Internet-based spelling checker dictionary system with automatic updating

• US 5,970,492 A
• Filed: 08/25/1998
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Application Number:
  US09/139,890
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/8, 707/10, 707/103, 707/104, 707/532, 707/533, 707/5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

A dictionary system has a vendor computer and a plurality of client computers that communicate through the Internet. Each client computer has a word processor program with a spelling checker that utilizes a local main dictionary provided by the vendor and a local customized dictionary containing words added by the user. The vendor computer contains a dictionary of approved words, a database of misspelled words, and a database of requested words. When a user adds a new word to the local customized dictionary, an Internet request is sent to the vendor computer to add the new word to the dictionary of approved words. The user is notified by an Internet message from the vendor computer if the requested word is misspelled. The database of requested words from all users is reviewed periodically and utilized to update the approved dictionary. The updated dictionary is periodically released to the users as an upgrade to the local main dictionary. Users are compensated for the words that they contribute to the approved dictionary.

Claims

1. A dictionary system for spelling checkers and word processing applications, said dictionary system comprising:

a spelling checking program for checking the spelling in computer text being processed by a first computer;

a first database of words for use with said spelling checking program, such that said spelling checking program causes said first computer to compare a word in computer text with words in said first database, and enables a user to add said word to said first database, and the addition of said word to said first database further causes said first computer to transmit said word through a communication mechanism to a second computer;

said second computer comprising;

a second database of words, and

a dictionary program which causes said second computer to receive said word transmitted from said first computer, and to compare said word with words in said second database, and enables said user to request the addition of said word to said second database.

2. In a dictionary system for spelling checkers and word processing applications, said dictionary system having a first computer including a first memory containing a first database of words, said dictionary system also having a second computer including a second memory containing a second database of words, and said dictionary system further having a communication mechanism for exchanging information between said first computer and said second computer;

a method for checking the spelling of a word in computer text being processed by said first computer, said method including adding said word to said first database, said method further comprising, after adding said word to said first database,;

prompting a user of said first computer to request addition of said word to said second database; and

upon such request, transmitting said word through said communication mechanism to said second computer, wherein the second computer further analyzes the spelling of the word.

3. A computer program product for use in a dictionary system for spelling checkers and word processing applications, said dictionary system having a first computer including a first database of words, a second computer including a second database of words, and a communication mechanism for exchanging information between said first computer and said second computer, said computer program product arranged to check the spelling of a word in computer text being processed by said first computer, the computer program product comprising:

computer code for promting a user of said first computer to request addition of said word to said second database after adding the word to the first database;

computer code for upon such request, transmitting said word through said communication mechanism to said second computer, wherein the second computer further analyzes the spelling of the word; and

a computer readable medium that stores the computer codes.

4. A dictionary system for spelling checkers and word processing applications, said dictionary system comprising:

a spelling checking program for checking the spelling of a word entered into a first computer; and

a first database of words for use with said spelling checking program for checking the spelling of said word, and when the first database does not contain the word, the spell checking program prompts a user is to enter said word into the first database such that when said word is entered into said first database said word is transmitted to a second computer system for further analysis regarding the spelling of said word.

5. A dictionary system as recited in claim 4, wherein the spell checking program prompts the user to request the second computer to perform further analysis of the word regarding the spelling of the word.

6. A dictionary system as recited in claim 5, wherein the spell checking_-- program is configured to receive a message from the second computer, such that the message informs the spell checking program about the spelling of the word.

7. A dictionary system as recited in claim 5, wherein the spell checking program is configured to receive a message from the second computer, such that the message informs the spell checking program that the second computer is capable of transmitting a revised first database of words to the first computer.

8. A dictionary system as recited in claim 7, wherein the spell checking_-- program enables the user to request that the second computer transmit the revised first database of words, and the spell checking program revises the first database of words upon receipt of the revised first database of words.

9. A dictionary system for spelling checkers and word processing applications, said dictionary system comprising a dictionary program and a database which enables a first computer to receive a word and an instruction from a second computer, wherein the database includes a first dictionary of correctly spelled words and a second dictionary of misspelled words, such that, when the dictionary program receives the word and the instruction from the second computer requesting the addition of the word into the database the dictionary program determines if the word is contained in the first dictionary and enables the first computer to add the word into the database if the word is not contained in the first dictionary.

10. A dictionary system as recited in claim 9, wherein when the dictionary program receives the word and the instruction from the second computer requesting the addition of the word into the database and the word is not included in the first dictionary of correctly spelled words the dictionary program determines if the word is contained in the second dictionary of misspelled words.

11. A method of updating a dictionary system, the dictionary system including a first computer having a first database of words, and a second computer having a second database of words, the first and second computers being in communication with each other through a communication mechanism, the method comprising:

checking the first database to determine if a word entered into the first computer is spelled correctly;

adding the word to the first database;

upon adding the word to the first database, prompting a user of said first computer to request addition of said word to said second database; and

upon such request, transmitting said word through said communication mechanism to said second computer for addition to said second database.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, the method further comprising:

the first computer receiving information from the second computer regarding misspelling of said word and suggested spellings of said word.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, the method further comprising:

prompting the user of said first computer to correct the spelling of said word in said first database.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, the method further comprising:

prompting the user of said first computer to add said word, including information regarding the misspelling of said word and suggested spellings of said word, into the first database.