Language conversion and display

Abstract

A language input architecture receives input text (e.g., phonetic text of a character-based language) entered by a user from an input device (e.g., keyboard, voice recognition). The input text is converted to an output text (e.g., written language text of a character-based language). The language input architecture has a user interface that displays the output text and unconverted input text in line with one another. As the input text is converted, it is replaced in the UI with the converted output text. In addition to this in-line input feature, the UI enables in-place editing or error correction without requiring the user to switch modes from an entry mode to an edit mode. To assist with this in-place editing, the UI presents pop-up windows containing the phonetic text from which the output text was converted as well as first and second candidate lists that contain small and large sets of alternative candidates that might be used to replace the current output text. The language input user interface also allows a user to enter a mixed text of different languages.

1 . A method comprising: 
 receiving input text entered by a user;    converting the input text to an output text; and    displaying the input text and the output text within a common entry line.    
   
   
       2 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input text comprises a phonetic text and the output text comprises a character-based language text.  
   
   
       3 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input text comprises Chinese Pinyin and the output text comprises Chinese Hanzi.  
   
   
       4 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the displaying comprises displaying the input text and the output text together within a common horizontal line.  
   
   
       5 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the displaying comprises depicting the output text in place of the input text from which the output text was converted.  
   
   
       6 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising modifying the output text as additional input text is entered.  
   
   
       7 . A method as recited in  claim 6 , further comprising ceasing to further modify the output text as additional input text is entered in response to user entry of punctuation.  
   
   
       8 . A method as recited in  claim 6 , further comprising ceasing to further modify the output text as additional input text is entered in response to user confirmation of the output text.  
   
   
       9 . A method as recited in  claim 6 , further comprising ceasing, in response to user confirmation of the output text, to modify the output text while leaving unconverted input text active for modification.  
   
   
       10 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising selectively modifying the output text as additional input text is entered such that no modification is made if such modification results in only a minor improvement.  
   
   
       11 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising enabling a user to edit the output text within the common entry line without switching from an entry mode to an edit mode.  
   
   
       12 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to user selection of output text for editing, depicting an edit window adjacent to the selected output text in the entry line.  
   
   
       13 . A method as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the entry line is oriented in a first direction and further comprising orienting the edit window in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.  
   
   
       14 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to user selection of output text for editing, depicting an input text hint window adjacent to the selected output text in the entry line, the input text hint window containing the input text from which the selected output text was converted.  
   
   
       15 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to user selection of output text for editing, depicting a first candidate list adjacent to the selected output text in the entry line, the first candidate list containing one or more alternate output text candidates that may be substituted for the selected output text.  
   
   
       16 . A method as recited in  claim 15 , further comprising ordering the output text candidates within the first candidate list according to a ranking.  
   
   
       17 . A method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the first candidate list is scrollable, and further comprising animating movement of the output text candidates as the list is scrolled.  
   
   
       18 . A method as recited in  claim 15 , further comprising depicting a second candidate list containing a complete set of output text candidates than the first candidate list.  
   
   
       19 . A method as recited in  claim 18 , further comprising arranging the output text candidates in the second candidate list according to complexity of character construction.  
   
   
       20 . A method as recited in  claim 18 , further comprising: 
 ordering the output text candidates in the first candidate list according to a first metric; and    arranging the output text candidates in the second candidate list according to a second metric different than the first metric.    
   
   
       21 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the entry line is oriented in a first direction, and further comprising, in response to user selection of output text for editing: 
 depicting an input text hint window above the selected output text in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the input text hint window containing the input text from which the selected output text was converted; and    depicting a first candidate window below the selected output text in the second direction, the first candidate window containing one or more alternate output text candidates that may be substituted for the selected output text.    
   
   
       22 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input text comprises phonetic and non-phonetic text, further comprising: 
 converting the phonetic text to language text; and    displaying the language text, the non-phonetic text, and newly entered phonetic text within the common entry line.    
   
   
       23 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising enabling a user to enter input text containing at least two languages without switching from a first entry mode for a first language and a second entry mode for a second language.  
   
   
       24 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input text comprises individual input characters, further comprising converting at least one of the input characters to the output text when at least one input character is displayed and at most six input characters are displayed.  
   
   
       25 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input text comprises individual input characters, further comprising: 
 evaluating at least two conversion candidates for matching characters; and    if at least one character from both conversion candidates match, converting at least one input character to the matching character.    
   
   
       26 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input text comprises individual input characters, further comprising always displaying a most recently entered input character.  
   
   
       27 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input text comprises individual input characters, further comprising converting at least one input character to the output text of a first most likely conversion candidate if the first most likely conversion candidate scores significantly higher than a second most likely conversion candidate.  
   
   
       28 . One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a processor, direct a computer to perform the method as recited in  claim 1 .  
   
   
       29 . A method comprising: 
 displaying phonetic text as a user enters the phonetic text; and    displaying language text upon conversion from the phonetic text, the language text being presented in place of the phonetic text from which the language text is converted so that the language text and any unconverted phonetic text are displayed together.    
   
   
       30 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , wherein the phonetic text comprises a Chinese Pinyin and the language text comprises a Chinese Hanzi.  
   
   
       31 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , further comprising displaying the unconverted phonetic text and the language text together within a common horizontal line.  
   
   
       32 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , further comprising modifying the language text as additional phonetic text is entered.  
   
   
       33 . A method as recited in  claim 32 , further comprising ceasing to further modify the language text as additional phonetic text is entered in response to user entry of punctuation.  
   
   
       34 . A method as recited in  claim 32 , further comprising ceasing to further modify the language text as additional phonetic text is entered in response to user confirmation of the language text.  
   
   
       35 . A method as recited in  claim 32 , further comprising ceasing, in response to user confirmation of the language text, to modify the language text while leaving unconverted phonetic text active for modification.  
   
   
       36 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , further comprising modifying the language text to second language text as additional phonetic text is entered if the second language text is significantly more likely to have been intended.  
   
   
       37 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , further comprising enabling a user to edit the language text without switching from an entry mode to an edit mode.  
   
   
       38 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , further comprising, in response to user selection of language text for editing, displaying an edit window adjacent to the selected language text.  
   
   
       39 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , further comprising, in response to user selection of language text for editing: 
 displaying a phonetic text hint proximal to the selected language text, the phonetic text hint containing the phonetic text from which the selected language text was converted; and    displaying a reduced-set candidate list proximal to the selected language text, the candidate list containing a reduced set of one or more alternate language text candidates that may be substituted for the selected language text.    
   
   
       40 . A method as recited in  claim 39 , further comprising ordering the language text candidates within the candidate list according to a ranking.  
   
   
       41 . A method as recited in  claim 39 , wherein the candidate list is scrollable, and further comprising animating movement of the language text candidates as the list is scrolled.  
   
   
       42 . A method as recited in  claim 39 , further comprising displaying a full-set candidate list containing a complete set of language text candidates than the reduced-set candidate list.  
   
   
       43 . A method as recited in  claim 42 , further comprising arranging the language text candidates in the full-set candidate list according to complexity of character construction.  
   
   
       44 . A method as recited in  claim 42 , further comprising: 
 ordering the language text candidates in the reduced-set candidate list according to a first metric; and    arranging the language text candidates in the full-set candidate list according to a second metric different than the first metric.    
   
   
       45 . A method as recited in  claim 29 , wherein the phonetic text comprises individual characters, further comprising converting at least one of the phonetic characters to the language text when at least one phonetic character is displayed and at most six phonetic characters are displayed.  
   
   
       46 . One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a processor, direct a computer to perform the method as recited in  claim 29 .  
   
   
       47 . A method comprising: 
 presenting a user interface to receive phonetic text and non-phonetic text entered by a user;    converting the phonetic text to a language text; and    displaying together the language text, the non-phonetic text, and unconverted phonetic text.    
   
   
       48 . A method as recited in  claim 47 , further comprising displaying the language text, the non-phonetic text, and the unconverted phonetic text in-line within a common horizontal line.  
   
   
       49 . A method as recited in  claim 47 , further comprising displaying the non-phonetic text differently than the unconverted phonetic text so that the non-phonetic text appears differently than the unconverted phonetic text.  
   
   
       50 . A method as recited in  claim 47 , further comprising displaying the non-phonetic text in a first font and the unconverted phonetic text in a second font different from the first font.  
   
   
       51 . A method as recited in  claim 47 , further comprising displaying the non-phonetic text in a first color and the unconverted phonetic text in a second color different from the first color.  
   
   
       52 . One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a processor, direct a computer to perform the method as recited in  claim 47.