International Business Machines Corporation

Walter S Rosenbaum

David Glickman

John Joseph Hilliard

Alan Richard Tannenbaum

Norman F Brickman

James T Repass

Robert A Kolpek

Allen Harold Ett

Danny B Convis

Richard G Carlgren

Ellen Willis Bollinger

Jean Marie Ciconte

Anne Marie Chaires

Philip Joseph Mullan

Howard Carl Tanner

Evon C Greanias

Martin A Reed

David L MacDuffee

Howard G Kettler

Janet G Russell

Anker Ankerstjerne

Frederick R Lange

Barr T Carris

Donald Francis Kocher

The presence of a non-text object is sensed in a mixed object document to be archived in an information retrieval system. In addition to text objects, a mixed object document can contain non-text objects such as image objects, graphics objects, formatted objects, font objects, voice objects, video objects and animation objects. This enables the creation of key words which characterize the non-text object, for incorporation in the inverted file index of the data base, thereby enabling the later retrieval of either the entire document or the independent retrieval of the non-text object through the use of such key words.

Non-text object storage and retrieval

A data processing system, method and program are disclosed to optimize mail piece sorting and the mapping of mail down to the carrier walk sequence using real time statistical data. The invention makes use of techniques such as fast OCR devices at a sending location or deferred processing of OCR scanned mail, to accumulate volume statistics indicating the number of mail pieces being routed particular addressees at a destination postal region on a given day. The information for mail volumes being directed to a particular postal region are collected over data communications links prior to the receipt of the actual mail pieces. The efficiency of sorting is maximized at the destination postal region by organizing the sorting apparatus to remove the highest volume addressee's mail first. This requires the compilation of the real time volume statistics from all of the sending postal regions sending mail to the destination postal location. In this manner, the maximum number of letters on every pass through the sorting apparatus can be achieved at the destination location. This minimizes the total number of reading operations required in order to achieve a desired level of mail sorting separation. Because the mail volume statistics are available at the destination location prior to sorting, at each stage of the sorting operations, bin allocation can be customized to yield the highest final patron or addressee sort. In this manner, the time for every subsequent pass through the sorting apparatus is reduced. This enables sorting directly to the addressee level and the distribution of the mail down to carrier walk sequence.

Data processing system for optimized mail piece sorting and mapping to

A system and method are disclosed for enabling the technique of deferred processing of OCR scanned mail to be compatible with existing techniques for mechanical sortation of mail that use standard sort barcode formats which are common to a given destination postal system. This enables deferred OCR processed mail to be sorted on an unsegregated basis along with other types of mail which have not been processed by the deferred OCR technique. This allows the OCR encoded mail to be processed along with other types of encoded mail during standard sort barcode that has been imprinted using prior technology such as OCR or manual code desks.

Barcode translation for deferred optical character recognition mail

The invention is characterized as a data processing architecture and method for multi-stage processing of mail, using knowledge based techniques. The system includes OCR-scanning a multipart address field of a mail piece at a sending location, the address field including at least two portions, a first stage routing portion (destination city, state, country, zip code) and a second stage routing portion (destination street address, building floor, corporate addressee internal routing). At the sending location, the image of the entire address field is captured by an OCR head and stored in memory. A serial number is printed on the mail piece. The first routing portion is then converted into sorting signals to sort the mail piece to a truck at the sending location which is to be dispatched to the city, state and country indicated in the first stage routing portion. Then, while the mail piece is in transit by truck to the destination city, the image of the second stage routing portion is analyzed by a knowledge base processor to resolve street addresses, building floor, corporate addressee internal routing information and addressee name. The deferred execution of the analysis by the knowledge base processor is available because of the sporadic volume of mail pieces submitted to the sytem. While the mail piece is in transit on the truck, the knowledge processor completes its analysis and is able to transmit by electronic communications link to the destination location, the information that the mail piece is on its way and the second stage routing information needed to automatically sort and deliver the mail piece to its corporate addressee.

System and method for deferred processing of OCR scanned mail

A system for automatically proofreading a document for word use validation in a text processing system is provided by coupling a specialized dictionary of sets of homophones and confusable words to sets of di-gram and N-gram conditions whereby proper usage of the words can be statistically determined. A text document is reviewed word-by-word against a dictionary of homophones and confusable words. When a match occurs, the related list of syntactic rules is examined relative to the context of the subject homophone or confusable word. If the syntax in the immediate context of the homophone or confusable word conflicts with the prestored syntax rules, the homophone or confusable word is highlighted on the system display. The system then displays the definition of the highlighted word along with possible intended alternative forms and their respective definitions. The operator can examine the word used and the possible alternatives and make a determination as to whether an error has been made and if a correction of the text is required. If correction is required, the operator may cause the error word to be replaced by the desired word by positioning the display cursor under the desired word and depressing an appropriate key on the system keyboard.

System for detecting and correcting contextual errors in a text

The combination of dictionary driven hyphenation, specialized algorithmic hyphenation and intelligent blank insertion provides improved right margin justification capability in a text processing system. When hyphenation is required for right margin justification, the system compares the word to be hyphenated to a prestored dictionary of words containing hyphenation points. When the word to be hyphenated matches one of the dictionary words the hyphenation points are retrieved and the word is split at the right margin. If the word to be hyphenated does not match one of the dictionary words, then a specialized list of prestored hyphenated suffixes and prestored statistical character digrams are compared to the word to determine the appropriate hyphenation points. Once the word has been split, the system searches the line for sets of predetermined words which may be separated from other words in the sentence by adding space to the line with a minimum of aesthetic distortion. Space is then added to the line until the line ending equals the right margin. The text is then printed.

Mixed mode enhanced resolution hyphenation function for a text

An improved system for identifying and compacting text data to be transmitted over communications lines and thereby reducing the data volume and transmission time. Transmitting and receiving text processing systems are provided identical library memories containing words commonly used in correspondence. Each word in a document to be communicated is compared to the transmitting system's word library and, if found in the library, only the library address is transmitted. If the word is not found in the library, then it is added to the transmitting system's library, sent, and added to the receiving system's library. The receiving system reconstructs the document by using the received addresses to access the appropriate words from its library and place them in the document. The system combines this word match encoding with character match encoding and facsimile run length encoding for communicating words not found in the system library. The character match process requires a template match and non-linear difference code summation combined with N-dimensional weighting using prestored feature vectors for statistically determining the match between an input character and characters stored in the system library.

Method for identification and compression of facsimile symbols in text

A method and system for compacting text data to be transmitted over communications lines and thereby reduce the data volume and transmission time. Transmitting and receiving text processing systems are provided identical library memories containing text strings such as words commonly used in correspondence. Each word in a document to be communicated is compared to the transmitting system's word library and, if found in the library, only the library address is transmitted. If the word is not found in the library, then it is added to the transmitting system's library, sent, and added to the receiving system's library. The receiving system reconstructs the document by using the received addresses to access the appropriate words from its library and place them in the document. The system combines this word match encoding with character match encoding and facsimile run length encoding for communicating words not found in the system library.

Word autocorrelation redundancy match facsimile compression for text

A system for proofreading a text document and automatically detecting and replacing text words in the document which exceed a predetermined understandability level for the documents intended audience. Text words and synonyms are stored in a dictionary which includes an understandability code for each word based statistically on textbook grade levels. The operator enters a grade level code into the system for the intended document audience. The system scans the document for words which exceed the desired grade level, highlights those words on the system display and prompts the operator with synonyms which can be used to replace the highlighted word. The operator may select a desired replacement synonym by placing the system cursor underneath the word and depressing and enter key from the system keyboard.

Automatic text grade level analyzer for a text processing system

A storage method and control system for storing and interactively accessing a large data base of related linguistic expressions such as synonyms and antonyms. The data base structure includes a stored ordered vocabulary of the linguistic expressions and a stored N.times.N binary matrix defining the relationship between the expressions in the vocabulary. Address indexes are associated with the vocabulary and binary matrix to enhance access times. The control system controls a programmable digital processor to receive an input linguistic expression and access the binary matrix to generate linkages to the related linguistic expressions in the vocabulary. The related linguistic expressions in the vocabulary are concatenated and displayed for operator review.

Retrieval of related linked linguistic expressions including synonyms

A system that intelligently abstracts and archives a document for storage and interprets a free form user retrieval query to recall the document from the storage file. The system includes a method for automatically selecting keywords from the document using a parts of a speech directory. A method is given for weighing the importance or centrality of each keyword with respect to the document of its origin. Using the same logic paths, a free form query that describes the document in the same manner that it would have to be described to a secretary to 'find' it in a filing cabinet, the system automatically determines the key matching terms and finds the archived document(s) with the greatest affinity.

Office correspondence storage and retrieval system

A system for reducing the computation required to match a misspelled word against various candidates from a dictionary to find one or more words that represent the best match to the misspelled word. The major facility offered is the ability to computationally discern the degree of apparent match that exists between words that do not perfectly match a given target word without requiring the computationally tedious procedure of character by character positional matching which necessitates shifting and realignment to accommodate for differences between the candidate and target words due to character differences or added and dropped syllables. The system includes a method for storing and retrieving words from the dictionary based on their likelihood of being the correct version of a misspelled word and then reviewing those words further to reduce the number of candidates that must then be examined in a high resolution positional match to find the candidate(s) which matches the misspelled word with the greatest character affinity. This technique reduces the number of candidates in contention so as to make a high resolution match computationally feasible on a real-time basis. The discriminant potential and the real-time computational burden associated with the technique are balanced in an optimal manner.

Instantaneous alpha content prescan method for automatic spelling error

A system for reducing storage requirements and accessing times in a text processing machine for automatic spelling verification and hyphenation functions. The system includes a method for storing a word list file and accessing the word list file such that legal prefixes and suffixes are truncated and only the unique root element, or 'stem', of a word is stored. A set of unique rules is provided for prefix/suffix removal during compilation of the word list file and subsequent accessing of the word list file. Spelling verification is accomplished by applying the rules to the words whose spelling is to be verified and application of the said rules provides, under most circumstances, a natural hyphenation break point at the prefix-stem and stem-suffix junctions.

Stem processing for data reduction in a dictionary storage file

A system for reducing the computation required to match a misspelled word against various candidates from a dictionary to find one or more words that represent the best match to the misspelled word. The major facility offered is the ability to computationally discern the degree of apparent match that exists between words that do not perfectly match a given target word without requiring the computationally tedious procedure of character by character positional matching which necessitates shifting and realignment to accommodate for differences between the candidate and target words due to character differences or added and dropped syllables. The system includes a method for storing and retrieving words from the dictionary based on their likelihood of being the correct version of a misspelled word and then reviewing those words further using the Prescan Alpha Content Match to reduce the number of candidates that must then be examined in a high resolution positional match to find the candidate(s) which matches the mis-spelled word with the greatest character affinity. The Prescan Alpha Content Match reduces the number of candidates in contention so as to make a high resolution match computationally feasible on a real-time basis.

Alpha content match prescan method for automatic spelling error

The aesthetic characteristics of adjacent characters are used to enhance the quality of output in a proportional spacing printer and to provide right margin justification for composing. Spacing between characters is determined on the basis of the character being printed and the preceding character already printed on the page. An intercharacter displacement memory contains a list of ideal spacing for all combinations of characters to be printed. As each character is typed, it and the previously stored preceding character address the intercharacter displacement memory. The output of the intercharacter displacement memory is the ideal value of escapement for this combination of characters and font style. The printer positions the print head prior to printing the next character, rather than positioning the print head after the previous character is printed. Line ending decisions for composing are eliminated during initial and final typing of a document by adding to the intercharacter displacement memory recommendations for altering the ideal spacing between characters, where aesthetically possible, to eliminate the need for line ending hyphenation. During initial keying, escapements for adjacent pairs of characters are totaled in a memory for ideal, shortest (tight), and longest (loose) recommended escapements. The line is automatically terminated within the justification range by a carrier return function based on the escapement totals and the selected right margin. Final playout of the page from memory alters the intercharacter escapements from the ideal values to either longer or shorter escapements depending on whether the line is to be lengthened or shortened.

Growing community of inventors

Bethesda, MD, United States of America

Walter S Rosenbaum