TEXT INPUTTING SYSTEM

摘要

A method is described for allowing a user to input letters to form text words, the method using a display (10) for displaying a series of screens and an input device, e.g. a keyboard (12), each screen being in the form of a matrix of cells, that is capable of displaying letters within the cells and the input device being capable of selecting letters within the cells. Words are input by: 1) displaying a first screen in which commonly occurring individual letters appear alone in some of the cells and the remaining letters of the character are displayed in the remaining cells; 2) selecting a letter by either: a) if the desired letter is displayed individually in a cell of the first screen, then selecting the cell containing that letter by pressing the key of the keyboard corresponding to the cell of the matrix or b) if the desired letter is displayed in a cell that also displays other letters, then selecting the cell containing the desired letter by pressing the key of the keyboard corresponding to the cell of the matrix and displaying a second screen in which individual letters from the selected cell of the first screen appear alone in cells of the second screen and selecting the cell containing the desired letter by means of the input device; 3) searching in a stored dictionary for words containing the letter or letters that have been selected by the user and displaying at least one such word, and a) allowing the user to select the word as inputted text; or b) allowing the user to enter further letters of the word by repeating steps (1 to 3); or c) allowing the user to end the word, thereby entering the word as inputted text, and, if required, allowing the user to enter the next word starting at step (1) above.