Patent US5652897A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5652897A
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Robust language processor for segmenting and parsing-language containing multiple instructions
Assignee: Unisys Corp
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Filing: 1993-05-24
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Granted: 1997-07-29
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Expires: 2013-05-24
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus and method are provided for segmenting, parsing, interpreting and formatting the content of instructions such as air traffic control instructions. Output from a speech recognizer is so processed to produce such instructions in a structured format such as for input to other software. There are two main components: an instruction segmenter and a robust parser. In the instruction segmenter, the recognized text produced by the speech recognizer is segmented into independent instructions and each instruction is processed. The instruction segmenter receives a recognized air traffic control or other instruction, and segments it into individual commands. Utterances or other language are thereby broken up into their component instructions by detecting probable instruction boundaries. If normal processing fails, then robust backup processing is invoked, as a fallback after a fixed time per word has elapsed or a processing failure has occurred. The robust parser allows the system to extract information from utterances that are not necessarily well formed or may have extraneous comments in them.
Inventors
- 👤 Marcia C. Linebarger
- 👤 Lewis M. Norton
- 👤 Deborah A. Dahl
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 06:29
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10L; G10L15/00; G10L15/08; G10L15/18; G10L15/1822
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
195 words
A computer-implemented method for robust language processing, comprising the steps of: accepting language in text form; segmenting the text language into one or more individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; parsing the one or more individual instructions; and skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished by said parsing step in a predetermined time or without a parsing failure; wherein said parsing step and said skipping step together comprise the steps of: first determining whether parsing is presently at any of at least one predetermined keyword; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is not at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then moving parsing ahead one word and repeating said first determining step; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then parsing the instruction and second determining whether the end of the input has been reached; and if the end of the input has not been reached, then repeating said first determining step.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
195 words
A computer-implemented method for robust language processing, comprising the steps of: accepting language in text form; segmenting the text language into one or more individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; parsing the one or more individual instructions; and skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished by said parsing step in a predetermined time or without a parsing failure; wherein said parsing step and said skipping step together comprise the steps of: first determining whether parsing is presently at any of at least one predetermined keyword; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is not at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then moving parsing ahead one word and repeating said first determining step; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then parsing the instruction and second determining whether the end of the input has been reached; and if the end of the input has not been reached, then repeating said first determining step.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of semantically analyzing the one or more parsed instructions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
203 words
A computer-implemented method for robust language processing, comprising the steps of: accepting language in text form; segmenting the text language into one or more individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; parsing the one or more individual instructions; and skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished by said parsing step in a predetermined time or without a parsing failure; wherein, when a timeout or a failure occurs during parsing, said parsing step and said skipping step together comprise the steps of: first determining whether the portion of the input then being considered for parsing is a predetermined keyword; if said first determining step finds a predetermined keyword, then resetting the time allotment for timeout, and parsing as far as possible; if said first determining step does not find a predetermined keyword, then performing one of the following processes: (1) skipping to the first of the next keyword or the end of the input, and then indicating a failure condition; and (2) resetting the time allotment for timeout and parsing the instruction starting with a predetermined keyword.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
203 words
A computer-implemented method for robust language processing, comprising the steps of: accepting language in text form; segmenting the text language into one or more individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; parsing the one or more individual instructions; and skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished by said parsing step in a predetermined time or without a parsing failure; wherein, when a timeout or a failure occurs during parsing, said parsing step and said skipping step together comprise the steps of: first determining whether the portion of the input then being considered for parsing is a predetermined keyword; if said first determining step finds a predetermined keyword, then resetting the time allotment for timeout, and parsing as far as possible; if said first determining step does not find a predetermined keyword, then performing one of the following processes: (1) skipping to the first of the next keyword or the end of the input, and then indicating a failure condition; and (2) resetting the time allotment for timeout and parsing the instruction starting with a predetermined keyword.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
204 words
A computer-implemented method for robust processing of air traffic control (ATC) language, comprising the steps of: segmenting the ATC language into individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; and parsing each individual instruction independently of one another, said parsing including skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure; wherein said predetermined amount of time is a function of the length of the individual instruction; wherein said parsing further comprises the steps of: first determining whether parsing is presently at any of at least one predetermined keyword; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is not at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then moving parsing ahead one word and repeating said first determining step; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then parsing the instruction and determining whether the end of the input has been reached; and if the end of the input has not been reached, then repeating said first determining step.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
204 words
A computer-implemented method for robust processing of air traffic control (ATC) language, comprising the steps of: segmenting the ATC language into individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; and parsing each individual instruction independently of one another, said parsing including skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure; wherein said predetermined amount of time is a function of the length of the individual instruction; wherein said parsing further comprises the steps of: first determining whether parsing is presently at any of at least one predetermined keyword; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is not at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then moving parsing ahead one word and repeating said first determining step; if the portion of the instruction being parsed is at any of the at least one predetermined keyword, then parsing the instruction and determining whether the end of the input has been reached; and if the end of the input has not been reached, then repeating said first determining step.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
214 words
A computer-implemented method for robust processing of air traffic control (ATC) language, comprising the steps of: segmenting the ATC language into individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; and parsing each individual instruction independently of one another, said parsing including skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure; wherein said predetermined amount of time is a function of the length of the individual instruction; wherein, when a timeout or a failure occurs during parsing, said parsing step further comprises the steps of: first determining whether the portion of the input then being considered for parsing is a predetermined keyword; if said first determining step finds a predetermined keyword, then resetting the time allotment for timeout, and parsing as far as possible; if said first determining step does not find a predetermined keyword, then performing one of the following processes: (1) skipping to the first of the next keyword or the end of the input, and then indicating a failure condition; and (2) resetting the time allotment for timeout and parsing the instruction starting with a predetermined keyword.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
214 words
A computer-implemented method for robust processing of air traffic control (ATC) language, comprising the steps of: segmenting the ATC language into individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; and parsing each individual instruction independently of one another, said parsing including skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure; wherein said predetermined amount of time is a function of the length of the individual instruction; wherein, when a timeout or a failure occurs during parsing, said parsing step further comprises the steps of: first determining whether the portion of the input then being considered for parsing is a predetermined keyword; if said first determining step finds a predetermined keyword, then resetting the time allotment for timeout, and parsing as far as possible; if said first determining step does not find a predetermined keyword, then performing one of the following processes: (1) skipping to the first of the next keyword or the end of the input, and then indicating a failure condition; and (2) resetting the time allotment for timeout and parsing the instruction starting with a predetermined keyword.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
146 words
A computer-implemented method for robust processing of air traffic control (ATC) language, comprising the steps of: segmenting the ATC language into individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; and parsing each individual instruction independently of one another, said parsing including skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure; wherein said predetermined amount of time is a function of the length of the individual instruction; wherein said parsing is performed by a robust parser implemented in software, said robust parser comprising a main parser and backup processor for use when a parse cannot be accomplished by said main parser in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
146 words
A computer-implemented method for robust processing of air traffic control (ATC) language, comprising the steps of: segmenting the ATC language into individual instructions, said segmenting being performed in accordance with predefined sets of rules and specific words that indicate at least the beginning or end of an instruction; and parsing each individual instruction independently of one another, said parsing including skipping one or more words in an instruction if a parse cannot be accomplished in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure; wherein said predetermined amount of time is a function of the length of the individual instruction; wherein said parsing is performed by a robust parser implemented in software, said robust parser comprising a main parser and backup processor for use when a parse cannot be accomplished by said main parser in a predetermined amount of time or without a parsing failure.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method as defined in claim 6 wherein said main parser comprises a prescribed set of grammar rules for normal parsing and said backup processor is implemented as an additional rule in said set.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-07-28 | 2001-01-27 | 2001-07-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-07-28 | 2005-01-27 | 2005-07-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-07-28 | 2009-01-27 | 2009-07-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |