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US 10,885,272 B2Granted
Computer processes and interfaces for analyzing and suggesting improvements for text readability
AssigneeWordRake Holdings, LLC
InventorGary W. Kinder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Computer-based processes are disclosed for analyzing and improving document readability. Document readability is improved by using rules and associated logic to automatically detect various types of writing problems and to make and/or suggest edits for eliminating such problems. Many of the rules seek to generate more concise formulations of the analyzed sentences, such as by eliminating unnecessary words, rearranging words and phrases, and making various other types of edits. Proposed edits can be conveyed, e.g., through a word processing platform, by changing the visual appearance of text to indicate how the text would appear with (or with and without) the edit.
Claims30
Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that instructs a computer system to perform a method of analysis and interaction with a user to efficiently address readability issues by improving clarity and brevity of text, the method comprising:
- accepting and storing input text within a native document authoring application;
- providing a user interface through a plug-in to a the native document authoring application, the native document authoring application configured to display the stored input text to the user, the plug-in tightly integrated for modifying the appearance of text directly within the native document authoring application;
- accessing a rules database of rules and other information used by the method during analysis, the database including multiple rules configured for application to portions of text that include at least one character string selected from the following “to be” verbs:
- “be”, “is”, “was”, “are”, “being”, “am”, “were”, and “been”, said rules comprising one or more rules addressing passive voice problems;
- when initiated by a user through the user interface, analyzing input text and preparing results for display directly in the native document authoring application by performing the following steps:
- identifying target text that includes at least one of the following “to be” verbs:
- “be”, “is”, “was”, “are”, “being”, “am”, “were”, and “been”;
- applying to the input text a rule, or multiple rules, associated with that target text;
- alerting the user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue where the target text contains at least a “to be” verb and at least one past participle immediately following that verb;
- wherein if a portion of the input text containing the target text is present and not precluded by any false positive list, the interface:
- draws a user's attention to the target text by modifying how the target text appears directly within the native document authoring application;
- and
- proposes a related edit to the user comprising removal or modification of words or phrases from the portion of the input text by displaying the target text in context within the native document authoring application such that the user can simultaneously see a pre-edit version thereof on the same screen as the proposal for revision;
- wherein modifying the appearance of the target text within the document authoring application comprises maintaining its context but altering its appearance within the native document authoring application and simultaneously displaying a suggestion for the user to make a revision with respect to such readability issue, said suggestion provided via a display of text relating to the readability issue on the same screen as the target text;
- and
- wherein the interface provides a consistently-positioned interactive panel allowing a user to repeatedly accept or repeatedly reject edits while viewing the modified portion of the scanned text within the native document authoring application and simultaneously maintaining the position of a cursor within the interactive panel.
13 more elements
Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that directs a computer system to perform a method of automatic text evaluation within a word processing application, the method comprising:
- detecting whether a particular readability issue exists in text, notwithstanding whether the text is grammatically correct;
- scanning for target text containing at least one character string associated with the possible occurrence of the readability issue, wherein such target text includes a target nominalization;
- alerting a user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue where the first four words immediately preceding the target nominalization include a “to be” verb and/or a target verb;
- and
- implementing correction logic for correcting the issue, the correction logic specifying a proposed edit, the edit comprising one or some combination of the following:
- deleting text;
- adding text;
- and/or reordering text;
- wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performed by a plug-in to a native word processing application having an interactive user interface;
- wherein alerting the user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue comprises modifying the appearance of relevant text within the native_word processing application;
- wherein the word processing application's interactive user interface, as modified by the plug-in:
- allows a user to accept or reject the edit through at least one button;
- has a consistently-positioned interactive panel allowing a user to repeatedly accept or repeatedly reject edits while viewing text within the native word processing application and simultaneously maintaining the position of a cursor within the interactive panel;
- and
- after a user has accepted or rejected an edit using the at least one button, promptly shows subsequent target text within the native word processing application and an associated proposed edit, thereby allowing the user to rapidly accept or reject the proposed edits.
12 more elements
Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that directs a computer system to perform a method of automatic text evaluation, the method comprising:
- detecting whether a particular readability issue exists in text, notwithstanding whether that text is otherwise grammatically correct;
- scanning for target text containing at least one character string associated with the possible occurrence of the readability issue, wherein such target text includes a phrase beginning with “it”, ending with “that”, containing a “to be” verb, and containing at least one word between the “to be” verb and “that”;
- alerting a user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue where all the words between the “to be” verb and “that” are verbs (including participles, help verbs, and infinitives), adverbs, and/or adjectives;
- and
- implementing correction logic for correcting the issue, the correction logic specifying a proposed edit, the edit comprising one or some combination of the following:
- deleting text;
- adding text;
- and/or reordering text;
- wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performed by a plug-in to a document authoring application;
- wherein alerting the user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue comprises modifying the appearance of the scanned text directly within the document authoring application;
- and
- wherein the document authoring application's graphical user interface, as modified by the plug-in:
- allows a user to accept or reject the edit through at least one button;
- has a consistently-positioned interactive panel allowing a user to repeatedly accept or repeatedly reject edits while viewing target text and simultaneously maintaining the position of their cursor within the interactive panel;
- and
- after a user has accepted or rejected an edit using the at least one button, promptly shows any subsequent proposed edit, thereby allowing the user to rapidly proceed between proposed edits and accept or reject the proposed edits.
13 more elements
Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that directs a computer system to perform a method of automatic text evaluation, the method comprising:
- detecting whether a particular readability issue exists in text previously entered into a word processing application;
- scanning for target text containing at least one character string associated with the possible occurrence of the readability issue, wherein such target text includes the word “there”, a “to be” verb, a noun unit, and the word “that”, “who”, or “which”;
- applying to the input text a rule, or multiple rules, associated with the target text;
- wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performed as a component of the word processing application;
- alerting a user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue where the “to be” verb immediately follows “there”, the noun unit immediately follows the “to be” verb and the word “that”, “who”, or “which” immediately follows the noun unit;
- and
- implementing correction logic for correcting the issue, the correction logic specifying a proposed edit, the edit comprising one or some combination of the following:
- deleting text;
- adding text;
- and/or reordering text;
- wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performed by a plug-in to a word processing application;
- wherein alerting the user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue comprises modifying the appearance of the scanned text within the word processing application;
- wherein the word processing application's graphical user interface, as modified by the plug-in:
- allows a user to accept or reject the edit through at least one button;
- has a consistently-positioned interactive panel allowing a user to repeatedly accept or repeatedly reject edits while viewing target text and simultaneously maintaining the position of their cursor within the interactive panel;
- after a user has accepted or rejected an edit using the at least one button, promptly shows a subsequent target text and associated proposed edit, thereby allowing the user to rapidly proceed between proposed edits and accept or reject the proposed edits.
13 more elements
The non-transitory computer storage of claim, 21 wherein said method is capable of, after a user has accepted an edit using the at least one button, automatically:
- deleting the word “there”;
- deleting the “to be” verb;
- and
- deleting the word “that”.
1 more element
Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable code that directs a computer system to perform a method of automatic text evaluation, the method comprising:
- detecting whether a particular readability issue exists in text, notwithstanding whether the text may be otherwise grammatically correct;
- scanning for target text containing at least one character string associated with the possible occurrence of the readability issue, wherein such target text includes a form of a “to be” verb, “required”, and “to”;
- and
- when a “to be” verb immediately precedes “required” and the word “to” immediately follows “required”, alerting the user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue;
- implementing correction logic for correcting the issue, the correction logic specifying a proposed edit, the edit comprising one or some combination of the following:
- deleting the “to be” verb;
- deleting “required”;
- deleting “to”;
- and adding “must”;
- wherein the method of automatic text evaluation is performed as a component of a word processing application;
- wherein alerting the user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue comprises at least one of the following:
- modifying the appearance of the scanned text within the word processing application;
- and/or
- displaying a suggestion;
- wherein the word processing application's graphical user interface, as modified by the plug-in:
- allows a user to accept or reject the edit through at least one button;
- has a consistently-positioned interactive panel allowing a user to repeatedly accept or repeatedly reject edits while viewing target text and simultaneously maintaining the position of their cursor within the interactive panel;
- and
- after a user has accepted or rejected an edit using the at least one button, promptly shows a subsequent target text and any associated proposed edit, thereby allowing the user to rapidly proceed between proposed edits and accept or reject the proposed edits them.
16 more elements
The non-transitory computer storage of 29, wherein the method further comprises:
- when the term “that” or “who” is followed by a “to be” verb followed by a present participle or a past participle, alerting the user to the possible occurrence of a readability issue by:
- drawing a user's attention to the target text by modifying the appearance of the scanned text by maintaining any target text in context within the scanned text but altering the appearance of any target text or graphical space adjacent thereto within the word processing application;
- and
- simultaneously displaying an edit proposal to a user through the interactive user interface of the same native word processing application having the target text;
- the edit proposal comprising a suggestion to the user that the term “that” or “who”, along with the “to be” verb, can be cut.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.