Enhanced electronic dictionary

• US 5,745,776 A
• Filed: 04/19/1995
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles Bradford Ii Sheppard
• Original Assignee: Charles Bradford Ii Sheppard
• Inventors: Sheppard, Charles Bradford II
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US08/424,817
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 364/419.09, 364/419.11, 395/794
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9017 using directory or table look-up use of a directory or look-up table in file systems G06F16/13

Abstract

An enhanced electronic reference having a memory with a database of entries. The database of entries includes general entries and topic entries. Each general entry has a general word, a general definition and a tag identifying each definition as general. Each topic entry has a topic word, a topic definition and a topic tag which identifies the topic from which the topic word is selected. The memory also includes a series of commands to retrieve and communicate the general and topic definitions. The enhanced electronic reference also includes an input device for receiving a selected topic and a selected word, an output device for communicating general and topic definitions and a processor for executing the commands.

Claims

1. An enhanced electronic dictionary for retrieving a topical definition corresponding to a selected topic and corresponding to a selected word and for communicating to a user said topical definition separately from other definitions that may correspond to said selected word, said enhanced electronic dictionary comprising:

(A) a database of dictionary entries stored in a memory, said database comprising;

(i) general dictionary entries each comprising a general dictionary word, a general definition assigned to said general dictionary word and a general tag assigned to said general definition, and

(ii) topic dictionary entries each comprising a topic dictionary word, a topic definition assigned to said topic dictionary word, a topic tag assigned to said topic definition to identify a topic corresponding to said topic definition, and an objective rating assigned to said topic dictionary word, said objective rating being an objective measure of importance of said topic dictionary word as compared to another said topic dictionary word, wherein said objective rating assigned to each said topic dictionary word selected for inclusion in said database is within a pre-determined objective rating range;

(B) commands stored in a memory for manipulating said database of dictionary entries, said commands including a retrieval command configured to retrieve said general definition, said topic definition or said general definition and said topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word, said commands also including a communication command configured to communicate to such user said general definition, said topic definition or said general definition and said topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word;

(C) a processor connected to said memory to execute said commands;

(D) an input device connected to said processor to receive said selected topic and said selected word; and

(E) an output device connected to said processor to communicate to such user said general definition, said topic definition or said general definition and said topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word, wherein said topic definition is communicated to such user separately from said general definition.

2. The enhanced electronic dictionary described in claim 1, wherein said objective rating corresponds to a frequency with which said topic dictionary word occurs in a topic sample.

3. The enhanced electronic dictionary described in claim 1, wherein said objective rating corresponds to a percentage of people from a sample of people familiar with said topic who know said topic definition associated with said topic dictionary word.

4. The enhanced electronic dictionary defined in claim 1, further comprising a word-difficulty assessment module stored in a memory and adapted to assess the difficulty of topic dictionary words from said selected topic in a passage, said word-difficulty assessment module including a display command configured to display those topic dictionary words corresponding to said selected topic from said passage having an assigned objective rating within a pre-determined objective rating range.

5. The enhanced electronic dictionary defined in claim 1, further comprising a vocabulary-learning module stored in a memory and adapted for testing or teaching the meaning of topic dictionary words from said selected topic, said vocabulary-learning module including a sort command configured to sort said topic dictionary words from said selected topic according to said objective rating assigned to each of said topic dictionary words, said vocabulary-learning module also including a display command configured to display said topic dictionary words in a pre-determined order according to said objective rating.

6. An enhanced electronic dictionary for retrieving a topical definition corresponding to a preselected topic and corresponding to a selected word and for communicating to a user said topical definition separately from other definitions that may correspond to said selected word, said enhanced electronic dictionary comprising:

storing means for storing a database of entries, said database of entries including general entries each having a general word, a general definition assigned to said general word, and a general tag assigned to said general definition, and said database of entries including topic entries each having a topic word, a topic definition assigned to said topic word, a topic tag assigned to said topic definition to identify a topic corresponding to said topic definition, and an objective rating assigned to said topic word, said objective rating being an objective measure of importance of said topic word as compared to another said topic word, wherein said objective rating assigned to each said topic word selected for inclusion in said database is within a pre-determined objective rating range;

manipulating means connected to said storing means for manipulating said database of entries, said manipulating means including means for retrieving a general definition, a topic definition or a general definition and a topic definition corresponding to said preselected topic and assigned to said selected word, said manipulating means also including means for communicating to such user a general definition, a topic definition or a general definition and a topic definition corresponding to said preselected topic and assigned to said selected word;

processing means connected to said storing means for processing said manipulating means;

input means connected to said processing means for receiving said preselected topic and said selected word;

display means connected to said processing means for displaying to such user a general definition, a topic definition or a general definition and a topic definition corresponding to said preselected topic and said selected word;

wherein said display means displays said topic definition that is retrieved and communicated by said manipulating means separately from said general definition that is retrieved and communicated by said manipulating means.

7. A method for producing an enhanced dictionary reference adapted for use as part of an electronic dictionary, said method comprising the steps of:

(A) forming a database of entries by

(i) providing general entries each having a general word, a general definition assigned to said general word, and a general tag assigned to said general definition,

(ii) assigning objective ratings to a plurality of topic words pertaining to various topics, said objective ratings being an objective measure of importance of said topic words as compared to other said topic words,

(iii) selecting at least a portion of said topic words based upon said objective ratings assigned to said topic words for inclusion in said database of entries, wherein said topic words are selected based on a pre-determined objective rating range,

(iv) providing topic entries each having one said topic word, a topic definition assigned to said topic word, said objective rating, and a topic tag assigned to said topic definition;

(B) providing a retrieval command for causing retrieval of a general definition, a topic definition or a general definition and a topic definition corresponding to a selected topic and assigned to a selected word;

(C) providing a communication command for causing communication of a general definition, a topic definition or a general definition and a topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word, wherein said communication command communicates a retrieved topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word separately from a retrieved general definition assigned to said selected word; and

(D) storing said database of entries and said commands in at least one memory.

8. The method described in claim 7, wherein said step of assigning said objective ratings to said topic words includes the sub-steps of:

(A) determining frequencies with which each said topic word appears in a topic sample; and

(B) assigning said objective ratings to said topic words based upon said frequencies.

9. A method for providing a topical word definition corresponding to a selected word and to a selected topic separately from a general word definition corresponding to said selected word, said method comprising the steps of:

(A) forming a database of entries by

(i) providing general entries each having a general word, a general definition assigned to said general word, and a general tag assigned to said general definition,

(ii) assigning objective ratings to a plurality of topic words pertaining to various topics, said objective ratings being an objective measure of importance of said topic words as compared to other said topic words,

(iii) selecting at least a portion of said topic words based upon said objective ratings assigned to said topic words for inclusion in said database of entries, wherein said topic words are selected based on a pre-determined objective rating range,

(iv) providing topic entries each having one said topic word, a topic definition assigned to said topic word, said objective rating, and a topic tag assigned to said topic definition;

(B) storing said database of entries in a memory;

(C) in operation, retrieving a general definition, a topic definition or a general definition and a topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word; and

(D) providing said general definition, said topic definition or said general definition and said topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word, wherein said topic definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word is provided separately from said general definition assigned to said selected word.

10. The method described in claim 9, wherein said step of assigning said objective ratings to said topic words includes the sub-steps of:

(A) determining frequencies with which each said topic word appears in a topic sample; and

(B) assigning said objective ratings to said topic words based upon said frequencies.

11. An electronic dictionary apparatus for providing general word definitions and topical word definitions pertaining to various topics to a user, said electronic dictionary apparatus being adapted to retrieve a topical word definition corresponding to a selected topic and corresponding to a selected word and to communicate to such user said topical word definition separately from a general word definition corresponding to said selected word, said electronic dictionary apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a database comprising a plurality of general dictionary words, a general definition assigned to each of said general dictionary words, and a general tag assigned to each said general definition, wherein said general tag indicates that a corresponding definition is a general definition;

said database also comprising a plurality of topical dictionary words, a topical definition assigned to each of said topical dictionary words, a topic tag assigned to each said topical definition to indicate the identity of a topic for a corresponding topical definition, and an objective rating assigned to each of said topical dictionary words, said objective rating being an objective measure of importance of each of said topical dictionary words compared to other said topical dictionary words;

wherein every one of said topical dictionary words selected for inclusion in said database has an assigned objective rating within a pre-determined objective rating range;

said memory also storing commands for manipulating said database, said commands comprising a retrieval command configured to retrieve from said database a general definition, a topical definition, or a general definition and a topical definition corresponding to said selected topic and assigned to said selected word;

said commands also comprising a communication command configured to communicate said general definition, said topical definition, or said general definition and said topical definition retrieved by said retrieval command;

a processor connected to said memory to execute said commands;

an input device connected to said processor to receive from such user said selected topic and said selected word; and

an output device connected to said processor to display to such user a retrieved general definition, a retrieved topical definition, or a retrieved general definition and a retrieved topical definition assigned to said selected word;

wherein said output device displays to such user said retrieved topical definition separately from said retrieved general definition.

12. The electronic dictionary apparatus defined in claim 11, wherein said objective rating corresponds to a frequency with which said topical dictionary words occur in a topic sample.

13. The electronic dictionary apparatus defined in claim 11, wherein said objective rating corresponds to a percentage of people from a sample of people familiar with said topic who know said topical definition assigned to said topical dictionary word.