Electronic translator

• US 4,439,836 A
• Filed: 10/22/1980
• Issued: 03/27/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming, Michael R.
• Application Number:
  US06/199,526
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 364/419, 364/709, 364/715, 364/8, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 364/523
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/247 Thesauruses; Synonyms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation

Abstract

An electronic translator comprises a first memory for memorizing a plurality of words represented in a first language, such words comprising one or more first letters which remain unchanged regardless of inflection, and one or more second letters which may change. An input device is provided for entering a first word. A comparison circuit is provided for comparing parts of the first word and the one or more first letters. Upon the occurrence of the equivalency detected by the comparison circuit, it is detected that the first word is identical to one of the words developed by the first memory. A second memory is provided for memorizing a plurality of translated words, represented in a second language, each corresponding to words stored in the first memory. In another form of the present invention, the first memory is provided for memorizing a plurality of words associated with the first word regardless of whether it is a noninflected word or an inflected word.

Claims

1. An electronic translator device for obtaining a second word represented in a second language equivalent to an input word in a first language, comprising:

input means for entering the input word;

first memory means for memorizing a plurality of first words in the first language, each of said first words comprising one or more first letters which remain unchanged regardless of inflection and one or more second letters which change according to inflection;

address means operatively connected to said input means and responsive to entry of the input word for addressing said first memory means to develop one of the plurality of first words;

detection means operatively connected to said first memory means and responsive to said address means for detecting eqivalency between the input word and said first letters of respective first words;

second memory means for memorizing a plurality of second words in the second language corresponding to first words stored in said first memory means;

first means operatively connected to said detecting means for activating said second memory means whereby said second memory means develops a second word corresponding to the input word when the input word is equivalent to one of said first words; and

second means operatively connected to said detecting means for indicating that one of said first words in said first memory means comprises a noninflected form of the input word.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said first memory means further memorizes separation marks interposed between said one or more first letters and corresponding said one or more second letters.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said first memory means further memorizes a space following each of said first words.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising display means connected to said second memory means for displaying the second words.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein said detection means contains a first detection circuit for detecting each of the separation marks.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein said detection means contains a second detection circuit for detecting each of the spaces.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said second memory means memorizes a plurality of second words corresponding to respective said one or more first letters which are unchanged according to inflection.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said second means comprises a character generator coupled to said first memory means for adding a mark to said one or more first letters whereby said one or more first letters are displayed together with the mark.