JP2008083848A - Character input device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a character input device for improving efficiency of input using predictive conversion. <P>SOLUTION: A display order setting part 112 sets the display order of the conversion candidates of predictive conversion based on an input history stored in a storage part 160. A predictive conversion processing part 111 displays conversion candidates corresponding to an undecided character string input by the operation of an operation part 130 in the display order set by the display order setting part 112 at a display part 140. When a decision input processing part 113 operates the decision input of the selected transform candidates as a decided character string based on input from the operation part 130, an input history update part 114 generates an input history about the decision character string, and stores it in a storage part 160. When an erasure detection part 115 detects the erasure of the decision-input decided character string, a display order changing part 116 changes the display order set in the conversion candidates showing the decided character string to any display order other than the most significant order. Thus, it is possible to prevent the display order of the conversion candidates from being turned into the most significant order in the correction when the conversion candidates are decided by mistake. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a character input device and a program, and more particularly to a character input device and a program suitable for predictive conversion input.

  In portable devices such as mobile communication terminals such as mobile phones, input devices such as full-size keyboards usually used in personal computers and the like cannot be provided, and character input work may become inefficient. Many. In particular, since mobile communication terminals are generally equipped with an e-mail transmission / reception function or the like, there are many scenes where a large number of characters are input, and more efficient character input is desired.

  For this reason, in recent years, input by predictive conversion is often employed so that efficient character input can be performed even in portable devices. In the predictive conversion input, the conversion result is displayed in the order determined recently by reflecting the learning result based on the input history in the display of the conversion candidate. Therefore, it is possible to input the character string desired by the user with few operations. it can.

  Since such a predictive conversion input presents a recently input character string as a higher-order conversion candidate, for example, when there is an erroneous input such as erroneously selecting a conversion candidate, the frequency of use is originally May be presented as an upper conversion candidate. As a result, when correcting an erroneous input, the erroneously input character string is presented as an upper conversion candidate, while the original character string to be input may become a lower conversion candidate. For this reason, if an incorrect input is made, the amount of operation at the time of correction increases, and the input efficiency may decrease.

In order to eliminate such inconvenience, a method has been proposed in which the learning data of the input history can be edited so that a conversion candidate added due to an erroneous input can be deleted (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-65532 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, the user has to perform editing work every time an erroneous input is made, which is complicated. Moreover, since the user performs, there is a possibility that inappropriate editing due to an erroneous operation or the like (for example, deletion of a conversion candidate that should not be deleted) may be performed. In this case, appropriate predictive conversion cannot be performed, and the subsequent input efficiency may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a character input device and a program that improve the input efficiency of character input by predictive conversion.

In order to achieve the above object, a character input device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes:
In a portable device character input device having a character input function by predictive conversion based on an input history,
Display order setting means for setting the display order of conversion candidates based on the input history;
Conversion candidate display means for displaying the conversion candidates in the display order set by the display order setting means;
Of the conversion candidates displayed by the conversion candidate display means, the selected conversion candidate is confirmed and input as a confirmed character string, and a confirmed character string input means for updating an input history for the character string;
Deletion detection means for detecting deletion of a confirmed character string that is confirmed and input by the confirmed character string input means;
Display order changing means for changing the display order set for the conversion candidate indicating the confirmed character string when deletion of the confirmed character string is detected by the deletion detecting means;
It is characterized by providing.

In the above character input device,
Preferably, the display order changing unit changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string in which the deletion is detected to a display order other than the highest order.

In the above character input device,
It is desirable that the display order changing unit changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string from which the deletion has been detected to the display order set before the conversion candidate is fixedly input.

In the above character input device,
The display order changing means changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string in which the deletion is detected to a display order lower than the display order set before the conversion candidates are fixedly input. May be.

In the above,
The display order changing unit may change the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string in which the deletion is detected to the lowest display order.

In the above character input device,
The display order changing unit may change the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string in which the deletion is detected to a display order indicating exclusion of the conversion candidates.

The character input device
It is desirable to further include an input character string changing unit that changes the character string whose deletion has been detected by the deletion detection unit to a state of an undetermined character string before the character string is input.

The character input device
Conversion candidate generation means for generating a new predictive conversion candidate based on a portion not deleted in the fixed character string when deletion of the fixed character string detected by the deletion detection means is a part of the fixed character string; It is desirable to have more.

  The character input device can be a mobile communication terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the second aspect of the present invention is:
In a computer that controls a character input device having a character input function by predictive conversion based on an input history,
A function for setting the display order of the conversion candidates based on the input history of the conversion candidates extracted by the predictive conversion;
A function for displaying the conversion candidates in a set display order;
Among the displayed conversion candidates, the selected character string is confirmed and input as a confirmed character string, and the input history of the character string is updated,
A function to detect deletion of a fixedly entered character string;
A function for changing the display order set for the character string to a display order other than at least the highest order when deletion of the confirmed input character string is detected;
It is characterized by realizing.

  According to the present invention, since the display order of the confirmed character string that has been deleted is changed, efficient character input can be performed even if an incorrect input is made.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, the case where the character input device according to the present invention is realized by a mobile communication terminal will be described as an example.

  A mobile communication terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal device (telephone) such as a mobile phone or a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), for example, in addition to a voice call function that is a basic function. It is assumed that at least a character input function by predictive conversion is provided. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that Japanese input is performed at the mobile communication terminal 100 by applying predictive conversion during Kana-Kanji conversion. The predictive conversion input in the present embodiment displays a character string such as a word or a phrase starting from a reading corresponding to the input kana character (hereinafter referred to as “word etc.”) as a conversion candidate, and the user selects among the conversion candidates. By selecting the word you want to input from, you can input Japanese efficiently with few key operations.

  The configuration of mobile communication terminal 100 will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated, the mobile communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 110, a communication control unit 120, an operation unit 130, a display unit 140, a voice processing unit 150, a storage unit 160, and the like.

  The control unit 110 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and controls each unit of the mobile communication terminal 100. In this embodiment, the function for performing each process mentioned later is implement | achieved because the control part 110 runs a program.

  The communication control unit 120 includes a transmission / reception device for performing the communication operation of the mobile communication terminal 100, and the communication operation of the mobile communication terminal 100 is realized by controlling the wireless transmission / reception operation by the antenna 121.

  The operation unit 130 includes, for example, keys and buttons operated by the user of the mobile communication terminal 100, and inputs an input signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 110.

  The display unit 140 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and displays and outputs screens related to the functions of the mobile communication terminal 100.

  The voice processing unit 150 is composed of, for example, a voice codec and performs voice input / output operations related to the voice call function of the mobile communication terminal 100. That is, the digital audio signal received by the communication control unit 120 is converted into an analog audio signal and output from the speaker 151, and the audio input from the microphone 152 is converted into a digital audio signal and provided to the communication control unit 120. Thus, a voice call is realized.

  The storage unit 160 includes, for example, a flash memory or a hard disk device, and stores data, programs, and the like necessary for the operation of the mobile communication terminal 100. In this embodiment, storage areas such as a program storage unit 161, a dictionary data storage unit 162, a prediction conversion candidate storage unit 163, and an input history storage unit 164 are prepared, and predetermined information is stored in each storage region. .

  The program storage unit 161 is an area for storing a program executed by the control unit 110. In the present embodiment, at least a program for performing processing necessary for performing predictive conversion input in the mobile communication terminal 100 is stored.

  The dictionary data storage unit 162 stores dictionary data necessary for Japanese input, a character code table for specifying characters, and the like. The dictionary data is composed of detailed information such as words that are conversion candidates. That is, it is assumed that the dictionary data storage unit 162 stores dictionary data including information indicating codes, parts of speech, readings, etc., indicating various kanji characters.

  The predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163 is an area for storing words or the like that are candidates for conversion at the time of predictive conversion input. In the predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163, kana characters indicating readings are arranged in the order of, for example, Japanese syllabary. In this case, the kana characters indicating the reading are composed of 1 to a plurality of characters (sounds), and are arranged so as to be in the order of the Japanese syllabary in each number of characters as shown in FIG. To do. In other words, the second and subsequent characters following each of the first characters arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary are also arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary.

  For each kana character of reading arranged in this way, a character string (word or the like) that matches or completely matches the reading is stored as a predictive conversion candidate. For example, for a reading in which the first character is “a”, the second character is “ri”, and the third character is “ma”, the reading character string (for example, “ Are, ”“ Arima, ”“ is, ”“ is, ”“ is, ”and so on are stored as predictive conversion candidates. Here, since a character string that matches at least the front part of the reading is registered as a conversion candidate, for example, the character string “Yes” as the conversion candidate is read “A”, “Yes”, “Ari”, “ It is associated with any of the following.

  Each character string stored as such a predictive conversion candidate is associated with information indicating the display order when the character string is displayed as a predictive conversion candidate. This display order is set based on the input history of the character string. In the present embodiment, the display order is indicated by a numerical value, for example. In this case, it is assumed that “1” indicates the highest display order (the order that is displayed at a position that can be selected with the least number of operations), and is indicated by a larger numerical value as the display order becomes lower. And In this embodiment, each time a character string is extracted as a predictive conversion candidate, the display order for displaying the character string as a predictive conversion candidate is set, but at least the character string is set at the time of this extraction It is assumed that the display order and the display order set at the time of the previous extraction are recorded in the prediction conversion candidate storage unit 163.

  The input history storage unit 164 stores information indicating the history of the character string that is confirmed and input by predictive conversion. In this embodiment, when a conversion candidate predicted from an input kana character (unconfirmed character string) is confirmed and input, the unconfirmed character string (hereinafter referred to as “conversion source”) and the confirmation input An input history that associates the converted candidates (hereinafter referred to as “determined candidates”) is recorded. It is assumed that such input history information is added as needed each time a definite input is made by predictive conversion, and is sequentially deleted from the oldest over a predetermined time. In the present embodiment, the display order of prediction conversion candidates is set based on the input history information stored in the input history storage unit 164.

  Here, a function realized by the control unit 110 by executing a program stored in the program storage unit 161 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the function realized in order to perform the operation | movement of prediction conversion input is demonstrated. As illustrated, the control unit 110 includes a prediction conversion processing unit 111, a display order setting unit 112, a confirmed input processing unit 113, an input history update unit 114, a deletion detection unit 115, a display order change unit 116, and a confirmed character string change unit. 117, conversion candidate generation unit 118, and the like.

  The predictive conversion processing unit 111 performs predictive conversion corresponding to a kana character (unconfirmed character string) input by the operation of the operation unit 130. Here, the prediction conversion candidate storage unit 163 is searched for a reading that partially matches or completely matches the unconfirmed character string, and a conversion candidate corresponding to the searched reading is extracted. The predictive conversion processing unit 111 controls the display unit 140 to display the extracted conversion candidates on the display unit 140. At this time, the predictive conversion processing unit 111 displays the conversion candidates according to the display order recorded in the predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163.

  The display order setting unit 112 sets the display order of conversion candidates that have been confirmed and input based on the input history of the input history storage unit 164, and records the set display order in the predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163.

  The confirmation input processing unit 113 determines which one of the displayed conversion candidates has been selected based on the operation of the operation unit 130, and confirms and inputs the character string of the selected conversion candidate. The confirmed input processing unit 113 controls the display unit 140 to display the confirmed conversion candidate on the display unit 140 as a confirmed character string.

  The input history update unit 114 generates new input history information in response to the confirmed input by the confirmed input processing unit 113 and adds it to the input history storage unit 164 as the latest confirmed input history.

  The deletion detection unit 115 detects a deletion operation for the character string (confirmation candidate) that is confirmed and input by the confirmation input processing unit 113 based on the operation of the operation unit 130.

  The display order changing unit 116 changes the display order set for the character string (determined candidate) whose deletion has been detected by the deletion detecting unit 115 and the conversion candidate newly generated by the conversion candidate generating unit 118.

  The confirmed character string changing unit 117 causes the display unit 140 to display the character string (determined candidate) whose deletion has been detected by the deletion detecting unit 115 so as to be in an unconfirmed character string state.

  When the deletion detected by the display order changing unit 116 is a part of the confirmation candidate, the conversion candidate generation unit 118 newly sets a character string composed of the character string that has not been deleted and the newly input character string. It is generated as a conversion candidate and registered in the prediction conversion candidate storage unit 163.

  In the present embodiment, each function shown in FIG. 3 is realized by the control unit 110 executing a program. For example, hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) These functions may be realized by the configuration.

  The above is the main configuration of the mobile communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. In addition, each said structure is a structure required in order to implement | achieve this invention with the mobile communication terminal 100, and detailed description about another structure is abbreviate | omitted. That is, the mobile communication terminal 100 is provided with a configuration for realizing a basic function or an additional function as a mobile communication terminal as necessary, in addition to the above-described configurations.

  An operation when performing character input by predictive conversion in the mobile communication terminal 100 having such a configuration will be described below.

(Embodiment 1)
First, in order to contrast with the processing according to the present invention, the operation when the conventional predictive conversion character input is executed by the mobile communication terminal 100 will be described. The conventional predictive conversion input means that a conversion candidate that has been recently confirmed and input is presented in a higher display order when the same unconfirmed character string is input. In this example, a case will be described in which a character string candidate different from the character string to be originally input is erroneously input from the conversion candidates presented by predictive conversion, and the fixed character string is corrected.

  In order to perform character input, the user operates the operation unit 130 to input a character string to be read (unconfirmed character string). Here, it is assumed that the character string desired to be input is “There was”, and “Arima” is input as an undetermined character string. A screen display example in this case is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the input character string “Arima” is displayed in the input area as an undetermined character string on the display unit 140, and a predicted conversion candidate corresponding to “Arima” is displayed in the conversion candidate area. ing.

  In the conversion candidate area, the prediction conversion candidates are displayed in the display order based on the input history. In the example of FIG. 10A, it is assumed that the order of “present”, “arima”, “present”, “present”, “present” is set in order from the top.

  Here, since the character string to be input is “Yes”, the user originally has to operate the operation unit 130 to select “Yes” displayed in the conversion candidate area. It is assumed that "Mas" has been selected. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10B, “present” is displayed as a confirmed character string in the input area.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 10D, the input character string “Arima” is recorded in the conversion source, and the confirmed input “Yes” is recorded in the confirmation candidate in the input history storage unit 164. Here, since the character string to be originally input is “There was”, the user operates the operation unit 130 to correct “Yes” that has been confirmed and input to “Yes”. In this case, for example, characters are deleted one by one from the end of “Yes” that has been confirmed and input again. Here, “Arima” is input again.

  Here, because of the previous incorrect input, the pair of conversion source “Arima” and confirmed candidate “Yes” becomes the latest history, so among the conversion candidates for reading “Arima”, the display order of “Yes” is It is set to “1” which is the highest level. In this case, although “Alima” is entered in order to input the original “Yes” by correction, the “Yes” that is not desired is the highest conversion as shown in FIG. It is displayed in the conversion candidate area as a candidate. That is, since a character string that does not need to be input is presented at a position where it can be input with the minimum number of operations, improvement in input efficiency by predictive conversion is hindered.

  The operation of the prediction conversion input according to the present invention with respect to such a conventional prediction conversion input will be described. In this operation, if it is a normal input, conversion candidates are presented in the upper display order in the order of the latest confirmed input as in the case of the conventional predictive conversion input. The problem described above is solved by changing the display order of conversion candidates corresponding to the next input character from the normal display order.

  The “predictive conversion input process (1)” executed by the control unit 110 to realize this operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. It is assumed that this process is started when a state where characters can be input by the operation of the operation unit 130 (for example, when a screen including a character input area is displayed on the display unit 140). Here, as in the conventional example described above, an example will be described in which “Yes” is entered by mistake when the character string to be originally input is “Yes”.

  When the process is started and a kana character (unconfirmed character string) indicating reading is input by operating the operation unit 130 (step S101: Yes), the predictive conversion processing unit 111 accesses the predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163. The conversion candidate corresponding to the input reading is specified (step S102). Here, it is assumed that “Arima” is input as the unconfirmed character string.

  When the prediction conversion processing unit 111 specifies conversion candidates, the prediction conversion processing unit 111 specifies the display order. Here, it is assumed that the display order is set based on the input history stored in the input history storage unit 164, and “Yes”, “Arima”, and “Yes” are displayed in order from the top as in the conventional example above. ”,“ I'm present ”,“ Yes ”. The predictive conversion processing unit 111 displays the conversion candidates on the display unit 140 in the specified display order (step S103). In this case, as shown in FIG. 5A, the unconfirmed character string “Arima” is displayed in the input area on the display unit 140, and “Ari”, “Arima”, and “Yes” are conversion candidates. , "I'm present" and "Yes" are displayed in the conversion candidate area.

  Here, when the user operates the operation unit 130 to select one of the conversion candidates and performs a confirmed input operation (step S104: Yes), the confirmed input processing unit 113 performs a confirmed input process (step S105). . Here, it is assumed that “Yes” is selected by mistake and the input is confirmed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5B, the “present” that has been confirmed and entered is displayed in the input area.

  When the confirmed input is made, the confirmed input processing unit 113 displays the unconfirmed character string (that is, “Ari”) inputted at that time and the conversion candidate (that is, “there is”) inputted by the confirmation. The order setting unit 112 and the input history update unit 114 are notified.

  In response to the notification from the confirmed input processing unit 113, the display order setting unit 112 accesses the predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163, and among the character strings registered in the “conversion candidate”, “there is a certain input” The display order is set for all items that are the same as "" (step S106). Here, the numerical value indicating the “latest” display order at the present time is set as the “previous” display order, and “1” newly indicating the highest order is recorded as the latest display order.

  On the other hand, the input history update unit 114 generates input history information using the notified unconfirmed character string as a conversion source and the conversion input that has been confirmed as a confirmation candidate, and stores it in the input history storage unit 164 (step S107). . That is, input history information as shown in FIG. 5D is stored in the input history storage unit 164. In the input history storage unit 164, newly created input histories are sequentially added to the end. Therefore, at present, the input history of the conversion source “Arima” and the confirmation candidate “Yes” is the latest.

  Here, if the character string to be originally input is “Yes”, there is no need to correct it. In this case, if the input work is to be ended here, a predetermined end instruction is input (step S108: Yes), and the process ends. Further, if the input is further continued, the end instruction is not given (step S108: No), and the character string that has been confirmed and inputted is not deleted (step S109: No). In this case, a further unconfirmed character string is input (step S101: Yes), and predictive conversion corresponding to the newly input unconfirmed character string is performed by the predictive conversion processing unit 111 (step S102 to step S107). ).

  However, in this example, since the character string to be originally input is “There was”, the user operates the operation unit 130 to perform correction. In this case, the user operates a key for deleting a character string (hereinafter referred to as “delete key”) from the keys constituting the operation unit 130, and deletes the “present” input that has been confirmed. . In this case, it is assumed that the character string “Yes” is deleted character by character from the end in accordance with the operation of the delete key.

  Such an input signal of the delete key of the operation unit 130 is input to the control unit 110. In this case, the deletion detection unit 115 detects the deletion of the confirmed character string. In other words, after the definite input operation in step S105, the character input end instruction is not issued (step S108: No), and when it is detected that the deletion operation has been performed (step S109: Yes), the deletion detection unit 115. Detects that the confirmed character string input immediately before has been deleted.

  Here, all of the “Yes” that has been confirmed and entered are deleted, and the user re-enters “Yes” to input “Yes” again (FIG. 5C). As described above, when there is a deletion of the character string that has been confirmed and input immediately before, the deletion detection unit 115 indicates that the display order needs to be changed for the predictive conversion corresponding to the latest input history. 116 is notified.

  The display order changing unit 116 accesses the input history storage unit 164 in response to the notification from the deletion detection unit 115 and acquires the latest input history. That is, the conversion source “Arima” and the confirmation candidate “Yes” are acquired. When the input history is acquired, the display order changing unit 116 accesses the predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163 and changes the display order associated with the acquired conversion candidate indicating the latest confirmed candidate “present” (step) S110). Here, the numerical value currently recorded as the “latest” display order (ie, “1”) is deleted and the numerical value n (n> 1) recorded as the “previous” display order is “latest”. Set the display order.

  In other words, if the undetermined character string input for correction is the same as the undetermined character string in the previous incorrect input, the display order of “Yes”, which is the latest confirmed input, is the highest “1”. When set to, the display order is changed to the previous display order that is lower than the highest order.

  When the display order is changed in this way, the process returns to step S101, and the predictive conversion process corresponding to the unconfirmed character string input again is performed. Here, since it is corrected to “Yes”, the undetermined character string “Arima” is input again, and the prediction conversion corresponding to this “Arima” is performed by the prediction conversion processing unit 111. Here, in step S110, since the display order of “Yes” has been changed to the previous one, even if “Yes” is confirmed and input immediately before, “Yes” is input in the correction input. , “Yes” is not presented as the highest conversion candidate. That is, in the conventional predictive conversion, “Yes” that has been erroneously input earlier is displayed at the top as the conversion candidate corresponding to “Arima” (see FIG. 10C). As shown in FIG. 5C, “Yes” is not displayed at the top.

  Here, in the case of the example character string “Yes”, the conversion candidate “Yes” is registered in the prediction conversion candidate storage unit 163 for any of the readings “Ah”, “Yes”, “Arima”, “Yes”. Therefore, in changing the display order in step S110, all the display orders are changed to the previous one. Thus, for example, even if “Yes” is corrected to “Yes”, even if the conversion candidate presented at the stage of entering the first reading “A” is entered, "I was not the highest".

  Since the above operations are repeated until the end of character input is instructed, even if a prediction conversion candidate is selected by mistake, efficient character input utilizing the advantages of prediction conversion can be performed. it can.

  According to the present embodiment, in a predictive conversion input in which conversion candidates that have been confirmed and input more recently are presented in a higher order display order, when a character string that has been confirmed by erroneous input is deleted and corrected, it is confirmed by erroneous input. The converted character string conversion candidates are displayed in the display order set prior to the confirmation input, and therefore do not become the highest order. That is, since the conversion candidates are displayed in the same display order as the conversion candidate display when the unconfirmed character string is first input (before the confirmation input by erroneous input), it is possible to start over from the state before the erroneous input. As a result, conversion candidates that are not likely to be input definitely are not presented at the highest level, so that efficient character input can be performed.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to present the conversion candidate that has been erroneously input in the top level, when changing the display order for the target conversion candidate, it may be changed to a display order other than the top level. It is not limited to the change to the display order set before the fixed input as in the example.

  That is, since it is unlikely that the target conversion candidate will be selected again, the display order may be changed to a display order lower than the display order (previous display order) set before the confirmation input. In this case, for example, the numerical value set as the previous display order is compared with the threshold value, and if the previous set value also indicates a relatively higher display order, the display order is changed to a lower display order. If the previous set value indicates a relatively low order display order, the display order may be changed to the previous display order.

  Alternatively, the display order may be changed so that the target conversion candidate is presented at the bottom when correction input is performed. In this case, for example, the lowest display order is specified in the display order set for other conversion candidates associated with the same unconfirmed character string (reading), and this display order is the same or this display order. The display order may be changed to a lower order.

  Alternatively, the target conversion candidates may be excluded and not displayed. In this case, the display order may be changed to indicate display exclusion. For example, change to a numerical value outside the range of the numerical value indicating the normal display order (for example, “0”, “null”, etc.), and operate so that conversion candidates having such a display order are not displayed. That's fine.

(Embodiment 2)
In the predictive conversion input operation shown in the first embodiment, when a conversion candidate that has been definitely input is deleted, the display order of the conversion candidates is changed to improve the input efficiency. In this case, when the conversion candidate that has been confirmed input is deleted, the correction candidate is returned to the undetermined character string, so that more flexible and efficient correction input can be performed.

  Hereinafter, a predictive conversion input operation including an operation at the time of deletion will be described as a second embodiment. It should be noted that operations other than the operations related to the deletion of conversion candidates that have been confirmed input basically conform to the operations of the predictive conversion input process (1) of the first embodiment.

  The “predictive conversion input process (2)” executed by the control unit 110 to realize the operation according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a case where “Yes” is to be input will be described as an example where “Yes” is erroneously selected from the prediction conversion candidates and this is corrected.

  Therefore, the operation until “Yes” is entered is the same as the prediction conversion input process (1) of the first embodiment. That is, the prediction conversion corresponding to the input unconfirmed character string is performed by the operations of steps S101 to S107 of the prediction conversion input process (1), and the one selected from the presented conversion candidates is shown in FIG. As shown in (a), the input is confirmed, and the reading and the confirmed conversion candidate are recorded as an input history (step S201). Here, the conversion candidate “present” corresponding to the unconfirmed character string “arima” is confirmed and input, and as the latest input history, the conversion source “arima”, the confirmation candidate “present” as shown in FIG. "" Is recorded.

  Then, as in the predictive conversion input process (1), the character input end instruction is not issued (step S202: No), and further, the unconfirmed character string is not input (step S203: No), and the user When the delete key of the operation unit 130 is operated, the deletion detection unit 115 detects the deletion operation of the confirmed character string (step S204: Yes). Here, it is assumed that one character is deleted every time the delete key is operated.

  When such a deletion operation is detected, the deletion detection unit 115 notifies the confirmed character string change unit 117 to that effect. In response to the notification from the deletion detection unit 115, the confirmed character string change unit 117 accesses the input history storage unit 164 and acquires the latest input history (step S205). Here, the conversion source “Arima” and the confirmation candidate “Yes” become the latest input history. The confirmed character string changing unit 117 counts the number of characters in the character string (that is, “present”) recorded as a confirmed candidate in the acquired input history (step S206). In this example, since there is a confirmed conversion candidate “Yes”, the counted number of characters is four characters.

  Here, since the deletion operation is performed immediately after the confirmation input, the conversion candidate “present” that has been confirmed input is automatically deleted. Therefore, “Yes” can be deleted by deleting the target “Yes” number of characters. Therefore, the confirmed character string changing unit 117 deletes the character string displayed before the current cursor position by the number of characters counted in step S206 (step S207). Thus, even if the confirmed conversion candidate is a character string composed of a plurality of characters, it is deleted by a single delete key operation by the user (FIG. 7B).

  In this way, when the conversion candidate that has been confirmed and entered is deleted, the confirmed character string changing unit 117 converts the character string (that is, “Arima”) recorded as the conversion source in the acquired input history into FIG. ), It is displayed in the input area of the display unit 140 as an undetermined character string (step S208). That is, the undetermined character string before erroneous input is automatically displayed.

  At this time, the confirmed character string changing unit 117 indicates that the character string recorded as a confirmed candidate in the acquired input history (that is, “Yes”) should be changed in display order. The change unit 116 is notified.

  The display order changing unit 116 changes the display order of the notified conversion candidates (that is, “Yes”) (step S209). Here, the display order is changed by the same processing as in the first embodiment. In other words, the display order is changed to a display order other than the highest order, and the display order is changed to the previous display order or a lower display order set before the confirmation input, or the lowest order display order is changed. Or change the display order so that the display is excluded.

  When the display order is changed, the display order changing unit 116 notifies the confirmed character string changing unit 117 to that effect. In response to the notification from the display order changing unit 116, the confirmed character string changing unit 117 predicts the character string (that is, “Arima”) recorded as the conversion source in the latest input history acquired in step S205. 111 is notified. That is, the unconfirmed character string “Arima” currently displayed on the display unit 140 is notified to the prediction conversion processing unit 111. Thereafter, the predictive conversion processing unit 111 performs a predictive conversion operation corresponding to the notified undetermined character string “Arima” (step S201). In this case, since the display order for the conversion candidate “present” that has been confirmed and entered by incorrect input has been changed to other than the highest order, high input efficiency can be achieved even when correcting an incorrect input, as in the first embodiment. You can enter characters with.

  Since such an operation is repeated until a character input end instruction is issued (step S202: No), even if an incorrect input is made, the character string to be corrected is automatically selected by a single operation. Since the character string is deleted and automatically returns to the unconfirmed character string before the confirmation input, the input efficiency at the time of the deletion is improved. At this time, as in the first embodiment, the display order of conversion candidates determined by erroneous input is not the highest order, so that correction input after correction can be performed efficiently.

(Embodiment 3)
In the example of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, by changing the display order among the conversion candidates that have already been registered, efficient input is attempted even at the time of erroneous input, but the character string that the user wants to input However, if the character string is not registered as a predictive conversion candidate, if a new predictive conversion candidate can be registered at the time of correction input, more efficient character input can be achieved. Hereinafter, a predictive conversion input operation including an operation at the time of such correction will be described as a third embodiment. Note that the basic operation of the predictive conversion conforms to the operation of the predictive conversion input process (1) of the first embodiment.

  The “predictive conversion input process (3)” executed by the control unit 110 to realize the operation according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the case where the character string that is originally intended to be input is “No”, but “Yes” is entered by mistaken input, and this is corrected to “No” will be described as an example. . The character string “present” is stored in the predicted conversion candidate storage unit 163 as a conversion candidate corresponding to the unconfirmed character string (reading) “arima”, but the character string “not present” ”Is not stored in the predictive conversion candidate storage unit 163 as a conversion candidate corresponding to“ ”.

  Therefore, the operation until “Yes” is entered is the same as the prediction conversion input process (1) of the first embodiment. That is, the prediction conversion corresponding to the input unconfirmed character string is performed by the operation of steps S101 to S107 of the prediction conversion input process (1), and the one selected from the presented conversion candidates is shown in FIG. As shown in (a), the input is confirmed, and the reading and the confirmed conversion candidate are recorded as an input history (step S301). In this case, the conversion candidate “present” corresponding to the unconfirmed character string “Arima” is confirmed and input, and the conversion source “Arima” and the confirmation candidate “Yes” are recorded as the latest input history.

  Then, as in the predictive conversion input process (1), a character input end instruction is not given (step S302: No), and a further unconfirmed character string is not inputted (step S303: No), and the user When the delete key of the operation unit 130 is operated, the deletion detection unit 115 detects the deletion operation of the confirmed character string (step S304: Yes). Here, it is assumed that one character is deleted every time the delete key is operated.

  When such a deletion operation is detected, the deletion detection unit 115 notifies the confirmed character string change unit 117 to that effect. In response to the notification from the deletion detection unit 115, the confirmed character string change unit 117 accesses the input history storage unit 164 and acquires the latest input history (step S305). Here, the conversion source “Arima” and the confirmation candidate “Yes” become the latest input history. The confirmed character string changing unit 117 counts the number of characters m of the character string (that is, “Yes”) recorded as a confirmed candidate in the acquired input history (step S306). In this example, since there is a confirmed conversion candidate “Yes”, the counted number of characters m is 4 characters.

  Here, based on the delete key operation of the operation unit 130, the deletion detection unit 115 determines whether or not the number of deletion operations n is less than the number m of the confirmed candidates counted in step S306 (step S307). That is, it is determined whether or not only a part of the conversion candidate “Yes” that has been input immediately before is deleted. Here, when the number of deletion operations n is the number of characters m or more (step S307: No), all the conversion candidates that have been confirmed and entered are deleted, so, for example, predictive conversion input processing (2) of the second embodiment. In step S208 and step S209 (FIG. 6) in FIG. 6, processing such as returning to an unconfirmed character string when “Yes” is confirmed is input (step S315). In this case, prediction conversion based on the returned unconfirmed character string (that is, “Arima”) is performed by the prediction conversion processing unit 111 (step S301).

  On the other hand, in this example, since the user originally wanted to input “No”, the end of “Yes” of “Yes” that was input incorrectly is deleted and corrected to “Sen”. In this case, since only one character of “su” is deleted, the number n of deletions is 1, which is less than the number of characters m (step S307: Yes).

  As described above, when it is determined that a part of the conversion candidates that have been confirmed and input has been deleted, the deletion detection unit 115 notifies the input history update unit 114 of the number of times of deletion n.

  In this case, since “S” at the end of “Yes” is deleted, “Yes” is displayed in the input area as shown in FIG. 9B. In this state, the user operates the character input operation unit 130 and inputs “sen” to perform a non-conversion confirmation operation. That is, after the unconfirmed character string “Sen” is input (step S308: Yes), the confirmation input operation is performed (step S309: Yes).

  Such an operation content is determined by the confirmed input processing unit 113 based on an input signal from the operation unit 130, and is displayed according to the operation. That is, as shown in FIG. 9C, the corrected character string “not present” is displayed in the input area of the display unit 140.

  In this way, when a fixed input for correction is made, the fixed input processing unit 113 notifies the input history update unit 114 of the fixedly input character string (that is, “sen”).

  As described above, the input history update unit 114 is notified from the deletion detection unit 115 that a part of the conversion candidates that have been confirmed and input has been deleted based on the number of deletions n. In this case, the input history update unit 114 accesses the input history storage unit 164 and obtains a character string (that is, “is present”) of a confirmed candidate recorded in the latest history at the present time.

  Subsequently, the input history update unit 114 deletes n characters, which is the number of deletions notified from the deletion detection unit 115, from the end of the acquired character string “Yes”. Specify “ma”. By connecting the fixed character string “Sen” notified from the input history update unit 114 to this, the corrected character string “None” is specified (step S310).

  When the corrected character string is specified in this way, the input history update unit 114 updates the input history information in the input history storage unit 164 by adding an input history with this character string as a candidate for determination (step S1). S311). Here, as shown in FIG. 9D, the conversion source is copied from the previous input history (that is, the conversion source “Arima”, the confirmed candidate “Yes”), and the corrected character string specified in step S <b> 310 is used. Add the input history as a candidate for confirmation.

  When the input history is updated in this way, the input history update unit 114 notifies the deletion detection unit 115 to that effect. In response to the notification from the input history update unit 114, the deletion detection unit 115 instructs the conversion candidate generation unit 118 to generate conversion candidates for the character string corrected and input by the current deletion operation.

  In response to an instruction from the deletion detection unit 115, the conversion candidate generation unit 118 first accesses the input history storage unit 164 to obtain the latest input history (that is, the conversion source “Arima”, the confirmed candidate “No”). To get. Next, the conversion candidate generation unit 118 accesses the predicted conversion candidate storage unit 163 to determine whether a reading (unconfirmed character string) corresponding to this input history and a conversion candidate are registered (step S312).

  In this example, since “No” is not registered as a confirmed candidate (step S312: Yes), the conversion candidate generation unit 118 generates a new conversion candidate based on the latest input history and stores the predicted conversion candidate. Registered in the unit 163 (step S313). That is, the latest input history confirmation candidate “not present” is registered as a conversion candidate corresponding to the reading including the latest input history conversion source “Arima”.

  When new conversion candidates are registered in this way, the conversion candidate generation unit 118 instructs the display order change unit 116 to change the display order. Even if a conversion candidate corresponding to the latest input history is already registered (step S312: No), the conversion candidate generating unit 118 instructs the display order changing unit 116 to change the display order.

  The display order changing unit 116 changes the display order based on the input history in response to an instruction from the conversion candidate generating unit 118 (step S314). In this case, the display order changing unit 116 accesses the input history storage unit 164 and changes the display order of the conversion candidate corresponding to the latest input history confirmation candidate (that is, “No”) to the top. . In addition, the display order of the conversion candidates corresponding to the input history decision candidate (that is, “there is”) one previous from the latest is changed by the same processing as in each of the above embodiments. In other words, the display order is changed to a display order other than the highest order, and the display order is changed to the previous display order or a lower display order set before the confirmation input, or the lowest order display order is changed. Or change the display order so that the display is excluded.

  After the display order is changed in this manner, predictive conversion and confirmation input based on a further unconfirmed character string is performed, and when deletion of conversion candidates that have been confirmed input in this process is detected, the above processing corrects If the subsequent character string is not registered as a conversion candidate, it is automatically registered. Such an operation is repeatedly executed until a character input end instruction is given.

  According to the processing according to the present embodiment, when a part of the conversion candidates that have been determined in error is corrected to be corrected, the display order of the erroneously input conversion candidates is changed to other than the highest order, and after the correction Can be automatically registered as a conversion candidate for predictive conversion, so that the input efficiency can be further improved.

  As described above, according to each of the above embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to realize efficient character input without degrading input efficiency even when erroneous input is performed in predictive conversion input.

  Each said embodiment is an example and the application range of this invention is not restricted to this. That is, various applications are possible, and all embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

  In each of the above embodiments, the latest display order and the previous display order are recorded numerically for each of the character strings registered as predictive conversion candidates, but the display order of the erroneously input character strings is the highest. The display order recording method is not limited to the example as long as it can be changed to other than the upper level.

  Further, although explanation is omitted in each of the above embodiments, conversion candidates for prediction conversion may be extracted while referring to grammatical language information stored in the dictionary data storage unit 162. That is, in each of the above-described embodiments, the description has centered on the part that predicts and presents the conversion candidate corresponding to the unconfirmed character string. However, the input following the confirmed character string, which is performed by general predictive conversion You may also perform conversion candidate prediction about. In this case, based on the grammatical language information stored in the dictionary data storage unit 162 and the input history, conversion candidates predicted to continue after the character string is determined are presented. For the prediction conversion candidate in such a case, the display order may be set / changed based on the input history.

  Moreover, the input character string and conversion candidate shown by said each embodiment are examples, and if the character string and language which can be input by prediction conversion are used, the character string and language used as object will be arbitrary.

  In each of the above embodiments, the mobile communication terminal is exemplified as an apparatus for realizing the character input apparatus according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to various apparatuses having a character input function by predictive conversion. Can be applied. For example, the present invention may be applied to an arbitrary device such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants: personal digital assistant) having a character input function by predictive conversion, a personal computer, or the like.

  In each of the above embodiments, the mobile communication terminal 100 (character input device) provided with a function for realizing the present invention has been exemplified. However, a program is stored in a character input device that does not have such a function. By applying, it can function as a character input device according to the present invention. In this case, the program executed by the control unit 110 described above is applied to an existing character input device, and the applied program is executed by a computer (such as a CPU) of the character input device, whereby the character input device according to the present invention is applied. Can function as. That is, by applying such a program, the present invention can be realized not only by a dedicated device for realizing the present invention but also by various devices. For example, the present invention can be realized by a general-purpose computer device.

  The application method of such a program is arbitrary. For example, the program can be applied to an arbitrary apparatus by providing it via a communication medium such as the Internet, and a predetermined recording medium (for example, a CD-ROM, The program can be stored and distributed and applied to a DVD, a memory card, or the like.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile communication terminal concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the information stored in the prediction conversion candidate storage part shown in FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure implement | achieved by the control part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating "prediction conversion input process (1)" concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention, (a) shows the example of a display when an undetermined character string is input, (b) shows the conversion candidate shown by prediction conversion. A display example of a confirmed character string when erroneously input is shown, (c) is a display example of conversion candidates when an unconfirmed character string is re-input for correction, and (d) is created by this operation An example of input history information is shown. It is a flowchart for demonstrating "prediction conversion input process (2)" concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention, (a) shows the example of a display when a fixed character string is input, (b) is a fixed character string automatically according to deletion operation. A display example when deleted is shown, (c) shows a display example when an undetermined character string is automatically displayed, and (d) shows an example of input history information created by this operation. It is a flowchart for demonstrating "prediction conversion input process (3)" concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement concerning Embodiment 3 of this invention, (a) shows the example of a display when a fixed character string is input, (b) is a part of fixed character string deleted. (C) shows a display example when a corrected character string is input, and (d) shows an example of input history information created by this operation. It is a figure for demonstrating the conventional prediction conversion input operation | movement, (a) shows the example of a display when an undetermined character string is input, (b) mistakenly input the conversion candidate shown by prediction conversion. (C) shows a display example of conversion candidates when an unconfirmed character string is re-input for correction, and (d) shows input history information created by this operation. An example of

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Mobile communication terminal, 110 ... Control part, 111 ... Predictive conversion process part, 112 ... Display order setting part, 113 ... Deterministic input process part, 114 ... Input history update part, 115 ... Deletion detection part, 116 ... Display order Change unit, 117 ... Confirmed character string change unit, 118 ... Conversion candidate generation unit, 120 ... Communication control unit, 121 ... Antenna, 130 ... Operation unit, 140 ... Display unit, 150 ... Audio processing unit, 151 ... Speaker, 152 ... Microphone, 160 ... storage unit, 161 ... program storage unit, 162 ... dictionary data storage unit, 163 ... prediction conversion candidate storage unit, 164 ... input history storage unit

Claims (10)

In a character input device having a character input function by predictive conversion based on an input history,
Display order setting means for setting the display order of conversion candidates based on the input history;
Conversion candidate display means for displaying the conversion candidates in the display order set by the display order setting means;
Of the conversion candidates displayed by the conversion candidate display means, the selected conversion candidate is confirmed and input as a confirmed character string, and a confirmed character string input means for updating an input history for the character string;
Deletion detection means for detecting deletion of a confirmed character string that is confirmed and input by the confirmed character string input means;
Display order changing means for changing the display order set for the conversion candidate indicating the confirmed character string when deletion of the confirmed character string is detected by the deletion detecting means;
A character input device comprising: The display order changing means changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string from which the deletion has been detected to a display order other than the highest order.
The character input device according to claim 1. The display order changing means changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string from which the deletion has been detected to the display order set before the conversion candidates are fixedly input.
The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character input device is a character input device. The display order changing unit changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string in which the deletion has been detected to a display order lower than the display order set before the conversion candidates are fixedly input. ,
The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character input device is a character input device. The display order changing means changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string in which the deletion is detected, to the lowest display order.
The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character input device is a character input device. The display order changing means changes the display order of conversion candidates indicating the confirmed character string from which the deletion has been detected to a display order indicating exclusion of the conversion candidates.
The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character input device is a character input device. Further comprising an input character string changing means for setting the character string whose deletion is detected by the deletion detecting means to a state of an undetermined character string before the character string is confirmed and input.
The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character input device is a character input device. Conversion candidate generation means for generating a new predictive conversion candidate based on a portion not deleted in the fixed character string when deletion of the fixed character string detected by the deletion detection means is a part of the fixed character string; In addition,
The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character input device is a character input device. The character input device is a mobile communication terminal;
The character input device according to claim 1, wherein the character input device is a character input device. In a computer that controls a character input device having a character input function by predictive conversion based on an input history,
A function for setting the display order of the conversion candidates based on the input history of the conversion candidates extracted by the predictive conversion;
A function for displaying the conversion candidates in a set display order;
Among the displayed conversion candidates, the selected character string is confirmed and input as a confirmed character string, and the input history of the character string is updated,
A function to detect deletion of a fixedly entered character string;
A function for changing the display order set for the character string to a display order other than at least the highest order when deletion of the confirmed input character string is detected;
A program characterized by realizing.

Images