Sentence processing method and apparatus

• US 5,890,182 A
• Filed: 02/27/1996
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Connon Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yagisawa, Tsuyoshi, Fujita, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US08/607,642
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 707/532, 707/533, 707/535, 707/530, 707/500, 704/8, 704/9, 704/10
• US Class Current: 715/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/253 Grammatical analysis; Style critique
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232

Abstract

In a sentence processing apparatus, a possibly erroneous word is extracted from a sentence by analyzing the sentence in accordance with predetermined grammar and predetermined information on words, information on suggested words which correspond to the extracted possibly erroneous word is extracted from the predetermined information on words, and information on the extracted possibly erroneous word and the information on the corresponding extracted suggested words are displayed. Accordingly, the information on the possibly erroneous word in the sentence can be briefly displayed, thus a user can easily edit the sentence in response to the displayed information.

Claims

1. A sentence processing method comprising:

a searching step of searching for a possibly erroneous word from a sentence by analyzing the sentence by referring to a first dictionary including information representing whether or not each word is possibly erroneous and suggested words corresponding to the possibly erroneous word;

a retrieving step of retrieving plural kinds of linguistic information with respect to the possibly erroneous word and each suggested word corresponding thereto found in said searching step, from a second dictionary including the plural kinds of linguistic information on words;

an extracting step of extracting a predetermined kind of linguistic information on the possibly erroneous word and each of the suggested words from the plural kinds of linguistic information on the possibly erroneous word and the suggested words retrieved in said retrieving step;

a first displaying step of displaying the possibly erroneous word and the corresponding suggested words with the predetermined kind of linguistic information thereon extracted in said extracting step;

a designating step of designating one word from among the possibly erroneous word and the corresponding suggested words displayed in said first displaying step; and

a second displaying step of displaying the entire plural kinds of linguistic information on the word designated in said designating step together with the information displayed in said first displaying step.

2. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the information on the possibly erroneous word includes a possibly erroneous word and a first mark used for identifying the possibly erroneous word in the sentence.

3. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes a written representation of the word.

4. The sentence processing method according to claim 3, wherein the written representation includes a Kanji form representation.

5. The sentence processing method according to claim 3, wherein the written representation includes spelling.

6. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes the meanings of the word.

7. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes the usage of the word.

8. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes a comment on the usage of the word.

9. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes the area of usage of the word.

10. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes a synonym of the word.

11. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes an antonym of the word.

12. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein a word is labelled with a second mark for which another word is often misused in its place, in advance, within the first dictionary, and at said searching step, each word in the sentence is compared with a word included in the first dictionary, then if a word in the sentence is matched to the word labeled with the second mark, the matched word is found to be the possibly erroneous word.

13. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first dictionary includes a written representation of each word.

14. The sentence processing method according to claim 13, wherein the written representation includes a Kanji form representation.

15. The sentence processing method according to claim 13, wherein the written representation includes spelling.

16. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first dictionary includes a phonetic representation of each word.

17. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first dictionary includes a part of speech of each word.

18. The sentence processing method according to claim 2, wherein the first mark is an underline.

19. The sentence processing method according to claim 2, wherein the first mark is a predetermined color.

20. The sentence processing method according to claim 2, wherein the first mark is displayed in a font of the possibly erroneous word which is different from a font of other words.

21. The sentence processing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined kind of linguistic information includes a first meaning of each word.

22. A sentence processing apparatus comprising:

a searching means for searching for a possibly erroneous word from a sentence by analyzing the sentence by referring to a first dictionary including information representing whether or not each word is possibly erroneous and suggested words corresponding to the possibly erroneous word;

retrieving means for retrieving plural kinds of linguistic information with respect to the possibly erroneous word and each suggested word corresponding thereto found by said searching means, from a second dictionary including the plural kinds of linguistic information on words;

extracting means for extracting a predetermined kind linguistic information on the possibly erroneous word and each of the suggested words from the plural kinds of linguistic information on the possibly erroneous word and the suggested words retrieved bv said retrieving means;

first displaying means for displaying the possibly erroneous word and the corresponding suggested words with the predetermined kind of linguistic information thereon extracted by said extracting means;

designating means for designating one word from among the possibly erroneous word and the corresponding suggested words displayed by said first displaying means; and

second displaying means for displaying the entire plural kinds of linguistic information on the word designated by said designating means together with the information displayed bv said first displaying means.

23. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the information on the possibly erroneous word includes a possibly erroneous word and a first mark used for identifying the possibly erroneous word in the sentence.

24. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes a written representation of the word.

25. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the written representation includes a Kanji form representation.

26. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the written representation includes spelling.

27. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes the meanings of the word.

28. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plural kings of linguistic information on a word includes the usage of the word.

29. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes a comment on the usage of the word.

30. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes the area of usage of the word.

31. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes a synonym of the word.

32. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the plural kinds of linguistic information on a word includes an antonym of the word.

33. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein a word is labelled with a second mark for which another word is often misused in its place, in advance, within the first dictionary, and said searching means compares each word in the sentence with a word included in the first dictionary, then if a word in the sentence is matched to the word labeled with the second mark, the matched word is found to be the possibly erroneous word.

34. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the first dictionary includes a written representation of each word.

35. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the written representation includes a Kanji form representation.

36. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the written representation includes spelling.

37. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the first dictionary includes a phonetic representation of each word.

38. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the first dictionary includes a part of speech of each word.

39. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the first mark is an underline.

40. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the first mark is a predetermined color.

41. The sentence processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the first mark is displayed in a font of possibly erroneous word which is different from a font of other words.

42. The sentence processing method according to claim 22, wherein the predetermined kind of linguistic information includes a first meaning of each word.

43. A computer usable medium having computer readable program means for causing a computer to process a sentence, the computer readable program code means comprising:

first computer readable program code means for causing the computer to search for a possibly erroneous word from the sentence by analyzing the sentence by referring to a first dictionary including information representing whether or not each word is possibly erroneous and suggested words, corresponding to the possibly erroneous word;

second computer readable program code means for causing the computer to retrieve plural kinds of linguistic information with respect to the possibly erroneous word and each suggested word corresponding thereto caused to be found by said first computer readable program code means from a second dictionary including the plural kinds of linguistic information on words;

third computer readable program code means for causing the computer to extract a predetermined kind of linguistic information on the possibly erroneous word and each of the suggested words from the plural kinds of linguistic information on the possibly erroneous word and the suggested words caused to be retrieved by said second computer readable program code means;

fourth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to display the possibly erroneous word and the corresponding suggested words with the predetermined kind of linguistic information thereon caused to be extracted by said third computer readable program code means;

fifth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to designate one word from among the possibly erroneous word and the corresponding suggested words caused to be displayed by said fourth computer readable program code means; and

sixth computer readable program code means for causing the computer to display the entire plural kinds of linguistic information on the word caused to be designated by said fifth computer readable program code means together with the information caused to be displayed by said fourth computer readable program code means.