Automatically adding proper names to a database

• US 7,032,174 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reynar, Jeff, Ghaisas, Devika, Montero, Jose Luis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Campbell, Joshua D.
• Application Number:
  US09/818,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20020143828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/531, 715/532, 715/533, 715/534, 715/540, 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/6
• US Class Current: 715/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/295 Named entity recognition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The correct spelling of resolved email names is automatically stored in a custom dictionary. Thereafter, a spell checker will recognize the name during the spell checking process, because the name is stored in the custom dictionary and the name will not be incorrectly marked as a spelling error. When an email editor resolves an entered email name, the email editor checks an address book or email name cache to determine whether there is an email address and/or an email display name corresponding to the name. The display name will be used to replace the email name that the user entered into the TO field. Once an email name has been resolved and the display name is provided in the TO field, the email editor will make the name available for adding to a custom dictionary. Once the display name string has been added to the custom dictionary, the email editor and any other client of the custom dictionary (e.g., a word processor) will recognize the name as being properly spelled and the name will not be incorrectly identified as a misspelled word. Additionally, the display name string can be added to any other repository of text strings, such as an auto-completion database and a smart-tags database.

Claims

1. A method for recognizing the correct spelling of a word associated with an email application, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that an email name has been entered into a first field;

resolving the email name to a display name, automatically adding the display name to a custom dictionary and at least one module consisting essentially of a spell checker module, auto-completion module, and a smart-tags module if the display name is identified as a new word;

receiving an indication that text associated with the display name has been entered into a body of an application;

comparing the text associated with the display name to a word list;

indicating that the text associated with the display name is correctly spelled in response to finding a match between the text associated with the display name and the word list; and

indicating that the text associated with the display name is incorrectly spelled in response to failing to find a match between the text associated with the display name and the word list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the text associated with the display name is a proper name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display name is a proper name.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the email name to an email name list;

finding a matching name in the email name list, the matching name sharing at east one characteristic with the email name; and

determining the display name associated with the matching name.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining an email address associated with the matching name.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining that the email name has been entered into a TO field of an email note.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the display name in the word list.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the word list is a dictionary.

9. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method of recognizing the correct spelling of a word associated with an email application, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that an email name has been entered into a first field;

resolving the email name to a display name;

automatically adding the display name to a custom dictionary and at least one module consisting essentially of a spell checker module, auto-completion module, and a smart-tags module if the display name is identified as a new word;

receiving an indication that text associated with the display name has been entered into a body of an application;

comparing the text associated with the display name to a word list;

indicating that the text associated with the display name is correctly spelled in response to finding a match between the text associated with the display name and the word list; and

indicating that the text associated with the display name is incorrectly spelled in response to failing to find a match between the text associated with the display name and the word list.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the text associated with the display name is a proper name.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the display name is a proper name.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, the method further comprising:

comparing the email name to an email name list;

finding a matching name in the email name list, the matching name sharing at least one characteristic with the email name; and

determining the display name associated with the matching name.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, the method further comprising determining an email address associated with the matching name.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, the method further comprising determining that the email name has been entered into a TO field of an email note.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, the method further comprising storing the display name in the word list.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the word list is a dictionary.

17. A system comprising a processor and memory configured to perform a method of recognizing the correct spelling of a word associated with an email application, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that an email name has been entered into a first field;

resolving the email name to a display name;

automatically adding the display name to a custom dictionary and at least one module consisting essentially of a spell checker module, auto-completion module, and a smart-tags module if the display name is identified as a new word;

receiving an indication that text associated with the display name has been entered into a body of an application;

comparing the text associated with the display name to a word list;

indicating that the text associated with the display name is correctly spelled in response to finding a match between the text associated with the display name and the word list; and

indicating that the text associated with the display name is incorrectly spelled in response to failing to find a match between the text associated with the display name and the word list.

18. The system, of claim 17, wherein the text associated with the display name is a proper name.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the display name is a proper name.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

comparing the email name to an email name list;

finding a matching name in the email name list, the matching name sharing at least one characteristic with the email name; and

determining the display name associated with the matching name.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises determining an email address associated with the matching name.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises determining that the email name has been entered into a TO field of an email note.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises storing the display name in the word list.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the word list is a dictionary.