Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Microcomputer Engineering, Ltd.

Hiroshi Kinukawa

Hiroshi Tsuji

Shigeru Watanabe

Shinji Kimura

Satoshi Wakayama

Kenjiro Mori

Yasuharu Namba

Hisao Mase

Tadahiro Kiyama

Akihiro Hirai

Kuniaki Ozawa

Kazuaki Maeda

Yasuhara Namba

Kenji Koichi

Makoto Yamanouchi

Yasuo Yajima

An input device (12) receives a natural language or conversational statement in the form of a character string (1). A processor (14) performs a natural language analysis (2) to convert the input natural language into a command language instruction for a computer program. A morphological analysis (3) compares words of the input character string with contents of a dictionary (10) to convert the input words into preselected words indicated by the dictionary which are output as another character string. In a semantic or syntax analysis (4; FIG. 9), one of the inputted and another character strings are analyzed to generate a corresponding chained functions structure (FIGS. 2, 3). From knowledge (FIG. 5, 7) described by the plurality of chained function structures and from rules stored in knowledge memory (11), a new character string is generated. If the new character string is in command language, the command is executed (7). If the new character string is not in command language, it is reanalyzed (8, 9) to generate yet another character string. In this manner, instructions can be input by a user in any of a multiplicity of national languages in conversational format and converted into appropriate command instructions for an executed computer program.

Computer system and method for converting a conversational statement to

A system for changing a natural language sentence input by a user. The sentence expresses an operation specification which is translated to an operation specification command in a machine language for an operation specification object such as database. The system has a function to define specific items necessary for changing the natural language input sentence to the operation specification command without forcing the user to decide complicated definitions related to the operation specification object. The system refers to an operation specification object information table which stores at least one of the following acquired from the user: (1) A unit word or an interrogative word (phrase) with respect to each of the items in the database; (2) An explanatory sentence with respect to each of the items in the database; and (3) An item pair which is specifiable as a join condition of each of the items in the database.

Method and system for generating operation specification object

The invention is featured in that the natural language process can be made in a way that a chained functions structure expressing relationships among concepts of elements of the natural language constructing the character strings is generated, a rule table which stores in advance rules of association relationship between the chained functions structure and form of a command language which the processor system can execute is looked up, the generated chained functions structure is converted to a form which the process can be executed, and the command language are obtained as results of the analysis by incorporating the information as to the operating statuses of the processor system into the converted form. The invention enables the computer to operate in a desired mode with input of usual natural language without use of any of the formal languages usually given to the computer (special languages and command defined for the computer).

Method and system for processing natural language

A computer aided text generation system and method provides functions of aiding a logical outline structure of a text, aiding the text generation using a conventional expression, aiding the text generation without using conventional expression, aiding the refinement of the generated text and aiding the collection of illustrative sentences. The present system permits generation of a finished text of high quality.

Computer aided text generation method and system

A method of editing a document comprises displaying a text sentence on the screen of a display unit, bounding an area partly removed of the displayed text sentence and reserved for the display of a figure, calculating a configuration which the bounded area has on the document to be printed, displaying an area having a size in proportion to the configuration on the display screen, drawing the figure within the displayed area, and synthesizing the text sentence and the figure. When drawing the figure on the screen of the display unit, the user can monitor a print image.

Method for editing document

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Machida, Japan

Hiroshi Kinukawa