Mobile terminal device implementing character-pictogram translation using pictogram search site
View Patent ↗A search execution part of a mobile terminal device searches for pictogram data from a search site on the Internet by use of an input character string serving as a keyword, thus displaying them as translation candidates in a translation candidate display area. When a thumbnail image, corresponding to pictogram data, is selected from among the displayed translation candidates, real image data of the corresponding pictogram is downloaded from the search site. A list display generation part forwards the downloaded image data to an email editing part, and then the email editing part displays the downloaded image data, which may be subjected to an editing process, at the position of character string data in a character input area (i.e. a display area during email generation).
1. A mobile terminal device comprising:
a controller connectible to at least one search site which is determined as a default search site in advance according to a user setting in association with an email editing operation;
a memory configured to store, in the mobile terminal device, a plurality of translation candidates corresponding to a plurality of character data, a plurality of primary translation candidates corresponding to a first set of pictogram data, the user setting representing the default search site used to search a plurality of secondary translation candidates corresponding to a second set of pictogram data and a search count indicating a maximum number of the plurality of secondary translation candidates to be downloaded according to a capacity of the memory; and
a display having a character input display area and a translation candidate display area, wherein the character input display area is able to display a character string while the translation candidate display area is able to collectively display a predetermined number of translation candidates selected from among the plurality of translation candidates, the plurality of primary translation candidates, and the plurality of secondary translation candidates,
wherein the controller is configured to carry out a character-pictogram translation by:
(i) detecting a keyword included in the character string input by a user upon activating the email editing operation,
(ii) searching at least one primary translation candidate from among the plurality of primary translation candidates stored on the memory in correspondence with the keyword,
(iii) automatically downloading at least one secondary translation candidate from the at least one search site in correspondence with the keyword in a priority order of preferentially extracting the plurality of secondary translation candidates,
(iv) displaying the predetermined number of translation candidates including the translation candidate, the primary translation candidate, and the secondary translation candidate in the translation candidate display area,
(v) allowing the user to select a specific translation candidate from among the predetermined number of translation candidates displayed in the translation candidate display area,
(vi) further downloading real image data corresponding to the secondary translation candidate when the user selects thumbnail image data serving as the secondary translation candidate, and
(vii) replacing the keyword with the specific translation candidate selected by the user in the character input display area.
2. A character-pictogram translation method implemented by a mobile terminal device connectible to at least one search site serving as a default search site according to a user setting, the mobile terminal device comprising a memory configured to store, in the mobile terminal device, a plurality of translation candidates corresponding to a plurality of character data, a plurality of primary translation candidates corresponding to a first set of pictogram data, the user setting representing the default search site used to search a plurality of secondary translation candidates corresponding to a second set of pictogram data, and a search count indicating a maximum number of the plurality of secondary translation candidates to be downloaded according to a capacity of the memory, and a display having a character input display area and a translation candidate display area, the character-pictogram translation method comprising:
detecting a keyword included in a character string input by a user with the character input display area upon activating an email editing operation,
searching at least one primary translation candidate from among the plurality of primary translation candidates stored on the memory in correspondence with the keyword,
automatically downloading at least one secondary translation candidate from the at least one search site in correspondence with the keyword in a priority order of preferentially extracting the plurality of secondary translation candidates,
collectively displaying a predetermined number of translation candidates including the translation candidate, the primary translation candidate, and the secondary translation candidate in the translation candidate display area,
allowing the user to select a specific translation candidate from among the predetermined number of translation candidates displayed in the translation candidate display area,
further downloading real image data corresponding to the secondary translation candidate when the user selects thumbnail image data serving as the secondary translation candidate, and
replacing the keyword with the specific translation candidate selected by the user in the character input display area.
3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller implements a predictive translation function to predict a predictive keyword, which is not included in the character string input by the user, according to the character string previously input by the user so as to carry out a further character-pictogram translation using the predictive keyword when selecting the primary translation candidate or the secondary translation candidate in order to search the pictogram data.
4. The character-pictogram translation method according to claim 2 , further comprising predicting a predictive keyword, which is not included in the character string input by the user, according to the character string previously input by the user so as to use the predictive keyword when selecting the primary translation candidate or the secondary translation candidate in order to search the pictogram data.