Title of Invention

A NUMERICAL KEYPAD FOR CHARACTER ENTRIES IN INDIC SCRIPTS

Abstract

A numerical keypad for character entries in Indic scripts consisting of 12 to 15 keys: consisting of eight keys having two layers one on on which the basic consonants capable of aspiration or extension are distributed and a second layer on which the vowels are distributed ; a toggle key for switching layers; an extender key for converting the selected basic consonant or vowel to its extended form; a truncator key for converting the consonant into its truncated form either as a halant or as a Nukta and an independent key for character corresponding to the phonetic sound 'H'.

Full Text

FORM-2 THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) COMPLETE Specification (Section 10; rule 13) A NUMERICAL KEYPAD FOR CHARACTER ENTRIES IN INDIC SCRIPTS PENFOSYS PRIVATE LIMITED of 291,Somawar Peth,Pune411 Oil, Maharashtra, India, an Indian Company GRANTED 19/10/2004 THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE NATURE OF THIS INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED:- ORIGINAL 731/MUMNP/2003 21/7/2003 The invention relates to a keypad deployed to input Indic scripts on hand-held devices such as Mobile Phones, PDA's and other such hardware where memory constraint as well as the number of keys is a determining parameter. The keypad in accordance with this invention is extendible also to other scripts such as Urdu, Sindhi, Kashmiri as well as a large number of scripts recognised by Unicode with the possible exception of Chinese Japanese and Korean. Two theoretical approaches in the prior art are possible of which one has been deployed by Nokia only for Devanagari. The simple solution involves mapping 5 to 13 characters one to one key and accessing the characters by sequentially pressing the key. The Nokia solution, for example, consists of simply dividing the Devanagari alphabet into manageable chunks (around 5-6 in number) which are mapped onto the keys of the Phone-pad. The problem with this approach is that there are to many key presses which militates against the prolific use of this scheme. The solution (deployed by Nokia) is a source of user-irritation since the characters are not mapped in terms of their utility and frequency but are mapped only on the basis of their order in the alphabet. Thus to get a very common character in Devanagari such as "m" the user would have to press the key 5 ,times. Similar situations arise for other characters. Because of such a large number of key-taps, the user loses patience and does not want to use the key-pad to enter Devanagari. Another solution known as The Matrix solution, is more for a machine, rather than for a human being and because of this lack of an intelligent human interface and also because it is not in consonance with Shannon's information theory, the solution demands a very high learning curve, thereby discouraging the user. A two key approach has also been attempted where the basic characters are mapped on the numeric keys as sets which are exhibited on a first key press and by using a cursor arrow key or using a numerical approach the send selection is done. This approach also suffers from the same defects as the first approach as it does not take into account the special nature of Indic/Brahmi scripts. An object of this invention is to remove the limitation of existing devices either theoretically possible or in application such as the Nokia key-pad which have the disadvantages of a very high learning-curve, thereby contributing to user-irritation; which disadvantages are obviated in the keypad in accordance with this invention whose input mechanism, closely linked to hardware, is based on mathematical as well as Linguistic principles inherent to Indic scripts. Another object of this invention is that by the deployment of an intelligent interface based on mathematical as well as linguistic theories with calls to hardware, the keypad in accordance with this invention provides the user with the least number of key- taps to enter a character. Moreover because of its intelligent design based on linguistic principles inherent to Brahmi scripts, the key pad in accordance with this invention has a very short' learning-curve since the user relates to the data-entry as part of a learning mechanism which he has already acquired in mastering his mother-tongue. According to this invention there is provided a numerical keypad for character entries in Indic scripts consisting of 12 to 15 keys: consisting of eight keys having two layers one on which the basic consonants capable of aspiration or extension are distributed and a second layer on which the vowels are distributed ; a toggle key for switching layers; an extender key for converting the selected basic consonant or vowel to its extended form; a truncator key for converting the consonant into its truncated form either as a halant or as a Nukta and an independent key for character corresponding to the phonetic sound 'H' In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, the said extender key is the said independent key. The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 to 7 show examples of basic characters in the Hindi language of the Brahmi script. Figure 8 shows the. lay out of a keypad in accordance with this invention Figure 9 shows a block diagram showing the working of the key pad of figure 8. THE LINGUISTIC CONSTRUCT behind this invention: Indic script languages have typically 40 to 70 distinct characters, unlike roman scripts which have 25 to 30 characters. Apart from the separate characters of consonants and vowels seen in figures 1 and 2 respectively, these languages have half characters also called 'halants' [figure 4] and 'nuktas' [figure 5] which make the consonant soft . Vowels linked with consonants get converted to Matras [figure 3]. The matras include anusvaras which nasalize the consonant. In addition there are ligatures which are complicated conjuncts that change form as seen in figure 6 and normal conjuncts that do not change form as seen in figure 7. Underlying principles inherent to Indic scripts have been exploited in the linguistic design of the key-pad in accordance with this invention to make it logically accessible to an Indic user who has been exposed to this logic since childhood. These are : ASPIRATE vs. NON-ASPIRATE The Indic scripts (with the exception of Tamil) show a systematic range of consonants starting from the back of the oral cavity and arriving at the front of the oral cavity (lip region). These are known as Vargas. Each varga displays a two way pattern: unaspirate and aspirate. Thus are k,kh are distinguished by a simple absence of presence of « aspiration » i.e. extending the consonant by addition of the h .This pattern governs 5 classes of consonants and has been used systematically in Urdu, Kashmiri. The addition of the he-do-chashm to a non-aspirate generates out the aspirate form, thereby deriving economy. Thus kh is a combination of k (kaaf) followed by he-do-chashm. This principle has been used in accordance with this invention for deriving economy. The EXT. key just extends the unaspirate consonant to make it an aspirate one. At the cost of one key-tap, a large number of characters are displayed and this with a logic in consonance with the native intelligence of the user. a. LONG vs. SHORT : A similar economy is derived in the Vowels. Every speaker of Indian languages knows that in the case of vowels the basic distinction between short and long is crucial and covers a wide range of vowel sets. Short vowels are the basic vowels and the long vowels are derived from them by extending the short vowel. This principle has been incorporated in the key pad in accordance with this invention . Only the basic vowels are shown, the long ones are derived by the press of an EXT. key. As in the case of consonants considerable economy is derived. b. MATRA vs. VOWEL LOGIC : The use of Matra and the full Vowel is once again a concept every Indian child learns instinctively. Displaying the matras and the vowels separately on the mobile key-pad is an expensive proposal and hence the logic learned by the native user is deployed in this case. THE MATHEMATICAL CONSTRUCT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS INVENTION: The invention makes use of the notion of free and fixed keys as seen in figure 8. There are 8 fixed keys kl to k8 and 3 free keys. Each key will have 2 consonants and 1 vowel assigned to that. The three free keys are the truncator/Ligature key, [TR] the toggle [TO] or Swara Key and the Extender/Modifier Key [E]. The fixed keys have special characters allotted to them and are mainly the basic consonants and vowels but in two layers . These are eight in number . Combined with the free keys) they can generate out as per a logic easily understandable by the native user of the language, all the characters within the Indie scripts both Indo-Aryan and Dravidian. The free keys are basically three in number ie. the toggle key TO, the extender key E and the truncator key TR. They are termed modifiers, because they are basically modifiers and can modify the fixed key by a logic inherent within the Indic scripts and hence easily comprehensible to the user. Each is defined below : The toggle or Swara key TO allows for quick generation of the Vowel. Indic vowels are short and long. The toggle key TO allows toggling from the consonant layer to the vowel layer. The short vowels will be displayed on the key-pad ; the long vowels can be generated out by pressing the Toggle key +extender/modifier key (E). This means that any vowel or matra will not exceed 2-3 key strokes at the most. The commutation of matras and vowels can be done by an intelligent logic built within the system. The /truncator/Ligature key TR allows for creation of ligatures. In addition two taps on this key (TR) which generates the truncator or halant or nukta , allow for generation of parivardhit (extended) characters which are used in Dravidian as well as Oriya and Bangla and Assamese characters. The Extender/Modifier key E works at three levels. 1] When combined with consonants, it generates out the aspirate forms of the consonant i.e. the basic consonant+ /H/, often termed as Mahaprana in Sanskrit. Thus 'Ka' becomes 'Kha', 'ga' become 'gha',/ta' become 'tha' etc. 2] When combined with vowels it generates out the long vowels of each set. 3] On two taps it yields the /h/ consonant. Thus a novel feature of this invention is the provision of an exclusive key for representing either the consonant 'H' or 'Ha' or aspirating a normal vowel by introducing the 'Ha' sound in it. The basic character layout of one embodiment of the the keypad in accordance with this invention is seen in figure 8. Keys kl to k8 represent the character keys which are provided in two layers. These two layers are differently coloured for identification. Thus the basic consonant keys are in one layer and the vowels are on the same keys kl to k8 on another layer. The toggle key TO is provided which enables a user to switch from one layer to another. Thus without toggling if a key from kl to k8 is pressed it will result in a consonant being displayed on the display screen DS. If a toggle is pressed the corresponding vowel for the key will be displayed. The respective vowel matras are placed in the fixed keys. The vowel matra keys can be generated by pressing a consonant followed by the toggle key. The system rules out any stand alone vowel matras. The Aspirated layer is generated by pressing a basic key followed by the Extender/Modifier key E. The aspirated form of the respective basic key is given. The toggling of the vowel layer helps in using the vowels easier with less number of keystrokes. When the toggle key TO alone is pressed the basic layer changes to the vowel layer, where the first tap will give the vowel assigned to that basic key. Half characters and other truncated characters are obtained by pressing the truncator key TR. For eg : To type 'kya' in Hindi, The key for 'ka' is pressed (for example kl). Followed by this press key (TR) to place the halant and then press key number (k7) for placing the 'ya'. This will make the 'ka' as its half form and joins with the 'ya'. All the half forms can be generated by pressing the ligature key TR here. To add the 'Aa' matra, press the toggle key TO followed by key number k2. After pressing the toggle key, the matra layout is obtained. To generate the aspirated / extended keys. For eg: to type 'Khel', first of all press key number k2 to get 'ka'. As we want the aspirated form of 'ka' i.e 'Kha' press the Extender/Modifier E key to get that. To place an 'EY', press the toggle key TO followed by the key number k3. Place a 'la' by pressing the key number k8 twice. Pressing the basic character followed by the Extender/Modifier key E can generate all aspirated forms. The extender/ Modifier key is the 'ha' key which is most frequently used alphabet in the Hindi and any of the Indic languages A commonly used ligature For Eg : To type "kshamA", can be obtained as follows press the toggle key first, which will give the vowel layer. Press the k8 number key twice to get the ligature 'ksha' . To get "ma", press the key number k9. To add the 'Aa' matra, press the toggle key followed by key number k2. After pressing the toggle key, the vowel layer is accessed. Compliance with Hardware : The scheme of this invention makes calls to the hardware switches as shown in the figure 9 . The keypad is totally compliant with the hardware of the device. The keypad may be a num pad or a PC or the keys of a mobile phone or that of a PDA or any such keypad that can provide eleven keys/switches for use of text entry. The block diagram in figure 9 is a typical method of the implementation of key layout in accordance with this invention. The key layout in accordance with this invention can be used to create text in Indian languages using eleven switches(keys). The switches S1, S2, and S3 are physical switches connected to a hardware which is capable of identifying the key pressed. The hardware generates a corresponding unique code(identity of the switch/key) when a key/switch is pressed. This code is passed as an input to a processor software which interprets the code and generates a character. There are stored in the memory of the hardware databases which are accessed by the keys. For example, keys kl to k8 accesses the basic character data base BCdB, however a third press of the keys kl to k8 fetches a vowel from the vowel data base VdB associated with the particular key. Thus kl is associated with the vowel 'Aa' . Pressing the toggle key TO actuates the switch S1 through the modifier the permanent memory PERM. In the first instance pressing of the key TO causes the switch S1 to toggle between the BCdB the basic consonant data base and the Vowel data base, as modified by the permanent memory PERM. If the preceding character displayed before the wanted character is a consonant then control is automatically transferred to the Matra data base Mdb so that instead of the full vowel the corresponding matra gets attached to the preceding consonant, else the full vowel is displayed from the vowel database. This happens only if the toggle is done for the first character of the message. The extender key operates switch S3 through the temporary memory which is time controlled by the clock C in the system hardware. The switch S3 can access any of the data bases including the basic consonant character data base BCdB, the vowel database VdB, the matra database MdB, and the extended database EdB. Extension is as follows: If the temporary memory is empty, it means that the user wants to display the character 'H\ If the temporary memory has a consonant, then the extender key will extend the consonant to its aspirated form as fetched from the extender data base EdB. If the temporary memory shows a vowel resident therein, then the extender key will fetch its longer form thus 'Oo' becomes 'Ooooo', 'Ee' becomes 'Eeeee' the longer form of the respective vowels. Once again if the temporary memory shows as matra, the extender key will fetch the longer form or the extended form of the matra from the extended data base. Finally the truncator key TR acts somewhat in the reverse manner than the extender key. The truncator key is linked to the permanent memory and is modified thereby. IF the truncator key sees a consonant resident in the permanent memory [created by the preceding key stroke] it will pass control alternately to the halant or the Nukta databases ie HdB or NdB [as seen in figures 4 and 5 respectively] Thus for instance if the previous character is a 'ka', on pressing the truncator key for the first time the halant version of 'ka' gets formed, if now the truncator key is pressed a second time the nukta version of the character will be formed, pressing the truncator key again will toggle back to the halant form and so on. If however, the permanent memory is empty or the character previous is not capable of being converted into its halant or nukta form, then control is transferred to a Null database N where nothing happens. The processing unit of the key pad is connected to the keys with appropriate input interfaces 'INPUT' and to the message display screen DS through input output devices I/O. When a particular character is interpreted by multiple press of any particular key or a combination of keys, the time between any two key press in such a case can be less than a stipulated/set period. LIGATURAL FORMS: The use of the Halanta allows for easy generation of Ligatures. Thus typing two consonants with a Halanta in between them will automatically generate out the ligatural form. Two main ligatures whose base forms the user is unfamiliar with have been provided. These are: nj+halanta+j=njj (as in dynaneshwar) k+halanta+Sh=kSh (as in Kshatriya) Since these are commonly used we permitted the user to generate them out by on the key-pad instead of using the Halanta. USE OF THE NUKTA Unicode and ISCII both recognise the Nukta as an extension character. The nukta provided as the second tap on the Halanta key allows to generate out: ■ the two flaps of Hindi: R,Rh ■ loan characters from Urdu in Hindi: q,qh,g,z,f1 ■ extended characters of other scripts: eg.zh used in Tamil or Malayalam or the japhala used in Oriya, Bangla. This is a special feature. Here the Nukta acts as an Extension character and when following a character allows for generation of a special character in a given script. This special use of the Nukta allows for a single key-pad for all the scripts. This feature used extensively in Word-processing and accepted both by ISCII as well as Unicode thereby permits considerable economy of placement on the Keypad. By enabling the sound, the sound of the character associated with a specific key is produced on pressing that key.This will help a visually impaired person to type messages with out much difficultly. The sounds will be of the basic characters and not of combinations. As will be readily appreciated, numerous variations and combinations of the features set forth above can be utilized without departing from the present invention as set forth in the above description of the invention . Such variations are not regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the above description. . We Claim: [1] A numerical keypad for character entries in Indic scripts consisting of 12 to 15 keys: consisting of eight keys having two layers one on which the basic consonants capable of aspiration or extension are distributed and a second layer on which the vowels are distributed ; a toggle key for switching layers; an extender key for converting the selected basic consonant or vowel to its extended form; a truncator key for converting the consonant into its truncated form either as a halant or as a Nukta and an independent key for character corresponding to the phonetic sound 'H' . [2] A numerical keypad for character entries in Indic scripts , as claimed in claim 1, in which the said extender key is the said independent key. [3] A numerical keypad for character entries in Indie scripts , as claimed in claim 1, in which sound generating means are provided which cooperate with the key pad and generate the sound of the character which is formed on a display screen associated with the key pad. [4] A numerical keypad for character entries in Indic scripts , as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 18th day of October 2004. Of R. K. Dewan & Co., Applicants' Patent Attorney

Documents:

731-mum-2003-abstract(19-10-2004).doc

731-mum-2003-abstract(19-10-2004).pdf

731-mum-2003-cancelled pages(19-10-2004).pdf

731-mum-2003-claims(granted)-(19-10-2004).doc

731-mum-2003-claims(granted)-(19-10-2004).pdf

731-mum-2003-correspondence(04-01-2007).pdf

731-mum-2003-correspondence(ipo)-(25-04-2007).pdf

731-mum-2003-drawing(19-10-2004).pdf

731-mum-2003-form 1(21-07-2003).pdf

731-mum-2003-form 18(08-06-2005).pdf

731-mum-2003-form 2(granted)-(19-10-2004).doc

731-mum-2003-form 2(granted)-(19-10-2004).pdf

731-mum-2003-form 3(21-07-2003).pdf

731-mum-2003-form 4(23-07-2004).pdf

731-mum-2003-form 5(19-10-2004).pdf

731-mum-2003-power of attorney(21-07-2003).pdf

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