Interactive application generation and text processing

• US 6,289,513 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maimonides Innovative Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Maimonides Innovative Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Bentwich, Isaac
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US09/410,455
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 706/46, 706/47, 706/61, 717/1, 717/11, 707/1, 707/3, 707/6
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/211 Syntactic parsing, e.g. based on context-free grammar [CFG] or unification grammars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/216 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/56 Natural language generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A method and system for generating an application, using a plurality of components, each component defining an application block, storing based on a non-programmatic user input, a plurality of user-defined application-specific properties, each property being associated with one of the plurality of components, receiving structured data input via a questionnaire, based at least in part on the plurality of components, generating text based, at least in part, on the structured data, including dynamic runtime generation of a plurality of simple sentences from a plurality of sub-sentence segments based, at least in part, on user input, based at least in part on the components and providing an application based on at least some of the plurality of user-defined application-specific properties and on the components associated therewith.

Claims

1. A method for generating an application, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of components, each component defining an application building block;

storing, based on non-programmatic user input, a plurality of user-defined application-specific properties, each said property being associated with one of said plurality of components;

receiving structured data input via a questionnaire, based at least in part on said plurality of components;

generating text based, at least in part, on the structured data, said generating text comprising dynamic runtime generation of a plurality of simple sentences from a plurality of sub-sentence segments based, at least in part, on user input, based at least in part of said components; and

providing an application based on at least some of said plurality of user-defined application-specific properties and on said components associated therewith.

2. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said generating text also comprises automatically joining at least two of said plurality of simple sentences to form a compound sentence.

3. A method according to claim 1 and wherein each said simple sentence is based on a user-supplied response to a question, said response being provided in said receiving step.

4. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said storing comprises:

receiving user input, wherein said user input is substantially non-textual.

5. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said generating text also comprises:

automatically generating text in more than one language.

6. A method according to claim 5 and wherein said more than one language comprises at least one left-to-right language and at least one right-to-left language.

7. A method according to claim 5 and wherein said more than one language comprises a first language having a first syntactical structure and a second language having a second syntactical structure, and

said first syntactical structure and said second syntactical structure are distinct.

8. A method according to claim 7 and wherein said first syntactical structure has a first sentence structural order and said second syntactical structure has a second sentence structural order, and

said first sentence structural order and said second sentence structural order are different.

9. A method according to claim 1 and wherein at least a portion of said method is implemented in software adapted for execution on a computer.

10. A method according to claim 9 and wherein the computer comprises one of the following:

a handheld computer; and

a palmtop computer.

11. A method according to claim 10 and wherein the computer comprises a keyboard-less pen-based handheld computer.

12. A method according to claim 10 and wherein the computer comprises a handheld wireless-communication device.

13. A method according to claim 9 and wherein said execution includes execution on a computer over the Internet.

14. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said generating text include automatic generation of compound sentences based on user input to questions and their continuation questions in said data-input questionnaires, and unlimited levels of hierarchy of said questions.

15. A method according to claim 1 and wherein modifying the structure of said application is achieved by setting of said properties;

said setting requiring no programming and no compilation; and

said modifying including all of the following;

application questions;

continuation questions;

answers;

question and answer sequence; and

resulting text-generation of sentences from sub-sentence segments.

16. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said receiving includes selecting answers to questions in said questionnaire, based on voice-recognition processing of user voice-input.

37. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said storing comprises storing using a record data structure comprising:

a database comprising a plurality of documents, each document comprising a plurality of sections stored in at least one of the following;

at least one word processing file;

at least one word processing file object;

at least one HTML file;

at least one XML file; and

at least one text file,

said plurality of sections being arranged in a hierarchy.

17. A text generation method for generating text based, at least in part, on structured data, said method comprising:

generating a plurality of simple sentences from a plurality of sub-sentence segments based, at least in part, on user input, dynamically at runtime, said generating comprising automatically generating said plurality of simple sentences in more than one language.

18. A method according to claim 17 and wherein said more than one language comprises at least one left-to-right language and at least one right-to-left language.

19. A method according to claim 17 and wherein said more than one language comprises a first language having a first syntactical structure and a second language having a second syntactical structure, and

said first syntactical structure and said second syntactical structure are distinct.

20. A method according to claim 19 and wherein said first syntactical structure has a first sentence structural order and said second syntactical structure has a second sentence structural order, and

said first sentence structural order and said second sentence structural order are different.

21. A method according to claim 17 and wherein at least a portion of said method is implemented in software adapted for execution on a computer.

22. A method according to claim 21 and wherein the computer comprises at least one of the following:

a handheld computer; and

a palmtop computer.

23. A method according to claim 22 and wherein the handheld computer comprises a handheld wireless-communication device.

24. A method according to claim 21 and wherein said execution includes execution on a computer over the Internet.

25. A method according to claim 17 and wherein said user input includes selecting answers to questions in a structured data-entry questionnaire, based on voice-recognition processing of user voice-input.

26. A method according to claim 17 and wherein said text generation method also comprises a method for generating a compound sentence from a plurality of simple sentences, the method comprising:

providing general logic defining compound sentence structure based on structure of simple sentences from which a compound sentence is to be generated;

providing a plurality of simple sentences; and

generating a compound sentence based on said general logic and said plurality of simple sentences.

27. A method according to claim 26 and wherein each of said plurality of simple sentences reflects a continuation questions in a data-input questionnaire, and the generating step comprises:

generating a compound sentence from at least two sentences comprising a first sentence and a second sentence, wherein the first sentence reflects data entered via one question in the data-input questionnaire, and the second sentence reflects data entered via a second question in the questionnaire, and

wherein said second question is a continuation to one of a plurality of answers of said first question.

28. A method according to claim 27 and wherein at least one of the following is not limited:

a number of simple sentences related to continuation questions in the data-input questionnaire; and

the levels of hierarchy of said continuation questions, said continuation questions being joinable to generate a compound sentence.

29. A method according to claim 26 and wherein said generating a compound sentence comprises:

automatically generating the compound sentence in more than one language.

30. A method according to claim 29 and wherein said more than one language comprises at least one left-to-right language and at least one right-to-left language.

31. A method according to claim 29 and wherein said more than one language comprises a first language having a first syntactical structure and a second language having a second syntactical structure, and

said first syntactical structure and said second syntactical structure are distinct.

32. A method according to claim 31 and wherein said first syntactical structure has a first sentence structural order and said second syntactical structure has a second sentence structural order, and

said first sentence structural order and said second sentence structural order are distinct.

33. A method according to claim 26 and wherein said generating is based only on said general logic and said simple plurality of sentences.

34. A data collection and access method for allowing data collection from multiple users, the method comprising:

providing a knowledge base defining at least one data-structured input questionnaire to at least two users, comprising a first user and a second user;

allowing said first user to modify the knowledge base associated with said first user, without synchronizing said modification with said second user;

receiving structured-data input from said first user, said input being based on said modified, unsynchronized input questionnaire;

storing said input from said first user and providing access to said stored input to said second user; and

allowing said second user to determine the identity of questions and answers that were selected by said first user, despite said unsynchronized modification of said knowledge-base and input questionnaire.

35. A method for analyzing a text, said text comprising plain text generated by a text generator using a text generating method, said method for analyzing comprising:

reversing said text generating method, thereby determining a plurality of inputs which were provided to said text generating method in order to generate said text;

wherein said text does not include any of the following indicators;

an embedded ID, and a hidden character;

said indicators indicating the questions and answers which caused generation of said text.

36. A method according to claim 35 and wherein said analyzing a text is utilized as part of a data access method comprising:

receiving data from user input to a questionnaire comprising multiple-choice questions and continuation questions;

generating natural language sentences from sub-sentence elements based, at least in part, on said user input;

storing said natural language sentences in textual form;

accessing said stored natural language sentences in textual form; and

analyzing said stored text thereby determining said user input which caused generation of said stored text.

38. An application generating system comprising:

a plurality of components, each component defining an application building block;

storage apparatus operative to store, based on non-programmatic user input, a plurality of user-defined application-specific properties, each said property being associated with one of said plurality of components;

input apparatus operative to receive structured data input via a questionnaire, based at least in part on said plurality of components;

a text generator operative to generate text based, at least in part, on the structured data, comprising dynamic runtime generation of a plurality of simple sentences from a plurality of sub-sentence segments based, at least in part, on user input; and

an application provider for providing an application based on at least some of said plurality of user-defined application-specific properties and on said components associated therewith.

39. A computer-readable medium comprising a computer program, the computer program being operative, when in operative association with a computer, to perform the following steps:

providing a plurality of components, each component defining an application building block;

storing, based on non-programmatic user input, a plurality of user-defined application-specific properties, each said property being associated with one of said plurality of components;

receiving structured data input via a questionnaire, based at least in part on said plurality of components;

generating text based, at least in part, on the structured data, said generating text comprising dynamic runtime generation of a plurality of simple sentences from a plurality of sub-sentence segments based, at least in part on user input; and

providing an application based on at least some of said plurality of user-defined application-specific properties and on said components associated therewith.