Handheld electronic device with text disambiguation and selective disabling of frequency learning
View Patent ↗A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is 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 is likely to have intended a particular output, but various features of the device provide additional variants that are not based solely on frequency and rather are provided by various logic structures resident on the device. The device provides a learning function that allows the disambiguation function to adapt to provide a customized experience for the user. The learning function is disabled, however, when the relevant words are found to be in a special category for which frequency learning, i.e., frequency revision, is not employed.
1. An input method for use in a handheld electronic device having a memory storing a plurality of language objects, the method comprising:
detecting input of a set of characters;
determining that at least a first language object and a second language object each correspond with at least a portion of the set of characters, the first language object being associated with a first frequency value, and the second language object being associated with a second frequency value;
making at least one of a first determination that the first frequency value associated with the first language object and the second frequency value associated with the second language object are both higher than a first predetermined threshold, or a second determination that a difference between the first frequency value associated with the first language object and the second frequency value associated with the second language object is smaller than a second predetermined threshold;
responsive to making the at least one determination, maintaining the first frequency value associated with the first language object and the second frequency value associated with the second language object; and
outputting a default output and a number of variant outputs in order of decreasing frequency value, the default output comprising one of the first language object and the second language object that is associated with a higher frequency value of the first and second frequency values, the number of variant output comprising other of the first language object and the second language object.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
making an additional determination that the first and second language objects are each of a length equal to a length of the set of characters.
3. A handheld electronic device comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing a plurality of language objects and a number of routines which, when executed on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising:
detecting input of a set of characters;
determining that at least a first language object and a second language object each correspond with at least a portion of the set of characters, the first language object being associated with a first frequency, and the second language object being associated with a second frequency value;
making at least one of a first determination that the first frequency value associated with the first language object and the second frequency value associated with the second language object are both higher than a first predetermined threshold, or a second determination that a difference between the first frequency value associated with the first language object and the second frequency value associated with the second language object is smaller than a second predetermined threshold;
responsive to making the at least one determination, maintaining the first frequency value associated with the first language object and the second frequency value associated with the second language object; and
outputting a default output and a number of variant outputs in order of decreasing frequency value, the default output comprising one of the first decreasing frequency value, the default output comprising one of the first language object and the second language object that is associated with a higher frequency value of the first and second frequency values, the number of variant output comprising other of the first language object and the second language object.
4. The handheld electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the operations further comprise:
making an additional determination that the first and second language objects are each of a length equal to a length of the set of characters.