METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING A FORMULA

• US 20080066052A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wolfram, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,589,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/111 Mathematical or scientific formatting; Subscripts; Superscripts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/70 Machine learning, data mining or chemometrics

Abstract

In a method to help a user determine a formula, (e.g., a fact, rule, or principle expressed in scientific, mathematical, technical, etc. symbols), a user may input an indication of the formula in an imprecise syntax. The inputted indication may be in ASCII text, for example, and may include technical shorthand, technical abbreviations, pseudocode, etc. In response, one or more formulas corresponding to the user'"'"'s input are determined. Optionally, other outputs related to the determined formula(s) may be generated. In one implementation, software programming code corresponding to the formula is generated. Then, the formula(s) and the output(s) are presented to the user.

Claims

1. A method of determining a formula, comprising:

receiving user input in an imprecise syntax, the user input including an indication of a desired formula;

determining a possible formula corresponding to the indication of the desired formula; and

generating display information corresponding to the possible formula.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a plurality of possible formulas corresponding to the indication of the desired formula; and

generating display information corresponding to at least some of the plurality of possible formulas.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

ranking at least some of the plurality of possible formulas;

selecting a subset of the plurality of possible formulas based on the ranking; and

generating the display information corresponding to the subset.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating display information corresponding to the possible formula comprises generating web page information.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the display information corresponding to the possible formula to a user computer.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the display information corresponding to the possible formula on a display of a user computer.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a display output corresponding to the possible formula, the display output including a user interface mechanism for adjusting a parameter of the possible formula.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving user input includes receiving an indication of a value of a parameter of the desired formula, wherein the method further comprises:

integrating the value of the parameter into the possible formula to generate a revised formula; and

generating a display output corresponding to the revised formula.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein generating the display output corresponding to the revised formula includes generating the display output with a user interface mechanism for adjusting the parameter of the revised formula.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein generating the display output corresponding to the revised formula includes generating the display output with a user interface mechanism for adjusting another parameter of the revised formula.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining software programming code for calculating the possible formula.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the software programming code to a user computer.

13. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

providing a user interface mechanism to allow a user to insert the software programming code in a file.

14. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating display information corresponding to a prompt for additional information from a user; and

receiving additional information indicative of the desired formula in response to the prompt;

wherein determining the possible formula is based on the additional information indicative of the desired formula.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the acts of generating the display information corresponding to the prompt and receiving the additional information are performed only if a possible formula cannot be determined based on the indication of the desired formula.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein generating the display information corresponding to the prompt comprises generating at least one of a prompt to enter additional text, a prompt to select from a plurality of items in a list, or a prompt to answer a question.

17. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating an output mathematically or otherwise related to the possible formula; and

generating display information corresponding to the output.

18. A method of determining a formula, comprising:

receiving user input in an imprecise syntax, the user input including an indication of a desired set of software programming code instructions;

determining a possible set of software programming code instructions corresponding to the indication; and

providing the possible set of software programming code instructions to a user.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein receiving user input includes receiving software programming pseudo code.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein receiving user input includes receiving software programming code having incorrect syntax.

21. A method according to claim 18, wherein receiving user input includes receiving software programming code having correct syntax in a first programming language;

and

wherein determining the possible set of software programming code instructions comprises determining a set of software programming code instructions in a second programming language that corresponds to the software programming code having correct syntax in the first programming language.

22. A method according to claim 18, wherein providing the possible set of software programming code instructions comprises generating web page information.

23. A method according to claim 18, wherein providing the possible set of software programming code instructions comprises transmitting the possible set of software programming code instructions to a user computer.

24. A method according to claim 18, wherein providing the possible set of software programming code instructions comprises presenting the display information corresponding to the possible formula on a display of a user computer.

25. A method according to claim 18, wherein providing the possible set of software programming code instructions comprises providing a user interface mechanism to allow a user to insert the possible set of software programming code instructions in a file.

26. A method according to claim 18, further comprising:

generating display information corresponding to a prompt for additional information from a user; and

receiving additional information indicative of the desired set of software programming code instructions in response to the prompt;

wherein determining the possible set of software programming code instructions is based on the additional information indicative of the desired set of software programming code instructions.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the acts of generating the display information corresponding to the prompt and receiving the additional information are performed only if a possible set of software programming code instructions cannot be determined based on the indication of the desired formula.

28. A method according to claim 26, wherein generating the display information corresponding to the prompt comprises generating at least one of a prompt to enter additional text, a prompt to select from a plurality of items in a list, or a prompt to answer a question.

29. A system for determining a formula, comprising:

a parser to generate one or more expressions in precise syntax based on received user input in an imprecise syntax, the user input including an indication of a desired formula; and

a plurality of formula generation modules coupled to the parser to generate one or more possible formulas corresponding to the indication of the desired formula based on the one or more expressions in precise syntax.

30. A system according to claim 29, wherein at least one of the formula generation modules is coupled to at least one other of the formula generation modules and wherein the one formula generation module is configured to generate a possible formula further based on output from the one other formula generation module.

31. A system according to claim 29, wherein each formula generation modules is coupled to a plurality of other formula generation modules and wherein each formula generation module is configured to generate a possible formula further based on outputs from the corresponding plurality of other formula generation modules.

32. A system according to claim 29, further comprising a plurality of related output generation modules coupled to the parser to generate outputs mathematically or otherwise related to the one or more possible formulas.

33. A system according to claim 32, wherein the plurality of related output generation modules is coupled to the plurality of formula generation modules to generate outputs mathematically or otherwise related to the one or more possible formulas further based on outputs from the plurality of formula generation modules.

34. A system according to claim 29, further comprising a ranking subsystem coupled to the plurality of formula generation modules, the ranking subsystem to generate rankings of outputs from the plurality of formula generation modules.

35. A system according to claim 34, further comprising an output module coupled to the ranking subsystem, the output module to output a subset of outputs from the plurality of formula generation modules based on the rankings.

36. A method of obtaining a formula, comprising:

transmitting user input in an imprecise syntax, the user input including an indication of a desired formula; and

receiving display information corresponding to a possible formula, the possible formula corresponding to the indication of the desired formula.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein receiving display information comprises receiving display information corresponding to a plurality of possible formulas.

38. A method according to claim 36, wherein the display information includes a display output including a user interface mechanism for adjusting a parameter of the possible formula.

39. A method according to claim 36, wherein the user input includes an indication of a value of a parameter of the desired formula;

wherein the display information includes an indication of a revised formula corresponding to the value of the parameter integrated into the possible formula.

40. A method according to claim 39, wherein the display information includes a display output including a user interface mechanism for adjusting the parameter of the revised formula.

41. A method according to claim 40, wherein the display output includes a user interface mechanism for adjusting another parameter of the revised formula.

42. A method according to claim 36, further comprising:

receiving software programming code for calculating the possible formula.

43. A method according to claim 42, further comprising:

receiving a user interface mechanism to allow a user to insert the software programming code in a file.

44. A method according to claim 36, further comprising:

receiving a prompt for additional information; and

transmitting additional information indicative of the desired formula in response to the prompt;

wherein the received possible formula is further based on the additional information indicative of the desired formula.

45. A method according to claim 36, further comprising:

receiving display information corresponding to an output mathematically or otherwise related to the possible formula.

46. A method of determining a formula, comprising:

transmitting user input in an imprecise syntax, the user input including an indication of a desired set of software programming code instructions; and

receiving a possible set of software programming code instructions corresponding to the indication.