Replacing text representing a concept with an alternate written form of the concept

• US 20070276649A1
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Health Information Systems (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Multimodal Technologies Incorporated (3M Company)
• Inventors: Schubert, Kjell
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/157 using dictionaries or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation

Abstract

A system enables a transcriptionist to replace a first written form (such as an abbreviation) of a concept with a second written form (such as an expanded form) of the same concept. For example, the system may display to the transcriptionist a draft document produced from speech by an automatic speech recognizer. If the transcriptionist recognizes a first written form of a concept that should be replaced with a second written form of the same concept, the transcriptionist may provide the system with a replacement command. In response, the system may identify the second written form of the concept and replace the first written form with the second written form in the draft document.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) identifying a first phrase, the first phrase representing a first written form of a concept;

(B) identifying a two-way mapping between the first phrase and a second phrase, the second phrase representing a second written form of the concept; and

(C) replacing the first phrase with the second phrase.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(D) after (C), replacing the second phrase with the first phrase.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(D) before (C), receiving an instruction from a user to modify the first phrase;

wherein (C) is performed in response to receipt of the instruction; and

wherein the instruction does not include the second phrase.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction generated by the user using a single keystroke.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first phrase comprises a first phrase in a document, and wherein (C) comprises replacing the first phrase with the second phrase in the document.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

(D) generating at least part of the document using an automatic speech recognizer, the at least part of the document including the first phrase.

7. An apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a first phrase, the first phrase representing a first written form of a concept;

means for identifying a two-way mapping between the first phrase and a second phrase, the second phrase representing a second written form of the concept; and

means for replacing the first phrase with the second phrase.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) identifying a first phrase, the first phrase representing a first written form of a concept;

(B) determining whether a plurality of text keys includes a matching text key having at least a predetermined degree of similarity to the first phrase; and

(C) if the plurality of text keys is determined to include the matching text key, then;

(i) identifying a text value associated with the text key; and

(ii) replacing the first phrase with the text value.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

(D) after (C), replacing the text value with the matching first phrase.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

(D) before (C), receiving an instruction from a user to modify the first phrase;

wherein (C) is performed in response to receipt of the instruction; and

wherein the instruction does not include the text value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction generated by the user using a single keystroke.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first phrase comprises a first phrase in a document, and wherein (C)(ii) comprises replacing the first phrase with the text value in the document.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

(D) generating at least part of the document using an automatic speech recognizer, the at least part of the document including the first phrase.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein (C)(i) comprises identifying the text value based on a context of the first phrase in the document.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein (C)(i) comprises identifying a text value from among a plurality of text values associated with the text key.

16. An apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a first phrase, the first phrase representing a first written form of a concept;

means for determining whether a plurality of text keys includes a matching text key having at least a predetermined degree of similarity to the first phrase; and

means for identifying a text value associated with the text key and replacing the first phrase with the text value if the plurality of text keys is determined to include the matching text key.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) identifying a first phrase, the first phrase representing an expanded written form of a concept;

(B) receiving an instruction from a user to modify the first phrase;

(C) in response to receipt of the instruction, identifying a second phrase representing an abbreviated written form of the concept; and

(D) replacing the first phrase with the second phrase;

wherein the instruction does not include the second phrase.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

(E) after (C), replacing the second phrase with the first phrase.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction generated by the user using a single keystroke.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first phrase comprises a first phrase in a document, and wherein (D) comprises replacing the first phrase with the second phrase in the document.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

(E) generating at least part of the document using an automatic speech recognizer, the at least part of the document including the first phrase.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein (C) comprises identifying the second phrase based on a context of the first phrase in the document.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein (D) comprises identifying a second phrase from among a plurality of second phrases representing the concept.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a first phrase, the first phrase representing an expanded written form of a concept;

means for receiving an instruction from a user to modify the first phrase;

means for identifying a second phrase representing an abbreviated written form of the concept in response to receipt of the instruction; and

means for replacing the first phrase with the second phrase;

wherein the instruction does not include the second phrase.

25. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(A) generating a document using an automatic speech recognizer;

(B) receiving an instruction from a user to modify a first phrase in the document, the first phrase representing a first written form of a concept;

(C) identifying a two-way mapping between the first phrase and a second phrase, the second phrase representing a second written form of the concept; and

(D) in response to receipt of the instruction, replacing the first phrase with the second phrase in the document.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first phrase is an abbreviated form of the second phrase.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the second phrase is an abbreviated form of the first phrase.

28. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating a document using an automatic speech recognizer;

means for receiving an instruction from a user to modify a first phrase in the document, the first phrase representing a first written form of a concept;

means for identifying a two-way mapping between the first phrase and a second phrase, the second phrase representing a second written form of the concept; and

means for replacing the first phrase with the second phrase in the document in response to receipt of the instruction.