Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Including keyboard
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-07
2001-10-23
Saras, Steven (Department: 2675)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Including keyboard
C341S028000, C707S793000, C400S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307541
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to data input technology, and more particularly, to a Chinese-character input method and system that allows users to input Chinese characters to a data processor with a reduced keyboard, such as a mobile-phone handset with a CCITT-compliant (Consultative Committee in International Telegraphy and Telephony) keyboard having only 12 keys. This invention allows the user to input Chinese characters to the data processor through a plurality of virtual keyboards which collectively display a set of phonetic symbols, such as those in the Mandarin Phonetic Symbol Set or the Roman Symbol Set, so that the user can perform the task of Chinese-character input through a pronunciation-based input scheme.
2. Description of Related Art
In this information age, electronic communication means, such as mobile phone and E-mail, have been replacing conventional mails for people to communicate with each other. The mobile phone, as a handy and convenient communication tool, is particularly rapidly expanding in the consumer market due to great demand from all walks of life. In Chinese-speaking areas, such as Taiwan, the sales in the past one year has exceeded the total of the past few years.
Conventional mobile-phone handsets only allow the user to perform speech communication. Newer models, in addition, allow the user to send E-mails and messages to the receiver. Since E-mail typically contains text, it is required to use the keyboard on the mobile-phone handset for text input. However, since a conventional mobile-phone handset is typically provided with a CCITT-compliant keyboard having 12 keys only, the text-input task is always laborious.
FIG. 1
is a front view of a conventional mobile-phone handset (designated by the reference numeral
100
) that utilizes a CCITT-compliant keyboard (designated by the reference numeral
110
). The mobile-phone handset
100
further includes a pair of control keys (SOFT)
121
,
122
; a shift key
123
; and a 168×98 LCD (liquid crystal display)
130
. The functions of the control keys
121
,
122
and shift key
123
are well-known and not within the spirit and scope of the invention, so detailed description thereof will not be given in this specification. The CCITT-compliant keyboard
110
includes
12
keys:
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, and
. The user can use these keys to input both numbers and English letters to the mobile-phone handset
100
,
10
which can then transmit the input message through radio link to the receiving side. When a specific key on the CCITT-compliant keyboard
110
is pressed, the number and letters printed on that key will be activated in a cyclic manner.
When the user wants to input a certain number, he/she needs just to press the key that prints the intended number. For instance, when the user wants to input the number “3” to the mobile-phone handset
100
, he/she needs just to press the
Key once.
On the other hand, when the user wants to input a certain English letter, he/she needs to repeatedly press the key that prints the intended letter for a specific number of times indicated by the order of that letter on the key. For instance, when the user wants to input the English letter “A”, he/she needs to repeatedly press th
key twice; when the user wants to input the English letter “E”, he/she needs to repeatedly press the
key for three times; and when the user wants to input the English letter “L”, he/she needs to repeatedly press the
for four times.
In addition to numbers and English letters, the CCITT-compliant keyboard
110
can also be used to input special symbols to the mobile-phone handset
100
that are customized by the manufacturer. For instance, when the user wants to input the symbol “>”, if provided, to the mobile-phone handset
100
, he/she may need to press the
jey repeatedly for 10 times. Inputting symbols to the mobile-phone handset
100
in such a manner may be highly laborious and time-consuming, but for a 12-key keyboard, it would usually be considered acceptable However, it nevertheless makes some advanced computer functions, such as networking and E-mail, very difficult to achieve. Moreover, using the 12-key CCITT-compliant keyboard
110
for Chinese input is even more laborious and time-consuming, so that running Chinese-based applications on the mobile-phone handset
100
is still quite difficult.
One solution to the foregoing problem is to couple the mobile-phone handset with a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or the like, whereby the task of Chinese-character input can be performed through the PDA. This is achieved by displaying a virtual keyboard on the LCD of the mobile-phone handset, and the virtual keyboard displays a set of phonetic symbols, such as those in the Mandarin Phonetic Symbol Set or the Roman Symbol Set to allow the user to perform the task of Chinese-character input through a pronunciation-based input scheme. A certain key on the virtual keyboard can be activated by touching that key with hand or pen.
One drawback to the foregoing solution, however, is that the displayed virtual keyboard on the LCD is quite small in size due to the LCD itself being very small in size, which makes the touching of each individual key on the virtual keyboard quite difficult to be targeted precisely. In consequence, wrong keys can often be mistakenly selected.
Moreover, since the above-mentioned virtual keyboard is activated by the coupled PDA and not by the CCITT-compliant keyboard on the mobile-phone handset, it would make the use of the mobile-phone handset more inconvenient.
To find solutions to the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, it is still a research effort in the industry to develop an easy-to-use Chinese-character input method and system that allows the user to perform the task of Chinese-character input to the mobile-phone handset more conveniently and efficiently through the CCITT-compliant keyboard.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide a novel Chinese-character input method and system for a data processor with a reduced keyboard, which allows the user to perform the task of Chinese-character input to the data processor more conveniently and efficiently.
It is another objective of this invention to provide a novel Chinese-character input method and system for mobile-phone handset, which allows the mobile-phone handset to be expanded in Chinese-based applications.
In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives of this invention, a new Chinese-character input method and system is provided for use on a data processor with a reduced keyboard.
The Chinese-character input method and system of the invention is characterized in the use of a plurality of virtual keyboards, which are arranged in relational layers and used collectively to display a set of phonetic symbols, such as those in the Mandarin Phonetic Symbol Set or the Roman Symbol Set. These virtual keyboards are arranged in relational layers in accordance with the Mandarin Phonetic-Symbol Combination Rules or the Chinese Roman-Symbol Combination Rules, so that the user can perform the task of Chiese-character input to the data processor more conveniently and efficiently than the prior art.
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patent: 6005498 (1999-12-01), Yang et al.
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patent: WO 98 47302 A (1998-10-01), None
patent: WO 99 34645 (1999-07-01), None
Ho Chi-Yu
Jiang Chun
Wang Chang
Bell Paul A.
Corless Peter F.
Edwards & Angell LLP
Inventec C'orporation
Saras Steven
LandOfFree
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