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Description  |
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an improved shorthand notation method designed to
be input to a conventional computer via a conventional computer keyboard
for recording vocalized speech and an associated transcribing method for
retranslating such shorthand notation and displaying such retranslated
text on the CRT screen of the computer and/or printing such text on a
suitable output device.
BACKGROUND ART
Various shorthand notation methods have been devised for recording, or as
it is known in the art, reporting, spoken language as it is vocalized.
Such methods include Gregg shorthand, whereby the shorthand writer writes
with a pen or pencil and records on a notepad, after which the writer's
notes must be transcribed into typewritten form. Generally the Gregg
shorthand writer either types or transcribes from his notes, engages a
note reader to decipher his notes and transcribe them into typewritten
form for him, or he dictates his shorthand notes onto a cassette tape and
a typist transcribes on a typewriter or word processor. It will be
appreciated that great skill and speed are required to accurately record
verbatim speech using a handwritten shorthand form, and, whichever
transcribing method is used, a great deal of time and effort is required
to produce an accurate typed transcript.
The stenograph system is another popular notation method. The stenograph
system allows the stenographer to record his notes on a stenograph
machine, the stenograph machine having a specially designed keyboard for
rapidly inputting shorthand notation. Whereas the stenograph machine has
provided a means for more efficiently recording verbatim speech, the job
of transcribing the shorthand notes still remains. In this regard, a few
attempts have been made to reduce the labor involved in transcribing by
using computers to aid in the production of transcripts. For example, U.S.
Pat. No. 3,558,820, issued on Jan. 26, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 3,665,115,
issued on May 23, 1972; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,467, issued on Aug. 9,
1977, all disclose attempts to produce computer-aided transcript. However,
heretofore, all such methods have required a stenograph machine modified
to facilitate computer input. Thus, if the methods are to be practiced,
specialized equipment must be obtained and a specialized input device must
be learned. Resultantly, for all practical purposes, use of such methods
is feasible only where the user is a professional shorthand reporter.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved shorthand notation and transcribing method for recording verbatim
speech and automatically transcribing the resulting shorthand notes into
conventional language text.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved
shorthand notation and transcribing method utilizing a conventional
computer keyboard as an input device, thus obviating the need for a
stenograph machine or other specialized input device.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved
shorthand notation and transcribing method which is easy to learn and
inexpensive to use.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Other objects and advantages will be accomplished by the present invention
which provides an improved shorthand notation and transcribing method for
recording vocalized speech and transcribing such shorthand notation into
conventional language text. The method utilizes a conventional computer
for processing and storing shorthand data, the computer being provided
with a conventional computer keyboard and a suitable output device, such
as a printer, for printing the transcribed text. The method of the present
invention generally comprises translating the vocalized speech into the
improved shorthand of the present invention and inputting such shorthand
data on the computer keyboard. Using computer software to implement the
method of the present invention, the shorthand data is then edited thereby
creating a shorthand file stored on magnetic media. The shorthand file is
then submitted to a translate program which separates the file into
separate shorthand words, whereupon the shorthand words are used to locate
matched pairs of shorthand and conventional language words or phrases
stored in one or more libraries, thereby translating the shorthand words.
Provision is also made for prompting and receiving operator input
comprising such matching pairs where a matched pair has not been located
in one of the libraries. A Build Document Routine then creates a Document
File, comprising translated text which is saved on magnetic media. The
Document File is thereupon formatted by format program and output to the
output device for printing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above-mentioned method of the present invention will become more
clearly understood from the following detail description of the invention
read together with the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a computer and an associated keyboard, and an output
device suitable for being utilized in the application of the method of the
present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional keyboard suitable for inputting the
improved shorthand notation of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a data flow diagram illustrative of the data processing steps
performed in the application of the method of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a data flow diagram illustrative of the translation routines of
the method of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram of the format routines of the method of the
present invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises an improved shorthand notation and
transcribing method for recording, or reporting, verbatim speech as it is
vocalized and for automatically transcribing such recorded speech into
conventional printed text. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the method of the
present invention utilizes a conventional computer 10 having a standard
computer keyboard 12 as an input device, and a suitable output device,
such as the illustrated printer 14. As will be discussed in detail below,
the computer 10 is provided with processing means comprising the computer
software of the present invention, referenced at 16 in the figures, for
editing, transcribing and otherwise processing the shorthand data input on
the keyboard 12.
For the purposes of this application, the method of the present invention
will be discussed with regard to recording and transcribing in the English
language. However, it will be appreciated that the method of the present
invention is adaptable to various languages. Further, throughout the
discussion that follows, reference will be made to shorthand words or
notes, and for convenience, the English translation of such shorthand
words or notes will follow in parentheses.
As indicated above, the shorthand notation of the present invention is
designed to be input on a conventional computer keyboard 12, which, as
illustrated in FIG. 2, comprises a plurality of keys selectively
positioned in essentially the same format as that of a conventional
typewriter keyboard. Further, the keyboard fingering utilized is
substantially the same as that utilized on a typewriter keyboard, with the
same "home row" finger positioning being desirable. Thus, most persons
seeking to learn the method of the present invention will, to some extent,
be familiar with the input device utilized, and will not be confronted
with a totally foreign mechanical device requiring totally foreign
fingering techniques.
In general, the shorthand notation of the present method comprises a
phonetic code derived through the application of certain general rules
which operate to reduce English words and phrases to their phonetic
equivalents, or which otherwise reduce the input time required to record
the vocalized English speech. For example, the shorthand notation for the
English word "staff" is "staf", and the English word "half" becomes "haf".
Accordingly, in the foregoing examples, input time is reduced by
decreasing the number of characters which must be input. These general
rules comprise the following:
1. Silent letters which appear in an English word are dropped. For example,
the English "honest" becomes "ones" in shorthand form.
2. When two of the same consonants are consecutive within a word, one is
dropped. Thus, the English word "narrow" is written as "naro".
3. Where only one vowel occurs in a word, the shorthand word is spelled in
the same manner as the English word, as in the case of the English words
"tug" and "sin".
4. When two of the same vowels appear consecutively in a word, one of the
vowels is dropped. Accordingly, the English word "free" becomes "fre" and
"bookkeeper" is written as "bokepr".
5. Unaccented vowels are eliminated. For example, the letters "i" in the
English word "malicious" are dropped such that the shorthand word becomes
"malshs", the unaccented vowels being unnecessary to achieve a phonetic
equivalent.
6. All long vowels are written if sounded. For example, the English word
"sign" is written as "sine", thus, establishing a long vowel sound for the
letter "i" and avoiding a conflict with the shorthand word "sin" (sin).
7. In word 5 having more than one syllable, "la" and "ta" are dropped.
Thus, the English word "tabulation" is represented by the shorthand
"tabgs", the "la" being dropped as an extraneous syllable. It will also be
noted that the "u" is dropped as an unaccented vowel, and as discussed
below, the suffix "tion" is represented by the "gs".
8. The letter "d" appearing after the letter "n" is dropped if it occurs in
the same syllable. For example, "hand" becomes "han" in the shorthand of
the present method, but "handle" is written as "handl".
9. In the shorthand of the present method, the letter "y" is used whenever
the "y" sound is heard. Thus, "union" becomes "unyon" and "stereo" is
written as "steryo".
10. When a "t" occurs after the letters "s" or "x", the "t" is dropped.
Accordingly, "firsthand" is written as "firshan" and "textbook" is written
as "texbok".
11. Whenever the letter combination "ct" appears, the "ct" is replaced with
"k". For example, the English word "action" is written as "akgs" and
"fact" is written "fak".
12. One space is left after punctuation, in general, and a slash (/) is
used in place of a question mark such that it is not necessary to depress
a shift key.
13. Capitalization is omitted except where required to differentiate two
similarly spelled shorthand words. Thus, no initial capital letter is used
on the first word following a period or colon, and the letter "i" is
written in lower case when used as a noun. Further, initial capitals need
not be used on common forms of address such as "mr" (Mr.) and "dr" (Dr.).
14. Conventional abbreviations are used to indicate the days of the week,
months of the year, measurements, etc. For example, "Tuesday" is written
"tue", "February" is written "feb", and "yards" is written "yds".
Notwithstanding the above-referenced general rules, words which are
frequently used are shortened into brief forms, and, since they are not
necessarily phonetic equivalents of the associated English word, such
forms must be memorized by the user. For the purposes of this application,
these shorthand forms will be referred to as arbitraries. A few examples
of such arbitraries are "au" (automobile), "veh" (vehicle), and "fg"
(photograph). Similarly, certain combinations of words, and commonly
encountered phrases, are also represented by brief forms which are
memorized by the user. For example, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury" is
written "ljj", and "in other words" is shortened to the brief form "nows".
Other examples are "ntthos" (into the hospital) and "sam" (as a matter of
fact). Provision is also made for changing the tense of a shorthand word,
thus "au" (automobile) becomes "aus" (automobiles) and "fg" (photograph)
becomes "fgd" (photographed). Also, commonly encountered English prefixes
and suffixes are given shorthand forms which further reduce the input on
the keyboard. Examples of such prefixes and suffixes are collected in
Tables 1 through 4 below.
It will be appreciated that various words in the English language sound
alike, but have different meanings. Accordingly, provision is made for
altering the spelling of certain shorthand forms such that the proper
meaning is conveyed. For example, the English word "sighs" and "size" must
be differentiated in their shorthand forms to convey the proper meaning.
Designated shorthand spellings are assigned such that "sighs" is
represented by the shorthand form "sis" and "size" is translated into the
shorthand form "siz". Further, in certain circumstances, where two
shorthand words are spelled alike, such words are differentiated to convey
the appropriate meaning by capitalizing the first letter of one shorthand
word while the first letter of the other remains in the lower case. For
example, the letter "x" is used to represent both the English words
"examine" and "x-ray". Therefore, such that the proper meaning will be
conveyed, "examine" is represented by a lower case "x" and "x-ray" is
represented by the capital letter "X".
It will be appreciated that the shorthand method of the present invention
serves to reduce input time by reducing the number of characters which
must be input on the keyboard 12. Additionally, however, the shorthand
system utilizes preselected stroking techniques for efficiently inputting
such characters on the keyboard 12. A computer keyboard differs from a
conventional typewriter keyboard in that on a computer keyboard a
plurality of keys may be depressed simultaneously with the result being
the input of each of the characters or functions associated with the keys
struck being input in a sequence determined by its location on the
keyboard 12. In this regard, the standard computer 10 scans input on the
keyboard from left to right such that where more than one key is stroked
simultaneously, the key located furthest to the left on the keyboard will
input first with the other keys being input in sequence from left to
right. Thus, if the letters "s", "t", and "k" are struck simultaneously,
the computer will scan the input as "stk" (is that correct).
The shorthand of the present invention utilizes this capability of
simultaneously striking a plurality of keys for a desired sequential input
by using simultaneous, or near simultaneous, key stroke techniques. For
example, the shorthand word "stk" (is that correct) of the present
shorthand method can be input by striking the "s" key, the "t" key, and
the "k" key simultaneously as indicated above, thereby inputting the
shorthand word in one stroke rather than by striking three separate keys.
Other examples of shorthand words of the method of the present invention
which may be input in a single stroke are set forth in Tables 5 and 6
below. Further, it will be appreciated that even where a shorthand word
cannot be input in a single stroke, the number of strokes necessary can be
reduced significantly by the simultaneous depressing of keys. For examples
of shorthand words requiring two or more strokes to input, see Table 6.
Also, for additional examples of shorthand notes and the associated
English translation, see Table 7.
It should be noted at this point that even where the desired input may be
accomplished with a simultaneous key stroke involving more than one key,
in some cases it is desirable to strike the keys from left to right in a
near simultaneous roll rather than simultaneously in order to preserve the
user's typing rhythm. However, for purposes of this discussion, such a
near simultaneous roll technique shall be deemed one stroke. Thus it will
be appreciated that the shorthand notation of the present method greatly
reduces the number of characters which are required to be input on the
keyboard, and, further, decreases input time by providing for simultaneous
or near simultaneous stroking techniques, pursuant to which many words can
be input in one stroke, rather than inputting each character of the word
individually.
As indicated above, once the shorthand of the present method is input to
the computer 10 with the keyboard 12, the software 16 which implements the
present method processes the shorthand notes and translates the notes into
English text when desired. In this regard, a flow diagram illustrative of
the functions performed by the software is provided in FIG. 3. As
illustrated, the software 16 comprises an edit program 18, a translate
program 20, and a format program 22. The edit program 18 comprises a text
editor which edits the shorthand notes which are input and saves the notes
on magnetic media. Thus, as diagrammed in FIG. 3, the edit program 18
takes the shorthand input on the keyboard 12 and creates a shorthand
record which is stored in the shorthand file 24. The shorthand file 24
comprises the untranslated shorthand notes and may be accessed using the
computer 10 and displayed on the computer CRT screen 11, or may be printed
in its untranslated form if desired. When translation is desired, the
shorthand record compiled by the edit program 18 and stored in the
shorthand file 24 is input to the translate program 20 by an appropriate
computer command which translates the shorthand record into a document
record comprising the English text and stores the document record in a
document file 26. The format program 20 has as its input the document
record (translated text) stored in the document file 26 and serves to
format the English text into the appropriate form for the job being
transcribed; i.e., a deposition, minutes of a meeting, a trial transcript,
a business letter, etc., and outputs it to the printer 14.
In FIG. 4, a data flow diagram is provided illustrating the translation
routines performed by the translate program 20. The first routine
performed is word separation illustrated at 28. The Word Separation
Routine 28 parses the shorthand record input from the shorthand file 24
and outputs the separated shorthand words for processing by the Find
Shorthand Word Routine illustrated at 30 in FIG. 4. The Find Shorthand
Word Routine 30 searches a plurality of libraries, including a permanent
library 32, one or more special libraries 34, and a temporary library 36,
to match each shorthand word with the English equivalent. If the English
equivalent for the shorthand word is found, the English translation, or
matched word, is output to the Build Document Routine 38, which builds a
record of the English translation and stores the English translation on
magnetic media, thus creating the Document File 26.
If the Find shorthand Word Routine 30 fails to locate the English
equivalent for a shorthand word, such word is submitted for processing by
the Matching Word Routine 40. The routine 40 prompts the operator to input
the English word or text corresponding to the shorthand word for which a
match was not found. When the English translation has been input by the
operator, the Matching Word Routine 40 outputs the English translation;
i.e., the matched word, to the Build Document Routine 38 which
incorporates the matched word into the document file 26. The Matching Word
Routine 40 also prompts the operator to submit the matched pair, the
shorthand word and its English equivalent, to one of the libraries 32, 34
or 36, such that when, or if, the shorthand word is encountered again, the
English translation will be available in one of the libraries.
Each of the libraries 32, 34, and 36, serves a different function. The
permanent library 32 comprises matched pairs of general vocabulary, or
text encountered in everyday speech. The special libraries 34, on the
other hand, comprise matched pairs relating to a particular field such as
medicine, engineering, architecture, etc. Thus, for example, where a
medical deposition is being reported, a special library 34 of medical
terms can be used in conjunction with the permanent library 32. The
temporary library 36 comprises matched pairs which have been generated by
the Matching Word Routine 40, but which the operator does not wish to save
other than for the translation of the specific text currently being worked
on. Thus, for example, where the operator was using a certain shorthand
word for the name of a person which appears throughout the text or piece
of work, but is not otherwise frequently encountered, the operator may
wish to store the matched pair generated by the Matching Word Routine 40
in the temporary library 36 such that when the shorthand form is
encountered again in the translation of that particular piece of work, the
matched pair is found by the Find Shorthand Word Routine 30. However, the
temporary library 36 is retained only for the purposes of the particular
shorthand file being worked on and thus the available computer memory is
not wasted by the permanent retention of these infrequently encountered
matched pairs.
A data flow diagram of the format program 22 is illustrated in FIG. 5. As
discussed above, the format program formats the English text into the
desired form for printing, and comprises an Input Document Type Routine 42
and a Parse Record Routine 44. The Input Document Type Routine 42 takes
operator input defining the type of document that is to be printed; i.e.,
whether it is a deposition, court transcript, minutes, etc., and furnishes
such operator input to the Parse Record Routine 44. Based upon the
document type, the Parse Record Routine 44 supplies the appropriate page
header, splits the document record into parts that will fit between the
margins of the paper, prefixes the lines with line numbers where the
document type requires, and otherwise creates the appropriate formatted
record which is output to the printer 14 for printing. The Parse Record
Routine 44 also allows the operator to input index data such as attorneys'
names, witnesses' names, examination type, and page numbers, if desired,
all of which is stored in the index file 46 and output to the printer 14
when the document is printed.
In light of the above, the advantages of the shorthand notation and
transcribing method of the present invention are clear. The method
requires no specially designed stenographic equipment, but, instead,
utilizes a conventional computer having a conventional keyboard. Because a
conventional keyboard is used, most operators will be familiar with the
keyboard format and the fingering desirable to input the shorthand of the
present invention. Thus, no new specially devised keyboard need be
learned, as in the case of learning to use a stenographic machine. It
should also be noted that certain computer keyboards presently available
allow any key on the keyboard to be assigned a letter of the alphabet.
Therefore, where such a keyboard is used in connection with the present
invention, the keyboard can be modified to look and act similar to a
stenograph machine, thereby allowing current stenograph writers to use the
present invention with minimal training and adjustment.
It should be noted at this point that the shorthand of the present
invention can be useful even in the absence of the automatic translation
features of the present method since no specialized input device is
required. However, it will be appreciated that the automatic translation
provided by the present method greatly reduces the user's labor in
generating translated text. Accordingly, instead of laboriously reading
and manually transcribing from shorthand notes, the operator need only
supply the occasional English translation where the Find Shorthand Word
Routine 30 has failed to find a matched pair in one of the libraries
provided and input the computer commands necessary to initiate the various
processing routines. Still further, with the time necessary to translate
being greatly reduced, transcripts can be provided at less expense.
Further, the computer CRT screen provides ready access to both the
untranslated shorthand file 24 and the document file 26, whether or not a
hard copy printout is desired.
While a preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it will be
understood that there is no intent to limit the invention to such
disclosure, but rather it is intended to cover all modifications and
alternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined in the appended claims.
TABLE 1
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ONE-STROKE PREFIXES
______________________________________
ak represents "act" akgs (action)
b represents "be" bhavrsm (behaviorism)
e represents "enter" etain (entertain)
i represents "inter" irogtri (interrogatory)
j represents "ch" jerj (church)
k represents "col" kektr (collector)
k represents "com" kpilgs (compilation)
k represents "con" ktrol (control)
m represents "im" mpresv (impressive)
m represents "em" mbolsm (embolism)
m represents "man" mmt (management)
n represents "non" nseqtr (non sequitur)
n represents "en" nabl (enable)
n represents "in" nvolvmt (involvement)
p represents "pro" psedr (procedure)
ru represents "rheu" rumatsm (rheumatism)
s represents "some" sh (somehow)
s represents "step" smoer (stepmother)
s represents "self" sservg (self-serving)
s represents "sub" strakgs (subtraction)
s represents "super" sfish (superficial)
si represents "psy" sikolge (psychology)
t represents "tele" tfon (telephone)
t represents "trans" tlags (translation)
x represents "ex" xsiz (exercise)
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TABLE 2
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TWO-STROKE PREFIXES
______________________________________
dok represents "doc" dokmtri (documentary)
ds represents "ds" dsblt (disability)
fis represents "phys" fislge (physiology)
sta represents "sta" stabz (stabilize)
______________________________________
TABLE 3
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ONE-STROKE SUFFIXES
______________________________________
b represents "body" sb (somebody)
bl represents "able" pardnbl (pardonable)
bl represents "ible" flexbl (flexible)
f represents "ful" ronf (wrongful)
g represents "ing" xg (examining)
g represents "thing" sg (something)
h represents "how" sh (somehow)
j represents "age" rekj (wreckage)
j represents "ch" jerj (church)
k represents "ic" medk (medic)
l represents "ly" faerl (fatherly)
kl represents "ical" medkl (medical)
m represents "most" srnm (southernmost)
ri represents "ary" dokmtri (documentary)
ri represents "ory" nrogtri (interrogatory)
s represents "ship" partnrs (partnership)
sf represents "self" ursf (yourself)
sh represents "cial" benfish (beneficial)
sh represents "tial" nsh (initial)
sm represents "ism" rumatsm (rheumatism)
sm represents "some" boersm (bothersome)
t represents "te" ksumat (consummate)
t represents "ity" nsant (insanity)
v represents "ive" mpresv (impressive)
z represents "ize" stabz (stabilize)
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TABLE 4
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TWO-STROKE SUFFIXES
______________________________________
blt represents "bility" sponblt
(responsibility)
ge represents "ogy" fislge (physiology)
gs represents "ation" xgs (examination)
gs represents "tion" akgs (action)
gs represents "sion" xtengs (extension)
mt represents "ment" mmt (management)
shs represents "cious" malshs (malicious)
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TABLE 5
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EXAMPLES OF KEYS THAT CAN
BE STROKED SIMULTANEOUSLY
stk (is that correct)
wer (we are)
as (as)
st (state)
ST (street)
bp (burden of proof)
top (top)
op (opinion)
uk (you can)
ul (you will)
wup (will you please)
______________________________________
TABLE 6
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EXAMPLES OF TWO OR MORE KEYS IN MORE THAN
ONE STROKE, DEPENDING ON KEYBOARD LOCATION
de (defendant) two strokes
mj (emergency) two strokes
xuv (executive) three strokes
stmt (statement) three strokes
dsblt (disability) three strokes
______________________________________
TABLE 7
______________________________________
SAMPLE NOTES AND TRANSLATION
______________________________________
NOTES:
duvkags to pskrib ni pain medgs for her durg t kors f
ur trmt f her/
TRANSLATION:
Did you have occasion to prescribe any pain medication
for her during the course of your treatment of her?
NOTES:
wheu xd her othada, wwt natur f ur xgs/
TRANSLATION:
When you examined her on that day, what was the nature
of your examination?
NOTES:
i felt shed a 10p ppfm ft bodhol. shed a ssprain ra nek
sprain wi agvated her pxg kn.
TRANSLATION:
I felt she had a 10 percent permanent partial physical
impairment of the body as a whole. She had a cervical
sprain or a neck sprain which aggravated her
preexisting condition.
NOTES:
dou solmnl sware that tm ur b to giv lbt trut, t hol
trut an nog but trut, so hep u God/
TRANSLATION:
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about
to give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
______________________________________
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