Abstract: An electronic word building machine including a keyboard to input a user determined set of letters, a set of words in memory, a comparison program to compare the input set of letters with the set of words in memory to provide a set of matching words from the set of words in memory, the set of matching words including words which consist only of a subset of letters from the input set of letters, a ranking program to provide a predetermined score for each of the words in the set of matching words, and a display to display on the machine each of the words in the sequence of the value of the score together with the score value of the word being displayed.

Abstract: A hand held electronic data processing device has an input keyboard and a display screen. A sixteen bit central processing unit (CPU) address bus addresses read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). However, a twenty bit register provides a twenty line address bus that is employed for addressing sequential data in ROM. A direct memory access (DMA) unit provides direct transfer of data from RAM to a forty bit register which controls the state of the pixels in a 240 character liquid crystal display (LCD). The keyboard is connected in an electronic matrix with rows driven by signals applied by system address bus lines. These various functions require exclusive use of the system address bus.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compressing dictionary database information is described. The method divides the database information into a number of parts which are each conducive to a predetermined compression technique. A first part database is formed consisting of all the entry points in the dictionary wherein each entry point is associated with a unique word number. A second part database is formed consisting of a multiplicity of placeholders. A third part database is formed consisting of all the entry points of the dictionary in the exact order in which they appear in the dictionary. A fourth part database is formed consisting of the definitions and usage notes without reference to their text. A fifth part database allows retrieval of articles of interest without having to decompress the entire dictionary. Compression techniques using multigrams and minimum-redundancy codes are selectively applied to the different database parts.

Abstract: A location technique in an electronic encyclopedia for presenting relevant articles in response to a user input of a query term. The technique employs a user controlled hierarchy of filter parameters. The user selects a subset of the identifying parameters into which all articles are classified; each article being classified into at least one identifying parameter. There are 107 parameters disclosed. The encyclopedia automatically locates each article that employs the input or query term in each of the parameters selected by the user.The 107 identifying parameters are divided into four Groups. The articles presented to the user are only those articles which are common to each of tex up to four Groups into which the user selected parameters are divided.An optimally useful set of articles is provided to the user. By a combination of the union of the articles within the user selected parameters within each of the Groups together with the intersection of the articles between Groups.

Abstract: A dual language information and dictionary machine permits operator selection of a message language, usually the operator's home language, and operator selection of an input word language. Operator input and entry of the word and the language selected provides translation, grammar and related dictionary information concerning the input word. Operator sequencing of an inflection request provides detailed information concerning each tense of the input word in the language into which it is translated together with information about each tense in the message or home language selected. Information screens are available at the request of the user at all operating states to provide additional information or directions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus stores and retrieves inflected forms of words in electronic reference products and, in particular, in electronic dictionaries, electronic bilingual dictionaries, electronic thesauri and an electronic Bible.

Abstract: A spelling corrector develops a phonetic correction candidate list and a typographic correction candidate list. These lists are merged using similarity values that measure the degree of similarity between the query (input) word and each word on the candidate lists. The similarity values include one based on phonetic comparison one based on typographic (ASCII, for example) comparison, one based on a vowel and consonant typographic pattern comparison and one based on a consonant phonetic comparison.

Abstract: An electronic spelling correcting machine compares input term against a list of terms in memory and validates spelling and provides a set of terms which may correspond to the input term if the input term is incorrect. The validated term or suggested term is provided with a locating indicia that permits the user to go to the page in a book where definition of the meaning of the word may be found. Various word games are incorporated. A user determined list may be substituted for the main list of terms in order to enable the user to practice word games and thus learn the words based on a selected list of terms of significance to the user. For purposes of game playing, the words incorrectly used from said user list are biased in such a fashion that they are picked in a quasi-random fashion so that the words played incorrectly are selected with greater frequency than the words played correctly.

Abstract: An elongated tubular catheter adapted for use in an artery or vein is provided. The catheter has a central axis, a proximal end and a distal end. The catheter has a distal portion including a curved portion and an end portion. The end portion has a first opening. The curved portion defines a zone substantially encircling the central axis and has openings facing the axis. The catheter terminates in the end portion. The end portion extends from the curved portion to a position substantially along the axis facing proximally. In use the curved portion centers the catheter and causes the end portion first opening and all other openings to be spaced from the wall of the artery or vein.

Abstract: A text is encoded as a file in electronic memory for reading and search purposes. A lexicon-file is established in which each term that can searched is incorporated. A text-file is established in which non-search terms are directly encoded and in which all of the search terms (that is all of the terms in the lexicon-file) are designated by linking numbers. The linking numbers link through each incidence of the lexicon word as a text word and finally link back to the same lexicon word in the lexicon-file and then from the lexicon-file back to the text-file. In this fashion, by using numbers to link through each incidence of a lexicon word in the text-file and the encoded lexicon word in the lexicon-file, the word is encoded in memory only once and all other entries for the word are in terms of linking numbers.

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.

Abstract: An electronic dictionary has a keyboard for entering words, which words are displayed along with a set of synonyms divided into subsets, each subset having a displayed common core meaning. The original word entered by the user for which synonyms and related words are sought is put into a history list. The user can select any of the synonyms or any of the words from the core meaning presented, or can independently enter any desired word and add those entered words to the history list. In this fashion, the user can build up a history list which can be reviewed by the user and any word in the history list re-accessed, so that the user can track through the history list and explore any desired complex arrangement of concepts, ideas, and relationships. As the history list becomes full, the earliest additional entry words are deleted in sequence.

Abstract: Individual character templates for an alphanumeric display are provided. Each individual character template includes an M row by N column pixel matrix. The M row by N column pixel matrix provides MN pixels. Each of the N columns has a generally vertical shallow "S" shaped format. The pixels along the center rows of the pixel matrix are substantially square and the pixels along the upper and lower rows of the pixel matrix have corners that define a parallelogram and vertical edges that are curved. The template is energized using an electrode trace arrangement which has a plurality of horizontal traces and a plurality of approximately vertical sinuous traces. A segment of each of the vertical tracks within any character template has a shallow "S" shaped form. The first and second columnar trace segments in any given character template is connected to the next to last and last columnar trace segments of the preceding character template and the next lowest row.