GB2432236A

GB2432236A - Associating a text input string with an application in a mobile communication device

Info

Publication number: GB2432236A
Application number: GB0522878A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Garry; Juhee Kang; Sebastien Henri Andr Racaniere; Simon Paul Brooks
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-11-09
Filing date: 2005-11-09
Publication date: 2007-05-16
Also published as: GB0522878D0

Abstract

A method and system for associating an input text string with an application in a mobile communications device comprises the steps of receiving the text string from an input device, determining the application the text string is to be associated with in a controller, associating the text string with the application and parsing the text string according to rules associated with the application. Preferably the text string is then transferred to the application wherein the application may be initialised. The received input may contain a prefix which identifies the application. In an alternative embodiment the received input may be a softkey.

Description

IMPROVED DATA ENTRY SYSTEM FOR MOBILE

COMMUNICATION DEVICES

The present invention relates to an improved data entry system for mobile communication devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus wherein received text strings are associated with specific applications.

Due to the increasing complexity of mobile communication devices, such as mobile telephones and PDAs (personal digital assistants), users are provided with increasingly more applications for use on these devices.

Entering data into these applications can become a particularly time consuming process.

For example, in order to input data (e.g. text) into an application it is usually necessary for a user of a mobile telephone to access a menu, scroll down the menu to find the particular application that the user wishes to use, initiate the application, before the data for that application can be entered using an input device, such as a keypad.

Further, if a user wishes to use this data in more than one application, it is necessary for the user to re-enter the data each time a new application is initiated.

The number of key presses required to enter the data into an associated application can therefore provide an inconvenience to the user.

In US Patent US 6,473,621, a method is devised wherein a user may minimise the number of key presses in order to input a defined text string.

Predefined terms are used which are subsequently substituted with the associated text string. However, the user is still required to enter the associated application through a series of key presses prior to entering the text string. Further, a user is not able to associate the text string with other applications without initiating a new application from the menu and re-entering the text string.

PCT document WO 00/67454 discloses a method of providing a shortcut for entering information by placing elements of pre-stored text in a hierarchical manner. A user is able to scroll through the hierarchically sorted elements to reach a pre-stored text element without the need to enter the full text string. Again, the user is first required to enter an associated application through a series of key presses prior to entering the text string. Further, the user is not able to associate the retrieved text string with multiple applications.

The present invention aims to overcome or at least alleviate some or all of the above mentioned problems.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a mobile communication device adapted to store at least one application thereon, the mobile communication device comprising: an input device adapted to allow a text string to be entered, a controller adapted to determine, based on a received input, the application the text string is to be associated with, and further adapted to associate the text string with the determined application, a parser adapted to parse the text string according to a set of rules associated with the determined application.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method of transferring data to a least one application stored on a mobile communication device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a text string, determining, based on a received input, the application the text string is to be associated with, associating the text string with the determined application, and parsing the text string according to a set of rules associated with the determined application.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the internal components of a mobile telephone device adapted to implement the present invention; Figure 2 shows a flowchart indicating the sequence of events associated with a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a mobile telephone device adapted to implement the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a flow diagram indicating the sequence of events associated with a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIRST EMBODIMENT

A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail.

Figure 1 shows some of the components of a mobile telephone 101.

The mobile telephone 101 has a transceiver 103 to receive and transmit messages from or to a network via an air interface (not shown). Incoming messages are received by a SIM card 105, which is housed within the mobile telephone 101.

The SIM card 105 acts upon instructions received via encrypted messages from the network and outputs instructions to a controller 107. The SIM card 105 is enabled to do this by programming using known systems such as SIM Toolkit and JavaSIM. Connected to the controller is an E2PROM memory device 111 and a cache memory 113.

Also connected to the controller 107 is a display 115. The display 115 provides information relevant to the current call status of the mobile telephone and allows the user to see text as it is entered via a keypad 117. A communications bus 109 links most of the components within the mobile telephone 101, and a battery (not shown) is used to provide power to all the components of the mobile telephone.

The mobile telephone has a number of different application programs stored within its SIM card 105. Alternatively, the application programs may be stored in any other memory device. The different applications can be initiated using the method of accessing a menu screen and scrolling down to the required application as in the prior art. The applications concerned may be, for example, a calendar, a text editor, contacts list, a to-do list or any other suitable application that may be initiated on a mobile telephone.

In this first embodiment, when the mobile telephone is in an initial state where no menu entries have been selected and an idle screen is shown, a user can enter a text string via the keypad 117. This is carried out in a similar way to how a user would enter a telephone number for dialling. The text string is shown on the display 115 as the user enters it. However, the user is not required to access and initiate the application to which the text string is associated prior to entering the text string. In order for the text string to be associated with a particular application, a pre-defined list of prefix characters is stored within the memory of the mobile telephone. Each prefix character is associated with one particular application. The user enters a prefix character at the start of the text string in order to associate the rest of the text string with the application that the prefix character is associated with.

Within the controller 107 is a parser. The controller 107 parses the text string using the parser and examines the prefix character. The prefix character is matched up with one of the prefix characters stored in the pre-defined list in memory, and the remaining parts of the text string are associated with the relevant application. A set of parsing rules associated with that prefix character and application are retrieved. The parser is then able to parse the remaining part of the text string according to the retrieved rules.

That is, the parsing rules define the required data format for the application that is associated with the prefix character. Subsequently, the parsed data is transferred to the associated application in the correct format for that application.

Optionally, the associated application may be initiated once the parsing step is complete. This option may be part of the user defined settings in the mobile telephone.

Referring to Figure 2, the associated steps are defined as follows. At step S201, the procedure starts. A text string is received by the mobile telephone at step S203 and is stored in the mobile telephone's cache memory, and displayed on the screen. In this embodiment, the text string is received via entry on the keypad.

Upon pressing the enter/call key, the parser within the controller of the mobile telephone reads the prefix of the text string at S205 in order to determine which application is associated with the prefix. Once the application has been determined at step S207, the associated parsing rules for that application are retrieved by the controller as shown in step S209. The text string is then parsed using the retrieved parsing rules at step S2 11. At step S213, the parsed text string is transferred to that application in its correct format. The sequence ends at step S215.

Figure 3 shows an example text string entry on a mobile telephone device for use in this first embodiment. It can be seen that the text string entry includes a prefix character, which in this case is a full stop.. This prefix character is pre-defined to be associated with the calendar application that is available on the mobile telephone. Following the prefix character is a text string comprising data that the user wishes to be entered into the calendar.

As the prefix character enables the controller of the mobile telephone to determine which application the text string is to be associated with, the parsing rules associated with that application are retrieved to allow the remaining parts of the text string to be inserted into the calendar application.

That is, for example, the parsing rules of the calendar application will look at the first six characters entered into the text string after the prefix character to obtain the date for the calendar entry. Thereafter, the next four characters will be associated with the start time of the calendar entry, and the next four characters will be associated with the finish time of the calendar entry. Any further text entered after this point is determined to be text that is required to be entered into the calendar at the indicated date and time.

In this embodiment, the parser examines the text string starting from the most significant data, down to the least significant data. For example, with calendar applications the first data segment is always assumed to be the date, and will only allow a valid 6 digit date to be entered. Only when a valid date is entered will the parser examine the text string for the time.

In every case where the prefix character indicates that the text string should be associated with the calendar application, the same rules will apply.

For example, if time is entered in a 24 hour format, once 2' has been read, only the characters 0-3 will be recognised by the parser. If the text string does not conform to the parsing rules for the associated application, they will not be recognised by the controller and a suitable message is displayed. Different applications will have different rules based upon what is required to enter data for that particular application.

Upon entering the text string from the idle screen in a one off instruction, the user is not required to enter a number of key presses to first initiate the application prior to entering the associated data for that application. In this manner, the amount of time required to input data into applications is reduced considerably.

SECOND EMBODIMENT

In this second embodiment, the same mobile telephone as described above and referenced in Figure 1, is utilised. However, in this embodiment a use of a prefix is not required. That is, a user is able to use a soft key entry, for example, "K, to associate the text string with a specific application residing on the mobile telephone.

Referring to Figure 4, the procedure starts at step 401. The user enters a text string using a keypad whereupon it is received within the cache memory of the mobile telephone and displayed at step S403. Once the user has finished entering the text string, an associated soft key entry is pressed, which is associated with a particular application that resides on the mobile telephone, as shown at step S405. For example, the soft key entry of "i' 1'is associated with the calendar application.

At step S407, the application is determined from the associated soft key entry. That is, the controller looks up in a table to see which application is to be associated with the current soft key entry. The controller of the mobile telephone then retrieves the parsing rules for the associated application, at step S409. The text string is then parsed using the retrieved parsing rules at step S411. The parsed text string is transferred to the application, at step S413. The procedure ends at step S415.

Optionally, the determined application may be initiated when the parsed text string is transferred.

It can be seen from the second embodiment that the associated advantages of the first embodiment are also provided.

FURTHER EMBODIMENTS

It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are described herein by way of example only, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Further, it will be understood that the method of inputting a text string or activating a soft key may be carried out using voice activation, a touch sensitive screen or any other suitable method of inputting data.

Further, it will be understood that more than one application may be associated with the text string. For example, two (or more) prefix characters may be entered at the beginning of the text string. The two prefix characters are associated with a first and second application respectively. The controller of the mobile telephone then parses the text string using the first application's parsing rules, and transfers the data to the first application prior to parsing the text string using the second application's parsing rules and transferring the parsed data to the second application. In this way, data can be entered into more than one application without the need to repeat the step of entering the data.

Further, it will be understood that the prefix character could be placed anywhere in the text string, as long as the parser is able to determine the prefix character.

Further, it will be understood that the mobile telephone of the first embodiment could automatically detect the occurrence of a prefix character being entered using the keypad. Once detected, the parser can retrieve the associated rules for that prefix character's associated application and only allow text in the correct format to be entered. Once the text string is complete, the user presses the enter/call key, and the text string is passed to the associated application. Again, the application may be optionally initiated at this time.

Further, it will be understood that although in the second embodiment the soft key operation is carried out after the text string has been entered from the idle screen, the soft key which determines which application the text string is to be associated with may be operated prior to the entry of the text string.

The parser is then initiated by pressing the enter/call key on the mobile telephone after the text string has been entered. In this way, the parser will only allow validly formatted text to be entered in real time by the user.

It will also be understood that the operation of a soft key in the second embodiment could provide a list of applications from which the user may choose, in order to associate the text string with an application.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A mobile communication device adapted to store at least one application thereon, the mobile communication device comprising: an input device adapted to allow a text string to be entered, a controller adapted to determine, based on a received input, the application the text string is to be associated with, and further adapted to associate the text string with the determined application, a parser adapted to parse the text string according to a set of rules associated with the determined application.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the received input is at least one prefix character within the text string.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the received input is a soft key entry.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to transfer the text string to the determined application.

5. The device of claim 4, whereupon the determined application is initiated upon receipt of the text string.

6. A method of transferring data to a least one application stored on a mobile communication device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a text string, determining, based on a received input, the application the text string is to be associated with, associating the text string with the determined application, and parsing the text string according to a set of rules associated with the determined application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the received input is at least one prefix character within the text string.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the received input is a soft key entry.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of transferring the text string to the determined application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of initiating the determined application upon receipt of the text string.