Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
  • H04M1/23—Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
  • G06F3/023—Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
  • G06F3/0233—Character input methods
  • G06F3/0236—Character input methods using selection techniques to select from displayed items

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to systems for entering alphanumeric characters into electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems for entering characters having accents or extensions into electronic devices.
• each alphanumeric key is associated with one number and several text characters.
• the second key on the keypad is typically associated with the number "2" and the text characters "A", "B", and "C”.
• the user will depress the key once to enter an "A”
• the user will depress the key twice to enter a "B”
• the user will depress the key three times to enter a "C” .
• the present invention is direct to a method and apparatus for entering an alphanumeric character with an accent or extension into an electronic device.
• a base character is entered into the device using a keypad, and the base character is then displayed on the device display.
• a table that includes a plurality of accents or extensions is displayed for the user on the device display.
• the user selects an accent or extension from the table that the user wishes to associate with the base character.
• the base character is replaced on the device display with a composite character that consists of the base character and the accent or extension selected by the user from the table.
• the accents or extensions in the table displayed for the user are ordered in response to the base character entered by the user and/or in response to a language selection entered by the user.
• the accents or extensions that are most likely to be selected by the user are determined based on the language and the base character entered by the user, and the most likely extensions or accents are then placed at the top of the table displayed for the user. This aspect of the invention facilitates the rapid selection of the desired accent or extension from the table by the user.
• Figure 1 is a flow diagram of a method for entering an alphanumeric character having an accent or extension into an electronic device, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 2 shows an exemplary table for displaying accents or extensions that may be combined with a base character, in accordance with the present invention.
• Figure 3 is a block diagram of a system for entering an alphanumeric character having an accent or extension into an electronic device, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• a flow diagram of a method 100 for entering an alphanumeric character having an accent or extension into an electronic device such as a mobile or portable telephone, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
• a user enters a base character (i.e., a text character with no accent or extension) into the device using a multiple keystroke keypad.
• the base character entered in step 110 is displayed for the user on the device display.
• a table (such as table 200 in Fig. 2) containing accents or extensions 210 that could be associated with the base character is prepared and displayed for the user.
• the accents or extensions 210 in table 200 are ordered in response to the base character entered by the user.
• the accents or extensions that may possibly be associated with the base character are determined based on the base character entered by the user, and the most likely extensions or accents 210 to be selected by the user are placed at the top of the table 200.
• This aspect of the invention facilitates the rapid selection of the desired accent or extension 210 from the table by the user.
• the user selects one of the accents or extensions 210 to associate with the base character by, for example, using a scroll button on the keypad or device to scroll through and then select one of the displayed accents /extensions 210.
• the base character is replaced on the device display in step 160 with a composite character that consists of the base character and the accent or extension selected by the user from the table.
• a composite character that consists of the base character and the accent or extension selected by the user from the table.
• the system 300 includes a multiple keystroke keypad 310 that transmits a signal representative of a base character selected by the user to a controller 320.
• a device display 330 is coupled to the controller 320, and functions to display the base character to the user.
• the controller 320 is coupled to a memory 340, which preferably stores a separate ordered list of accents or extensions for each base character that might be entered by the user.
• Each of the ordered lists stored in the memory 340 preferably corresponds to the accents or extensions that may be selected by the user for a given base character, with the most likely extensions or accents to be selected by the user being placed at the top of the list.
• the controller 320 retrieves the accent/extension list associated with the base character from the memory 340, and the controller 320 sends a signal representative of the accent /extension list to the device display 330 which displays the list in the form of a table such as table 200.
• the user selects an accent /extension to associate with the base character from the table using the keypad 310, which transmits a signal representative of the selected accent /extension to the controller 320.
• the controller 320 sends a signal to the device display 330 that replaces the base character on the device display 330 with a composite character that consists of the base character and the accent or extension selected from the table by the user.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Telephone Set Structure (AREA)
• Document Processing Apparatus (AREA)
• Input From Keyboards Or The Like (AREA)
• Controls And Circuits For Display Device (AREA)

Priority Applications (8)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=22877516

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (6)

Family Cites Families (11)

• 1999
  • 1999-01-19 US US09/233,503 patent/US6445934B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2000
  • 2000-01-18 BR BR0007585-0A patent/BR0007585A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2000-01-18 MX MXPA01007276A patent/MXPA01007276A/es unknown
  • 2000-01-18 KR KR1020017009098A patent/KR100648873B1/ko not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-01-18 CA CA002360576A patent/CA2360576A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-01-18 WO PCT/US2000/001256 patent/WO2000041513A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2000-01-18 IL IL14429200A patent/IL144292A0/xx unknown
  • 2000-01-18 AU AU24160/00A patent/AU2416000A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-01-18 JP JP2000593135A patent/JP2002534755A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-01-18 CN CN00802867A patent/CN1337018A/zh active Pending
  • 2000-01-18 HK HK02103451.4A patent/HK1041735A1/zh unknown
  • 2000-01-18 EP EP00902447A patent/EP1147464A2/en not_active Ceased

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