System for compiling word usage frequencies

• US 7,490,033 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2005
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Dunsmoir, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smits; Talivaldis Ivars
• Assistant Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/035,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 704/251
• US Class Current: 704/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/216 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/183 using context dependencies, e.g. language models

Abstract

A system for assisting a user who is learning a language to prioritize words to be learned in order of usage frequency is disclosed. A frequency determination program running on a computer determines the frequency of usage of each word at a list of locations provided by the user. Different algorithms to identify what constitutes a word are employed depending upon the language of the source data. The total number of words at each location and their usage frequency found during the user session, along with a total number of words and their usage frequency for all user sessions performed regardless of location, are calculated and made available to the user. The user can view usage frequencies for words from a single location, a group of locations, or all user sessions performed.

Claims

1. A system for compiling word usage frequencies comprising:

a processor;

memory connected to said processor;

a frequency determination program loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

an analyze graphic-based data program loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

an analyze alphabet-based data program loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

a calculate results program loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

a graphic dictionary loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

a list of punctuation marks and spaces loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

a list of locations loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

a character list loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

a location word list loaded into said memory and operable by said processor; and

an overall word list loaded into said memory and operable by said processor;

a user interface wherein the user provides a location and a depth to the user interface;

wherein said frequency determination program instructs said processor to read said list of locations, determine whether each location is graphic based or alphabet based, execute said graphic-based data program for said locations that are graphic based, execute said alphabet-based data program for said locations that are alphabet based, execute said calculate results program, display an output from said calculate results program, and combine said location word list with said overall word list to record the frequency of all words found by said frequency determination program;

wherein the graphic-based data program populates the location word list with each unique graphic-based word found at each of the graphic-based locations and a graphic-based number of times each unique graphic-based word is present by matching a string of characters to the graphic dictionary;

wherein the alphabet-based data program populates the location word list with each unique alphabet-based word found in each of the alphabet-based locations and an alphabet-based number of times the alphabet-based word is present by locating a string of characters located between a plurality of characters listed in the list of punctuation marks and spaces;

wherein the calculate results program requires a minimum number of words to be present before searching a particular location;

wherein the frequency determination program stops either when it has traced all of the location'"'"'s hyperlinks to the depth or it has fully searched the location to the depth;

wherein a word comprises one or more characters;

wherein a character comprises a letter of an alphabet either in a Latin based language or in a graphic in a Sino-Tibetan language;

wherein the list of punctuation marks and spaces includes punctuation and spaces from all written languages, along with end of line, end of paragraph, and end of file codes;

wherein the analyze graphic-based data program ensures that leading punctuation marks are not analyzed as potential words; and

wherein if the data is graphic based and is not in Unicode, a translator program converts data from a native format to Unicode.