Method for optimization of soft keyboards for multiple languages
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsXiaojun Bi, Barton A. Smith, Shumin Zhai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, and program product for optimizing soft keyboards with multiple languages is disclosed. The text of multiple languages may be analyzed for optimization. Constraints may be chosen for key positions on the keyboard. A mean time of inputting a character in each of the multiple languages may be calculated, which may result in mean times for inputting the character in the languages. The average of the mean times may be determined and minimized. The keys on a soft keyboard may be arranged in a manner for optimal input on the soft keyboard for the multiple languages.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- selecting multiple languages for a keyboard;
- obtaining a text corpus for each of the multiple languages;
- and
- obtaining, for each of the multiple languages, a mean time to input each of a plurality of characters in the text corpus to the keyboard for one of the multiple languages;
- simultaneously optimizing the keyboard for the selected multiple languages by:
- analyzing the text corpus for each of the multiple languages to obtain a digram frequency table;
- selecting key positions for characters on the keyboard based on an average distance traveled to type one of the characters and a frequency of moving from one of the characters to another one of the characters;
- selecting constraints for the key positions for the characters on the keyboard;
- and
- using a Metropolis method to average the obtained mean times to input one of the characters to the keyboard for each of the multiple languages and determine placement for the positions of the characters on the keyboard for higher user input speed on the keyboard, based on the digram frequency table and additional constraints.
An apparatus comprising:
- a computing device configured to optimize a soft keyboard for multiple languages simultaneously, by using a method to minimize an average of mean times to input a character on the soft keyboard in each of the multiple languages and thereby determine placement for the positions of the characters on the soft keyboard for higher user input speed on the soft keyboard, based on a digram frequency table, a correlation coefficient of letters between the multiple languages and digram frequency distributions of the multiple languages, and additional predetermined constraints.
A computer program product stored on a computer hardware storage device comprising computer readable code embodied therewith for optimizing a soft keyboard for multiple languages, the computer readable program code being configured to simultaneously optimize the soft keyboard in multiple languages by:
- obtaining, for each of the multiple languages, a mean time to input each of a plurality of characters to the soft keyboard for one of the multiple languages;
- analyzing correlation of the multiple languages based on a correlation coefficient reflecting a degree of correlation between the multiple languages, using a single basic set of characters for all of the multiple languages, with some languages having extra characters;
- and
- using an application of a Metropolis method to determine placement for the positions of the characters on the soft keyboard by minimizing an average of the obtained mean times to input the plurality characters on the soft keyboard for each of the multiple languages for higher user input speed on the soft keyboard, based on a digram frequency table and additional constraints.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.