Morphological search and replace
First Claim
1. In a word processor for a computer system, a method of finding and replacing forms of a find word with forms of a replace word in a text document, the method comprising:
- storing a plurality of word form sets in a word forms database, each word form set comprising a plurality of word forms having a same word base, each word form being associated with at least one part-of-speech identifier;
searching the word forms database for any word form sets that contain a word form matching the find word, and for any word form sets that contain a word form matching the replace word;
in a case where multiple word form sets each contain a word form matching the find word, selecting a single find word form set out of the multiple word form sets that contain a word form matching the find word;
in a case where multiple word form sets each contain a word form matching the replace word, selecting a single replace word form set out of the multiple word form sets that contain a word form matching the replace word;
searching the text document for a target word that matches any word form in the find word form set, the matched word form in the find word form set being a found word form;
searching the replace word form set for a replacement word form whose associated part-of-speech identifier matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with the found word form; and
replacing the target word with the replacement word form.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A morphological find and replace editing tool for a word processor replaces inflected forms of a user-specified find word in a text document with inflected forms of a user-specified replacement word having matching parts of speech. The tool retrieves sets of word forms having a same root word as the find and replacement words, respectively, from a word forms database. The tool selects a single set of word forms with a common root word for each of the find and replacement words such that the find and replacement words are matching parts of speech. Where word forms in the find word'"'"'s set are found in the text document, they are replaced with a word form from the replacement word'"'"'s set with a best matching part of speech.
126 Citations
30 Claims
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1. In a word processor for a computer system, a method of finding and replacing forms of a find word with forms of a replace word in a text document, the method comprising:
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storing a plurality of word form sets in a word forms database, each word form set comprising a plurality of word forms having a same word base, each word form being associated with at least one part-of-speech identifier; searching the word forms database for any word form sets that contain a word form matching the find word, and for any word form sets that contain a word form matching the replace word; in a case where multiple word form sets each contain a word form matching the find word, selecting a single find word form set out of the multiple word form sets that contain a word form matching the find word; in a case where multiple word form sets each contain a word form matching the replace word, selecting a single replace word form set out of the multiple word form sets that contain a word form matching the replace word; searching the text document for a target word that matches any word form in the find word form set, the matched word form in the find word form set being a found word form; searching the replace word form set for a replacement word form whose associated part-of-speech identifier matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with the found word form; and replacing the target word with the replacement word form. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. In a word processor for a computer system, a method of finding and replacing forms of a find word with forms of a replace word in a text document, the method comprising:
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storing a plurality of word form sets in a word forms database, each word form set comprising a plurality of word forms having a same word base, each word form being associated with at least one part-of-speech identifier; searching the word forms database for a find word form set that contains a word form matching the find word, and for a replace word form set that contains a word form matching the replace word; searching the text document for a target word that matches any word form in the find word form set, the matched word form in the find word form set being a found word form; searching the replace word form set for a replacement word form whose associated part-of-speech identifier matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with the found word form; in a case where part-of-speech identifiers of multiple word forms in the replace word form set match part-of-speech identifiers associated with the found word form, selecting a single replacement word form whose part-of-speech identifier best matches the part-of-speech identifiers associated with the found word form; and replacing the target word with the replacement word form. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. In a word processor for a computer system, a method of finding and replacing forms of a find word with forms of a replace word in a text document, the method comprising:
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storing a plurality of word form sets in a word forms database, each word form set comprising a plurality of word forms having a same word base, each word form being associated with at least one part-of-speech identifier; searching the word forms database for a find word form set that contains a word form matching the find word, and for a replace word form set that contains a word form matching the replace word; searching the text document for a target word that matches any word form in the find word form set, the matched word form in the find word form set being a found word form; in a case where first and second word forms in the find word form set match the target word, searching the replace word form set for a replacement word form whose part-of-speech identifier matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with the first word form; and if no word form in the replace word form set has an associated part-of-speech that matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with the first word form, searching the replace word form set for a replacement word form whose part-of-speech identifier matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with the second word form; and replacing the target word with the replacement word form. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A word processor in a computer system, comprising:
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a first user interface control operable by a user to select morphological find and replace editing of forms of a find word with forms of a replace word within a text document; a word forms database for storing a plurality of word form sets, each word form set comprising a plurality of word forms having a same word base, each word form being associated with at least one part-of-speech identifier; a morphological word database engine for searching the word forms database for find word form sets that contain word forms matching the find word, and for replace word form sets that contain word forms matching the replace word; a morphological find and replace editing service operative responsive to the first user interface control; (a) to cause the morphological word database engine to search for the find word form sets and the replace word form sets; (b) to select only a single find word form set and only a single replace word form set that contain word forms matching the find word and the replace word, respectively; (c) to search the text document for a target word matching any word form of the selected single find word form set, the matched word form of the selected single find word form set being a found word form; (d) to select a replacement word form from the selected single replace word form set whose associated part-of-speech identifier matches a part-of-speech identifier of the found word form; and (e) to replace the target word with the replacement word form. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. In a word processor for a computer system, a method of finding and replacing forms of a find word with forms of a replace word in a text document, the method comprising:
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storing a plurality of word form sets in a word forms database, each word form set comprising a plurality of word forms having a same word base, each word form being associated with at least one part-of-speech identifier; searching the word forms database for any word form sets that contain a word form matching the find word, and for any word form sets that contain a word form matching the replace word; in a case where multiple word form sets each contain a word form matching the find word, selecting only a single find word form set out of the multiple word form sets that contain a word form matching the find word; searching the text document for a target word that matches any word form in the find word form set, the matched word form in the find word form set being a found word form; searching the replace word form set for a replacement word form whose associated part-of-speech identifier matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with the found word form; and replacing the target word with the replacement word form; wherein the step of selecting the find word form set in the case where multiple word form sets each contain a word form matching the find word, comprises; searching the word forms database for any word forms that match the find word; searching the word forms database for any word forms that match the replace word; selecting out of the word forms that match the find word, a single word form whose associated part-of-speech identifier exactly matches a part-of-speech identifier associated with one of the word forms that match the replace word; and selecting a word form set that contains the single selected find word form as the find word form set.
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Specification