Method for background spell checking a word processing document

• US 5,787,451 A
• Filed: 02/27/1997
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mogilevsky, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Application Number:
  US08/807,624
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 707/533, 707/540, 707/534, 707/530, 707/531, 707/532
• US Class Current: 715/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation

Abstract

A method for checking spelling in a word processor integrates spell checking with the editing process. During idle periods of the word processor, the spell checker scans an open document, and maintains a table of spelling status data, including codes to identify checked, unchecked, or edited ranges of characters. Spelling errors can be highlighted during an editing session. Spelling status data is maintained with the document so that spell checked portions of the document do not need to be re-checked.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

(a) storing spelling status data to monitor spelling status of ranges of characters in the word processing document;

(b) automatically spell checking words in the word processing document during idle periods in editing the word processing document; and

(c) if an edit to the word processing document changes one or more characters in the document, then updating the spelling status data corresponding to the one or more characters.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein step (a) includes storing spelling status codes in a table representing spelling status and corresponding character position data to identify a range of characters in the document associated with a spelling status code, and step (b) includes determining from the table a range of characters in the document to spell check automatically.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein the spelling status codes include a spell checked code indicating that a range of characters has been spell checked, and a not spell checked code indicating that a range of characters has not been spell checked.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3 wherein the spelling status codes include an edit code indicating a range of characters has been edited, and wherein step (c) includes:

in response to an edit action that inserts or deletes one or more characters in the document, updating the spelling status data corresponding to the one or more characters by changing the spelling status code associated with the spell checked section to the edit code;

scanning the table to identify a range of characters identified with the edit code,

converting the edit code to the not spell checked code; and

expanding a range of characters associated with the not spell checked code.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 having further computer-executable instructions for performing the step of changing a display state of a misspelled word in the word processing document, and displaying the misspelled word according to the display state.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1 having further computer-executable instructions for performing the step of monitoring the position of an insertion point for characters in the word processing document to identify whether the insertion point is located within characters of a word;

and

if the insertion point is located within characters of the word, then delaying automatic spell checking of the word.

7. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure comprising:

a plurality of cells, where each cell includes;

a first field identifying a range of characters in a word processing document;

a second field, associated with the first field, identifying a spelling status code of the range of characters identified in the first field;

wherein the spelling status codes indicate whether the associated range of characters has been spell-checked; and

wherein the data structure is searchable to find ranges of characters in the document that have not been spell-checked.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the data structure includes an error spelling status code associated with a range of characters that indicates that a spell-checker has spell-checked the associated range of characters and has found a spelling error in the associated range.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the data structure includes a dirty spelling status code associated with a range of characters that indicates that a spell-checker has not spell-checked the associated range of characters.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the data structure includes a clean spelling status code associated with a range of characters that indicates that a spell-checker has spell-checked the associated range of characters and has found no spelling errors in the associated range.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the data structure includes a field representing a status code indicating whether a spelling dictionary has been updated such that currently misspelled words need to be re-checked.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the data structure is updated during an editing session of the document.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 including a spell-checker that uses the data structure to check ranges of characters in the document that have not been spell-checked according a predefined priority scheme in which the ranges of characters are checked out-of-order in the document.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the spell-checker is part of a word processing system operable to display the document on a display monitor, and wherein the predefined priority scheme includes checking ranges of characters visible on the display screen first and then checking remaining portions of the document.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the data structure includes an error spelling status code associated with a range of characters that indicates that a spell-checker has spell-checked the associated range of characters and has found a spelling error in the associated range, a dirty spelling status code associated with a range of characters that indicates that a spell-checker has not spell-checked the associated range of characters, and a clean spelling status code associated with a range of characters that indicates that a spell-checker has spell-checked the associated range of characters and has found no spelling errors in the associated range.