inputs in a first letter of a phonetic string, the letter is displayed in the text input area  302  as an unconverted current input  310 -A, as shown in  FIG. 3A . In some implementations, the input  310 -A is displayed with underlining or some other formatting (e.g., bold text, italics, highlighting). The underlining/formatting indicates that the input is a provisional input subject to conversion pending additional input from the user, whether that additional input is additional letters or a selection of a candidate by the user. For example, in  FIG. 3A , the user hits the “s” key, and the letter “s” is displayed in the text input area  302  as current input  310 -A with underlining. 
     The virtual keyboard  304  can include a “confirm” key  314  that, when hit by the user, accepts the displayed input  310 -A as is. The accepted input is displayed without the underlining. For example, in  FIG. 3A , the user can hit the “confirm” key  314  to accept the input string “s” as is; “s” is displayed without underlining. In some implementations, hitting of the “confirm” key  214  also adds a space after the accepted input. In some other implementations, the addition of the space after the accepted input depends on whether the accepted input is in a language where spaces separate words and/or whether the accepted input is the end of a sentence, to name a few example criteria. In some implementations, key  314  is a “space” key that, when pressed, accepts the current input as is, effectively serving as a “confirm” key. 
     The virtual keyboard  304  can also include a “show candidates” key  312 . By hitting the “show candidates” key  312 , the user can bring up a tray of candidate characters, symbols, and combinations thereof (e.g., kanji, kana combinations) with which to replace the input  310 -A. The tray of candidates is further described below. 
     Continuing from the example input  310 -A shown in  FIG. 3A , the user next hits the letter “e” on the keyboard, resulting in the string “se.” The string “se” can be converted by the device  100  to the hiragana symbol   of which the string “se” is the romanization, and the hiragana symbol   is displayed as converted current input  310 -B with underlining, as shown in  FIG. 3B . The user can hit the “confirm” key  314  to accept the hiragana symbol   as is;   is then displayed without underlining. Alternatively, the user can hit the “show candidates” key  312  to bring up the tray of candidates related to the string “se” (e.g., characters whose phonetic readings begin with “se”). 
     Continuing from the example input  310 -B as shown in  FIG. 3B , the user next hits the “n” key, resulting in the string “sen.” The terminal “n” letter is converted to the hiragana symbol   of which the terminal “n” is the romanization, and appended to the already-converted hiragana symbol   The hiragana symbol   is displayed as converted current input  310 -B with underlining, as shown in  FIG. 3C . 
     In some implementations, the device  102  can display one or more suggested candidates  318  inline for the input  310 -B. The suggested candidates can include single characters, phonetic symbols (e.g., Japanese kana), and combinations of multiple characters and/or phonetic symbols. For example, in  FIG. 3C , the kanji character   is displayed as a suggested candidate for     (“sen”) is the onyomi reading for the kanji character   In some implementations, the user can hit a suggested candidate (i.e., touch the touch-sensitive display  102  over the area of the desired suggested candidate) to select a suggested candidate, continue typing letter keys on the virtual keyboard  304  to add to the input  310 -B, or hit the “show candidates” key  312  to bring up the candidates tray, among other actions. If the user selects a suggested candidate, the selected suggested candidate is displayed as accepted input  336 , as shown in  FIG. 3F . If the user continues typing on the letter keys on the virtual keyboard  304 , the current input  310 -B is extended and possible candidates for the current input  310 -B are narrowed down. 
     In some implementations, the one or more suggested candidates  318  that are presented to the user are determined by the device  100  to be the best match for the input  310 -B based on one or more criteria (e.g., frequency in the language, exact match, etc.). 
     In some implementations, more candidates can be displayed by the device  100  when the user hits an arrow graphical object  319  or the like on the touch-sensitive display  102 . For example, when the user hits the arrow  319 , a candidates tray  322  can be displayed. Alternatively, the inline suggested candidates list  318  can expand to show more candidates. The arrow  319  gives the user a hint that there are additional candidates available. 
     In some implementations, the user can hit the confirm key  314  once to select the first candidate of the suggested candidates  318 , hit the confirm key  314  twice in quick succession to select the second candidate of the suggested candidates  318 , and so on. 
     If the user hits the “show candidates” key  312  or the arrow  319 , a candidates tray  322  can be displayed, as shown in  FIG. 3D . In some implementations, the candidates tray  322  is displayed in place of the virtual keyboard  304 . In some other implementations, the candidates tray  322  is displayed over all or part of the text input area  302 . In some implementations, the candidates tray  322  slides over the virtual keyboard  304  or the text input area  302 , and the sliding is displayed as an animated effect. When the candidates tray  322  is removed from view, the candidates tray  322  can slide off the touch-sensitive display  102 . 
     The candidates tray  322  can include one or more candidate keys  330 , each of the candidate keys  330  corresponding to a candidate for conversion of the input  310 -B. A candidate (whether for the candidate keys  330  or suggested candidates  318 ) can be a character, a phonetic or syllabic symbol (e.g., a kana symbol), romanization, multi-character combinations forming words or phrases, multi-symbol combinations forming words or phrases, a combination of characters and symbols forming words or phrases, and so on. The candidates can include characters whose phonetic reading is or begins with the input  310 -B as a reading, words that begin with the input  310 -B, and so on. For example, in  FIG. 3D , the candidates tray  322  includes some candidate keys  330  that correspond to kanji characters that has   as a reading. In some implementations, the candidates in the candidates tray are ordered based on various criteria as to which candidate is the best candidate. 
     In some implementations, the candidates for the suggested candidates  318  and the candidates tray  322  are identified and ordered using predictive text and/or error correction techniques, examples of which include fuzzy matching, techniques for determining cursor position based on a finger contact, and so on. An example of a predictive text technique is disclosed in Masui, “An Efficient Text Input Method for Pen-based Computers,” in  Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems  (CHI &#39;98), Addison-Wesley, April 1998, pp. 328-335, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. An example of a techniques for determining cursor position based on a finger contact is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/850,015, titled “Methods for Determining a Cursor Position from a Finger Contact with a Touch Screen Display,” filed Sep. 4, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     In some implementations, if the candidates tray  322  is displayed over the virtual keyboard  304 , the candidates tray  322  can also include a keyboard switch key  328  for switching back to the virtual keyboard  304 . The candidates tray  322  can also include back candidates key  326  and/or next candidates key  324  for moving back and forth between sets of candidate keys  330  within the candidates tray  322 . In some implementations, the candidates tray  322  also includes the confirm key  314 . 
     The user can hit a candidate key  330  to replace the input  310 -B with the candidate corresponding to the hit candidate key  330 . For example, from  FIG. 3D , if the user hits the key that corresponds to the candidate character   (key  332 ), the input  310 -B is replaced with the character   The character   is displayed as accepted input  336 , as shown in  FIG. 3E . In  FIG. 3E , the candidates tray  322  reverts back to virtual keyboard  304 . The virtual keyboard  304  can include a “space” key  334  and a “return” key  332  in place of “confirm” key  314  and show candidate key  312 , respectively. From  FIG. 3F , the user can enter a new phonetic string input. 
     In some implementations, the virtual keyboard  304  can include a key for switching between multiple input keyboards for various languages. 
     In some implementations, the candidates tray  322  includes a cancel key  331  for reverting back to the virtual keyboard  304  from the candidates tray  322  without selecting a candidate. 
     In some implementations, a candidate in the suggested candidates  318  or candidates tray  322  is highlighted as the “currently selected” candidate. When the suggested candidates  318  or candidates tray  322  is first displayed after an input of a phonetic string, the initial highlighted candidate can be the phonetic string itself in the suggested candidates  318  or candidates tray  322  or the “best” candidate. Key  312  can be a “next candidate” key, where a press of the key moves the highlighting to the next candidate. In some implementations, there can be a “previous candidate” key to move the highlighting backward to a previous candidate. The confirm key  314  can be used to accept the highlighted candidate. 
     In some other implementations, when the user inputs a phonetic sting, no candidate is automatically selected or highlighted by default; the user can hit the confirm key  314  to accept the phonetic string as is. The user can hit the next candidate key (and optionally a previous candidate key) to move through the candidates and highlight one of them. As different candidates are highlighted, the current input  310 -B changes to show the currently highlighted candidate, while still displayed with underlining or other formatting to indicate that the current input  310 -B is still provisional. Hitting a return key (e.g., return key  332 ) confirms the currently selected candidate or the phonetic string (i.e., whatever phonetic string or candidate is shown in the current input  310 -B). Adding more phonetic symbols by typing on the virtual keyboard  304  also automatically accepts the currently selected candidate or the phonetic string (i.e., whatever phonetic string or candidate is shown in the current input  310 -B). 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example text input process  400 . For convenience, the process  400  will be described in reference to a device (e.g., device  100 ) that performs the process  400 . 
     A virtual keyboard is displayed in a first region of a touch-sensitive display of a device ( 402 ). For example, the device displays virtual keyboard  304  on a portion of the touch-sensitive display  102 . 
     An input is received entering a phonetic string on the virtual keyboard ( 404 ). A user can enter one or more letters using the virtual keyboard. The entered letters can constitute a phonetic string. The phonetic string can be a romanization of characters, words, and the like in a language that does not use the Latin alphabet, for example. 
     The input phonetic string is displayed in a second region of the display ( 406 ). The device  100  can display the phonetic string in a text input area on the touch-sensitive Display  102 . In some implementations, the device  100  converts the phonetic string to, for example, symbols corresponding to the phonetic string (e.g., Japanese kana, Chinese zhuyin, etc.). 
     One or more candidates matching the phonetic string are identified ( 408 ). For example, the device  100  can look up the phonetic string in a dictionary, character database, or the like, and finds matching characters for the phonetic string. In some implementations, the device  100  can segment the phonetic string based on syllables or another criteria and find candidates for each of the segments. 
     At least a subset of the identified candidates is displayed in the first region of the touch sensitive display ( 410 ). For example, the candidates can be displayed in a candidates tray  322  that is displayed in place of the virtual keyboard  304 . In some implementations, if there are more candidates than can fit in the tray  322 , the user can navigates to the overflow candidates by hitting the back candidates  326  or next candidates key  324 . 
     Input is received selecting one of the candidates ( 412 ). For example, a user can hit one of the candidate keys  330  in a candidates tray  322  to select the corresponding candidate. 
     The displayed phonetic string is replaced with the selected candidate ( 414 ). In some implementations, the selected candidate is displayed on the touch-sensitive display in place of the input phonetic string. 
     In some implementations, the virtual keyboard  304  and the candidates tray  322  can be dynamically resized based on the orientation of the touch-sensitive display  102 . For example,  FIGS. 3A-3F  show the virtual keyboard  304  or the candidates tray  322  in portrait orientation. If the device  100 , and thus the touch-sensitive display  102 , is rotated to landscape orientation, the device  100  can detect the rotation and resize the keyboard  304  and the candidates tray  322  to fit the landscape width of the touch-sensitive display  102 . 
     In some implementations, the suggested candidates  318  are displayed in the same orientation as the text input, whose orientation can vary by language. For example, if the text is displayed from left-to-right, the suggested candidates  318  are displayed from left to right. If the text is displayed from right to left, the suggested candidates  318  are displayed from right to left. If the text displayed from top to bottom, the suggested candidates  318  are displayed from top to bottom. 
     In some implementations, the phonetic string can be input by voice rather than typing on the virtual keyboard  304 . For example, the device  100  can include a voice recognition module that receives and processes a user&#39;s voice input and generates a phonetic string based on the voice input. The device  100  can identify candidates for the phonetic string generated by the voice recognition module for selection by the user. 
     The disclosed and other embodiments and the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. The disclosed and other embodiments can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer-readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer-readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more them. The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus. 
     A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network. 
     The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). 
     Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry. 
     To provide for interaction with a user, the disclosed embodiments can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. 
     The disclosed embodiments can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes a front-end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of what is disclosed here, or any combination of one or more such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet. 
     While this specification contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of what being claims or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination. 
     Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understand as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. 
     Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. As one example, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20080304
Publication Date: 20121016
Grant Date: 20121016
Priority Date: 20080304
Inventors: KIDA YASUO
KOCIENDA KEN
FURCHES ELIZABETH CAROLINE
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/0237", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04886", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/018", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F40/129", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0237", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F40/274", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04886", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F40/166", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 41053100