US5113340A
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Search improvements for electronic spelling machine
Assignee: Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc
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Filing: 1988-05-25
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Granted: 1992-05-12
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Expires: 2008-05-25
Abstract
Abstract Improvements in a hand-held spelling machine increase the speed with which a query word is compared against the words in memory. One technique is to provide a look up table to encode all character sets of one or two letters into a coded string. Where the set of letters is three or more characters, a previously known algorithm is employed. Search of the memory is limited to only a few main branches of the tree. The limitation is a function of the first query word letter. The time it takes to calculate the similarity function is saved in two circumstances. When a similarity function is calculated at a particular level of the tree and found to be great enough so that there is no prune of the tree, then that decision not to prune is carried forward for other tree branches having the same letters prior to the level involved.
Inventors
- 👤 David McWherter
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 12:23
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09B; G09B7/00; G09B7/02; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/903; G06F16/90335; G06F16/90348; G06F40/00; G06F40/20; G06F40/232; G06F40/237; G06F40/247
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
127 words
In a machine spelling dictionary having a memory containing a dictionary of words arranged in a tree format, a keyboard to input a query word composed of a set of characters, and encode means to encode each input character string from said tree and from said keyboard into coded strings for purposes of comparing query and tree coded strings, the encoding improvement comprising: a look up table to encode word segments from said tree having N or fewer characters into a corresponding coded string, and algorithm means for encoding word segments from said tree having more than N characters into a corresponding coded string, the word segments encoded by said look up table and by said algorithm means constituting the words in branch segments of the tree.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
127 words
In a machine spelling dictionary having a memory containing a dictionary of words arranged in a tree format, a keyboard to input a query word composed of a set of characters, and encode means to encode each input character string from said tree and from said keyboard into coded strings for purposes of comparing query and tree coded strings, the encoding improvement comprising: a look up table to encode word segments from said tree having N or fewer characters into a corresponding coded string, and algorithm means for encoding word segments from said tree having more than N characters into a corresponding coded string, the word segments encoded by said look up table and by said algorithm means constituting the words in branch segments of the tree.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
7 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein N=2.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
167 words
In a machine spelling dictionary having a memory containing a dictionary of words arranged in a tree format, a keyboard to input a query word composed of a set of characters, an encode means to encode each input characteristic string into a coded string, means for pruning the tree as a function of a similarity characteristic between the coded string of the query word and the coded string of a memory word from the tree, the pruning occurring when the similarity characteristic falls below a predetermined threshold, the improvement comprising: means responsive to the similarity characteristic at a node at a tree level N to provide an automatic termination function where said similarity characteristic is greater than a predetermined threshold, means responsive to said automatic termination function to omit the calculation of said similarity function at said tree level N for all branches that stem from the node at level N-1 that precedes said node at level N, whereby pruning is avoided for all branches so affected.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
167 words
In a machine spelling dictionary having a memory containing a dictionary of words arranged in a tree format, a keyboard to input a query word composed of a set of characters, an encode means to encode each input characteristic string into a coded string, means for pruning the tree as a function of a similarity characteristic between the coded string of the query word and the coded string of a memory word from the tree, the pruning occurring when the similarity characteristic falls below a predetermined threshold, the improvement comprising: means responsive to the similarity characteristic at a node at a tree level N to provide an automatic termination function where said similarity characteristic is greater than a predetermined threshold, means responsive to said automatic termination function to omit the calculation of said similarity function at said tree level N for all branches that stem from the node at level N-1 that precedes said node at level N, whereby pruning is avoided for all branches so affected.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The improvement of claim 3 wherein N is greater than level 3.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
The improvement of claim 4 wherein N is less than level 7.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
72 words
The improvement of claim 3 further comprising: a look up table to encode word segments from said tree having M or fewer characters into a corresponding coded string, and algorithm means for encoding word segments from said tree having more than M characters into a corresponding coded string, the word segments encoded by said look up table and by said algorithm means constituting the word segments in a branch of the tree.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
7 words
The improvement of claim 6 wherein M=2.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The improvement of claim 7 wherein N is greater than level 3.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The improvement of claim 8 wherein N is less than level 7.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-05-12 | 1995-11-11 | 1996-05-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-05-12 | 1999-11-11 | 2000-05-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-05-12 | 2003-11-11 | 2004-05-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |