Character conversion device, character conversion method, and character conversion program
The character conversion device enhances user operability by associating special characters with words and allowing attribute filtering, facilitating efficient selection of emojis and emoticons through multiple-word inputs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- OMRON CORP
- Filing Date
- 2022-08-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-29
AI Technical Summary
Existing character input systems struggle to efficiently narrow down conversion candidates for special characters like emojis and emoticons, as filtering by attributes alone is insufficient with the increasing number of such characters, leading to complex user operations.
A character conversion device that associates special characters with multiple words representing their meanings, allowing users to input multiple words to narrow down candidates, and optionally filter by attributes such as positive, negative, or neutral states.
Improves user experience by enabling users to easily find desired special characters through multiple-word inputs and attribute filtering, simplifying the selection process.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a technique for inputting special characters such as emojis and kaomoji.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, some application programs (hereinafter simply referred to as apps) executed in an information processing device perform character input. The information processing device here includes not only portable terminals such as smartphones and tablet terminals but also stationary computers such as desktop personal computers. Apps for users to perform character input include SNS apps for posting comments etc. on SNS (Social Networking Service), mail apps for sending and receiving e-mails, search apps for performing Web searches, and the like.
[0003] Regarding the character input process in an information processing device, it will be briefly described using Japanese as an example. The user inputs the reading (phonetic notation) of the character string (desired character string) to be input as the input character string. The information processing device presents to the user conversion candidates (candidate character strings) corresponding to the input character string (i.e., the reading) obtained by known kana-kanji conversion processing. The user checks the presented conversion candidates and, if there is a desired character string (the character string to be input), performs an operation to select that desired character string. The information processing device determines the conversion candidate selected by the user as the character string (confirmed character string) input by the user.
[0004] Also, when there are many conversion candidates for the input character string, the operation for the user to search (check) for the desired conversion candidate from the presented conversion candidates and select it becomes complicated. There is a technique for simplifying the user operation in such a case (see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 has a configuration that narrows down the presented conversion candidates to the specified attributes when attributes such as the number of strokes, the number of pixels at the time of display, the number of characters, and the acquisition level of characters are specified by the user.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-144272 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0006] However, the characters users want to input include special characters such as emojis and emoticons. The number of special characters has increased rapidly in recent years, and simply filtering by attributes has made it difficult to adequately narrow down the conversion candidates (special characters) presented to the user. In other words, there is a need for technology that improves the user experience when inputting special characters.
[0007] The objective of this invention is to provide a technology that improves user operability when inputting special characters such as emojis and emoticons. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] To achieve the above objective, the character conversion device of this invention is configured as shown below.
[0009] The memory unit stores special characters associated with one or more words. These special characters include, for example, emojis and emoticons. Emojis are pictures used like letters, symbolically representing situations, emotions, etc. Emoticons are strings of characters and symbols that represent faces, etc., expressing situations, emotions, etc. These special characters are stored in the memory unit, associated with multiple words (vocabulary) that represent the situations, emotions, etc. that the special character represents.
[0010] The acquisition unit acquires multiple input words. For example, the acquisition unit divides a series of strings entered by the user into vocabulary. For example, if the entered string is "heartsuki", the acquisition unit divides it into two vocabulary words, "heart" and "suki", and acquires these two vocabulary words as input words. Alternatively, in this configuration, the user may be asked to input words separated by a specific symbol (for example, " / "). For example, if the string entered by the user is "heart / suki", the acquisition unit acquires each vocabulary word separated by this specific symbol (in this example, "heart" and "suki") as input words.
[0011] The candidate acquisition unit searches for special characters registered in the memory unit using the multiple input words acquired by the acquisition unit, and acquires the corresponding special characters as candidates. For example, the candidate acquisition unit acquires special characters as candidates that include all the input words acquired by the acquisition unit in the associated multiple words. Alternatively, for example, the candidate acquisition unit acquires special characters as candidates that include a predetermined number of input words acquired by the acquisition unit in the associated multiple words. This predetermined number may be a number set in advance, or it may be a number determined according to the number of input words acquired by the acquisition unit.
[0012] The output unit outputs the special characters that the candidate acquisition unit has acquired as candidates.
[0013] With this configuration, when a user inputs special characters such as emojis and emoticons, they can narrow down the special characters that are output (presented) by inputting multiple words that indicate the situation or emotion represented by the desired special character (the special character they want to input). In other words, the user can narrow down the desired special character (the special character they have entered) by performing the input operation of entering multiple input words. This improves the user experience when inputting special characters such as emojis and emoticons.
[0014] The memory unit may be configured to store attributes associated with each special character. These attributes may include states such as positive (optimistic), negative (pessimistic), or neutral (neither optimistic nor pessimistic). In this case, the retrieval unit retrieves the attributes of the special characters along with the input words, and the candidate retrieval unit searches the memory unit for the special characters registered using the multiple input words and attributes retrieved by the retrieval unit, and retrieves the corresponding special characters as candidates.
[0015] With this configuration, users can filter the desired special characters (the special characters they enter) not only by the input word but also by attributes. This further improves the user experience when entering special characters such as emojis and emoticons.
[0016] Furthermore, the system may include a determination unit that determines the order in which special characters acquired as candidates by the candidate acquisition unit are displayed on the display. For example, this determination unit should determine that special characters that appear in the same number of input words acquired by the acquisition unit are placed higher in the display order. In this case, for special characters that appear in the same number of input words acquired by the acquisition unit are placed in the same number of input words, the determination unit may also determine that special characters that appear in fewer associated words are placed higher in the display order. [Effects of the Invention]
[0017] This invention improves the user experience when inputting special characters such as emojis and emoticons. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0018] [Figure 1] Figure 1(A) is a schematic diagram showing a mobile terminal to which the character conversion device in this example is applied, Figure 1(B) is an example of a candidate output when the input string entered by the user is "heart", and Figure 1(C) is an example of a candidate output when the input string entered by the user is "like". [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing emoji registration data for emojis, which are special characters. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the mobile terminal in this example. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the character input processing in the mobile terminal of this example. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the character input processing in the mobile terminal of Modification Example 1. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the emoji registration data stored in the mobile terminal of Modification Example 2. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing a mobile terminal to which the character conversion device of Modification Example 2 is applied. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing the character input processing in the mobile terminal of Modification Example 2. [Figure 9] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the mobile terminal of Modification Example 3. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart showing the character input processing in the mobile terminal of Modification Example 3. [Figure 11] FIG. 11(A) is a diagram showing conversion candidates for emojis when “heart love” is input, FIG. 11(B) is a diagram showing conversion candidates for emojis when “heart” is input, and FIG. 11(C) is a diagram showing conversion candidates for emojis when “love” is input.
Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention
[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described.
[0020] <1. Application Example> Figure 1(A) is a schematic diagram showing a mobile terminal to which the character conversion device in this example is applied. In Figure 1, a typical smartphone is used as an example of mobile terminal 1, but mobile terminal 1 is not limited to smartphones and may be other types such as tablet terminals. Furthermore, the character conversion device in this example is not limited to mobile terminal 1, but can also be applied to information processing devices of personal computers (PCs) (notebook computers, desktop computers, etc.).
[0021] In this example, mobile device 1 allows input of characters using a known kana-kanji conversion method, as well as special characters such as emojis and emoticons. Emojis, as used here, are pictures that are used like characters and symbolically represent situations, emotions, etc. Emoticons, on the other hand, are strings of characters and symbols that represent faces, etc., to express situations, emotions, etc.
[0022] This example will explain how to input emojis as special characters. Inputting characters using kana-kanji conversion is well-known, so we will omit that explanation here.
[0023] In this example, as shown in Figure 1(A), the mobile terminal 1 divides the display screen to form a key display area 2, an input string display area 3, a candidate display area 4, and a confirmed string display area 5.
[0024] Key display area 2 shows key images corresponding to the software keyboard.
[0025] The input string display area 3 displays the string entered by the user (input string). In the example shown in Figure 1(A), "heartsuki" displayed in the input string display area 3 is the input string.
[0026] The candidate display area 4 displays conversion candidates (corresponding to "candidates" in this invention) corresponding to the input string displayed in the input string display area 3. The example shown in Figure 1(A) illustrates a case where emoji conversion candidates corresponding to the input string ("hearts") displayed in the input string display area 3 are displayed in the candidate display area 4.
[0027] The confirmed string display area 5 displays the confirmed string and the conversion candidate (unconfirmed string) selected at that time. In the example shown in Figure 1(A), the characters displayed in the confirmed string display area 5 are the unconfirmed emoji selected at that time (the emoji enclosed by a dashed line in Figure 1(A)). In the example shown in Figure 1, the confirmed string is not displayed in the confirmed string display area 5.
[0028] Mobile device 1 stores emoji registration data for each emoji, which associates the word associated with that emoji. Figure 2 shows the emoji registration data. Some emojis have one associated word, while others have two or more.
[0029] Although not specifically shown in the diagram, mobile device 1 also stores emoticon registration data, which associates each emoticon with a corresponding word. For example, emoticons are: [( ^ω^) Good morning], [(゛ω゛) I just woke up...], [(^^) / Good morning] These are examples. The emoticon registration data is created by replacing the emojis shown in Figure 2 with emoticons.
[0030] In this example, mobile device 1 obtains input words by dividing the input string entered by the user into vocabulary units. For example, if the input string is "heartsuki", mobile device 1 divides it into two vocabulary units, "heart" and "suki", and obtains each of these divided vocabulary units ("heart" and "suki") as input words.
[0031] Mobile device 1 searches the emoji registration data and extracts emojis that contain all the input words obtained in this instance among the associated words as conversion candidates. Mobile device 1 displays the extracted emoji conversion candidates in the candidate display area 4.
[0032] Furthermore, the mobile terminal 1 displays the candidate that is currently selected from the candidates displayed in the candidate display area 4 in the confirmed string display area 5. When the user presses the confirm key, the mobile terminal 1 confirms the candidate that was selected at that time as the confirmed string.
[0033] Thus, in this example, mobile device 1 allows for multiple input words through the input of a series of strings. In other words, the user can input multiple words by performing an input operation of entering a series of strings. Furthermore, mobile device 1 uses the multiple input words entered by the user to narrow down the emoji candidates to present (output) to the user. That is, the user can have mobile device 1 narrow down the desired emojis with a simple operation: by entering two or more words that correspond to the desired emoji (the emoji the user wants to input) in a series of strings. Therefore, mobile device 1 in this example can improve the user's operability in inputting emojis.
[0034] <2. Example Configuration> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the mobile terminal in this example. The mobile terminal 1 in this example comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation unit 13, and a display unit 14. In addition, although not specifically shown, the mobile terminal 1 in this example may also have known configurations such as a communication unit that performs voice communication, video communication, data communication, etc., with a station connected via a network (e.g., a public telephone network or the Internet), an imaging unit such as a camera that takes pictures of subjects, and a positioning unit that determines the current location using GPS, which are commonly found in smartphones, or it may not have some or all of these configurations.
[0035] The control unit 11 controls the operation of each part of the mobile terminal 1. The control unit 11 also includes an input string acquisition unit 11a, an input word acquisition unit 11b, a candidate acquisition unit 11c, and a candidate output unit 11d. The input string acquisition unit 11a, input word acquisition unit 11b, candidate acquisition unit 11c, and candidate output unit 11d of the control unit 11 will be described later.
[0036] The memory unit 12 stores the emoji registration data shown in Figure 2 and the emoticon registration data described above. The memory unit 12 stores a dictionary used for known kana-kanji conversion. The memory unit 12 may be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or another storage medium.
[0037] The control unit 13 has a touch panel attached to the display screen and operation buttons.
[0038] The display unit 14 has a display device and controls the screen display on this display device.
[0039] Next, the input string acquisition unit 11a, input word acquisition unit 11b, candidate acquisition unit 11c, and candidate output unit 11d of the control unit 11 will be described.
[0040] The input string acquisition unit 11a acquires the input string entered by the user's input operation. In the mobile terminal 1 of this example, the user enters the string by operating the keys on the software keyboard displayed on the display screen.
[0041] The input word acquisition unit 11b acquires input words by dividing the input string acquired by the input string acquisition unit 11a into vocabulary units. For example, in this example, if the input string acquired by the input string acquisition unit 11a of the mobile terminal 1 is "heartsuki", the input word acquisition unit 11b divides this input string into two vocabulary words, "heart" and "suki", and acquires each of these divided vocabulary words ("heart" and "suki") as input words.
[0042] When the candidate acquisition unit 11c acquires emojis as conversion candidates, it searches the emoji registration data stored in the memory unit 12 using the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b and extracts the corresponding emojis. In this example, the corresponding emojis are those associated with all the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b.
[0043] Furthermore, when the candidate acquisition unit 11c acquires emoticons as conversion candidates, it searches the emoticon registration data stored in the memory unit 12 using the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b, and extracts the corresponding emoticons. In this example, the corresponding emoticons are those associated with all the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b.
[0044] The candidate acquisition unit 11c determines, for example, to acquire an emoji as a conversion candidate when the user operates the emoji key, and to acquire an emoticon as a conversion candidate when the user operates the emoticon key. The emoji key and emoticon key can be displayed on the screen of the display unit, for example. If the emoji key or emoticon key is not operated, the candidate acquisition unit 11c acquires conversion candidates using a known kana-kanji conversion method.
[0045] The candidate output unit 11d outputs the conversion candidates acquired by the candidate acquisition unit 11c. The conversion candidates output by the candidate output unit 11d are displayed in the candidate display area 4.
[0046] The control unit 11 of the mobile terminal 1 is composed of a hardware CPU, memory, and other electronic circuits. When the hardware CPU executes the character conversion program according to this invention, it operates as an input string acquisition unit 11a, an input word acquisition unit 11b, a candidate acquisition unit 11c, and a candidate output unit 11d. The memory also has an area for deploying the character conversion program according to this invention and an area for temporarily storing data generated during the execution of the character conversion program. The control unit 11 may be an LSI integrating the hardware CPU, memory, etc. Furthermore, the hardware CPU is a computer that executes the character conversion method according to this invention.
[0047] <3. Example of operation> Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the text input process in the mobile terminal in this example. Mobile terminal 1 waits for the user to input a string (s1). The user inputs a string (input string) by pressing a key on the software keyboard displayed on the display screen.
[0048] The input string acquisition unit 11a acquires the input string entered by the user (s2). The input word acquisition unit 11b divides the input string acquired in s2 into vocabulary (s2, s3). For example, if the input string acquired by the input string acquisition unit 11a in s2 is "heartsuki", the input word acquisition unit 11b divides it into two vocabulary words, "heart" and "suki", and acquires the two divided vocabulary words "heart" and "suki" as input words.
[0049] Mobile terminal 1 performs a known kana-kanji conversion process (s4) and extracts conversion candidates for each vocabulary segmented in s3 (s5).
[0050] Furthermore, when the emoji key is pressed on the mobile terminal 1 (s6), the candidate acquisition unit 11c acquires the emoji registration data stored in the storage unit 12 by splitting the input string and searching for the input word (s7), and extracts the corresponding emoji (s8). In this example, the corresponding emoji is the emoji associated with all the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b.
[0051] Furthermore, when the emoticon key, rather than the emoji key, is pressed on the mobile terminal 1 (s9), the candidate acquisition unit 11c acquires the emoticon registration data stored in the storage unit 12 by splitting the input string, searches for it using the input word (s10), and extracts the corresponding emoticon (s11). In this example, the corresponding emoticon is the emoticon to which all the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b are associated.
[0052] The candidate output unit 11d outputs a conversion candidate extracted in s5, s8, or s11 (s12). If the candidate output unit 11d has not extracted an emoji conversion candidate in s8 and has not extracted an emoticon conversion candidate in s11, it outputs the conversion candidate extracted in s5. In addition, if the key pressed by the user immediately before was an emoji key, the candidate output unit 11d outputs the emoji extracted in s8 as a conversion candidate. In addition, if the key pressed by the user immediately before was an emoticon key, the candidate output unit 11d outputs the emoticon extracted in s11 as a conversion candidate. The conversion candidates output by the candidate output unit 11d in s12 are displayed in the candidate display area 4.
[0053] Mobile terminal 1 repeats the processes described in s6 to s12 above until the user confirms the input (s13). Therefore, if the user intends to input an emoji and presses the emoji key, they can change to inputting an emoticon by pressing the emoticon key, or conversely, if the user intends to input an emoticon and presses the emoticon key, they can change to inputting an emoji by pressing the emoji key.
[0054] When the user performs a confirmation operation, the mobile terminal 1 performs a confirmation process (s14) and returns to s1. The confirmation operation here refers to the operation in which the user selects the desired conversion candidate (an emoji, emoticon, or string to be entered) from the conversion candidates output in s12 and confirms the selected conversion candidate (by pressing the confirmation key). The confirmation process is the process of displaying the confirmed characters (including emojis and emoticons) as confirmed characters in the confirmed string display area 5.
[0055] Thus, in this example of mobile device 1, the user can narrow down the conversion candidates for special characters such as emojis and emoticons by entering multiple input words in a series of strings. Therefore, the user can more easily find the desired conversion candidate (special character) from the presented conversion candidates. In other words, the user's operability in inputting special characters such as emojis and emoticons is improved.
[0056] <4. Variation> • Variation 1 In the example above, the user pressed the emoji key when they wanted to input an emoji, and the emoticon key when they wanted to input an emoticon. In this variation 1, when the user wants to input an emoji, they include "emoji" in the input string, and when they want to input an emoticon, they include "kaomoji" in the input string. For example, if the user wants to input an emoji that is associated with "heart" and "like", they input "heartlikeemoji" as the input string. Also, if the user wants to input an emoticon that is associated with "heart" and "like", they input "heartlikekaomoji" as the input string.
[0057] Note that "emoji" and "kaomoji" do not have to be at the end of a series of input strings entered by the user; they may be at the beginning or between two input words. Specifically, the series of input strings entered by the user may be, for example, "emojiheartsuki" or "heartemojisuki".
[0058] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the text input process in the mobile terminal of this modified example 1. In Figure 5, the same steps as those shown in Figure 4 are given the same step numbers.
[0059] In this modified example 1, the mobile terminal 1, after executing the processes described in s1 to s3 above, determines whether the divided vocabulary contains "emoji" (s21). If "emoji" is included, the mobile terminal 1 executes the processes described in s7 and s8.
[0060] Furthermore, if the vocabulary divided in s3 does not contain "emoji", mobile terminal 1 determines whether it contains "kaomoji" (s22). If it contains "kaomoji", mobile terminal 1 executes the processes in s10 and s11.
[0061] Furthermore, if the vocabulary divided in s3 does not contain "emoji" or "kaomoji", the mobile device 1 will execute the processes in s4 and s5.
[0062] Mobile terminal 1 outputs the conversion candidates extracted in s12 and waits for the confirmation operation to be performed (s23). s23 is the same process as s3 described above. Once the confirmation operation is performed, mobile terminal 1 performs the confirmation process in s14 and returns to s1.
[0063] In this modified example 1, the mobile terminal 1, similar to the example above, allows the user to narrow down the conversion candidates for special characters such as emojis and emoticons by entering multiple input words in a series of strings. Therefore, the user can more easily find the desired conversion candidate (special character) from the presented conversion candidates. In other words, the user's operability in inputting special characters such as emojis and emoticons is improved.
[0064] • Variation 2 This modified example 2 differs from the above example in that the emoji registration data and emoticon registration data stored in the memory unit 12 are different. Figure 6 shows the emoji registration data stored in the mobile terminal of this modified example 2. In this modified example 2, one or more words and attributes (positive or negative) are associated with each emoji. Also, although not specifically shown in the figure, one or more words and attributes (positive or negative) are associated with each emoticon registration data stored in the memory unit 12. In other words, the mobile terminal 1A of this modified example 2 differs from the above example in that attributes are associated with each special character (emoji and emoticon).
[0065] Furthermore, in this modified example 2, the mobile terminal 1A, as shown in Figure 7, includes positive and negative keys in the software keyboard displayed in the key display area 2.
[0066] The mobile terminal 1A in this modified example 2 has the same configuration as shown in Figure 3, as in the example above.
[0067] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the text input process in the mobile terminal of this modified example 2. In Figure 8, the same steps as those shown in Figure 4 are given the same step numbers.
[0068] As shown in Figure 8, this modified example 2, the mobile terminal 1A, differs in that the process related to s8 described above is replaced with the process related to s31 shown below, and the process related to s11 is replaced with the process related to s32 shown below.
[0069] In s31, similar to the example above, the input word acquisition unit 11b extracts emojis that are associated with all the input words it has acquired. Furthermore, if an attribute is specified, the candidate acquisition unit 11c narrows down the emojis extracted from the input words to those associated with the specified attribute. In other words, in this example, in s31, the candidate acquisition unit 11c extracts as conversion candidates emojis that are associated with all the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b and that also have the specified attribute.
[0070] In s32, similar to the example above, the input word acquisition unit 11b extracts emoticons that are associated with all the input words it has acquired. Furthermore, if an attribute is specified, the candidate acquisition unit 11c narrows down the emoticons extracted from the input words to those associated with the specified attribute. In other words, in this example, in s32, the candidate acquisition unit 11c extracts as conversion candidates emoticons that are associated with all the input words acquired by the input word acquisition unit 11b and that also have the specified attribute.
[0071] Users can specify attributes by pressing the positive or negative keys.
[0072] Thus, in this modified example 2, the mobile terminal 1A allows the user to narrow down the special characters (emojis or emoticons) they want to input by specifying attributes in addition to the words associated with those special characters. Therefore, the user can more easily find the desired conversion candidate (special character) from the presented conversion candidates. In other words, the user experience when inputting special characters such as emojis and emoticons is improved.
[0073] • Modification example 3 FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the mobile terminal of this Modification 3. In FIG. 9, the same components as those shown in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The mobile terminal 1B of this Modification 3 is different from the above example in that a determination unit 11e is additionally provided in the control unit 11B. The determination unit 11e determines the order in which the special characters (emoticons, kaomoji, etc.) acquired by the candidate acquisition unit 11c are output. The order mentioned here is the order in which they are displayed in the candidate display area 4.
[0074] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the character input process in the mobile terminal of this Modification 3. In FIG. 10, the same processes as those shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same step numbers. When the mobile terminal 1B of this Modification 3 performs the processes according to s1 to s5 described above, it determines whether the emoji key is pressed in s6. When the candidate acquisition unit 11c determines that the emoji key is pressed in s6, it sets a value obtained by multiplying the number q of input words acquired in s3 by a predetermined constant n (0 < n < 1) as the threshold number (q × n). Further, the candidate acquisition unit 11c of the mobile terminal 1B of this Modification 3 extracts, as conversion candidates, the emojis in which the number of matching words with the input words acquired in s3 exceeds the threshold number (s41).
[0075] Further, when the candidate acquisition unit 11c determines that the emoji key is not pressed in s6, it determines whether the kaomoji key is pressed in s9. When the candidate acquisition unit 11c determines that the kaomoji key is pressed in s9, it sets a value obtained by multiplying the number q of input words acquired in s3 by a predetermined constant m (0 < m < 1) as the threshold number (q × m). m may be the same value as n described above or a different value. Further, the candidate acquisition unit 11c of the mobile terminal 1B of this Modification 3 extracts, as conversion candidates, the kaomojis in which the number of matching words with the input words acquired in s3 exceeds the threshold number (s42).
[0076] The decision unit 11e performs an output order determination process to determine the output order of the conversion candidates acquired in s5, s41, or s42 (s43). For the conversion candidates acquired in s5, the decision unit 11e determines that the higher the associated priority, the higher the output order. The priority is calculated based on the user's usage history.
[0077] Regarding methods for calculating priority based on user usage history, various methods are already publicly known, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. Furthermore, priority can be calculated using any method.
[0078] Furthermore, for conversion candidates (emojis or emoticons) obtained in s41 or s42, the decision unit 11e determines that conversion candidates with a larger number of matching words with the input word obtained in s3 will be given a higher output rank. Also, for conversion candidates with the same number of matching words with the input word obtained in s3, the decision unit 11e determines that conversion candidates with fewer matching words will be given a higher output rank. Furthermore, for conversion candidates with the same number of matching words, the decision unit 11e determines that conversion candidates with a higher associated priority will be given a higher output rank. Priority is calculated based on the user's usage history.
[0079] The candidate output unit 11d outputs the conversion candidates obtained in s5, s41, or s42 in the output order determined in s42 (s44).
[0080] Thus, in this modified example 3, the mobile terminal 1B also improves the user experience when inputting special characters such as emojis and emoticons, similar to the example above.
[0081] Furthermore, although the above description uses the application of the character conversion device according to this invention to mobile terminals 1, 1A, and 1B as an example, it may also be applied to a server device connected to these mobile terminals 1, 1A, and 1B via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the user sends the input string entered by the user's character input operation from the mobile terminals 1, 1A, and 1B to the server device and receives conversion candidates from the server device. This configuration simplifies the configuration of the mobile terminals 1, 1A, and 1B.
[0082] Furthermore, although the above example uses Japanese as an example, the present invention can be applied to languages other than Japanese. For example, if the language is English, by entering "heart love", the emoji conversion candidates can be narrowed down as shown in Figure 11(A). Figure 11(B) shows the emoji conversion candidates when "heart" is entered, and Figure 11(C) shows the emoji conversion candidates when "love" is entered.
[0083] It should be noted that this invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the components can be modified and implemented in practice without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. In addition, the order of each step in the flowcharts shown in the descriptions of all the examples above is merely an example, and may be rearranged as appropriate to the extent possible.
[0084] Furthermore, the correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the configuration of the embodiment described above can be described as follows. <Note> A memory unit (12) that registers special characters associated with one or more words, An acquisition unit (11b) that acquires multiple input words, The acquisition unit (11b) searches for the special characters registered in the storage unit (12) using the multiple input words acquired by the acquisition unit (11b), and the candidate acquisition unit (11c) acquires the corresponding special characters as candidates. A character conversion device (1) comprising: an output unit (11d) that outputs a special character acquired as a candidate by the candidate acquisition unit (11c); [Explanation of Symbols]
[0085] 1, 1A, 1B... Mobile devices 2...Key display area 3…Input string display area 4...Candidate display area 5…Confirmed character string display area 11, 11B… Control Unit 11a... Input string acquisition section 11b... Input word acquisition unit 11c…Candidate acquisition section 11d... Candidate output section 11e…Decision section 12...Storage section 13...Operation unit 14...Display section
Claims
1. A memory unit that registers special characters associated with one or more words, An acquisition unit that obtains individual strings obtained by splitting the input string as multiple input words, A candidate acquisition unit searches for the special characters registered in the storage unit using the multiple input words acquired by the acquisition unit, and acquires the corresponding special characters as candidates. A determination unit determines the order in which the special characters acquired as candidates by the candidate acquisition unit are displayed on the display unit, The system comprises an output unit that outputs the special characters according to the sequence determined by the determination unit, The determination unit determines that the special character that is included in the associated word and is acquired by the acquisition unit appears higher in the display order, and for special characters that are included in the associated word and are acquired by the acquisition unit appearing the same number of times, the special character that is included in the associated word appears higher in the display order, based on the number of times it appears in the associated word. Character conversion device.
2. The storage unit associates the attributes of each registered special character with the storage unit. The acquisition unit acquires the attributes of the special characters along with the multiple input words, The character conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the candidate acquisition unit searches for the special character registered in the storage unit using the attributes of the plurality of input words and special characters acquired by the acquisition unit, and acquires the corresponding special character as a candidate.
3. The character conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the candidate acquisition unit acquires as candidates the special characters that include all the input words acquired by the acquisition unit in a plurality of associated words.
4. The character conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the special character is an emoji.
5. The character conversion device according to Claim 1, wherein the candidate acquisition unit acquires special characters as candidates for which the number of matching words between the associated words and the acquired input words exceeds the threshold value obtained by multiplying the number of input words by a constant for each type of special character.
6. An acquisition step of obtaining individual strings obtained by splitting an input string as multiple input words, A candidate acquisition step involves searching for special characters associated with one or more words registered in the storage unit using the multiple input words acquired in the acquisition step, and acquiring the corresponding special characters as candidates. The candidate acquisition step includes a determination step that determines the order in which the special characters acquired as candidates are displayed on the display, The output step includes outputting the special characters according to the sequence determined by the decision step, The computer executes this, The determination step determines that the special character that is included in the associated word and is included in the input word acquired by the acquisition step will be ranked higher when displayed on the display, and for special characters that are included in the associated word and are included in the input word and are included in the input word and are included in the input word, the special character that is included in the associated word and is included in the input word will be ranked higher when displayed on the display, based on the number of associated words it is included in. Character conversion method.
7. An acquisition step of obtaining individual strings obtained by splitting an input string as multiple input words, A candidate acquisition step involves searching for special characters associated with one or more words registered in the storage unit using the multiple input words acquired in the acquisition step, and acquiring the corresponding special characters as candidates. The candidate acquisition step includes a determination step that determines the order in which the special characters acquired as candidates are displayed on the display, The output step includes outputting the special characters according to the sequence determined by the decision step, Have the computer run it, The determination step determines that the special character that is included in the associated word and is included in the input word acquired by the acquisition step will be ranked higher when displayed on the display, and for special characters that are included in the associated word and are included in the input word and are included in the input word and are included in the input word, the special character that is included in the associated word and is included in the input word will be ranked higher when displayed on the display, based on the number of associated words it is included in. A text conversion program.