Apparatus and method for linguistic expression processing
First Claim
1. A digital data processing apparatus for storing digitally encoded linguistic information, said apparatus comprisingA. input means for accepting a signal representative of linguistic expression,B. database storage means for storing a linguistic expression database,said database storage means including master lexicon storage means for storing digitally encoded information representative of plural linguistic expressions and including plural addressable lexicon storage blocks, each said block storing one or more lexicon entries, each said lexicon entry storing signals representative of a linguistic expression, each said expression including at least one alphanumeric character,C. database access means connected with said input means and with said database storage means for accessing information stored in said linguistic expression database,said database access means including master lexicon access means for addressably accessing each said lexicon storage block according to its skeletal collation range, said skeletal collation range being defined by upper and lower bounds of a collation sequence of linguistically salient word skeletons of said one or more linguistic expressions represented within a lexicon storage block, andD. output means connected with said database access means for generating a signal representative of linguistic information.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for linguistic expression processing provides features for spelling verification, correction, and dictionary database storage. The system utilizes a linguistically salient word skeleton-forming process to correct both typrographic and cognitive spelling errors. The system also uses a suspect expression modification sequence to recognize and correct typographical spelling errors. A linguistic expression database includes a master lexicon having expression blocks arranged in accord with respective collation ranges of skeletons of expressions contained therein. In one preferred embodiment, these linguistically salient word skeletons corresponding to the master lexicon expressions are not retained in the database.
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Citations
68 Claims
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1. A digital data processing apparatus for storing digitally encoded linguistic information, said apparatus comprising
A. input means for accepting a signal representative of linguistic expression, B. database storage means for storing a linguistic expression database, said database storage means including master lexicon storage means for storing digitally encoded information representative of plural linguistic expressions and including plural addressable lexicon storage blocks, each said block storing one or more lexicon entries, each said lexicon entry storing signals representative of a linguistic expression, each said expression including at least one alphanumeric character, C. database access means connected with said input means and with said database storage means for accessing information stored in said linguistic expression database, said database access means including master lexicon access means for addressably accessing each said lexicon storage block according to its skeletal collation range, said skeletal collation range being defined by upper and lower bounds of a collation sequence of linguistically salient word skeletons of said one or more linguistic expressions represented within a lexicon storage block, and D. output means connected with said database access means for generating a signal representative of linguistic information.
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11. A digital data processing apparatus for electronic spelling verification comprising
A. input means for accepting a signal representative of a suspect linguistic expression, B. database storage means for storing a linguistic expression database, said database storage means including master lexicon storage means for storing digitally encoded information representative of plural linguistic expressions and including plural addressable lexicon storage blocks, each said block storing one or more lexicon entries, each said lexicon entry storing signals representative of a linguistic expression, each said expression including at least one alphanumeric character, C. database access means connected with said input means and with said database storage means for accessing information stored in said linguistic expression database, said database access means including master lexicon access means for addressably accessing each said lexicon storage block according to its skeletal collation range, said skeletal collation range being defined by upper and lower bounds of a collation sequence of linguistically salient word skeletons of said one or more linguistic expressions represented within a lexicon storage block, and D. database verification means connected with said database access means for locating within said linguistic expression database a linguistic expression matching suspect expression, said database verification means including master lexicon verification means for matching said suspect expression with a linguistic expression represented within said master lexicon means, and E. output means connected with said database verification means for generating a signal indicative of the success of locating a matching database expression.
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19. An digital data processing apparatus for electronic spelling correction comprising
A. input means for accepting a signal representative of a suspect linguistic expression, B. database storage means for storing a linguistic expression database, said database storage means including master lexicon storage means for storing digitally encoded informaticn representative of plural linguistic expressions and including plural addressable lexicon storage blocks, each said block storing one or more lexicon entries, each said lexicon entry storing signals representative of a linguistic expression, each said expression including at least one alphanumeric character, C. database access means connected with said input means and with said database storage means for accessing information stored in said linguistic expression database, said database access means including master lexicon access means for addressably accessing each said lexicon storage block according to its skeletal collation range, said skeletal collation range being defined by upper and lower bounds of a collation sequence of linguistically salient word skeletons of said one or more linguistic expressions represented within a lexicon storage block, and D. database verification means connected with said input means for locating within said linguistic expression database an expression substitutable for said suspect linguistic expression, said database matching means including master lexicon matching means for identifying a master lexicon expression substitutable for said suspect expression, and E. output means connected with said database matching means for generating a signal indicative of the success of locating within the database an expression substitutable for the suspect expression.
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29. A method for storing digitally-encoded linguistic information in a digital data processing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of
A. inputting plural linguistic expressions, each said linguistic expression including alphanumeric characters, B. generating signals representing plural master lexicon entries, each said entry representing an input linguistic expression, C. forming plural master lexicon blocks, each said block being formed by the steps of (i) generating a linguistically salient word skeleton for each linguistic expression in the block, (ii) collating said block linguistically salient word skeletons and determining therefrom a block skeletal collation range, and (iii) storing in a storage medium one or more said master lexicon entries, D. forming a master lexicon wherein said blocks are arranged in an addressable sequence determined in accord with their respective skeletal collation ranges.
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38. A method for spelling verification in a digital data processing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of
A. inputting plural linguistic expressions, each said linguistic expression including alphanumeric characters, B. generating signals representing plural master lexicon entries, each said entry representing an input linguistic expression, C. forming plural master lexicon blocks, each said block being formed by the steps of (i) generating a linguistically salient word skeleton for each linguistic expression in the block, (ii) collating said block linguistically salient word skeletons and determining therefrom a block skeletal collation range, (iii) storing in a storage medium one or more master lexicon entries, D. forming a master lexicon wherein said blocks are arranged in an addressable sequence determined in accord with their respective skeletal collation ranges, E. inputting a signal representative of a suspect linguistic expression, F. matching said suspect expression with an expression represented in said master lexicon, and G. generating a signal indicative of the success of said matching step.
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46. A method for electronic spelling correction in a digital data processing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of
A. inputting plural linguistic expressions for storage, each said linguistic expression including alphanumeric characters, B. generating signals representing plural master lexicon entries, each said entry representing an input linguistic expression, C. forming plural master lexicon blocks, each said block being formed by the steps of (i) generating a linguistically salient word skeleton for each linguistic expression in the block, wherein said skeleton includes skeletal symbols, (ii) collating said block linguistically salient word skeletons and determining therefrom a block skeletal collation range, and (iii) storing in a storage medium one or more master lexicon entries, D. forming a master lexicon wherein said blocks are arranged in an addressable sequence determined in accord with their respective skeletal collation range thereof, E. inputting a signal representative of a suspect linguistic expression, F. locating within said master lexicon an entry representing an expression substitutable for said suspect expression, and G. generating a signal indicative of the success of said locating step.
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56. In a digital data processing apparatus having a data storage means for storing a linguistic expression database, said data storage means including plural entry means, each for storing a signal representative of a linguistic expression, each expression including at least one alphanumeric character, said digital data processing apparatus further having data access means for accessing linguistic expression information stored in said database, the improvement wherein said data storage means comprises
differential encoding means for storing a differential coding representative of differences between a first linguistic expression stored in a first entry means and a second linguistic expression stored in a second entry means, said differential encoding means including i. explicit differential encoding means for storing a first digital coding pattern explicitly representative of at least one alphanumeric character of said first linguistic expression, and ii. indirect differential encoding means for storing a second digital coding pattern representative of an alphanumeric character sequence common to said first linguistic expression and a third linguistic expression stored in a third said entry means of said database.
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60. In a method for storing digitally encoded information forming a linguistic expression database of the type used in a digital data processing apparatus, said method having steps including inputting digital signals representative of plural linguistic expressions, each said expression including alphanumeric characters, and storing each said expression-representative signal to form a database entry, the improvement whereby said storing step includes the steps of
storing a differential coding representative of differences between a first linguistic expression stored in a first entry and a second linguistic expression stored in a second entry, said differential coding storing step including the steps of i. generating a first digital coding pattern explicitly representative of at least one alphanumeric character of said first linguistic expression, and ii. generating a second digital coding pattern representative of an alphanumeric character sequence common to at least two linguistic expressions stored in said database.
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63. A digital data processing apparatus for electronic spelling correction, said apparatus comprising
A. input means for accepting a signal representative of a suspect linguistic expression, B. database storage means for storing signals representative of a set of valid linguistic expressions, C. means for converting at least one said valid linguistic expression to a linguistically salient word skeleton, and for converting said suspect linguistic expression, or a modified form thereof, to a linguistically salient word skeleton, said converting means comprising i. means for eliminating from the word skeleton produced thereby a selected alpha set, if any, of the expression being converted which lacks isomorphy with a phonetic representation of that selected set, and ii. means for replacing with a different linguistic symbol another selected alpha set, if any, of the expression being converted which lacks isomorphy with a phonetic representation of that other selected set, D. means for comparing said suspect expression skeleton with at least one said valid expression skeleton, and E. means for responding to a match from said comparison of word skeletons to generate a signal representative of a valid linguistic expression corresponding to a matching skeleton.
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66. A method of electronic spelling correction in a digital data processing apparatus having a database for storing signals representative of a set of valid linguistic expressions, said method comprising the steps of
A. accepting a signal representative of a suspect linguistic expression, B. converting at least one said valid linguistic expression to a linguistically salient word skeleton and for converting said suspect linguistic expression, or a modified form thereof, to a linguistically salient word skeleton, each said converting step comprising the steps of i. eliminating from the word skeleton produced thereby a selected alpha set, if any, of the expression being converted which lacks isomorphy with a phonetic representation of that selected set, and ii. replacing with a different linguistic symbol another selected alpha set, if any, of the expression being converted which lacks isomorphy with a phonetic representation of that other selected set, C. comparing said suspect expression skeleton with at least one said database expression skeleton, and D. responding to a match from said comparison of word skeletons to generate a signal representative of a database expression corresponding to a matching skeleton.
Specification