Entry of words with thumbwheel by disambiguation

Patent 6392640 Issued on May 21, 2002. Estimated Expiration Date:

March 27, 2020. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventor

Will, Craig Alexander

Assignee

Cognitive Research & Design Corp.

Application

No. 536859 filed on 03/27/2000

US Classes:

345/184Mechanical control (e.g., rotatable knob, slider)

Examiners

Primary: Liang, Regina

International Class

G09G 005/00

Abstract

An improved method and apparatus for entering words with a menu and thumbwheel. A menu and thumbwheel is an effective user interface for certain specialized miniature information appliances, including personal digital assistants, two-way pagers, and handheld wireless Web access devices. However, entering text can be rather tedious. In the present invention, the average entry speed is increased by using menus in which each item contains more than one letter. The user enters the first few letters of a word ambiguously, with the system retrieving from a dictionary those words consistent with the letters and displaying them as part of the menu. When the user sees the desired word, that word is selected. The system can also learn which words a particular user is likely to enter, further speeding up entry. The approach is applicable to the entry of words to compose natural language text as well as the entry of names, electronic mail, and Web addresses for use with electronic mail, directory lookup, and Web browsing.