WO1993013945A1

WO1993013945A1 - Method and apparatus for recording and translating shorthand notes

Info

Publication number: WO1993013945A1
Application number: PCT/US1993/000454
Authority: WO
Inventors: Keith A. Mc Cready
Original assignee: Stenograph Corporation
Priority date: 1992-01-17
Filing date: 1993-01-15
Publication date: 1993-07-22
Also published as: AU3478593A

Abstract

A look-up table based on a conventional binary tree is implemented within a shorthand machine that performs sophisticated computer aided translations without compromising portability and long-term battery powered operation. The novel look-up table stores a translation dictionary and conserves power and memory space by providing sublevels that do not allocate memory space within the sublevel for identifying the preceding levels. Flash EPROM is utilized to further conserve power and facilitate long-term battery powered operation. The Flash EPROM may be written to by the shorthand machine, thus allowing the user to update the machine's memory. An LCD is provided for displaying several lines of the translated text as each word is translated.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECORDING AND TRANSLATING SHORTHAND NOTES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to recording and translating shorthand notes. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording and translating shorthand notes using a single self- contained unit.

Stenography is a widely used technique for recording the spoken word. The basic process includes two steps: (1) making a phonetic record of the speech being recorded, and (2) translating the phonetic record into a grammatical record such as, by way of example, an English language transcript. To ensure reliability and efficiency in the recording process, and to simplify the translating process, shorthand machines are frequently employed to produce the phonetic record. Such machines are especially useful when the recording is made over a relatively long period of time, for example in the courtroom or at a business meeting. A widely used shorthand machine has a keyboard of twenty-two phonetically related symbols and characters which, to the skilled operator, provide the combinations necessary to record all English language words. The record produced by the machine is a paper tape on which the phonetic characters are printed. To record a Word or part of a word, the operator strokes an appropriate combination of keys and the machine prints the characters simultaneously on an interval of the paper tape. The tape is advanced one interval after each combination is recorded. For example, the paper tape record of the sentence, "You should be able to read these short words," would appear as follows on the paper tape:

A general description of this type of machine is give in U.S. Patent No. 2,319,273 entitled "Stenographic Machine," issued to J.G. Sterling and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The entire disclosure of U.S. Patent No. 2,319,273 is incorporated herein by reference.

The shorthand machine provides both reliability and economy in the recording process. However, the translating process, while improved through the use of a shorthand machine, remains time consuming. The operator must read back the paper tape containing the phonetic characters and make a corresponding grammatical record.

U.S. Patents Nos. 3,557,927; 4,205,351; and 3,832,733 describe improvements on the purely mechanical shorthand machine wherein the machine is modified to provide an electrical output in response to an operator engaging an appropriate combination of keys. The electrical output may be recorded on a computer-readable medium such as a floppy disk which may be read by a computer. The computer performs the translation by comparing the input characters from the shorthand machine with a grammatical reference stored in the computer's memory. In its simplest form, the grammatical reference is a "dictionary" which relates all English language words to their phonetic or machine shorthand equivalents.

By way of background it should be noted that the following terms are used throughout this disclosure and are to be given their intended meaning as understood in the art:

The term "stroke" refers to the act of an operator engaging the keys of a shorthand machine with sufficient force to impress a symbol or character on the paper tape, and/or to produce an electrical output representing the symbol.

The terms "symbol" and/or "character" mean any representation of word construction including but not limited to letters of an alphabet. The term "combination" is intended to include single as well as multiple elements.

The terms "phonetic words" and/or "shorthand notes" mean a particular combination of phonetic characters which may form all or part of the phonetics of a spoken word.

The terms "translated text", "language text" or "reader usable text" refer to the particular combination of characters that form a written word.

Computer programs*that translate shorthand notes are referred to generally as computer-aided transcription ("CAT") systems. CAT systems, such as the OzPC made by the Stenograph Corp., can be run on IBM and compatible PC's utilizing a DOS operating system. CAT dictionaries are stored in a look-up table in memory, and the shorthand notes are translated by searching through the look-up table. The basic look-up table begins by storing a number of equivalents in its memory locations. For example, a particular entry would indicate that the shorthand note "shud" is equal to the word "should." In performing a translation, the system would search through the look-up table to find the entry for "shud" and then output the equivalent grammatical word. Look-up tables can be organized and searched in a variety of known schemes, some examples of which include the "sequential", "hash" and "binary-tree" methods. These methods vary in speed, memory space and power requirements.

The binary-tree look-up table is the astest of the three and the most efficient. Under a binary-tree approach, the computer performs an operation similar to searching for a name in the phone book. Looking for the name "Walter", the binary-tree does not simply start with the A's and plow through to the 's. Instead, it divides the book in half and asks itself which half Walter is in. This process is repeated for each appropriate half, further dividing the list until a matching item is found.

Although powerful, known CAT systems have constraints. For example, a PC is needed in order to perform the translation. Also, the recorded notes must be transferred from the shorthand machine to the PC which is usually remote from where the notes are originally transcribed.

A company known as "Digitext" has sold a shorthand machine that performs electronic translation and displays the translation one word at a time on a one-line LCD display. This machine is apparently designed as a teaching aid, and thus, does not have the general portability and flexibility that would be required for practical use. For example, the dictionary is stored in a relatively small and slow memory (approximately 10,000 entries) which is not user definable. Also, the Digitext device must be connected to an electrical outlet and is not provided with a manual mode or battery operation.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a shorthand machine capable of recording shorthand notes and translating these notes into user readable form.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a self-translating shorthand machine having a user updatable on-board translation dictionary.

It is another object of this invention to provide a flexible, portable and battery-operated shorthand machine with powerful and sophisticated display capabilities.

It is another object of this invention to provide a shorthand machine capable of performing computer aided translation and displaying the translation on several lines of an LCD.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel method of organizing and searching a look-up table.

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This invention relates to a self-translating shorthand machine. The shorthand machine is provided with a keyboard having key contacts for converting keystrokes into electrical output representations of the phonetic word entered by the operator. The electrical outputs are fed into a CPU which is connected to a disk drive, I/O ports, read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM) and a liquid crystal display (LCD) . A translation dictionary is stored in a look-up table in ROM. Control programs direct the CPU to translate the entered phonetic words into one or more written languages such as English, Korean, German, Spanish or others. The translated text is displayed in a readable format on the LCD which has the graphic capabilities to display any number of languages and is large enough to display several lines of text. Alternatively, the translated text may be recorded on a disk in the disk drive, or communicated to a peripheral device via the I/O ports. The stored translated text may be manipulated in any number of ways. For example, function keys are provided to allow the operator to "scroll" through the translated text and display any portion of it on the LCD. Additionally, the translated text may be searched for a particular word, phrase or other mark, and, when a match is found, the - corresponding portion of the translated text can be displayed on the LCD.

In another aspect of this invention, at least a portion of the above-described read-only-memory is "Flash" EPROM. Flash EPROM is non-volatile memory and requires no power to maintain its contents. Unlike conventional EPROM, Flash EPROM may be erased and written to by applying a voltage which may be supplied by the shorthand machine. Thus, the shorthand machine can load dictionary entries, program instructions and other information into Flash EPROM via the disk drive or the I/O ports.

In another aspect of this invention, the translation dictionary is searched and organized using a non-redundant binary-tree (NRBT) look-up table stored in ROM. Like the conventional binary-tree, the NRBT's memory is organized as a set of main level memory locations which branch into sublevel locations. These sublevels branch into their own sublevels until all of the words are defined. The NRBT begins its search by dividing its main level in half and determining whether the first character of the input search word is in one half or the other. This divide and search procedure continues until the first character is located. However, unlike conventional binary-tree search techniques, the NRBT does not allocate memory space in sublevels to the characters identified in preceding levels. Thus, the first sublevel under the memory location for the letter P would not begin with the letter P. Consequently, the NRBT needs only approximately three-fourths of the memory space required by a conventional binary-tree look-up table to store the same amount of information. The NRBT may be searched extremely fast, and its reduced size allows for more entries in a given ROM space. Thus, powerful storing and searching techniques may be imple¬ mented in a low-power, battery operated device.

In yet another aspect of this invention, the above-described self-translating shorthand machine is also provided with means for creating a conventional paper tape record of the shorthand notes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in greater detail in the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. la illustrates the structure of an NRBT look-up table embodying one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. lb illustrates one example of the NRBT look-up table illustrated in FIG. la;

FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred algorithm for searching the NRBT look-up table shown in FIGS, la and lb;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a recording and translating shorthand machine embodying one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the shorthand machine of FIG. 3 with its cover open;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating some of the internal components of the shorthand machine shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred algorithm for translating shorthand notes into translated text and displaying the translated text on the LCD of the shorthand machine shown in FIGS. 3-5; FIG. 7 illustrates a preferred algorithm for searching the translated text and displaying a predetermined portion of the translated text on the LCD of the shorthand machine shown in FIGS. 3-5;

FIG. 8 illustrates a preferred algorithm for writing to the memory of the shorthand machine shown, in FIGS. 3-5; and

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of translated text displayed on the LCD of the shorthand machine shown in FIGS. 3-5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

NRBT

The general structure of an NRBT look-up table embodying one aspect of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. la. The NRBT includes a main level of memory locations each having an associated sublevel of memory locations. Each sublevel is further divided into its own sublevel, and this division continues until the search item is sufficiently defined. Each location or row includes one byte representing one of the characters to be compared with the search item. Each location also includes a three byte pointer directed to the sublevel associated with the subject location. Once a particular sublevel is reached, there is no memory allocated to the matched character from the previous level. The NRBT thus requires approximately three-fourths of the memory locations needed by conventional binary-tree look-up tables to store the same amount of information. Consequently, the NRBT's reduced size requires significantly less storage space than a larger conventional binary-tree structure.

The NRBT look-up table is further illustrated by the example shown in FIG. lb and the algorithm shown in FIG. 2. The algorithm represents a control program that could be used to perform the desired search steps. Assume, for example, that the NRBT look-up table has been used to store an alphabetical listing of names and a corresponding address associated with each name. It is decided to look-up the address for BILL. The program begins the search by going to the "middle location" in the main level and asking "is this a match?" If the answer to the "is this a match?" inquiry is yes, the program asks whether the pointer bytes in this location are directed to a "sublevel or translation text?" If the answer is sublevel, the program moves to the sublevel to search for the next character. If the answer is translation text, the program reads the contents of the translation text memory location. If the answer to the "is this a match?" inquiry is no, the program asks whether the search character is "above?" this location. If the answer to the "above?" inquiry is yes, the program divides the "above" locations in half and directs the memory to the "middle location" in the "above half." The program then returns to the "is this a match" inquiry. If the answer to the "above?" inquiry is no, the program asks whether the search character is "below?" this location. If the answer to the "below?" inquiry is no, the program exits. If the answer to the "below?" inquiry is yes, the program divides the "below" locations in half and directs the memory to the "middle location" in the "below half." The program then returns to the "is this a match" inquiry. This is continued until the main level location containing B is found.

The NRBT then searches the B sublevel for the next letter (I) in the same manner as the main level. The B sublevel locations, however, do not begin with the letter B. Since we know that we are in the B sublevel, it is redundant to allocate memory space within this sublevel to the character B. The B sublevel is divided and searched until I is located. Similar to the B sublevel, entries within the BI sublevel begin with the third character rather than BI. This structure is continued until there is no ambiguity between entries, or there are an arbitrary number of entries (usually ive) to choose from, each of which is checked against the character(s) being searched. When the last "L" in "BILL" is located, the pointer bytes in this location are directed to the translated text memory location described above. For the example shown in FIG. la, this location contains BILL'S address.

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The above-described NRBT look-up table may be stored in a "Flash" EPROM. Flash EPROM memory is non¬ volatile and requires no power to maintain its content. Unlike conventional EPROM, Flash EPROM may be erased and written to by applying 12 volts which may be supplied by the host device. Thus, the contents of the NRBT look-up table can be easily changed without removing the memory from the host device.

RECORDING AND TRANSLATING SHORTHAND MACHINE A shorthand machine embodying the present invention is illustrated in perspective in FIG. 3 and is designated in general by the reference numeral 40. The illustrated shorthand machine 40 is a completely self- contained unit that records and translates shorthand notes immediately after they are entered by an operator. The machine 40 can mechanically imprint the notes on a paper tape (not shown) , convert the notes to a machine readable format such as a floppy disk, and translate the notes into text and display the text on an LCD 50. The machine 40 can also convert the translated text to ASCII format and record the text on a disk. Alternatively, the machine 40 can output the translated text to a peripheral device via I/O ports 66. One or more function keys 70 on the machine 40 allow the operator to "scroll" through the translated text and display any portion of it on the LCD 50. The function keys 70 also allow the operator to search the translated text for a particular word, phrase or other mark, and, when a match is found, display the corresponding portion of the translated text on the LCD 50.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the shorthand machine 40 includes a keyboard 42 having a plurality of keys which, when stroked by an operator, produce a paper tape record of the phonetic words entered. Each key represents an alpha-numeric symbol which is reproduced on the paper tape (not shown) when the key is stroked by the operator. The paper tape is carried over a rubber platen 44. A type bar 46 is associated with each key and is advanced toward the platen 44 when the articular key is stroked. A disposable ink cartridge 48 is provided for feeding an inked ribbon 49 between the type bars 46 and the platen 44. Additional details regarding the disposable cartridge 48 are described in co-pending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial no. , filed January 17, 1992, entitled "Disposable Ribbon Cartridge For Shorthand Machines." The entire disclosure of application serial no. is incorporated herein by reference.

An internal advancing mechanism (not shown) is located inside the cartridge 48 for feeding the inked ribbon 49 between the type bars 46 and the platen 44. The advancing mechanism is driven by a mechanical connection to the keyboard 42 so that the ribbon 49 is advanced each time a key is depressed. Also, the paper tape is advanced by mechanical/electrical components 54 for rotating the platen 44 each time one or more of the keys is stroked. The type bars 46 associated with the stroked keys urge the inked ribbon 49 into contact with the paper at the platen 44 for impressing an ink symbol thereon. Turning now to FIG. 5, a block diagram of some of the internal components of the shorthand machine 40 is illustrated. The keyboaurd 42 is connected to mechan¬ ical/electrical components 54 which can perform several printing related operations including advancing the platen 44, advancing the ribbon 49, and moving the type bars 46 toward the platen. These and other printing related operations may be performed in a conventional manner, and thus are not described in detail herein. The details of various mechanical and electrical components for operating the platen, the ribbon, the type bars, and other functions, aure described in U.S. Patents Nos. 2,31- 9,273; 4,421,427; and 4,363,558. The entire disclosure of each of these patents is incorporated herein by refer¬ ence.

The shorthand machine 40 also includes key contacts 56 connected to the keyboard 42 for converting keystrokes into an electrical output representing the phonetic word entered by the operator. The key contacts 56 may be implemented in a known manner, and thus are not set forth in detail herein. A description of suitable key contacts for the shorthand machine 40 may be found in U.S. Patents Nos. 3,557,927; and 4,205,351. The entire disclosure of each of these patents is incorporated here¬ in by reference.

The output from the key contacts 56 is fed into a CPU 58. The CPU 58, rechargeable battery 60, RAM 62, Flash EPROM 64, EPROM 74, clock/calendar chip 72 and LCD 50 are interconnected and combine to perform so¬ phisticated computer-aided translations. In a known man¬ ner, the CPU 58 coordinates the movement of information and does the actual computing. The CPU 58 is designed to recognize an instruction set, which may be electronic codes that tell it to perform specific functions. All programs are made up of sequences of such codes and, when a program is run, the CPU 58 executes the instructions one at a time, at a very high speed. Also in a known manner, the RAM 62 performs conventional functions, including manipulating and storing data.

The fundamental control programs may be stored in the Flash EPROM memory 64. These programs instruct the machine's hardware to perform a number of functions, such as starting the machine, searching the look-up table, communicating with the I/O ports, writing to the disk drive, manipulating ard displaying the stored translated text, and others. Alternatively, a portion of the core programs and instructions that are unlikely to be changed or updated may be stored in EPROM 74, while the programs and instructions that are desired to be accessible are stored in Flash EPROM 64. The program algorithms, shown in FIGS. 2 and 6-8 and described throughout this disclosure, are provided as examples. The particular form of the control program is not essential, and, if given the specific parameters set forth in this disclosure, a skilled programmer could routinely develop other control programs equally suitable to practice this invention.

The LCD 50 is an intelligent text (eight line by forty character) or graphic (six line by 50 character) display. The LCD 50 is capable of displaying translations in a variety of fonts and languages including Korean, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and others. The control program directs the LCD 50 to open its display, and can change any portion of the display on demand. Thus, error prompts, system status and other system requests can be communicated to the operator via the LCD 50. Also, a clock/calendar chip 72 in the machine 40 allows the control program to display the date, time and/or elapsed time on the LCD 50 in any manner desired. If displayed continuously, the operator has a readily accessible record of the length of a transcribing session. The CPU 58 is also connected to a disk drive 68. If desired, the entered shorthand notes and/or the translated text may be recorded directly to a disk in the disk drive 68. The disk drive 68 may also be used to read information such as job dictionaries or particular control programs into Flash EPROM 64 or RAM 62.

In the preferred embodiment of the shorthand machine 40, the translation dictionary is stored in Flash EPROM 64 and configured as the NRBT look-up table described herein. The dictionary can include a core or personal dictionary which contains the stroke translations used repeatedly by the operator. The dictionary can also include one or more job dictionaries which contain stroke translations relevant to a particular transcribing session. For example, when recording the deposition of Keith McCready regarding microprocessors, the operator may define the stroke "KMC" as "Keith McCready", and the stroke "MP" as "Microprocessor." Both of these stroke translations can be loaded into the shorthand machine 40 through the disk drive 68 or the I/O ports 66, and stored in a particular job dictionary. The job dictionaries are independent of one another, and thus, the same operator could also define the stroke "MP" as "Mount Prospect, Illinois" in a separate job dictionary used for a different transcribing session. Accordingly, the shorthand machine 40 may be quickly and easily customized for each operator.

2 MB of Flash EPROM can store approximately 100,000 dictionary entries using the NRBT. This is approximately three-fourths the memory space that would be required to store the same size dictionary in a conventional binary-tree look-up table. The smaller memory requirements of the NRBT require very little power to operate. The battery 60 provides power for all of the electronic components of the shorthand machine 40. Table l lists presently preferred components suitable for use in the shorthand machine 40. Though the identified components have been found suitable, the invention is of course capable of being implemented with a wide variety of other hardware.

-Xabls-l

The control program algorithm shown in FIG. 2 can be implemented in the machine 40 to control and search the NRBT look-up table. Each translated word is accumulated in a text file which may be stored in the RAM 62 and/or written to a disk in the disk drive 68. Additionally, each stroke entered at the keyboard 42 is converted to an electric signal and accumulated in a notes file which may be stored in RAM 62 and/or written to a disk in the disk drive 68. In the preferred embodiment, the files are accumulated in a RAM buffer until there are enough locations to write an entire sector of the disk. Thus, the program does not continually write entries to the disk, but instead transfers the entries in blocks. Thus, as the machine 40 performs its translations it accumulates all of the previously entered strokes and their corresponding translations in memory.

Turning to FIG. 6, a preferred algorithm for a control program for obtaining and displaying the translation will now be described. A stroke is entered at the keyboard and the program asks whether or not the translation is enabled. If the translation is not enabled, the shorthand stroke is displayed on the LCD 50. If the translation is enabled, then the personal dictionary is searched in the manner illustrated in FIG.2. If the stroke is found, the program then asks whether a "unique dictionary entry?" is found. A unique entry means that only one translation was found for the entered stroke. On occasion, a phonetic word is comprised of more than one stroke, and accordingly, more than one stroke may need to be searched in order to the acquire the translation. If the answer to the "unique dictionary entry?" inquiry is yes, the program displays the translated text on the LCD and exits. If the answer to the "unique dictionary entry?" inquiry is no, then the program waits for additional strokes.

If the stroke is not found in the personal dictionary, the program then searches the job dictionary in the same fashion as the personal dictionary. If the stroke is found in the job dictionary, the program then determines whether the dictionary entry is unique. If the stroke is not found in the job dictionary, the program displays the stroke and exits.

Turning to FIG. 7, an algorithm for the searching the translated text file to display a particular portion of the text on the LCD 50 will now be described. The control program may be configured to search and display any parameter that is appropriate for the particular setting. The following example is related to a court-related interrogation which will be displayed on the LCD 50 in a question and answer format. The operator can enter the desired βeaurch function by engaging the appropriate function key 70. In this example, the search functions include searching for the last answer, searching for the last question, searching for a particulau: stroke, and searching for a stenomaurk. The stenomark marks a particulau: stroke entered. This can be accomplished by providing a dedicated function key 70 or defining a stroke as the stenomaurk. The stenomark occupies a bit in the bytes representing the notes in the notes file.

The program asks what search parameter was entered. If the search parameter is the last answer, the program asks whether the last answer is in the RAM buffer. If the answer to the "RAM buffer?" inquiry is yes, then the last answer is displayed on the LCD 50 and the program waits for another stroke or another function key. If the answer to the "RAM buffer?" inquiry is no, the program reads the notes file from the disk. The program then asks whether it is at the beginning of the notes file. If the answer to this inquiry is no, the program goes back and reads the previous line of the notes filed on the disk, searching backward until the last answer or the beginning of the file is reached. If the last answer is found, the program displays the last answer and waits for the next stroke or another function key. The search inquiry for the last question, the stenomark and the specific stroke proceed in the same manner as the search inquiry for the last answer. In a similar fashion, a function key can be dedicated to scrolling through the LCD display by searching sequentially through either the notes file or the text file and displaying the search area on the LCD 50. Turning to FIG. 8, a suitable algorithm for reading information into the Flash EPROM from a disk in the disk drive or from the I/O port is described. The program may be initiated in any suitable manner such as by a function key, or by a special signal from a special disk placed in the disk drive. The program asks whether there is space available in the flash memory. If the answer to this inquiry is no, an error message is displayed on the LCD 50. If the answer to this inquiry is yes, the available space in Flash EPROM is erased, and the information is read from the disk in the disk drive or from the I/O port. The information read is then written into the erased memory locations. The program then asks whether the information was written correctly. If no, then an error message is displayed on the LCD 50. If yes, then the program asks whether all of the input is done. If no, then the program returns to read more information from the disk in the disk drive or from the I/O port. If yes, the program exits.

Power savings are achieved in several areas with the shorthand machine 40. The control programs are designed to be extremely energy conscious by providing power to the hardware components only when they are performing a function. Otherwise, the hardware elements are maintained in a "sleep mode." For example, the Hitachi HD 64180 CPU includes a "power down mode" which is activated by the control program when the CPU is not in use. Also, the control program turns the disk drive 68 and I/O ports 66 on when they are in use, and turns them off when they are not in use. For the functions defined herein, the sleep mode can occupy 60-80% of the time that the machine 40 is in use. The CPU 58 may be relatively slow (6 MHZ) , thus requiring less power. The non-volatile Flash EPROM 64 does not require continuous power to maintain its contents. Also, the NRBT reduces size without compromising capacity, thus reducing power consumption while providing the enhanced performance. Thus, the shorthand machine's ability to operate for extended periods on battery power is enhanced.

FIG. 9 illustrates one example of how translated text may be displayed on the LCD 50. In court-related proceedings, the record is produced in a Question and Answer format. FIG. 9 illustrates a translation for a court-related proceeding such as a deposition. The translation appears immediately after the stroke is entered.

Thus, the shorthand machine 40 provides a wide variety of CAT operations which heretofore have been unavailable in a shorthand machine. The machine 40 includes an on-board user-updatable translation dictionary which is used to immediately translate the entered shorthand notes into one or more written languages. The translated text is displayed immediately on several lines of the LCD 50 for convenient viewing by the operator. The translated text may also be written to an integral disk or output to peripherals via the I/O serial ports. Information can be loaded into the machine's Flash memory via the disk drive and the I/O ports thus allowing the operator to load personal and/or job dictionaries directly into the machine. The machine 40 includes function keys 70 for performing a variety of manipulations on the stored notes file and text file such as displaying the text in a particular format, "scrolling" through the text, or searching through the text for a particular word or other mark.

Although the present invention has been de¬ scribed with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art that certain rearrangements and modifications might be made within the scope of the invention. All such modifications and their equivalents are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A self-translating shorthand machine comprising: a keyboard having keys, each of which represents a language symbol; key contacts connected to said keyboard for generating a particular electric signal for each key or combination of keys pressed; a look-up table for storing a translation dictionary; control means connected to said key contacts and to said look-up table; said control means capable of searching said look-up table to locate a memory location corresponding to said particular electric signal and reading a translated signal in said location; said control means further capable of storing and accumulating a plurality of said translated signals in a text file;and display means connected to said control means for converting a predetermined number of said accumulated translated signals into display characters and simultaneously displaying a plurality of said characters.

2. A self-translating shorthand machine comprising: a keyboard having keys, each of which represent a language symbol; key contacts connected to said keyboard for generating a particular electric signal for each key or combination of keys pressed; a non-redundant binary-tree look-up table for storing a translation dictionary; control means connected to said key contacts and to said look-up table; said control means capable of searching said look-up table to locate a memory location corresponding to said particular electric signal and reading a translated signal in said location;and display means connected to said control means for converting said translated signal into a display character and displaying said character.

3. A self-translating shorthand machine comprising: a keyboard having keys, each of which represent a language symbol; key contacts connected to said keyboard for generating a particular electric signal for each key or combination of keys pressed; a look-up table stored in erasable programmable memory capable of being erased and written to by a voltage; a translation dictionary stored in said look-up table; control means connected to a communication port, said key contacts and said look-up table;and said control means capable of reading information bits from said communication port, erasing, memory locations in said erasable programmable memory and writing said information bits into said memory locations.

4. A method for organizing a look-up table to store one set of one or more information bits representing one word, and to store a corresponding set of one or more information bits representing a corresponding word, the steps comprising: providing a main level of memory locations each containing one of said one set of one or more information bits, and also containing a pointer address; providing a first sublevel of memory locations associated with selected ones of said pointer addresses of said main level memory locations, each of said first sublevel memory locations containing one of said one set of one or more information bits.