CUSTOM DICTIONARIES FOR E-BOOKS

• US 20140172418A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Puppin, Diego
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A custom dictionary is generated for an e-book. A dictionary management system receives a custom dictionary request from a user client operated by a user, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including dictionary management information describing the user. The dictionary management system chooses a group reader profile that has an associated group reading score for the user based on the dictionary management information and candidate words are identified in the identified e-book for inclusion in the custom dictionary. The dictionary management system selects words for inclusion in the custom dictionary from among the candidate words responsive to the associated group reading score for the chosen group reading profile. The dictionary management system generates the custom dictionary using the selected words, and provides the generated custom dictionary to the user client

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of generating a custom dictionary for an e-book, comprising:

receiving a custom dictionary request from a user client operated by a user, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including dictionary management information describing the user;

choosing a group reading profile, having an associated group reading score, for the user based on the dictionary management information;

identifying candidate words in the identified e-book for inclusion in the custom dictionary;

selecting words for inclusion in the custom dictionary from among the candidate words responsive to the associated group reading score for the chosen group reading profile;

generating the custom dictionary using the selected words; and

providing the generated custom dictionary to the user client.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dictionary management information comprises information describing the user'"'"'s e-book usage.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein choosing a group reading profile for the user comprises:

identifying a plurality of group reading profiles each having an associated group reading score;

comparing the dictionary management information describing the user with demographic information associated with the plurality of group reading profiles; and

choosing the group reading profile for the user from among the plurality of group reading provides responsive to the comparison.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each candidate word has a complexity score that indicates a likelihood that the word is not known by the user, and selecting words from among the candidate words for inclusion in the custom dictionary comprises selecting candidate words that have complexity scores higher than the reading level threshold.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

adjusting a complexity score for a candidate word responsive to the dictionary management information associated with the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a custom dictionary request from the user client, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including a new reading level threshold;

selecting candidate words for inclusion in a custom dictionary that have higher complexity scores than the new reading level threshold;

generating a new custom dictionary using the selected words; and

providing the generated new custom dictionary to the user client.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a custom dictionary request from the user client, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including a new reading level threshold that is lower than the reading level threshold;

selecting candidate words for inclusion in a custom dictionary that have higher complexity scores than the new reading level threshold

retrieving word definition information for the selected candidate words that was not part of the custom dictionary; and

providing the retrieved word definition information to the user client.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for generating a custom dictionary for an e-book, the instructions executable to perform steps comprising:

receiving a custom dictionary request from a user client operated by a user, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including dictionary management information describing the user;

choosing a group reading profile, having an associated group reading score, for the user based on the dictionary management information;

identifying candidate words in the identified e-book for inclusion in the custom dictionary;

selecting words for inclusion in the custom dictionary from among the candidate words responsive to the associated group reading score for the chosen group reading profile;

generating the custom dictionary using the selected words; and

providing the generated custom dictionary to the user client.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the dictionary management information comprises information describing the user'"'"'s e-book usage.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein choosing a group reading profile for the user comprises:

identifying a plurality of group reading profiles each having an associated group reading score;

comparing the dictionary management information describing the user with demographic information associated with the plurality of group reading profiles; and

choosing the group reading profile for the user from among the plurality of group reading provides responsive to the comparison.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein each candidate word has a complexity score that indicates a likelihood that the word is not known by the user, and selecting words from among the candidate words for inclusion in the custom dictionary comprises selecting candidate words that have complexity scores higher than the reading level threshold.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

adjusting a complexity score for a candidate word responsive to the dictionary management information associated with the user.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a custom dictionary request from the user client, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including a new reading level threshold;

selecting candidate words for inclusion in a custom dictionary that have higher complexity scores than the new reading level threshold;

generating a new custom dictionary using the selected words; and

providing the generated new custom dictionary to the user client.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a custom dictionary request from the user client, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including a new reading level threshold that is lower than the reading level threshold;

selecting candidate words for inclusion in a custom dictionary that have higher complexity scores than the new reading level threshold;

retrieving word definition information for the selected candidate words that was not part of the custom dictionary; and

providing the retrieved word definition information to the user client.

15. A system for generating a custom dictionary for an e-book, comprising:

a processor configured to execute modules; and

a memory storing the modules, the modules comprising;

a user account manager module configured to receive a custom dictionary request from a user client operated by a user, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including dictionary management information describing the user,

a group profiler module configured to choose a group reading profile, having an associated group reading score, for the user based on the dictionary management information,

a word identifier module configured to identify candidate words in the identified e-book for inclusion in the custom dictionary,

a dictionary generator module configured to;

select words for inclusion in the custom dictionary from among the candidate words responsive to the associated group reading score for the chosen group reading profile, and

generate the custom dictionary using the selected words; and

a dictionary server module configured to provide the generated custom dictionary to the user client.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the dictionary management information comprises information describing the user'"'"'s e-book usage.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the group profiler module is further configured to:

identify a plurality of group reading profiles each having an associated group reading score;

compare the dictionary management information describing the user with demographic information associated with the plurality of group reading profiles; and

choose the group reading profile for the user from among the plurality of group reading provides responsive to the comparison.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein each candidate word has a complexity score that indicates a likelihood that the word is not known by the user, and the dictionary generator module is further configured to select words from among the candidate words for inclusion in the custom dictionary that have complexity scores higher than the reading level threshold.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the word identifier module is further configured to adjust a complexity score for a candidate word responsive to the dictionary management information associated with the user.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the user manager module is configured to receive a custom dictionary request from the user client, the custom dictionary request identifying the e-book and including a new reading level threshold;

the dictionary generator is further configured to;

select candidate words for inclusion in the custom dictionary that have higher complexity scores than the new reading level threshold, and

generate a new custom dictionary using the selected words; and

the dictionary server is further configured to provide the generated new custom dictionary to the user client.