Method and apparatus for inputting Chinese characters
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsHui Su, Qianying Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The inputting apparatus and method is disclosed which associates at least two keys consecutively pressed with a corresponding Chinese character stroke. When a user presses keys associated with the strokes constituting a Chinese character, the inputting method of the invention will generate various strokes based on the user input and then meaningful Chinese character. Since the Chinese character inputting method according to the invention is only concerned with the direction of consecutively pressing at least two keys, it is only necessary for the user to consider the direction of depression of the keys corresponding to the strokes when inputting strokes without considering which key is to be pressed, thereby greatly reducing the memory burden of the user.
Claims13
A Chinese character inputting apparatus, comprising:
- a keypad having a predetermined number of keys;
- and
- a converter which converts depressed key information generated by said keypad into stroke data corresponding to character strokes, wherein the depressed key information for each provided Chinese stroke is entered by the pressing of any two or more keys of said keypad, and wherein:
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a first pair of horizontally oriented keys,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least second pair of vertically oriented keys,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a third pair of keys oriented consecutively toward a lower-left direction,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a fourth pair of keys oriented consecutively toward a lower-right direction,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a fifth pair of keys oriented consecutively toward an upper-right direction,
- and an additional predetermined set of character strokes are entered by pressing two keys located respectively at peripherally opposing areas of said keypad.
A Chinese character inputting method, comprising the steps of:
- accepting depressed key information from a keypad having a predetermined number of keys, the depressed key information representing constituent character strokes which form Chinese characters;
- and
- converting the depressed key information representing character strokes into the corresponding Chinese characters, wherein the depressed key information for each provided Chinese stroke is entered by the pressing of any two or more keys of the keypad, and wherein:
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a first pair of horizontally oriented keys,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least second pair of vertically oriented keys,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a third pair of keys oriented consecutively toward a lower-left direction,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a fourth pair of keys oriented consecutively toward a lower-right direction,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a fifth pair of keys oriented consecutively toward an upper-right direction,
- and an additional predetermined set of character strokes are entered by pressing two keys located respectively at peripherally opposing areas of said keypad.
A computer program product comprising:
- a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for inputting Chinese characters, the computer readable program code in said computer program product effective in executing the steps of:
- accepting depressed key information from a keypad having a predetermined number of keys, the depressed key information representing constituent character strokes which form Chinese characters;
- and
- converting the depressed key information representing character strokes into the corresponding Chinese characters, wherein the depressed key information for each provided character stroke is entered by the pressing of any two or more keys of the keypad, and wherein:
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a first pair of horizontally oriented keys,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least second pair of vertically oriented keys,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a third pair of keys oriented consecutively toward a lower-left direction,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a fourth pair of keys oriented consecutively toward a lower-right direction,
- the Chinese stroke “” is entered by pressing at least a fifth pair of keys oriented consecutively toward an upper-right direction,
- and an additional predetermined set of Character strokes are entered by pressing two keys located respectively at peripherally opposing areas of said keypad.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.