Electronic text

• US 5,153,831 A
• Filed: 05/29/1990
• Issued: 10/06/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FEP Holding Company
• Original Assignee: Franklin Electronic Publishers Incorporated (Saunders Acquisition Corp.)
• Inventors: Yianilos, Peter N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Dale M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUNG TRANS, XUONG MY
• Application Number:
  US07/529,868
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 364/419, 364/200, 364/900, 341/106, 341/55, 341/51
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90348 by searching ordered data, e.g. alpha-numerically ordered data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A text is encoded as a file in electronic memory for reading and search purposes. A lexicon-file is established in which each term that can searched is incorporated. A text-file is established in which non-search terms are directly encoded and in which all of the search terms (that is all of the terms in the lexicon-file) are designated by linking numbers. The linking numbers link through each incidence of the lexicon word as a text word and finally link back to the same lexicon word in the lexicon-file and then from the lexicon-file back to the text-file. In this fashion, by using numbers to link through each incidence of a lexicon word in the text-file and the encoded lexicon word in the lexicon-file, the word is encoded in memory only once and all other entries for the word are in terms of linking numbers.

Claims

1. The method of storing a text in an electronic memory to permit reading and searching of the text, wherein the text has a plurality of search words, comprising the steps of:

establishing a lexicon-file in memory, all incidences of a search word in the text being represented by a single lexicon-word entry in said lexicon-file,

establishing a text-file in memory, each term in the text being represented by an entry in said text-file,

ordering those of said entries which represent incidences of search words in said text-file in a manner that corresponds to the ordering of said search words in the text,

providing first and second types of linking signals to represent incidences of each search word in said text-file,

providing said first type of linking signal for at least one location of each search word in said text-file, said first type of linking signal locating the corresponding word in said lexicon-file,

providing said second type of linking signal for the rest of the locations of the same search word in said text-file, said second type of linking signal locating another occurrence in said text-file of an entry that stands for the same search word, and

providing a third type of linking signal for each lexicon-word in said lexicon-file to indicate the location of an entry in said text-file standing for a text-word that is the same as said lexicon-word.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said first type of linking signal is the last entry in said text-file of the search word involved, and

said third type of linking signal in said lexicon-file identifies the first entry in said text-file of the search word involved.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of:

in said text-file, including entries representing non-search words and symbols.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

dividing said text-file into a master-file and a search-file,

in said search-file, including only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

in said master-file, including a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

searching for incidences of two different search words, and

identifying only incidences where said two words searched are within a predetermined text-file distance of one another.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

searching for incidences of two different search words, and

identifying only incidences where said two words searched are within a predetermined text-file distance of one another.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

in said text-file, including entries representing non-search words and symbols.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

dividing said text-file into a master-file and a search-file,

in said search-file, including only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

in said master-file, including a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

searching for incidences of two different search words, and

identifying only incidences where said two words searched are within a predetermined text-file distance of one another.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a fourth type of linking signal in said text-file for multiple entries of the same search word, said fourth type of linking signal locating the corresponding word in the lexicon-file, in reading mode, said fourth type of linking signal providing link back to said lexicon-file prior to completion of linking through said text-file, each text-file entry having said fourth type of linking signal also having said second type of linking signal.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

said first type of linking signal is the last entry in said text-file of the search word involved, and

said third type of linking signal in said lexicon-file identifies the first entry in said text-file of the search word involved.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

dividing said text-file into a master-file and a search-file,

in said search-file, including only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

in said master-file, including a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

searching for incidences of two different search words, and

identifying only incidences where said two words searched are within a predetermined text-file distance of one another.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

dividing said text-file into a master-file and a search-file,

in said search-file, including only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

in said master-file, including a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

searching for incidences of two different search words, and

identifying only incidences where said two words searched are within a predetermined text-file distance of one another.

16. In an electronic text that permits reading and searching of the text wherein the text has a plurality of search words, the compression improvement comprising:

a lexicon-file in memory in which there is a single lexicon-word entry representing all incidences of a search word in the text,

a text file in memory in which each term in the text is represented by an entry,

said entries for the incidence of each search word in said text-file being ordered in a manner corresponding to the ordering of the search words in the text,

said entries for the incidence of each search word in said text-file including;

(a) a first type of linking signal for at least one location of a search word in said text-file to indicate the location of the corresponding word in said lexicon file, and

(b) a second type of linking signal for the rest of the locations of the same search word in said text-file to indicate the location in said text-file of another occurrence of an entry that stands for the same search word,

a third type of linking signal for each lexicon-word in said lexicon-file to indicate the location of an entry in said text-file standing for a text word that is the same as said lexicon-word.

17. The improvement of claim 16 wherein:

said first type of linking signal is the last entry in said text-file of the search word involved, and

said third type of linking signal in said lexicon-file indicates the first entry in said text-file of the search word involved.

18. The improvement of claim 17 wherein said text-file entries includes non-search words and symbols.

19. The improvement of claim 17 further comprising:

said text-file having a master-file and a search file,

said search-file having only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

said master-file having a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.

20. The improvement of claim 16 wherein said text-file entries includes non-search words and symbols.

21. The improvement of claim 16 further comprising:

said text-file having a master-file and a search file,

said search-file having only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

said master-file having a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.

22. The improvement of claim 16 further comprising:

a fourth type of linking signal in said text-file for multiple entries of the same search word to locate the corresponding word in the lexicon-file, in reading mode, said fourth type of linking signal provides link back to said lexicon-file prior to completion of linking through said text-file, each text-file entry having said fourth type of linking signal also having said second type of linking signal.

23. The improvement of claim 22 further comprising:

said text-file having a master-file and a search file,

said search-file having only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

said master-file having a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.

24. The improvement of claim 22 wherein:

said first type of linking signal is the last entry in said text-file of the search word involved, and

said third type of linking signal in said lexicon-file indicates the first entry in said text-file of the search word involved.

25. The improvement of claim 24 further comprising:

said text-file having a master-file and a search file,

said search-file having only entries corresponding to search words in the text,

said master-file having a place holder entry for each search word in the text and a directly encoded entry for non-search words and symbols.