Guided operation of a language device based on constructed, time-dependent data structures

• US 10,235,007 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gammakite, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gammakite LLC
• Inventors: Roche, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Utama, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/209,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20160343272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 434350
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/08 Printed or written appliances, e.g. text books, bilingual letter assemblies, charts
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/283 for dentistry or oral hygiene G09B23/286 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/30 Anatomical models G09B23/281 - G09B23/288 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B

Abstract

A personal electronic device is adapted to construct data tables from user input received over time relating to translations of translatable items from a first language to a second language. Entries in a data table for a user are dynamic and may indicate likelihoods of the user correctly translating translatable items as a function of time. Each translatable item may have a different time-dependent likelihood of a correct translation. Operation of the personal electronic device for a user may be based in part on the acquired, time-dependent likelihoods for that user, so that information may be presented to the user in a more efficient manner.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

memory; and

at least one processor connected to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

construct, in the memory, data fields in a data table for a first item;

receive, over a plurality of different times, input from a user corresponding to translation of the first item from a first language to a second language;

dynamically update at least some of the data fields as the input is received to record time and correctness of the user'"'"'s translation of the first item from the first language to the second language;

determine, from the data table, a future time at which the user'"'"'s likelihood of correctly translating the first item from the first language to the second language falls below a threshold value;

select the first item from among a plurality of translatable items stored in the memory;

provide, at a second time based on the future time, a challenge to the user that causes the user to remember a translation of the selected first item from the first language to the second language;

retrieve translatable text from an on-line source;

determine a level of difficulty of the retrieved text for the user based upon data in the data table; and

if the level of difficulty is below a predetermined threshold value, encode the retrieved text for the user with color-coding, wherein the color coding indicates how well each word in the retrieved text will be correctly recognized by the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one data field for the first item indicates a likelihood of the user correctly translating the first item from the first language to the second language as a function of time.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

encode words in the retrieved text for display in a first color for which a probability of a correct translation by the user is above a first value;

encode words in the retrieved text for display in a second color for which a probability of a correct translation by the user is below a second value; and

encode words in the retrieved text for display in a third color for words not previously presented to the user.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to automatically create flashcard data structures for the words not previously presented to the user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein determining a level of difficulty comprises evaluating likelihoods of the user correctly translating a plurality of translatable items appearing in the translatable text.