SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USING A SENSE MODEL FOR SYMBOL ASSIGNMENT

• US 20110161068A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tobii Dynavox LLC (Tobii Technology AB)
• Original Assignee: Tobii Dynavox LLC (Tobii Technology AB)
• Inventors: CUNNINGHAM, BOB, LESHER, GREG
• Application Number:
  US12/648,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161068A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/268 Morphological analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically discovering and assigning symbols for identified text in a software application include receiving electronic signals from an input device indicating identified text for which symbol assignment is desired. Additional information such as part of speech, additional words, context of use, etc. may also be provided. The identified text and optional additional information is analyzed to establish a mapping of the identified text to one or more identified word senses from a word sense model database. An electronic determination of whether any of the identified word senses has an associated symbol is conducted. Related word senses may also be analyzed to determine if any related word senses have symbols. One of the determined symbols may then be associated with the identified text such that the symbol is thereafter displayed in conjunction with or instead of the text in the application.

Claims

1. A method of automatically discovering and assigning symbols for identified text in a software application, comprising:

receiving electronic signals from an input device indicating identified text for which symbol assignment is desired;

electronically analyzing the identified text to automatically establish a mapping of the identified text to one or more identified word senses from a word sense database;

electronically determining whether any of the identified word senses has an associated symbol; and

displaying one or more of the electronically determined associated symbols on an electronic display device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

electronically selecting one or more related word senses that are related to the one or more identified word senses; and

electronically determining whether the one or more selected related word senses has an associated symbol.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a graphical user interface to a user for manual selection of a symbol to associate with the identified text when said electronically determining steps results in a determination that neither the identified word senses nor the selected related word senses have associated symbols.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of electronically selecting one or more related word senses comprises selecting word senses related to the identified word senses within a predetermined number of degrees of one or more selected types of relational separation.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of electronically selecting one or more related word senses comprises selecting at least one more general or at least one more specific word sense related to the identified word senses.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of electronically selecting one or more related word senses comprises selecting a word sense having one or more particular types of relations to the identified word senses.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the particular types of relations among word senses comprise one or more of a “

kind of”

, “

part of”

, “

instance of”

, “

used by”

, “

used in”

, “

done by”

, “

done in”

, “

found in”

, “

has attribute of”

, “

measure of”

, “

related to”

, “

similar to”

, “

see also”

, “

plural of” and

“

opposite of”

relations.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional electronic data associated with the identified text, said additional electronic data comprising one or more of a part of speech, additional text surrounding the identified text, identification of related keywords in surrounding text, and contextual topic in which the identified text is discussed; and

using the additional electronic data to select word senses when multiple word senses are mapped in said electronically analyzing step.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying multiple word senses on a graphical user interface for subsequent user selection when multiple word senses are mapped in said electronically analyzing step.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying multiple associated symbols on a graphical user interface when multiple associated symbols are identified in said electronically determining step.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying step more particularly comprises displaying the identified text in conjunction with the assigned selected symbol on an electronic display device.

12. A method of automatically discovering and assigning symbols for identified text in an application, comprising:

receiving electronic signals from an input device indicating identified text for which symbol assignment is desired;

electronically analyzing the identified text to automatically establish a mapping of the identified text to one or more identified word senses from a word sense model database;

electronically determining whether any of the one or more identified word senses has an associated symbol;

electronically assigning a selected symbol to the identified text, if an identified word sense is determined in said first electronically determining step to have an associated symbol;

electronically determining whether a related word sense has an associated symbol, if one or more identified word senses are determined in said first electronically determining step not to have an associated symbol, wherein the related word senses are related to the identified word senses by one or more of type of relation, direction of relation, and number of degrees of relational separation;

electronically assigning a selected symbol to the identified text, if a related word sense is determined in said second electronically determining step to have an associated symbol; and

displaying the assigned selected symbol on an electronic display device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving additional electronic data associated with the identified text, said additional electronic data comprising one or more of a part of speech, additional text surrounding the identified text, identification of related keywords in surrounding text, and contextual topic in which the identified text is discussed; and

using the additional electronic data to select word senses when multiple word senses are mapped in said electronically analyzing step.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying multiple word senses on a graphical user interface for subsequent user selection when multiple word senses are mapped in said electronically analyzing step.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying multiple associated symbols on a graphical user interface when multiple associated symbols are identified in one or more of said first and second electronically determining steps.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said electronically determining step is repeated from the word senses mapped in said step of electronically analyzing to more general related word senses until either an associated symbol is found or the relations stored in the word sense model database are exhausted.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said displaying step more particularly comprises displaying the identified text in conjunction with the assigned selected symbol on an electronic display device.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of applying automatic modification to a determined symbol if a related word sense is determined in said second electronically determining step to have an associated symbol.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising a step of applying an automated modification to a symbol determined to be associated with a related word sense before displaying such symbol.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one electronic input device configured to receive electronic input from a user indicating identified text for which symbol assignment is desired;

at least one processing device;

at least one memory comprising computer-readable instructions for execution by said at least one processing device, wherein said processing device is configured to analyze the identified text received from a user via said at least one electronic input device, to automatically establish a mapping of the identified text to one or more identified word senses from a word sense model database, and to electronically determine whether any of the one or more identified word senses or selected related word senses related to the one or more identified word senses has an associated symbol; and

at least one electronic output device configured to display one or more of the electronically determined associated symbols as visual output.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein said electronic device comprises a speech generation device that comprises at least one speaker for providing audio output.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein said at least one electronic output device is further configured to provide a graphical user interface to a user for manual selection of a symbol to the identified text when no symbols are determined to be associated with the one or more identified word senses and selected related word senses.

23. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the selected related word senses are related to the identified word senses by one or more of type of relation, direction of relation, and number of degrees of relational separation.

24. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein said at least one input device is further configured to receive additional electronic data associated with the identified text, said additional electronic data comprising one or more of a part of speech, additional text surrounding the identified text, identification of related keywords in surrounding text and contextual topic in which the identified text is discussed;

and wherein said at least one processing device is further configured to use the additional electronic data to select word senses when said processing device maps multiple word senses.

25. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein said at least one output device is further configured to display multiple word senses for subsequent user selection when multiple word senses are mapped to the identified text or when multiple symbols are identified as being associated with the identified word senses or selected related word senses.

26. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein said at least one output device is configured to display the identified text in conjunction with an assigned selected symbol.

27. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein said processing device is further configured to automatically modify a determined symbol if one of the selected related word senses has an associated symbol.

28. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein said processing device is further configured to apply an automated modification to a symbol determined to be associated with a related word sense before displaying such symbol.

29. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions configured to control a processing device to:

receive electronic signals from an input device identifying text for which symbol assignment is desired;

electronically analyze the identified text to automatically establish a mapping of the identified text to one or more identified word senses from a word sense model database;

electronically determine whether any of the identified word senses mapped in said electronically analyzing step or selected related word senses related to the one or more identified word senses has an associated symbol; and

display one or more of the electronically determined associated symbols on an electronic display device.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said executable instructions are further configured to control a processing device to provide a graphical user interface to a user for manual selection of a symbol to the identified text when no symbols are determined to be associated with the one or more identified word senses and selected related word senses.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the selected related word senses are related to the identified word senses by one or more of type of relation, direction of relation, and number of degrees of relational separation.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said executable instructions are further configured to control a processing device to receive additional electronic data associated with the identified text, said additional electronic data comprising one or more of a part of speech, additional text surrounding the identified text, identification of related keywords surrounding the identified text and contextual topic in which the identified text is discussed;

and to use the additional electronic data to select word senses when multiple word senses are mapped to the identified text.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said executable instructions are further configured to control a processing device to display multiple word senses for subsequent user selection when multiple word senses are mapped to the identified text or when multiple symbols are identified as being associated with the identified word senses or selected related word senses.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said executable instructions are further configured to control a processing device to display the identified text in conjunction with an assigned selected symbol.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein said executable instructions are further configured to control a processing device to automatically modify a determined symbol if one of the selected related word senses has an associated symbol.

36. The computer readable medium of claim of claim 29, wherein said executable instructions are further configured to control a processing device to apply an automated modification to a symbol determined to be associated with a related word sense before displaying such symbol.