WO2005039064A1 - Method of inputting chinese language using mobile terminal - Google Patents

Method of inputting chinese language using mobile terminal Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2005039064A1
WO2005039064A1 PCT/KR2004/002588 KR2004002588W WO2005039064A1 WO 2005039064 A1 WO2005039064 A1 WO 2005039064A1 KR 2004002588 W KR2004002588 W KR 2004002588W WO 2005039064 A1 WO2005039064 A1 WO 2005039064A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
chinese character
pinyin
letter
bushou
chinese
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2004/002588
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Yun-Kee Kang
Hoon-Kee Kang
Original Assignee
Yun-Kee Kang
Hoon-Kee Kang
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Publication date
Application filed by Yun-Kee Kang, Hoon-Kee Kang filed Critical Yun-Kee Kang
Publication of WO2005039064A1 publication Critical patent/WO2005039064A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR 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
    • G06F3/0237—Character input methods using prediction or retrieval techniques
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR 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
    • G06F3/018—Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38—Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/40—Circuits
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
    • H04M1/72—Mobile telephones; Cordless telephones, i.e. devices for establishing wireless links to base stations without route selection
    • H04M1/724—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
    • H04M1/72403—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
    • H04M1/7243—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality with interactive means for internal management of messages
    • H04M1/72436—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality with interactive means for internal management of messages for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2250/00—Details of telephonic subscriber devices
    • H04M2250/70—Details of telephonic subscriber devices methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of inputting the Chinese language using a mobile terminal, in particular to such a method, in which the Chinese language is input only using the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof .
  • a Pinyin input method is commonly used in order to input the Chinese language using a mobile terminal .
  • a Chinese character or word is expressed in Pinyin and input using the Pinyin therefor, regardless of the tone of voices.
  • the "Pinyin" for a Chinese character means its pronunciation expressed in Roman letters or English alphabets.
  • FIG. 5 depicts a display screen when inputting the
  • the present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems in the art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a method of inputting the Chinese language fast and easily, in which only the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof can be used in order to input the Chinese character.
  • a method of inputting the Chinese language using a mobile terminal which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin of a Chinese character and Pinyin of the Bushou thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area.
  • a method of inputting Chinese language using a mobile terminal which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the sub-characters thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a sub-character thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area.
  • a method of inputting Chinese language using a mobile terminal which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and a location of the Bushou, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof and the location of the Bushou entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area.
  • the key input device if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou of the Chinese character to be input and a location information on the Bushou are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and the entered location information is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character.
  • the sub-character is a Bushou character included in a Bushou character list.
  • the location information is input by using an arrow key or a numeric key in the key input device .
  • the key input device may include at least one function key. If the first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input, the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and the function key are entered through the key input device, the Chinese characters matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou, and simultaneously having a certain number of or more strokes for the Bushou are retrieved from a Chinese character repository and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character. In one embodiment, a Chinese character relevant to the retrieved Chinese character is displayed at the display area, along with the retrieved Chinese character.
  • a method of inputting the Chinese language using a computer which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area.
  • FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a mobile terminal using a method of inputting the Chinese language according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a first embodiment of the invention
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a second embodiment of the invention
  • FIG. 4 shows one example of locations assigned to the numeric keys of a mobile terminal
  • FIG. 5 shows one example of a display screen when inputting the Chinese language using a conventional cellular phone.
  • FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a mobile terminal using the method of inputting the Chinese language according to the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a first embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a second embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 4 shows one example of locations assigned to the numeric keys of a mobile terminal.
  • the reference numeral 100 denotes a cellular phone
  • 180 denotes a display area
  • 120 denotes an key input device
  • 140 denotes a Chinese character repository
  • 160 denotes a central processing unit.
  • the first letter In the method of inputting the Chinese language according to the first embodiment of the invention, by using the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, the Chinese language can be input faster and easier, as compared with the conventional methods.
  • the first letter may be any one of the letters ⁇ b, p, m, f , d, t, n, i, g, k, h, j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, a, o, u" (24 letters in all) .
  • the "Bushou” means a representative element for a Chinese character, and every single Chinese character has one Bushou.
  • the procedure of inputting a Chinese word " ⁇ H", of which Pinyin is “zhongguo” is described below.
  • the first letter “zh” of "zhong” which is the Pinyin for " ⁇ ”
  • the first letter “g” of "gun” which is the Pinyin for the Bushou “ 1 " of the " ⁇ ”
  • Chinese characters matching the entered first Pinyin letters are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140.
  • the Chinese character repository 140 contains the Pinyin information on Chinese characters and the Bushous thereof .
  • the retrieved Chinese characters are displayed at the display area 180 of the cellular phone 100. Similar to the Chinese character “ ⁇ ” as described above, in case of the Chinese character “H”, if the first letter “g” of "guo” (which is the Pinyin for "IH”) and the first Letter “k” of "kou” (which is the Pinyin for the
  • FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to the first embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the method of inputting the Chinese language in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention is further explained below. As shown in FIG. 2, the method of inputting the Chinese language in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention is further explained below. As shown in FIG.
  • step S10 if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof are entered through the key input device 120 (step S10) , Chinese characters matching the entered first Pinyin letters are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140 according to the instructions of the central processing unit 160 (step S20) .
  • a Chinese character to input can be selected from the retrieved Chinese characters by a user (step S30) .
  • the Chinese characters, which match both the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, are retrieved, so that all the Pinyin letters do not need to be entered, dissimilar to the conventional technique.
  • the above key input device 120 includes at least one function key (for example, "#") . If the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character, the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof (the same as above), and the function key ("#") are entered through the key input device 120, Chinese characters, which match the entered first Pinyin letters and simultaneously have a certain number of or more strokes for the Bushou (for example, more than 5 strokes), are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140 and displayed at the display area 180. Therefore, the number of characters to be retrieved can be reduced.
  • a function key for example, "#"
  • each retrieved Chinese character and its relevant Chinese character are arranged in pairs (even for the same retrieved character) , as illustrated in the following table, thereby enabling the relevant Chinese character to be input together at the same time .
  • the Chinese word “—A” can be input simply by pressing the numeric key "3" on the keyboard .
  • the Chinese character is divided into a predetermined number of sub-characters (here, a sub- character means a kind of Bushou character, which is included in the Bushou character list) .
  • the first letter of the Pinyin for any of the sub-characters can be entered, instead of using the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou,
  • the character is divided into two
  • the second embodiment In the second embodiment, along with the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof used in the first embodiment, the location information on the Bushou is entered. Therefore, the number of characters to be retrieved is minimized, as compared with the first embodiment . For example, in order to input a Chinese character
  • the r 2j , r 8j , r 4j , r 6j , r 5j keys are served as the up, down, left, right, and center direction keys respectively in order to enter the location information of the Bushou, as shown in FIG. 4.
  • the r 2j , r 8j , r 4j , r 6j , r 5j keys are served as the up, down, left, right, and center direction keys respectively in order to enter the location information of the Bushou, as shown in FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to the second embodiment of the invention.
  • the second embodiment is further explained below.
  • the present invention provides another function to the function key (*) of the key input device 120. For example, a separation function can be performed
  • the separation function means a function to restart a toggle function by pressing the function key "*" once, in case of inputting a letter assigned to the same key in the toggle-
  • numeric key r 0j can be used to perform the selection function for selecting a character from the retrieved Chinese characters.
  • mobile terminal as an example, it may be applied to a PDA,
  • a telematics a watch phone, a remote controller, a desktop

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  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
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Abstract

Disclosed is a method of inputting the Chinese language using a mobile terminal. The Chinese language is input using the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof.

Description

METHOD OP INPUTTING CHINESE LANGUAGE USING MOBILE TERMINAL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of inputting the Chinese language using a mobile terminal, in particular to such a method, in which the Chinese language is input only using the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof .
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART Conventionally, a Pinyin input method is commonly used in order to input the Chinese language using a mobile terminal . In this method, a Chinese character or word is expressed in Pinyin and input using the Pinyin therefor, regardless of the tone of voices. Here, the "Pinyin" for a Chinese character means its pronunciation expressed in Roman letters or English alphabets. FIG. 5 depicts a display screen when inputting the
Chinese language using a conventional cellular phone, where reference numeral 10 denotes a conventional cellular phone and reference numeral 18 denotes a display area. Referring to FIG. 5, the Pinyin input method is hereafter explained in detail . As shown in FIG. 5, in order to input a Chinese character "ff" , a user enters "fei," which is the Pinyin for the Chinese character "jf" . At this time, the Chinese characters " " and "1^" and the like, which have the same Pinyin as "Jf" , are also retrieved and displayed at the display area 18 of the cellular phone 10, along with the character "jt" to be input . This conventional method has several problems. For example, when input a Chinese character, only its pronunciation expressed in English letters is used, and thus many words having the same pronunciation are displayed. Therefore, whenever a Chinese character is input, the character to be input must be selected from many displayed characters that have the same pronunciation, so that it takes much time to input Chinese characters. Furthermore, since all the Pinyin letters of the Chinese character must be entered in English letters, it further lengthens the time required for inputting the Chinese character.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems in the art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a method of inputting the Chinese language fast and easily, in which only the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof can be used in order to input the Chinese character. In order to accomplish the above object, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of inputting the Chinese language using a mobile terminal, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin of a Chinese character and Pinyin of the Bushou thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area. In this method of the invention, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou of the Chinese character to be input are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of inputting Chinese language using a mobile terminal, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the sub-characters thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a sub-character thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area. In this method of the invention, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for one of the sub-characters of the Chinese character to be input are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the sub-character is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of inputting Chinese language using a mobile terminal, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and a location of the Bushou, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof and the location of the Bushou entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area. In this method of the invention, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou of the Chinese character to be input and a location information on the Bushou are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and the entered location information is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character. In one embodiment, the sub-character is a Bushou character included in a Bushou character list. In one embodiment, the location information is input by using an arrow key or a numeric key in the key input device . In the method of the invention, the key input device may include at least one function key. If the first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input, the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and the function key are entered through the key input device, the Chinese characters matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou, and simultaneously having a certain number of or more strokes for the Bushou are retrieved from a Chinese character repository and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character. In one embodiment, a Chinese character relevant to the retrieved Chinese character is displayed at the display area, along with the retrieved Chinese character.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of inputting the Chinese language using a computer, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area. In this method of the invention, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou of the Chinese character to be input are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a mobile terminal using a method of inputting the Chinese language according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4 shows one example of locations assigned to the numeric keys of a mobile terminal; and FIG. 5 shows one example of a display screen when inputting the Chinese language using a conventional cellular phone.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hereafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained, with reference to the accompanying drawings . FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a mobile terminal using the method of inputting the Chinese language according to the invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to a second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 shows one example of locations assigned to the numeric keys of a mobile terminal. In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 100 denotes a cellular phone, 180 denotes a display area, 120 denotes an key input device, 140 denotes a Chinese character repository, and 160 denotes a central processing unit.
(The first embodiment) In the method of inputting the Chinese language according to the first embodiment of the invention, by using the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, the Chinese language can be input faster and easier, as compared with the conventional methods. Here, the first letter may be any one of the letters λλb, p, m, f , d, t, n, i, g, k, h, j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, a, o, u" (24 letters in all) . Here, the "Bushou" means a representative element for a Chinese character, and every single Chinese character has one Bushou. For example, the procedure of inputting a Chinese word "ΦH", of which Pinyin is "zhongguo" , is described below. First, in order to input the Chinese character "φ" in the word "ΦIH", if the first letter "zh" of "zhong" (which is the Pinyin for "φ") and the first letter "g" of "gun" (which is the Pinyin for the Bushou " 1 " of the "φ") , i.e., "zhg" are entered through the key input device 120, then Chinese characters matching the entered first Pinyin letters are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140. The Chinese character repository 140 contains the Pinyin information on Chinese characters and the Bushous thereof . The retrieved Chinese characters are displayed at the display area 180 of the cellular phone 100. Similar to the Chinese character "Φ" as described above, in case of the Chinese character "H", if the first letter "g" of "guo" (which is the Pinyin for "IH") and the first Letter "k" of "kou" (which is the Pinyin for the
Bushou "P" of "H"), i.e., "gk" are entered, Chinese characters matching the entered first Pinyin letters are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140 and displayed at the display area 180.
In this way, a Chinese word nA^- (qunian) " , whose Bushous are "A (ren) " and nA (qian) " respectively, is entered as follows: A = q(qu) + r(ren) = qr, and £ = n(nian) + q(qian) = nq. Similarly, a Chinese word "ϋtfϋpp" , whose Bushous are ϊfe(yi)", "§t(shi)", and "P(kou)" respectively, is entered as follows: ϋ. = zh(zhuang) + y(yi) = zhy, tffi = sh(shi) + sh(shi) = shsh, and PΠ = p (pin) + k(kon) = pk. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to the first embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the method of inputting the Chinese language in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention is further explained below. As shown in FIG. 2, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof are entered through the key input device 120 (step S10) , Chinese characters matching the entered first Pinyin letters are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140 according to the instructions of the central processing unit 160 (step S20) . As the last step, a Chinese character to input can be selected from the retrieved Chinese characters by a user (step S30) . In this manner, according to the invention, the Chinese characters, which match both the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, are retrieved, so that all the Pinyin letters do not need to be entered, dissimilar to the conventional technique. Furthermore, since the Pinyin for the Bushou is used, the number of characters to be retrieved will be much less than the conventional technique. In addition, the above key input device 120 includes at least one function key (for example, "#") . If the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character, the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof (the same as above), and the function key ("#") are entered through the key input device 120, Chinese characters, which match the entered first Pinyin letters and simultaneously have a certain number of or more strokes for the Bushou (for example, more than 5 strokes), are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140 and displayed at the display area 180. Therefore, the number of characters to be retrieved can be reduced. With regard to the arrangement of the Chinese characters retrieved and displayed at the display area 180, conventionally, the characters are arranged horizontally or vertically in a line, depending on the type of a cellular phone. In the present invention, however, each retrieved Chinese character and its relevant Chinese character are arranged in pairs (even for the same retrieved character) , as illustrated in the following table, thereby enabling the relevant Chinese character to be input together at the same time .
Figure imgf000013_0001
That is, in order to input a Chinese word "—"A", for example, if the numeric key "0" is pressed three times, the
third characters "-A" are selected to be entered. In addition, if the "—A" is selected and the numeric key "0" is pressed and held, only the character "—" can be entered. In case of applying this method to a PC, if any one of the ten numeric keys "1" to "0" on a keyboard is pressed instead of using the numeric key "0" only, the Chinese character or word corresponding to the pressed numeric key
is entered. For example, the Chinese word "—A" can be input simply by pressing the numeric key "3" on the keyboard . ι Accordingly, in the process of inputting the Chinese language, since two characters can be entered at a time, more characters can be entered fast and easily, as compared with the conventional method, in which characters are input one by one . As a modified embodiment of the first embodiment, in case where a user is not aware of the Bushou of a Chinese character to be input, the Chinese character is divided into a predetermined number of sub-characters (here, a sub- character means a kind of Bushou character, which is included in the Bushou character list) . Thereafter, the first letter of the Pinyin for any of the sub-characters can be entered, instead of using the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou, For example, when inputting a Chinese character "ft", it can be assumed that the character is divided into two
sub-characters (i.e., "H" and "K")- Then, the first letter of the Pinyin for the sub-character "H" or "M" can be entered, instead of the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou . In the same way, when inputting a Chinese character
"fjf" , it can be assumed that the character is divided into three sub-characters (i.e., "ΪZt (li)", " A (mu) " , and "JT (jin)") . The first letter of the Pinyin for the sub-
character "ΪL" or "A" or "JT" can be entered. In this case, Pinyin information on the sub-characters is included in the Chinese character repository 140. According to the modified embodiment as described above, the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be put and the first letter of the Pinyin for a sub-character thereof may be input. This method utilizing a sub-character can be used conveniently when the user is not aware of the Bushou of a Chinese character to input .
(The second embodiment) In the second embodiment, along with the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof used in the first embodiment, the location information on the Bushou is entered. Therefore, the number of characters to be retrieved is minimized, as compared with the first embodiment . For example, in order to input a Chinese character
"Φ", the first letter "zh" of the Pinyin for the character "Φ" and the first letter "g" of the Pinyin for the Bushou " 1 " of the character "Φ" are entered, as in the first embodiment. In addition to that, the location information on the Bushou is entered by pressing an arrow key or
numeric key. Here, since the Bushou " 1 " of the Chinese character "φ" is located at the center of the character "Φ", a numeric or arrow key corresponding to the center is selected and pressed among those corresponding to the up, down, left, right, and center positions. Therefore, Chinese characters, which match the first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, and also the location information on the Bushou, are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140, and displayed at the display area 180.
Similarly, in case where a Chinese character " ff" is to be input, the first letter of the Pinyin for the
character "fj" and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou (JT) ' thereof are entered. Then, the location information of the Bushou (JT) is entered by using an arrow key or numeric key, in this case one corresponding to the right position. Therefore, Chinese characters, which match the entered information including the location information of the Bushou, are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140 and displayed at the display area 180. Needless to say, in the second embodiment, the Pinyin information of Chinese characters, the Pinyin information of Bushous of the characters, and the location information of the Bushous are contained in the Chinese character repository 140. In the above illustration, in case where the numeric
keys are used, the r2j , r8j , r4j , r6j , r5j keys are served as the up, down, left, right, and center direction keys respectively in order to enter the location information of the Bushou, as shown in FIG. 4. For example,
the location of the Bushou " 1 " of a Chinese character "Φ" is center and thus entered by pressing the "5" key, and the
location of the Bushou "JT" of a Chinese character "jf" is right and thus entered by pressing the "6" key. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of inputting the Chinese language according to the second embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the second embodiment is further explained below. As shown in FIG. 3, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a. Chinese character to be input, the first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof, and the location information on the Bushou are entered (step S10'), Chinese characters, which match the entered first Pinyin letters and the Bushou location, are retrieved from the Chinese character repository 140 (step S20') . Then, the user can select the character to input from the retrieved characters (step S30' ) . In addition to the above explained embodiments, the present invention provides another function to the function key (*) of the key input device 120. For example, a separation function can be performed
if the function key r*j is pressed once, and a word spacing function is performed if pressed twice. The separation function means a function to restart a toggle function by pressing the function key "*" once, in case of inputting a letter assigned to the same key in the toggle-
style letter input mode. Furthermore, the numeric key r0j can be used to perform the selection function for selecting a character from the retrieved Chinese characters. Although the present invention is explained taking a
mobile terminal as an example, it may be applied to a PDA,
a telematics, a watch phone, a remote controller, a desktop
computer, and the like. Those skilled in the art can understand that the invention can be used in all the
countries such as Korea and Japan using Chinese characters.
Industrial Applicability As described above, in accordance with the present invention, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou of the Chinese character are entered, Chinese characters matching the entered first Pinyin letters are retrieved from a Chinese character repository, thereby enabling a fast and easy input of Chinese characters. In addition, according to the present invention, since all the letters of the Pinyin for a Chinese character need not to be entered, the time required for inputting characters can be reduced. Furthermore, since the Bushou for the Chinese character is used, the Chinese characters that have the same Pinyin will not be retrieved, so that the number of Chinese characters to be retrieved can be significantly reduced, thereby enabling an easy and fast input of a Chinese character.
While the present invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications and variations may occur to. those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is: 1. A method of inputting Chinese language using a mobile terminal, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin of a Chinese character and Pinyin of the Bushou thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area, wherein, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou of the Chinese character to be input are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character.
2. A method of inputting Chinese language using a mobile terminal, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the sub-characters thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a sub-character thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area, wherein, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a
Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for one of the sub-characters of the Chinese character to be input are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first' letter of the Pinyin for the sub- character is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character.
3. A method of inputting Chinese language using a mobile terminal, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and a location of the Bushou, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof and the location of the Bushou entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area, wherein, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou of the Chinese character to be input and a location information on the Bushou are entered through the key input device, a Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and the entered location information is retrieved from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character.
4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the sub- character is a Bushou character included in a Bushou character list.
5. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the location information is input by using an arrow key or a numeric key in the key input device.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the key input device includes at least one function key, and wherein if the first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character to be input, the first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof and the function key are entered through the key input device, the Chinese character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Chinese character and the entered first letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou, and simultaneously having a certain number of or more strokes for the Bushou are retrieved from a Chinese character repository and displayed at the display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese character.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein a Chinese character relevant to the retrieved Chinese character is displayed at the display area, along with the retrieved Chinese character.
8. A method of inputting Chinese language using a computer, which includes a key input device, a Chinese character repository for storing information on Chinese characters including Pinyin for a Chinese character and Pinyin for the Bushou thereof, a central processing unit for retrieving from the Chinese character repository a Chinese character matching a first letter of the Pinyin for a Chinese character and a first letter of the Pinyin for a Bushou thereof entered through the key input device and for displaying the retrieved Chinese character at a display area, wherein, if the first letter of the Pinyin for a
Chinese character to be input and the first letter of the
Pinyin for a Bushou of the Chinese character to be input
are entered through the key input device, a Chinese
character matching the entered first letter of the Pinyin
for the Chinese character to be input and the entered first
letter of the Pinyin for the Bushou thereof is retrieved
from the Chinese character repository, and displayed at the
display area, thereby enabling input of the Chinese
character.
PCT/KR2004/002588 2003-10-15 2004-10-11 Method of inputting chinese language using mobile terminal WO2005039064A1 (en)

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KR10-2003-0071686 2003-10-15

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US9286288B2 (en) 2006-06-30 2016-03-15 Blackberry Limited Method of learning character segments during text input, and associated handheld electronic device
CN100458668C (en) * 2007-05-08 2009-02-04 张立峰 Input method for Chinese character of first pronunciation
WO2009045040A2 (en) * 2007-10-02 2009-04-09 Zacod Co., Ltd. Apparatus and method for inputting chinese characters for communication terminal
WO2009045040A3 (en) * 2007-10-02 2009-05-28 Zacod Co Ltd Apparatus and method for inputting chinese characters for communication terminal
CN102547383A (en) * 2010-12-31 2012-07-04 福建星网视易信息系统有限公司 Pinyin retrieval display method and system in Video On Demand (VOD) system
CN105897990A (en) * 2015-10-28 2016-08-24 乐视移动智能信息技术（北京）有限公司 Method and device for processing contact person information in address book and mobile terminal

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KR20060096039A (en) 2006-09-05
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