JP5204408B2 - CHARACTER INPUT DEVICE, ITS CONTROL METHOD, PROGRAM, AND INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a character input device that displays input candidate character strings in accordance with user input characters, a control method thereof, a program, and an information storage medium.

  There is a character input device that receives a character input operation from a user with respect to an operation device such as a keyboard or a game controller, and executes a character input process for displaying an input character string. Such a character input device may display input candidate character strings such as predicted input character strings and conversion candidate character strings in order to facilitate user character input. Specifically, for example, there is a technique of extracting a word or phrase starting from a character input by a user from a previously stored dictionary and displaying it as a predicted input character string. The user can input a phrase without performing an operation of inputting all the characters constituting the phrase by selecting the phrase that the user intends to input from the displayed predicted input character string. it can.

  In the character input device described above, character input processing is executed in various situations. For example, when the character input device is a consumer game machine or the like, a character input process may be executed in order for a user to input a sentence related to the game while executing an application program such as a game. Depending on the difference in the scene, the words that the user inputs may be different. However, the conventional technique cannot realize character input processing according to such a scene.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its purposes is a character input device capable of presenting an input candidate character string corresponding to a scene in which character input processing is executed, a control method thereof, It is to provide a program and an information storage medium.

  A character input device according to the present invention includes an application execution means for executing an application program, at least one normal dictionary including a plurality of words, and at least one application dictionary including a plurality of words and associated with the application program. , And means for selecting one or more use dictionaries to be used in the character input process from the normal dictionary and the application dictionary when the character input process is executed, Use dictionary selection means for determining whether or not to select the application dictionary as the use dictionary according to whether or not a character input process is activated by a request from the application execution means, the selected use dictionary, and a user Multiple input based on input characters, and An input candidate character string display means for displaying the auxiliary string, characterized in that it comprises a.

  Further, the control method of the character input device according to the present invention includes an application execution means for executing an application program, at least one normal dictionary including a plurality of words and phrases, and at least associated with the application program. A method for controlling a character input device including a dictionary storage means for storing one application dictionary, and when executing character input processing, the one or more used dictionaries used in the character input processing are Whether to select the application dictionary as the use dictionary, depending on whether the character input process is activated by a request of the application execution means, the selection step from the normal dictionary and the application dictionary Determining, and the selected usage dictionary; An input character that is over The inputs, based on, characterized in that it comprises a step of displaying a plurality of input candidate character string, the.

  Further, a program according to the present invention includes an application execution means for executing an application program, at least one normal dictionary including a plurality of words, and at least one application dictionary including a plurality of words and associated with the application program. , A dictionary storage means for storing a character input device, and when executing the character input process, one or a plurality of use dictionaries used in the character input process are defined as the normal dictionary. And a means for selecting from among the application dictionaries, wherein whether or not to select the application dictionary as the use dictionary is determined according to whether or not the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution means. Use dictionary selection means, and the selected use A dictionary, and the input character that the user enters, on the basis of a program for causing a computer to function input candidate character string display means for displaying a plurality of input candidate character strings, as. This program may be stored in a computer-readable information storage medium.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of an entertainment system (character input device) according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the entertainment system 10 includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 11, a main memory 20, an image processing unit 24, a monitor 26, an input / output processing unit 28, an audio processing unit 30, and a speaker. 32, an optical disk reading unit 34, a hard disk 38, interfaces (I / F) 40 and 44, an operation device 42, a camera unit 46, and a network interface 48.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the MPU 11. As shown in the figure, the MPU 11 includes a main processor 12, sub-processors 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e, 14f, 14g, and 14h, a bus 16, a memory controller 18, and an interface (I / F) 22. And comprising.

  The main processor 12 is an operating system stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) (not shown), a program and data read from an optical disk 36 such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) -ROM, and a program supplied via a communication network. Based on the data and the like, various information processing is performed, and the sub-processors 14a to 14h are controlled.

  In accordance with instructions from the main processor 12, the sub processors 14a to 14h, for example, various types of information based on programs and data read from the optical disk 36 such as a DVD-ROM, and programs and data supplied via a communication network. Process.

  The bus 16 is used for exchanging addresses and data among the various parts of the entertainment system 10. The main processor 12, the sub processors 14a to 14h, the memory controller 18, and the interface 22 are connected to each other via the bus 16 so as to be able to exchange data.

  The memory controller 18 accesses the main memory 20 in accordance with instructions from the main processor 12 and the sub processors 14a to 14h. Programs and data read from the optical disk 36 and the hard disk 38 and programs and data supplied via the communication network are written into the main memory 20 as necessary. The main memory 20 is also used for work of the main processor 12 and the sub processors 14a to 14h.

  An image processing unit 24 and an input / output processing unit 28 are connected to the interface 22. Data exchange between the main processor 12 and the sub processors 14 a to 14 h and the image processing unit 24 or the input / output processing unit 28 is performed via the interface 22.

  The image processing unit 24 includes a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and a frame buffer. The GPU renders various screens in the frame buffer based on data transmitted from the main processor 12 and the sub processors 14a to 14h. The screen formed in the frame buffer is converted into a video signal at a predetermined timing and output to the monitor 26. As the monitor 26, for example, a home television receiver is used.

  Connected to the input / output processing unit 28 are an audio processing unit 30, an optical disk reading unit 34, a hard disk 38, interfaces 40 and 44, and a network interface 48. The input / output processing unit 28 is data between the main processor 12 and the sub-processors 14a to 14h, the audio processing unit 30, the optical disk reading unit 34, the hard disk 38, the interfaces (I / F) 40 and 44, and the network interface 48. Control giving and receiving.

  The sound processing unit 30 includes an SPU (Sound Processing Unit) and a sound buffer. The sound buffer stores various audio data such as game music, game sound effects and messages read from the optical disk 36 and the hard disk 38. The SPU reproduces these various audio data and outputs them from the speaker 32. As the speaker 32, for example, a built-in speaker of a home television receiver is used.

  The optical disk reading unit 34 reads programs and data stored on the optical disk 36 in accordance with instructions from the main processor 12 and the sub processors 14a to 14h. Note that the entertainment system 10 may be configured to be able to read a program or data stored in a computer-readable information storage medium other than the optical disk 36.

  The optical disk 36 is a general optical disk (computer-readable information storage medium) such as a DVD-ROM. The hard disk 38 is a general hard disk device. Various programs and data are stored in the optical disk 36 and the hard disk 38 so as to be readable by a computer.

  The interfaces (I / F) 40 and 44 are interfaces for connecting various peripheral devices such as the operation device 42 and the camera unit 46. For example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface is used as such an interface. For example, a wireless communication interface based on the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard may be used.

  The operation device 42 is general-purpose operation input means, and is used by the user to input various operations (for example, game operations). The input / output processing unit 28 scans the state of each unit of the operation device 42 every predetermined time (for example, 1/60 seconds), and supplies an operation signal representing the result to the main processor 12 and the sub processors 14a to 14h. The main processor 12 and the sub processors 14a to 14h determine the content of the operation performed by the user based on the operation signal. The entertainment system 10 is configured so that a plurality of operation devices 42 can be connected, and the main processor 12 and the sub processors 14a to 14h execute various processes based on operation signals input from the operation devices 42. It has become.

  The camera unit 46 includes, for example, a known digital camera, and inputs black and white, grayscale, or color photographed images every predetermined time (for example, 1/60 seconds). The camera unit 46 in the present embodiment is configured to input a captured image as image data in JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format. The camera unit 46 is installed on the monitor 26 with the lens facing the user, for example, and is connected to the interface 44 via a cable. The network interface 48 is connected to the input / output processing unit 28 and the communication network, and relays data communication with other information devices via the communication network by the entertainment system 10.

  Here, various data stored in the main memory 20 and the hard disk 38 of the entertainment system 10 in the present embodiment will be described.

  The entertainment system 10 stores an application program. This application program is a program for executing processing such as a game, for example. The entertainment system 10 may store a plurality of application programs.

  In addition, the entertainment system 10 stores a plurality of types of dictionaries including a plurality of words. As a specific example, the entertainment system 10 stores a dictionary set including two dictionaries, a general dictionary D1 and a user learning dictionary D2, as a normal dictionary. There may be a plurality of dictionary sets corresponding to each of a plurality of languages (English, Japanese, French, etc.) that can be input by the entertainment system 10. The general dictionary D1 is configured to include general words, phrases, and the like of the corresponding language, and has contents common to all devices. The user learning dictionary D2 is a dictionary that is generated individually for each device, and words are added according to the user's past character input operation, the user's explicit word registration operation, or the like. be registered. These dictionaries are used to present input candidate character strings to the user when performing character input processing described later. These normal dictionaries are dictionaries that do not depend on application programs.

  Further, the entertainment system 10 stores at least one application dictionary D3. The application dictionary D3 includes a plurality of words like the general dictionary D1 and is associated with any one of the application programs described above. When a plurality of application programs are stored in the entertainment system 10, a plurality of application dictionaries D3 associated with each of these application programs may be stored. The application dictionary D3 may be provided by being stored in the optical disc 36 together with the application program, for example. Here, as a specific example, it is assumed that the application dictionary D3 is associated with an application program that executes a game process.

  In this case, it is assumed that the application program associated with the application dictionary D3 is a program that outputs a phrase according to the progress of the game process. That is, this application program has functions such as displaying words / phrases (hereinafter referred to as application words / phrases) related to the processing contents of the application program, such as items and characters appearing in the game, on the monitor 26 as the game progresses. Is realized. The application dictionary D3 is a dictionary including this application phrase.

  In the present embodiment, the entertainment system 10 may store a display restriction character string list L1 including a plurality of display restriction character strings that are subject to display restriction. The display restriction character string is a phrase that is considered undesirable to be presented to the user, such as a phrase including discriminatory content, obscene content, or obscene content, or a phrase that may contain such content. It is. The data of the display restriction character string list L1 may be provided by being stored, for example, on the optical disk 36 or the like, or may be distributed from a predetermined server computer via a communication network.

  In addition, the entertainment system 10 may store a plurality of display restriction character string lists L1. For example, there may be a plurality of display restriction character string lists L1 corresponding to each of a plurality of languages that can be input by the entertainment system 10.

  Hereinafter, functions realized when the entertainment system 10 having the above-described hardware configuration operates as a character input device that accepts a character input by a user will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the entertainment system 10 functionally includes an application execution unit 49, a use dictionary selection unit 50, a display restriction character string list selection unit 52, a display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53, and input candidate characters. A column list generation unit 54, an input candidate character string deletion unit 56, and an input candidate character string display unit 58 are included. Among these, the entertainment system 10 implements character input processing by each unit except the application execution unit 49. These functions can be realized, for example, when the MPU 11 executes a program stored in the main memory 20 or the like. This program may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable information storage medium such as the optical disc 36 or may be provided via a communication network such as the Internet.

  The application execution unit 49 executes an application program stored in the entertainment system 10. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the application execution unit 49 performs an operation on the operating system that is executed in the entertainment system 10 according to the content of the process to be executed or according to an instruction operation on the operation device 42 by the user. Requests the start of character input processing.

  The use dictionary selection unit 50 selects one or a plurality of use dictionaries to be used in the character input process from the normal dictionary and the application dictionary D3 at the start of the character input process. As a specific example, in the present embodiment, the general dictionary D1 and the user learning dictionary D2 corresponding to the input language are selected as use dictionaries according to the input language selected by the user's instruction operation on the operation device 42 or the like. The use dictionary selection unit 50 may select whether or not to include the user learning dictionary D2 in the use dictionary according to setting information designated by the user.

  Furthermore, the use dictionary selection unit 50 determines whether or not to select the application dictionary D3 as the use dictionary, depending on whether or not the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit 49. For example, when the application execution unit 49 requests activation of character input processing during execution of the application program, the use dictionary selection unit 50 selects the application dictionary D3 as the use dictionary in response to the request. Further, when the character input process is directly activated from the operating system without being activated by the application execution unit 49, only the normal dictionary may be selected as the use dictionary.

  Further, when the entertainment system 10 stores a plurality of application programs and an application dictionary D3 associated with each of the plurality of application programs, the use dictionary selection unit 50 determines when the application execution unit 49 requests the character input process to start. The application dictionary D3 associated with the application program being executed in step 1 may be selected as the usage dictionary. In this way, a dictionary including words / phrases related to the currently executing application program can be selected as a use dictionary. The use dictionary selection unit 50 selects a dictionary to be included in the use dictionary from a plurality of normal dictionaries according to the application program being executed when the application execution unit 49 requests execution start of the character input process. May be.

  Here, an example of processing in which the use dictionary selection unit 50 specifically selects a use dictionary will be described. For example, when the application execution unit 49 requests activation of the character input process, the application execution unit 49 outputs designation information for designating a use dictionary. The use dictionary selection unit 50 acquires this designation information, and selects an application dictionary D3 designated by the designation information and a predetermined normal dictionary as the use dictionary.

  Alternatively, the use dictionary selecting unit 50 may acquire application specifying information for specifying the application program that has requested the activation when the application executing unit 49 requests activation of the character input process. In this case, the entertainment system 10 holds a table that associates the application specifying information with the application dictionary D3 corresponding to the application program specified by the application specifying information. The use dictionary selection unit 50 refers to this table to select the application dictionary D3 associated with the acquired application specifying information as a use dictionary together with the normal dictionary.

  Moreover, the use dictionary selection part 50 may determine the priority of each use dictionary, when selecting a some dictionary as a use dictionary. This priority order information is used when the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 generates a list of input candidate character strings based on the words included in the use dictionary. In this case, the use dictionary selection unit 50 may determine the priority order of the use dictionary depending on whether or not the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit 49.

  For example, when the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit 49, the use dictionary selection unit 50 sets the priority of the application dictionary D3 higher than the priority of the normal dictionary. In addition, the priority order between a plurality of normal dictionaries (for example, the general dictionary D1 and the user dictionary D2) selected as the use dictionary is changed depending on whether or not the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit 49. You may let them. As a specific example, when the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit 49 that executes the application program, the usage dictionary selection unit 50 selects the application dictionary D3, the general dictionary D1, and the user dictionary D2 as usage dictionaries, Further, this order is determined as the priority order of each dictionary. On the other hand, when the character input process is started without being requested by the application execution unit 49, the use dictionary selection unit 50 selects the user dictionary D2 and the general dictionary D1 as use dictionaries, and determines this order as a priority order. .

  Moreover, the use dictionary selection part 50 may select the dictionary selected as a use dictionary, or the priority of each use dictionary based on the use frequency of each dictionary. Here, the usage frequency of each dictionary may be the frequency at which each dictionary is selected as the usage dictionary, or when the words included in each dictionary are presented to the user as input candidate character strings, they are selected by the user. The frequency may be different.

  When the entertainment system 10 stores a plurality of display restriction character string lists L1, the display restriction character string list selection unit 52 inputs characters based on a predetermined condition from the plurality of display restriction character string lists L1. The display restriction character string list L1 used for processing is selected. For example, the display restricted character string list selection unit 52 selects the display restriction character string list L1 corresponding to the selected input language according to the selected input language, similarly to the use dictionary selection unit 50.

  Further, the display restricted character string list selection unit 52 may select the display restricted character string list L1 in accordance with an application program that has requested execution of character input processing. In this case, it is assumed that the entertainment system 10 stores a plurality of display restriction character string lists L1 each associated with an application program. The display restriction character string list L1 associated with the application program may be provided by being stored in the optical disc 36 or the like together with the application program, for example. As a specific example, when character input is performed during execution of an application program for generating a broadcast telop, the display restriction character string list selection unit 52 displays a broadcast-prohibited term associated with the application program. The restricted character string list L1 is selected. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from erroneously selecting the broadcast prohibited term as the input candidate character string during execution of the application program. In this way, by selecting the display restriction character string list L1 according to the application program that has called up the character input process, the entertainment system 10 can change the character string that restricts the display according to the usage status of the user. it can.

  The display candidate word / phrase selecting unit 53 selects a word / phrase corresponding to the progress of the process executed by the application execution unit 49 from among a plurality of words / phrases included in the dictionary stored in the entertainment system 10 as a display candidate word / phrase ( Hereinafter, it is selected as a display candidate word). Here, the display candidate word / phrase selecting unit 53 selects a display candidate word / phrase from words / phrases included in the application dictionary D3 when the application dictionary D3 is selected as a use dictionary. When the normal dictionary is selected as the use dictionary, the words included in the normal dictionary are always included in the display candidate words.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of processing in which the display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53 selects a display candidate word / phrase from application words / phrases included in the application dictionary D3 will be described.

  First, as a first example, an example in which flag information is associated with each of application phrases included in the application dictionary D3 will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information included in such an application dictionary D3. The flag information in the figure is information indicating whether or not the associated application phrase can be a display candidate. In the example of FIG. 4, a word / phrase associated with “0” as the flag information value is a word that can be a display candidate, and a word / phrase associated with the flag information value “1” is a word that is not a display candidate. Is shown.

  In the first example, the application execution unit 49 updates flag information associated with a word / phrase included in the application dictionary D3 as the processing to be executed progresses. For example, as described above, it is assumed that the application execution unit 49 outputs an application phrase representing an item, the name of a character, or the like as the game process progresses. In this case, the application execution unit 49 outputs an application word / phrase as the game process progresses and presents the flag information associated with the application word / phrase to the display candidate after being presented to the user (here, Update to “0”). The display candidate word / phrase selecting unit 53 selects the application word / phrase associated with the value “0” as the display candidate word / phrase based on the flag information updated by the processing described above. In this way, when the character input process is executed before the application execution unit 49 presents the application phrase to the user, it is possible to prevent the application phrase from being displayed as a display candidate character string.

  Further, as the process proceeds, the application execution unit 49 may return the flag information associated with the application phrase that satisfies the predetermined condition to a value indicating that it is not a display candidate (here, “1”). Good. For example, the application execution unit 49 updates the flag information associated with the application word / phrase to a value “0” when a predetermined period or more has elapsed since the application word / phrase was last output according to the progress of the game process. In this way, it is possible to prevent an application word / phrase that has not been displayed for a while in the course of processing by the application execution unit 49 from being displayed as a display candidate character string.

  Next, as a second example, information indicating the degree of progress of processing executed by the application execution unit 49 (progress degree information) is output, and the display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53 selects display candidate words / phrases based on the degree of progress information. An example of selection will be described.

  In the second example, the application execution unit 49 outputs progress information indicating the progress of the process that is currently being executed at the time, for example, when the character input process is requested to start. This progress information is an index that indicates the level of processing that is being executed at a certain point in time in the entire application program executed by the application execution unit 49. For example, when the application execution unit 49 is executing a game application such as a role playing game in which the hero grows as the game process progresses, the progress information is a value (level) indicating the degree of growth of the hero. ). In addition, when the application execution unit 49 executes a game application including a plurality of stages (scenes), the progress information is information for specifying a stage that the user has played so far or a stage that will be played in the future. There may be.

  In the second example, each application word / phrase included in the application dictionary D3 is associated with information (progress degree condition information) for specifying a condition of the degree of progress information that includes the word / phrase as a display candidate. The display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53 acquires the degree of progress information output by the application execution unit 49. Then, display candidate phrases are selected according to the acquired progress information and the progress condition information associated with each application phrase.

  As a specific example, it is assumed that a value (minimum progress information) indicating the lowest degree of progress that uses the word / phrase as a display candidate is associated with each application word / phrase as progress condition information. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information included in such an application dictionary D3. In the example of FIG. 5, the progress condition information associated with each application word / phrase is a value representing the lowest level with each word / phrase as a display candidate.

  In this case, the display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53 compares the degree-of-progress condition information associated with each application word / phrase with the degree-of-progress information output by the application execution unit 49, and the value of the degree-of-progress information indicates the degree-of-progress condition information. An application phrase that is greater than or equal to the value is selected as a display candidate phrase. In this way, the display candidate words can be gradually increased as the processing executed by the application execution unit 49 progresses. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, “Short sword” is selected as a display candidate word when the level of the main character becomes 4 or higher as the processing of the application execution unit 49 progresses. “Chain mail” is also selected as a display candidate word.

  Alternatively, for each application phrase, a value indicating the lowest degree of progress and the highest degree of progress with the phrase as a display candidate may be associated as the degree of progress condition information. In this case, the display candidate word / phrase selecting unit 53 displays an application word / phrase in which the value of the degree of progress information output from the application execution unit 49 is included between the value indicating the lowest degree of progress and the value indicating the highest degree of progress. Select as a candidate word. In this way, when the degree of progress of the process executed by the application execution unit 49 is included in a certain range, it is possible to realize control that makes a specific word / phrase a display candidate word / phrase.

  In the above description, the display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53 selects a word / phrase according to the progress of the process of the application execution unit 49 at the time of executing the character input process as the display candidate word / phrase. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the display candidate word / phrase selecting unit 53 may select a word / phrase according to the progress of the process of the application execution unit 49 at another predetermined time as the display candidate word / phrase. For example, when executing an application program such as a game, the application execution unit 49 records (saves) the state at that time in the middle of the game, and returns to the recorded state to execute the game from the middle (load). There are cases. In such a case, the display candidate word / phrase selecting unit 53 indicates, for example, progress information indicating the progress at the time when the progress of the game has progressed the most in the past, according to the progress of the processing of the application execution unit 49 so far. And display candidate words are selected according to the acquired progress information. In this way, when the process of the application execution unit 49 once proceeds and then returns, the display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53 can select a display candidate word / phrase according to the process that has progressed in the past.

  The input candidate character string list generation unit 54, based on the use dictionary selected by the use dictionary selection unit 50 and the input character input by the user when the user performs a character input operation on the operation device 42, An input candidate character string list L2 including a plurality of input candidate character strings is generated. In this case, when the application dictionary D3 is included in the usage dictionary, the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 displays the display selected by the display candidate word / phrase selection unit 53 among the plurality of words / phrases included in the application dictionary D3. An input candidate character string list is generated based on the candidate words.

  As a specific example, the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 selects and extracts a word starting from an input character input by the user from the use dictionary, thereby predicting an input candidate character that the user is expected to input. An input candidate character string list L2 including a string (predicted input character string) is generated. As an example, when the user inputs “c” as an input character, the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 searches for a word starting with “c” from display candidate words selected by the display candidate word selection unit 53. Then, an input candidate character string is selected from the searched words / phrases. Then, the input candidate character string list L2 in which the selected input candidate character strings are arranged according to a predetermined order is generated.

  Here, when the usage dictionary selection unit 50 determines the priority order of the usage dictionary, the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 generates the display candidate character string list L2 based on this priority order. For example, the use dictionary selection unit 50 selects the input candidates in the input candidate character string list L2 such that the words extracted from the dictionary with the higher priority are in the order of the words extracted from the dictionary with the lower priority. Determine the order of the strings. By doing this, it is possible to display words stored in a dictionary with high priority in a position that is easier for the user to select. In this case, the use dictionary selecting unit 50 may generate the input candidate character string list L2 so as to include a predetermined number of input candidate character strings in accordance with the determined order.

  In addition, the words / phrases selected by the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 as the input candidate character strings are selected by the user when each word / phrase is presented to the user as an input candidate character string. The frequency may be determined according to a predetermined condition based on information associated with each word such as frequency. The input candidate character string list generation unit 54 may determine the order of the input candidate character strings in the list according to the usage frequency information of each display candidate word / phrase selected as the input candidate character string.

  The input candidate character string deletion unit 56 includes a display restriction character string included in the display restriction character string list L1 among the input candidate character strings included in the input candidate character string list L2 generated by the input candidate character string list generation unit 54. The input candidate character string that is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition as compared with is deleted from the input candidate character string list L2. In this case, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 uses the display restriction character string list L1 selected by the display restriction character string list selection unit 52 to display the input candidate character strings included in the input candidate character string list L2 and the display. The display restriction character string included in the restriction character string list L1 is compared. Hereinafter, the input candidate character string list after execution of the deletion process by the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 is referred to as an after-deletion input candidate character string list L3.

Specifically, for example, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 selects a word that matches one of the display restriction character strings included in the display restriction character string list L1 among the input candidate character strings included in the input candidate character string list L2. If there is a match, the input candidate character string is deleted from the input candidate character string list L2. In addition, when the input candidate character string is a phrase or phrase composed of a plurality of words, if any word constituting the input candidate character string matches any of the display restriction character strings, the input candidate character string is input. It may be deleted from the candidate character string list L2. On the other hand, if the input candidate character string is a single word and the display restriction character string is an idiom composed of a plurality of words, the character string obtained by concatenating the input candidate character string and the already input character string is a display restriction character If it matches the column, the input candidate character string may be deleted from the input candidate character string list L2. Thereby, it is possible to perform control so that the display restriction character strings included in the display restriction character string list L1 are not displayed as input candidate character strings.

  In principle, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 sets all input candidate character strings included in the input candidate character string list L2 as comparison targets to be compared with the display restricted character strings included in the display restricted character string list L1. . However, all the character strings included in the display restriction character string list L1 may not be used as the display restriction character strings to be compared. For example, when the input candidate character string list L2 is generated by extracting a word starting with “c” from the use dictionary, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 similarly similarly uses the display restriction character string list L1 to be used. It is also possible to extract a word starting from “c” from and use only the extracted word as a comparison target to be compared with the input candidate character string.

  Further, when the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 generates the input candidate character string list L2 including a predetermined number of input candidate character strings, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 removes a part of the input candidate character string list L2 from the input candidate character string list L2. When the input candidate character strings are deleted, the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 newly extracts the number of input candidate character strings corresponding to the deleted number from the use dictionary, and the input candidate character string list L2 In addition, the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3 may be generated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the input candidate character string list L2 used by the input candidate character string deleting unit 56. Here, as an example, it is assumed that “cat” and “dog” are display restriction character strings that should not be presented to the user. FIG. 7A shows a specific example of the input candidate character string list L2 to be processed by the input candidate character string deleting unit 56. FIG. 7A is an example of the input candidate character string list L2 generated by the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 when the user inputs “c” as an input character. In this case, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 first converts the first display restricted character string “cat” in the display restricted character string list L1 shown in FIG. 6 into the input candidate character string list L2 shown in FIG. Each of the six input candidate character strings included is compared. As a result, since the third input candidate character string “cat” in the input candidate character string list L2 matches the display restriction character string, the input candidate character string is deleted from the input candidate character string list L2. Here, although the input candidate character string “catch” includes “cat”, it is not a deletion target because it does not match the whole word. Further, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 compares the second display restricted character string “dog” in the display restricted character string list L1 with each of the five input candidate character strings remaining in the input candidate character string list L2. To do. In this example, since the input candidate character string matching “dog” is not included in the input candidate character string list L2, the process ends without deleting any input candidate character string. As a result, the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3 generated by the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 executing the deletion process is as shown in FIG.

  The input candidate character string display unit 58 includes the input candidate characters included in the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3 after the input candidate character string determined to satisfy the predetermined condition by the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 is deleted. The column is displayed on the monitor 26 as an input candidate character string that is a candidate for selection by the user. In response to this, the user can input the selected word / phrase by selecting one of the input candidate character strings displayed by operating the operation device 42.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a character input interface image displayed on the monitor 26 when the entertainment system 10 executes a character input process. In the example of FIG. 8, an input character string display area A1 for displaying an input character string input by the user is provided at the top of the character input interface image. Below that, a key image display area A2 in which a plurality of key images representing physical keys are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship, and an input candidate character string display area A3 are provided. Further below that, there is provided an input candidate character display area A4 for displaying characters that can be input by the key image selected by the cursor image Ic displayed on the screen.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the input candidate character strings included in the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3 generated by the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 are displayed in the input candidate character string display area A3. The user can arbitrarily select a character string from these input candidate character strings by moving the cursor image Ic by an instruction operation on the operation device 42. The selected character string is displayed as an input character string in the input character string display area A1.

  In the above description, the entertainment system 10 stores the display restricted character string list L1, and based on the display restricted character string list L1, the input candidate character strings satisfying a predetermined condition from the input candidate character string list L2. However, this process is not essential, and the display-restricted character string list selection unit 52 and the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 may be omitted. In this case, the input candidate character string display unit 58 displays the input candidate character strings included in the input candidate character string list L2 generated by the input candidate character string generation unit 54 on the monitor 26.

  Next, an example of the flow of character input processing executed by the MPU 11 of the entertainment system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the MPU 11 executes a predetermined preprocess at the start of the character input process. Specifically, the use dictionary and the display restricted character string list L1 to be used are selected according to whether or not the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit 49 (S1). In this case, the MPU 11 may also determine the priority order of each dictionary included in the use dictionary. Then, a character input interface image as exemplified in FIG. 8 is displayed on the monitor 26 (S2).

  When the preprocessing is completed, the MPU 11 is in a state of accepting an instruction operation from the user. In this state, the user performs an operation such as selecting a key image or an input candidate character string on the character input interface image by operating the operation device 42. When the MPU 11 receives an instruction operation by the user (S3), the MPU 11 executes various processes according to the content of the instruction operation.

  When the user performs an instruction operation to instruct the end of the character input process in S3, the MPU 11 outputs the input character string input so far to the application program (S4), and ends the process. In addition, when the input candidate character string is already displayed in the input candidate character string display area A3 in the character input interface image, the user performs an instruction operation to select one of the displayed input candidate character strings In step S5, the selected input candidate character string is confirmed as an input character string. That is, the input candidate character string is stored in a predetermined input character string buffer, and the input candidate character string is displayed in the input character string display area A1.

  On the other hand, when the user performs an instruction operation for inputting characters in S3, the MPU 11 executes input candidate character string display processing in accordance with the input characters (S6). Details of the input candidate character string display process will be described later.

  In S3, for example, when other instruction operations such as an instruction operation for confirming an unconfirmed input character, an instruction operation for deleting a character, an instruction operation for inserting a blank are performed, the MPU 11 responds to these instruction operations. A predetermined process is executed (S7). By repeating these processes, the user can input a character string while using the input candidate character string displayed in the input candidate character string display area A3.

  Next, a specific example of the flow of the input candidate character string display process of S6 described above will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the MPU 11 determines whether or not there is an input character that is still unconfirmed at the start of the input candidate character string display process, and whether or not the input candidate character string is already displayed in the input candidate character string display area A3. Is determined (S11).

  In the determination process of S11, when it is determined that a new character has been input in a state where there is no undetermined input character, the MPU 11 first selects display candidate phrases from the phrases included in the use dictionary selected in S1. Select (S12). Here, it is assumed that the application dictionary D3 stores flag information in association with application phrases as illustrated in FIG. In this case, the MPU 11 selects an application word / phrase associated with a value “0” as flag information as a display candidate word / phrase. Subsequently, the MPU 11 generates an input candidate character string list L2 based on the display candidate phrases selected in S12 and the input characters input by the user in S3 (S13). The MPU 11 directly selects an application phrase that starts with the input character input by the user in S3 and is associated with the value “0” as flag information as a display candidate phrase, and according to the selected display candidate phrase The input candidate character string list L2 may be generated.

  Next, the MPU 11 deletes the input candidate character string that matches the condition from the input candidate character string list L2 generated in S13, using the display restricted character string list L1 selected in S1 (S14). Further, the input candidate character string included in the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3 after the deletion process in S14 is displayed in the input candidate character string display area A3 (S15).

  On the other hand, in the determination process of S11, if it is determined that a new character has been input in a state where there is an uncertain input character, the input candidate character string is already displayed in the input candidate character string display area A3 by the process of S15. Will be. In this case, the MPU 11 performs a process of narrowing down the input candidate character strings according to the newly input characters with respect to the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3 that has already been displayed (S16). The display of the input candidate character string display area A3 is updated according to the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3 (S17). For example, in the state where the unconfirmed input character “c” is displayed in the input character string display area A1, when “a” is newly input as the input character, the MPU 11 is included in the post-deletion input candidate character string list L3. In the input candidate character string starting with “c”, a process of deleting an input candidate character string starting with a character other than “ca” is performed. In this case, since the input candidate character string satisfying the predetermined condition as compared with the display restriction character string has already been deleted from the input candidate character string list after deletion L3 to be processed in this case, the input candidate character string is displayed again. There is no need to make a comparison with the limit string.

  The processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10 described above are examples, and the MPU 11 may execute processes different from this. For example, the MPU 11 does not execute the processing of S11, S16, and S17, but always performs the processing from S12 to S15 when there is an additional input of a new character, and displays the input candidate character string list L3 after deletion. It may be generated and displayed.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the entertainment system 10 selects the dictionary used for the character input process according to whether the character input process is requested by the process of the application program. Depending on the scene to be executed, a special word or the like can be presented to the user as an input candidate character string.

  In addition, the entertainment system 10 selects a word or phrase from the application dictionary D3 according to the progress of the process for executing the application program, and displays an input candidate character string based on the selected word or phrase, whereby the processing by the application program Words can be presented to the user according to the progress of

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible. For example, in the above description, an example in which alphabets are mainly input has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to any language. In the above description, the input candidate character string is a predicted input character string predicted to be input by the user according to the user input character. However, the input candidate character string is the predicted input character string. Not limited to columns. For example, when inputting Japanese, when a user inputs a kana character, the character input device displays a conversion candidate character string including kanji and the like obtained by converting the kana character. Therefore, the entertainment system 10 may use such conversion candidate character strings as input candidate character strings.

  In the above description, the display candidate word / phrase selecting unit 53 selects the display candidate word / phrase according to the progress of the process executed by the application execution unit 49 from the application words / phrases. The application execution unit 49 may newly add an application word / phrase to the application dictionary D3 as the processing to be executed progresses. In this way, when the character input process is executed, the entertainment system 10 generates an input candidate character string list based on the application dictionary D3 in the same manner as in the case of the normal dictionary, thereby allowing the application execution unit 49 to proceed with the process. A corresponding phrase can be presented to the user.

  The entertainment system 10 may store not only application dictionaries associated with individual application programs but also application dictionaries associated with specific types of application programs. In this case, the usage dictionary selection unit 50 selects the application dictionary as the usage dictionary according to the type of application program being executed when the application execution unit 49 requests the start of execution of the character input process. For example, the entertainment system 10 stores a game dictionary that includes phrases commonly used in game applications as application phrases. When the application program executed by the application execution unit 49 is a game application, the game dictionary is selected as a use dictionary. By doing this, it is possible to present a phrase according to the type of application program to the user as an input candidate character string.

  In the above description, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 compares all input candidate character strings included in the input candidate character string list L2 generated by the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 with the display restriction character string. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only a part of the input candidate character strings included in the input candidate character string list L2 may be the comparison target. For example, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 may compare only the input candidate character strings selected by the input candidate character string list generation unit 54 from the predetermined dictionary, or conversely, the input candidate character strings selected from the predetermined dictionary. May be excluded from the comparison target. As a specific example, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 sets the input candidate character string selected from the general dictionary D1 as a target to be compared with the display restriction character string, and the input candidate character string selected from the user learning dictionary D2. Excluded from comparison with the display restriction character string. Thereby, for example, a phrase included in the user learning dictionary D2 can be presented to the user as an input candidate character string without being subject to display restriction. Further, the input candidate character string selected from the application dictionary D3 may be excluded from the objects to be compared with the display restriction character string.

  Further, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 may be a comparison target that compares only words that satisfy a predetermined condition among input candidate character strings selected from a predetermined dictionary with a display restriction character string. For example, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 selects the input candidate character string for each input candidate character string selected from the user learning dictionary D2 depending on how the input candidate character string is registered in the user learning dictionary D2. It is determined whether or not to be compared with the display restriction character string. For example, in the entertainment system 10 according to the present embodiment, when the MPU 11 executes a character input processing program, the MPU 11 executes a process (learning process) for registering a word / phrase in the user learning dictionary D2 according to a user's character input operation. Also good. In addition, the MPU 11 may register a phrase in the user learning dictionary D2 in response to an instruction operation in which the user explicitly specifies a phrase and registers the dictionary. In this case, for example, the input candidate character string deletion unit 56 displays the display restriction character string for the words registered in the user learning dictionary D2 by the user's explicit registration instruction among the input candidate character strings selected from the user learning dictionary D2. The words registered by the learning process are excluded from the comparison target to be compared with the display restriction character string. In this way, the words registered in the user learning dictionary D2 are also subject to display restriction in principle, and only words that are explicitly registered by the user are input even if they are included in the display restriction character string list L1. Control that is presented to the user as a candidate character string can be realized.

  Note that the phrases included in the application dictionary D3 may be excluded from the objects registered in the user learning dictionary D2 by such learning processing. Or it is good also as selecting whether a word included in application dictionary D3 is made into the object of learning processing based on a user's specification.

It is a hardware block diagram of the entertainment system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a detailed block diagram of MPU. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function example of the entertainment system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the information stored in an application dictionary. It is explanatory drawing which shows another example of the information stored in an application dictionary. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a display restriction character string list. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of an input candidate character string list. It is a figure which shows an example of the character input interface image displayed on a monitor. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the character input process which the entertainment system which concerns on embodiment of this invention performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of an input candidate character string display process.

Explanation of symbols

  10 Entertainment System, 11 MPU, 12 Main Processor, 14a-14h Sub-Processor, 16 Bus, 18 Memory Controller, 20 Main Memory, 22, 40, 44 Interface, 24 Image Processing Unit, 26 Monitor, 28 Input / Output Processing Unit, 30 Audio processing unit, 32 speaker, 34 optical disc reading unit, 36 optical disc, 38 hard disk, 42 operation device, 46 camera unit, 48 network interface, 49 application execution unit, 50 use dictionary selection unit, 52 display restricted character string list generation unit, 53 display candidate word / phrase selection unit, 54 input candidate character string list generation unit, 56 input candidate character string deletion unit, 58 input candidate character string display unit

Claims (6)

Application execution means for executing a plurality of application programs;
Each of the plurality of application dictionaries and the plurality of application programs each including at least one normal dictionary including a plurality of words and the plurality of application programs and including a plurality of words related to the processing contents of the application programs Dictionary storage means for storing a plurality of display restriction character string lists associated with
Means for selecting one or a plurality of used dictionaries to be used in the character input process from the normal dictionary and the application dictionary when the character input process is executed, the character input process being performed by the application execution means; Depending on whether it was activated by request,
Use dictionary selection means for determining whether to select the application dictionary as the use dictionary;
When the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution means, the display restriction character string list associated with the application program being executed by the application execution means at the time of the request is selected as the use target list. A display restriction character string list selection means;
Input candidate character string display means for displaying, as input candidate character strings, a plurality of words selected from words included in the selected use dictionary based on an input character input by a user;
Display restriction character string deletion means for excluding words included in the display restriction character string list selected as the use target list from words to be displayed as the plurality of input candidate character strings;
Including
When the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit, the use dictionary selection unit includes the application dictionary associated with the application program executed by the application execution unit at the time of the request; The character input device, wherein the normal dictionary is selected as the use dictionary. The character input device according to claim 1,
The usage dictionary selecting means determines the priority order of the usage dictionary to be selected according to whether or not the character input processing is activated by a request of the application execution means,
The input candidate character string display means displays the plurality of input candidate character strings based on the determined priority order. The character input device according to claim 1 or 2,
The application execution means executes an application program that outputs words according to the progress of processing,
The application dictionary includes words output by the application execution unit,
When the application dictionary is selected as the use dictionary, the character input device displays a phrase according to the degree of progress of processing executed by the application execution unit from among a plurality of phrases included in the application dictionary And further comprising a phrase selecting means for selecting as a candidate phrase,
The input candidate character string display means displays a plurality of input candidate character strings based on a phrase selected by the phrase selection means and an input character input by a user. Application execution means for executing a plurality of application programs;
Each of the plurality of application dictionaries and the plurality of application programs each including at least one normal dictionary including a plurality of words and the plurality of application programs and including a plurality of words related to the processing contents of the application programs Dictionary storage means for storing a plurality of display restriction character string lists associated with
A method for controlling a character input device including
A step of selecting one or more use dictionaries to be used in the character input process from the normal dictionary and the application dictionary when performing the character input process;
Determining whether or not to select the application dictionary as the use dictionary, depending on whether or not the character input processing is activated by a request of the application execution means;
When the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution means, the display restriction character string list associated with the application program being executed by the application execution means at the time of the request is selected as the use target list. A display restriction character string list selection step;
Displaying a plurality of words selected from words included in the selected use dictionary based on an input character input by a user as input candidate character strings;
A display restriction character string deletion step of excluding words included in the display restriction character string list selected as the use target list from words to be displayed as the plurality of input candidate character strings;
Including
In the step of selecting the use dictionary, when the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit, the application dictionary associated with the application program executed by the application execution unit at the time of the request And the normal dictionary is selected as the use dictionary. A method for controlling a character input device. Application execution means for executing a plurality of application programs;
Each of the plurality of application dictionaries and the plurality of application programs each including at least one normal dictionary including a plurality of words and the plurality of application programs and including a plurality of words related to the processing contents of the application programs Dictionary storage means for storing a plurality of display restriction character string lists associated with
A program for controlling a character input device including
Means for selecting one or a plurality of used dictionaries to be used in the character input process from the normal dictionary and the application dictionary when the character input process is executed, the character input process being performed by the application execution means; Depending on whether it was activated by request,
Use dictionary selection means for determining whether to select the application dictionary as the use dictionary;
When the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution means, the display restriction character string list associated with the application program being executed by the application execution means at the time of the request is selected as the use target list. Display restriction character string list selection means,
Input candidate character string display means for displaying, as input candidate character strings, a plurality of words selected from words included in the selected use dictionary based on an input character input by a user; and
A display restriction character string deletion means for excluding words included in the display restriction character string list selected as the use target list from words to be displayed as the plurality of input candidate character strings;
Function as a computer
When the character input process is activated by a request from the application execution unit, the use dictionary selection unit includes the application dictionary associated with the application program executed by the application execution unit at the time of the request; The normal dictionary is selected as the use dictionary. A computer-readable information storage medium storing the program according to claim 5 .

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