Instruction generating system and process via symbolic representations
View Patent ↗Glyph instructions are formed which are understandable by a person following the instructions, irrespective of which written language is understood by the person. The glyph instructions follow defined grammar and syntax rules. A plurality of action glyphs are used to represent a plurality of defined actions capable of being undertaken by the person following the instructions. A plurality of material glyphs are defined to represent a plurality of materials which are includable as part of the instruction, and a plurality of instrumentation glyphs are defined to represent a plurality of instruments which may be included in the instructions. Selected ones of the action glyphs, material glyphs and instrumentation glyphs are arranged in relationship to each other in accordance with the predetermined grammar and syntax to form specific instructions understandable by the person following the instruction, irrespective of the written language which is understood by the person.
1. A method for reducing language-related misunderstanding of instructions by a person following the instructions to perform a process, the method comprising:
receiving at least one written instruction comprising words and phrases, wherein the written instruction is to be generated as a plurality of glyph instructions;
translating the written instruction into the glyph instructions, the translating including:
identifying each of the inputted words and phrases;
matching each of the identified words and phrases to a word or phrase previously stored in a reference, wherein each matching stored word and phrase is equivalent to one of a plurality of available glyph images, each of the available glyph images including a type designation corresponding to one of an action glyph, a material glyph or an instrumentation glyph, and each of the stored glyphs including an ordering designation; and
syntactically ordering the matching glyph images based on the type designation and the ordering designation; and
generating the glyph instructions, the ordered glyph images forming the generated glyph instructions for the person to perform the process by following the glyph instructions, wherein the generated glyph instructions are not specific to any particular written language so that the person can follow the generated glyph instructions to perform the process regardless of which written language is understood by the person following the generated glyph instructions, and wherein:
a generated action glyph is not a generated material glyph or a generated instrumentation glyph;
the generated material glyph is not the generated instrumentation glyph or the generated action glyph; and
the generated instrumentation glyph is not the generated action glyph or the generated material glyph.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the generating the glyph instructions step includes generating each of the generated glyphs with a visibly discernable design feature identifying the corresponding type designation of the generated glyph.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the visibly discernable design feature is at least one color corresponding to each type designation.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the receiving step, the translating step and the generating step are performed manually by a user;
the generating the glyph instructions includes cutting and pasting the ordered glyph images to form the generated glyph instructions.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving step, the translating step and the generating step are performed by a computer system interacting with a user of the computer system, the computer system having a computing unit, an input device operatively connected to the computing unit for receiving input from the user and displaying information to the user, an electronic storage device operatively connected to the computing unit, and an output device operatively connected to the computing unit, and wherein the reference comprises a reference database stored on the storage device, the method further comprising:
displaying the ordered glyph images to the user;
receiving by the computer system an approval input from the user; and
wherein the generating the glyph instructions includes printing the ordered glyph images on the output device to form the generated glyph instructions.
6. The method according to claim 5 , the method further comprising:
displaying a list of languages to the user; and
receiving a language selection from the user indicating which language corresponds to the received written instruction.
7. In a glyph generating system having a computing unit, an input device operatively connected to the computing unit for receiving input from a user and displaying information to the user, an electronic storage device operatively connected to the computing unit for storing a database, and an output device operatively connected to the computing unit, a method for creating glyph instructions by the glyph generating system for a person to perform a process by following the glyph instructions, the method comprising:
displaying a plurality of available action glyphs to the user of the glyph generating system;
displaying a plurality of available material glyphs to the user of the glyph generating system;
displaying a plurality of available instrumentation glyphs to the user of the glyph generating system;
receiving an ordered plurality of selections from the user by the glyph generating system, each of the selections selected from one of the available action glyphs, material glyphs and instrumentation glyphs, wherein the selections are ordered to arrange the selected action glyphs, material glyphs and instrumentation glyphs in accordance with a predetermined structure;
displaying the arranged selected glyphs to the user; and
outputting the arranged selected glyphs, the arranged selected glyphs forming glyph instructions for the person to perform the process by following the glyph instructions, wherein the glyph instructions are independent of any particular written language, and wherein each of the selected glyphs includes a visibly discernable design feature identifying the corresponding type designation of the selected glyph.
8. The method according to claim 7 , the method further comprising:
displaying a list of languages to the user; and
receiving a language selection from the user thereby causing the glyph generating system to operate in the language selected by the user while having no effect on the outputted arranged selected glyphs.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein receiving an ordered plurality of selections from the user includes:
displaying an action heading, a materials heading and an instrumentation heading to the user;
receiving a heading selection of one of the action heading, the materials heading and the instrumentation heading from the user;
based on the receiving a heading selection, displaying an glyph selection list including one of a plurality of available actions, a plurality of available materials and a plurality of available instruments; and
receiving a selection from the user of one element of the displayed glyph selection list.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the displayed glyph selection list includes descriptive information for each element in the selection list in the language selected by the user.
11. A pictographic system for creating glyph instructions for a person following the glyph instructions to perform a process, irrespective of a written language used by the person following the glyph instructions, the system comprising:
a computing unit;
an input device operatively connected to the computing unit for receiving input from a user and displaying information to the user;
an electronic storage device operatively connected to the computing unit for storing a database;
an output device operatively connected to the computing unit for generating hard copies of created glyph instructions;
wherein the computing unit is configured to perform the steps of at least one of an automated glyph creation process and a manual glyph creation process;
wherein the automated glyph creation process includes:
receiving a written instruction comprising words and phrases inputted by a user of the glyph generating system, wherein the written instruction is to be generated as the created glyph instructions;
translating the written instruction into the glyph instructions, the translating including:
identifying each of the inputted words and phrases;
matching each of the identified words and phrases to a previously stored word or phrase in the database, the matching stored word or phrase equivalent to one of a plurality of stored glyph images in the database, each of the stored glyph images including an associated type designation corresponding to one of an action glyph, a material glyph or an instrumentation glyph, and each of the stored glyphs including an ordering designation; and
syntactically ordering the matching glyph images based on the type designation and the ordering designation;
displaying the ordered glyphs to the user;
receiving an approval input from the user; and
outputting the ordered glyph images based on the received approval, the ordered glyph images forming glyph instructions for the person to perform the process by following the glyph instructions, and the glyph instructions are not specific to any particular written language so that the person can follow the instructions to perform the process regardless of which written language is understood by the person following the glyph instructions, and each of the ordered glyph images includes a visibly discernable design feature identifying the corresponding type designation of the ordered glyph image;
and wherein the manual glyph creation process includes:
displaying a plurality of available action glyphs stored in the database to a user of the glyph generating system;
displaying a plurality of available material glyphs stored in the database to the user of the glyph generating system;
displaying a plurality of available instrumentation glyphs stored in the database to the user of the glyph generating system;
receiving an ordered plurality of selections from the user, each of the selections selected from one of the available action glyphs, available material glyphs and available instrumentation glyphs;
displaying the selected available glyphs to the user; and
outputting the selected available glyphs, the selected available glyphs forming the glyph instructions for the person to perform the process by following the glyph instructions, and the glyph instructions are independent of any particular written language, and each of the selected available glyphs includes a visibly discernable design feature identifying the corresponding type designation of the selected available glyph.
12. The pictographic system according to claim 11 , the automated glyph creation process further including:
displaying a list of languages to the user; and
receiving a language selection from the user indicating which language corresponds to the received written instruction.
13. The pictographic system according to claim 11 , the manual glyph creation process further including:
displaying a list of languages to the user; and
receiving a language selection from the user thereby causing the pictographic system to operate in the language selected by the user while having no effect on the outputted selected available glyphs.
14. The pictographic system according to claim 13 , wherein receiving an ordered plurality of selections from the user includes:
displaying an action heading, a materials heading and an instrumentation heading to the user;
receiving a heading selection of one of the action heading, the materials heading and the instrumentation heading from the user;
based on the receiving a heading selection, displaying an glyph selection list including one of a plurality of available actions, a plurality of available materials and a plurality of available instruments; and
receiving a selection from the user of one element of the displayed glyph selection list.
15. The pictographic system according to claim 14 , wherein the displayed glyph selection list includes descriptive information for each element in the selection list in the language selected by the user.