Method and system for inputting chinese-characters through virtual keyboards to data processor

摘要

A Chinese-character input method and system is provided to allow users to input Chinese characters to a data processor with a reduced keyboard, such as a mobile-phone handset with a CCITT-compliant (Consultative Committee in International Telegraphy and Telephony) keyboard having only 12 keys. This Chinese-character input method and system allows the user to input Chinese characters to the data processor through a plurality of virtual keyboards which collectively display a set of phonetic symbols, such as those in the Mandarin Phonetic Symbol Set or the Roman Symbol Set, so that the user can perform the input operation through a pronunciation-based input scheme. The Chinese-character input method and system arranges the virtual keyboards in relational layers in accordance with the Mandarin Phonetic-Symbol Combination Rules or the Chinese Roman-Symbol Combination Rules, so that the user can perform the task of Chinese-character input to the data processor more conveniently and efficiently than the prior art.