Handheld electronic device with text disambiguation
A handheld electronic device enabled with disambiguation software. The device provides output in the form of a default output and a number of variants. The output is based largely upon the frequency, i.e., the likelihood that a user intended a particular output, but various features of the device provide additional variants that are provided by logic structures resident on the device. The device enables editing during text entry and provides a learning function that allows the disambiguation function to adapt to provide a customized experience for the user. The disambiguation function can be selectively disabled and an alternate keystroke interpretation system provided. Additionally, the device can facilitate the selection of variants by displaying a graphic of a special <NEXT> key of the keypad that enables a user to progressively select variants without changing the position of the user's hands on the device.
1. A method of enabling input into a handheld electronic device having a processor, a memory storing language objects, and a plurality of selectable keys for input to the handheld electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting, by the processor, an ambiguous input comprising a number of selections from the keys;
determining that one of the key selections of the ambiguous input represents a symbol from among a number of predetermined symbols;
upon determining that the symbol corresponds to delimiter signals, employing the one of the key selections as a delimiter input to delimit the selections that precede the one of the key selections; and
identifying from within the memory a language object that corresponds with the delimited key selections that precede the one of the key selections.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising seeking a language object that corresponds with any delimited key selections that are subsequent to the one of the key selections.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that no language object in the memory corresponds with the ambiguous input and, responsive thereto, initiating the determining that one of the key selections is a selection of key having assigned thereto a symbol from among a number of predetermined symbols.
4. A handheld electronic device comprising:
a processor unit comprising a processor, an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a memory having stored therein a plurality of objects including a plurality of language objects;
the input apparatus comprising a plurality of keys;
the memory further having stored therein a number of routines which, when executed on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising:
detecting an ambiguous input comprising a number of selections of the keys;
determining that one of the key selections of the ambiguous input is a selection of a key having assigned thereto a symbol from among a number of predetermined symbols;
upon determining that the symbol corresponds to delimiter signals, employing the one of the key selections as a delimiter input to delimit the selections that precede the one of the key selections; and
identifying from within the memory a language object that corresponds with the delimited key selections that precede the one of the key selections.
5. The handheld electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise seeking a language object that corresponds with any delimited selections that are subsequent to the one of the key selections.
6. The handheld electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise determining that no language object in the memory corresponds with the ambiguous input and, responsive thereto, initiating the determining that one of the key selections is a selection of an input member having assigned thereto a symbol from among a number of predetermined symbols.