Automatic language identification for dynamic text processing

• US 9,946,706 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2013
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Davidson, Douglas R., Ozer, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• APPLICATION: US 20130346065A1
• Time in patent office: 1772 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/273 Orthographic correction, e.g. spelling checkers, vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/275 Language Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/2881 Natural language generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/56 Natural language generation

Abstract

Methods and systems which utilize, in one embodiment, automatic language identification, including automatic language identification for dynamic text processing. In at least certain embodiments, automatic language identification can be applied to spellchecking in real time as the user types.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory;

obtaining a document including text;

receiving, from an automatic language identifier service, a first language identification for the document;

in response to receiving the first language identification, automatically invoking a modifying operation;

performing the modifying operation on the document in accordance with the first language identification;

determining, based at least in part on results from the modifying operation, whether the first language identification for the document is correct, wherein the results from the modifying operation include at least one of the amount of errors or the nature of the errors associated with the modifying operation;

in accordance with a determination that the first language identification is correct, providing the first language identification to a user application;

in accordance with a determination that the first language identification is incorrect,

determining a second language identification of the document, and

performing a modifying function on the document in accordance with one or more alternate languages different from the first language, wherein the second language identification of the document is determined based at least in part on the results from performing the modifying function on the document in accordance with the one or more alternate languages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying operation is a spellchecking function.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising, receiving an accuracy confidence ranking associated with the first language identification;

and

wherein the determining is based on the results from the modifying operation and the accuracy confidence ranking.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second language identification is automatically determined without user intervention.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, providing the second language identification of the document to an automatic language identifier service for use by a plurality of user applications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first language identification for the document is correct is further based on length of the text included in the document.

7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the device to:

obtain a document including text;

receive, from an automatic language identifier service, a first language identification for the document;

in response to receiving the first language identification, automatically invoking a modifying operation;

perform the modifying operation on the document in accordance with the first language identification;

determine based at least in part on results from the modifying operation, whether the first language identification for the document is correct, wherein the results from the modifying operation include at least one of the amount of errors or the nature of the errors associated with the modifying operation;

in accordance with a determination that the first language identification is correct, provide the first language identification to a user application;

in accordance with a determination that the first language identification is incorrect,

determine a second language identification of the document, and

perform a modifying function on the document in accordance with one or more alternate languages different from the first language, wherein the second language identification of the document is determined based at least in part on the results from performing the modifying function on the document in accordance with the one or more alternate languages.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the modifying operation is a spellchecking function.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as in claim 7, including instructions, which when executed by the or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to receive an accuracy confidence ranking associated with the first language identification;

and

wherein the determining is based on the results from the modifying operation and the accuracy confidence ranking.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the second language identification is automatically determined without user intervention.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, including instructions, which when executed by the or more processors of the electronic device, cause the device to:

provide the second language identification of the document to an automatic language identifier service for use by a plurality of user applications.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein determining whether the first language identification for the document is correct is further based on length of the text included in the document.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

obtaining a document including text;

receiving, from an automatic language identifier service, a first language identification for the document;

in response to receiving the first language identification, automatically invoking a modifying operation;

performing the modifying operation on the document in accordance with the first language identification;

determining, based at least in part on results from the modifying operation, whether the first language identification for the document is correct, wherein the results from the modifying operation include at least one of the amount of errors or the nature of the errors associated with the modifying operation; and

in accordance with a determination that the first language identification is correct, providing the first language identification to a user application;

in accordance with a determination that the first language identification is incorrect,

determining a second language identification of the document, and

performing a modifying function on the document in accordance with one or more alternate languages different from the first language, wherein the second language identification of the document is determined based at least in part on the results from performing the modifying function on the document in accordance with the one or more alternate languages.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the modifying operation is a spellchecking function.

15. The electronic device as in claim 13, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

receiving an accuracy confidence ranking associated with the first language identification; and

wherein the determining is based on the results from the modifying operation and the accuracy confidence ranking.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the second language identification is automatically determined without user intervention.

17. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

providing the second language identification of the document to an automatic language identifier service for use by a plurality of user applications.

18. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein determining whether the first language identification for the document is correct is further based on length of the text included in the document.