Method and Apparatus for Providing a Central Dictionary and Glossary Server

Abstract

A method and apparatus provides a central dictionary and glossary server. An application executing on a client is able to access a local copy of a dictionary or glossary. A master dictionary or glossary is updated at a server, and the update to the master dictionary or glossary is served to the application on the client to update the local copy of the dictionary or glossary. A datastream may also be processed by automatically scanning a datastream and automatically detecting, in the datastream, a word that cannot be matched to a word in a dictionary or glossary. The unmatched word is identified as an acronym, and in response, data associated with the acronym, selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries, is inserted into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym. In another aspect of processing a datastream, in response to an indication that the unmatched word is a properly spelled new term, a dictionary or glossary may be updated with the new term, and the dictionary or glossary is a member of a hierarchically ordered set of dictionaries and/or glossaries. The system may also contain an organizational database comprising information for organizational units associated with a data processing system, and each glossary in the hierarchical set of glossaries is associated with an organizational unit.

1 - 4 . (canceled)  
   
   
       5 . A method for processing a datastream, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: 
 detecting an acronym in a datastream; and    automatically inserting data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       6 . (canceled)  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising: 
 automatically scanning the datastream, wherein detecting in acronym in a datastream comprises;    automatically detecting, in the datastream, a word that does not match an indexed term or word in a glossary; and    identifying the unmatched word as an acronym; and wherein automatically inserting data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries, comprises;    in response to identifying the acronym, automatically inserting data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising: 
 an organizational database comprising information for organizational units within the data processing system, wherein each glossary in the hierarchical set of glossaries is associated with an organizational unit.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the step of selecting data associated with the acronym further comprises retrieving data from each source glossary, wherein a source glossary is a glossary within the hierarchical set of glossaries that contains an entry for the acronym.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising: 
 presenting to the user the data retrieved from each source glossary;    selecting a source glossary; and    identifying the retrieved data from the selected source glossary as the inserted data in the datastream.    
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising: 
 an organizational database comprising information for organizational units within the data processing system, wherein each glossary in the hierarchical set of glossaries is associated with an organizational unit;    storing a user preference list for an order of presentation for information from a set of glossaries, wherein entries in the user preference list are associated with the organizational units; and    presenting a list of source glossaries to a user according to an order stored in the user preference list.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising: 
 updating a master glossary at a server; and    serving the update to the master glossary to a client to update a local copy of the glossary, wherein the local copy of the glossary is a member of the hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the step of selecting data associated with the acronym further comprises retrieving data from a default glossary, wherein the default glossary is a glossary previously selected from the hierarchical set of glossaries.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the default glossary is selected based on a predetermined association selected from the group consisting of: an association between a glossary and a user, an association between a glossary and a document or datastream, an association between a glossary and an organizational unit, or an association between a user and an organizational unit.  
   
   
       15 - 29 . (canceled)  
   
   
       30 . A data processing system for processing a datastream, the data processing system comprising: 
 detecting means for detecting an acronym in a datastream; and    inserting means for automatically inserting data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       31 . (canceled)  
   
   
       32 . The data processing system of  claim 30 , further comprising: 
 scanning means for automatically scanning the datastream, wherein the detecting means comprises;    detecting means for automatically detecting, in the datastream, a word that does not match an indexed term or word in a glossary; and    first identifying means for identifying the unmatched word as an acronym, and wherein the inserting means comprises:    inserting means for automatically inserting, in response to identifying the acronym, data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       33 . The data processing system of  claim 32  further comprising: 
 an organizational database comprising information for organizational units within the data processing system, wherein each glossary in the hierarchical set of glossaries is associated with an organizational unit.    
   
   
       34 . The data processing system of  claim 32  wherein selecting data associated with the acronym further comprises retrieving means for retrieving data from each source glossary, wherein a source glossary is a glossary within the hierarchical set of glossaries that contains an entry for the acronym.  
   
   
       35 . The data processing system of  claim 34  further comprising: 
 presenting means for presenting to the user the data retrieved from each source glossary;    selecting means for selecting a source glossary; and second identifying means for identifying the retrieved data from the selected source glossary as the inserted data in the datastream.    
   
   
       36 . The data processing system of  claim 35  further comprising: 
 an organizational database comprising information for organizational units within the data processing system, wherein each glossary in the hierarchical set of glossaries is associated with an organizational unit;    storing means for storing a user preference list for an order of presentation for information from a set of glossaries, wherein entries in the user preference list are associated with the organizational units; and    presenting means for presenting a list of source glossaries to a user according to an order stored in the user preference list.    
   
   
       37 . The data processing system of  claim 32  further comprising: 
 updating means for updating a master glossary at a server; and    server means for serving the update to the master glossary to a client to update a local copy of the glossary, wherein the local copy of the glossary is a member of the hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       38 . The data processing system of  claim 32  wherein the selected data associated with the acronym further comprises data retrieved from a default glossary, wherein the default glossary is a glossary previously selected from the hierarchical set of glossaries.  
   
   
       39 . The data processing system of  claim 38  wherein the default glossary is selected based on a predetermined association selected from the group consisting of: an association between a glossary and a user, an association between a glossary and a document or datastream, an association between a glossary and an organizational unit, or an association between a user and an organizational unit.  
   
   
       40 - 52 . (canceled)  
   
   
       53 . A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for use in a data processing system for processing a datastream, the computer program product comprising: 
 first instructions for detecting an acronym in the datastream; and    second instructions for automatically inserting data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       54 . The computer program product of  claim 53 , further comprising: 
 third instructions for automatically scanning the datastream, wherein the first instructions for detecting an acronym in the datastream comprises;    fourth instructions for automatically detecting, in the datastream, a word that does not match an indexed term or word in a glossary; and    fifth instructions for identifying the unmatched word as an acronym; and wherein the second instructions for automatically inserting data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries, comprises:    sixth instructions for automatically inserting, in response to identifying the acronym, data associated with the acronym into the datastream in close proximity to the acronym, wherein the data associated with the acronym is selected from a hierarchical set of glossaries.    
   
   
       55 - 65 . (canceled)