Apple Inc.

David J Wright

Bonnie A Nardi

Thomas Bonura

Henry A Lieberman

James R Miller

A system and method causes a computer to detect and perform actions on structures identified in computer data. The system provides an analyzer server, an application program interface, a user interface and an action processor. The analyzer server receives from an application running concurrently data having recognizable structures, uses a pattern analysis unit, such as a parser or fast string search function, to detect structures in the data, and links relevant actions to the detected structures. The application program interface communicates with the application running concurrently, and transmits relevant information to the user interface. Thus, the user interface can present and enable selection of the detected structures, and upon selection of a detected structure, present the linked candidate actions. Upon selection of an action, the action processor performs the action on the detected structure.

System and method for performing an action on a structure in

A system comprises a structure editor, a structure library, an extractor and a user interface, which are stored in computer memory and create structures for recognizing patterns in computer text. The structure editor via the user interface enables a user to input a text string called a model pattern, and uses previously-created structures such as lexical category structures for parsing the model pattern into default definition items. Each default definition item includes attributes specifying the patterns recognizable by the definition item and relationships with other definition items. The structure editor enables and facilitates user modification of the default definition items by generating attribute choices for user selection and allowing a user to generate a new structure if none of the choices is adequate. The resulting definition items form a new definition of a new structure, which is stored in the structure library. The extractor locates a pattern in computer text by satisfying the conditions of a definition of a new structure.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

David J Wright