Temporary Dictionary for Text Disambiguation on Handheld Devices

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users of handheld electronic devices with reduced keyboards face significant effort in entering text when words or language objects are not in the stored dictionary or have low frequency, particularly after viewing web pages containing such content.

Innovation Solution

A method that automatically adds language objects from viewed web pages or other information to a temporary dictionary, which are then used by the text disambiguation system to facilitate text entry, with the option to move frequently used objects to the main dictionary for permanent storage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If a reduced keyboard is used to enable text entry on a small handheld device, then the device form factor can be made smaller, but text input becomes ambiguous and requires disambiguation effort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice form factorVSAvoidtext input effort
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by proactively adding language objects from viewed web pages to the temporary dictionary before the user needs to input text. This anticipatory approach ensures that when users later need to input text about recently viewed topics, the relevant vocabulary is already available, reducing input effort without requiring a larger keyboard

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Quantity of substance

If words with low frequency or new words are not added to the dictionary, then the dictionary remains compact, but users must expend substantial effort to enter such words

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedictionary sizeVSAvoidtext entry effort
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a dynamic temporary dictionary that automatically adapts its contents based on user activity. When users view web pages, the system dynamically adds relevant language objects to the temporary dictionary, and when users input text, the system dynamically updates the dictionary based on usage frequency. This dynamic approach allows the dictionary to grow and shrink as needed, providing easy text entry for relevant words while maintaining a compact overall structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides self-service by automatically monitoring user behavior (web page viewing, text input patterns) and autonomously updating the temporary dictionary without requiring manual user intervention. The system serves itself by identifying which words should be added based on contextual cues from web page content and usage frequency, eliminating the need for users to manually manage dictionary contents

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If the temporary dictionary is continuously updated with new language objects, then text entry efficiency improves, but memory usage increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetext entry efficiencyVSAvoidmemory usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a lifecycle management approach for the temporary dictionary where language objects are automatically added when relevant (from web page viewing) and automatically removed after a predetermined time period or when no longer frequently used. This discarding and recovering mechanism ensures that the temporary dictionary contains only currently relevant vocabulary, improving text entry efficiency for active topics while preventing unbounded memory growth over time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Data Source

PatentEP2081119B1Obtaining new language objects for a temporary dictionary used by a disambiguation routine
Publication Date: 2018.03.07 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2081119B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2081119B1 patent drawingFigure 4A
  • EP2081119B1 patent drawingFigure 4B~4C

AI summary

A method of obtaining data for use on a handheld electronic device having a text disambiguation function which employs a dictionary including a number of first language objects that is usable by the text disambiguation function. The method includes receiving a block of information, displaying a representation of at least a portion of the block of information, and determining whether at least one of one or more predetermined events has occurred, wherein each of the events have been deemed to indicate that the information includes language objects that is accessible for use in disambiguating ambiguous inputs. If it is determined that at least one of the events has occurred, the method further includes obtaining a number of second language objects from the block of information and storing the number of second language objects in a temporary dictionary included in the memory and usable by the text disambiguation function.