Abstract:
A computer based system for generating text from a predetermined data base, in either prose or poetic form, in response to a plurality of input data provided by an operator in an interactive mode of operation with the computer. The preferred embodiment disclosed produces limerick style poetry in response to name, gender, geographic place of residence, primary and secondary traits and the number of syllables in certain input data items, and includes poetic material related to each of these data input items.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a computerized system for generating prose or poetry in response to an operator&#39;s input information about the recipient of such text. 
     BACKROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known in the prior art to generate textual material by combining prewritten sentences, paragraphs or sections of text retrieved from data base files. This kind of work output may be generated on an electronic typewriter or on a more complex and sophisticated word processing system. Form letters are commonly customized by inserting the recipient&#39;s name in the salutation and, sometimes, in the body of the text. Provision is frequently made to include reference in the text to the gender of the recipient to further personalize that text. Some such systems provide for identification of the profession and/or address of the recipient as well as other custom identifying characteristics within the body of the text. The word processing operator must know the content of each of the blocks of text which are available for use and must &#34;build&#34; a letter or other document from those stock blocks of text which are available to him or her. It is not believed that there is any such system which will generate text responsive to a menu driven query list. 
     It is also well known that a large industry exists to manufacture and market preprinted greeting cards which may be somewhat customized by consumer selection as to gender, occasion, family relationship and even the age of the recipient, and to some extent, to the identity of the sender(s). Many of the available greeting cards utilize poetry and some of that is in limerick form The purchaser of such a greeting card must manually search a large number of such cards on the display shelves of a retail store which deals in such products in order to make a selection which best suits his or her purposes and the intended recipient(s). The manufacturer of such greeting cards must design, manufacture and market a huge inventory of different cards in order to be competitive in the marketplace. Retail dealers must also carry a large inventory of different kinds of cards in order to be competitive and provide a full range of products. The retail purchaser may spend a significant period of time in selecting a card for his or her intended recipient. In spite of all the effort expended in providing large quantities of such cards in the marketplace, it is practically impossible for an end purchaser to find a card which fits more than a single personality trait of the intended recipient (ignoring such non-traits as occasion). The only way to provide such a detailed personal card is by commission or personal authorship. The expense associated with commissioning such work and the skill required for self authorship act against any practical fulfillment of a significant portion of the custom market potential. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other problems are resolved by means of the instant invention by providing for computer generation of text in response to data inputs provided by a computer operator in response to a predetermined set of computer menu driven queries. These queries may include the intended recipient&#39;s name, and the gender of that name, place of residence, one or more interests or personality traits and even customized message or occasion capability. The computer operator may apply a title of choice to the product thus generated and the system is designed to allow its use in retail mass market environments with the retail consumer acting as the computer operator. 
     It is therefore, an object of the invention to provide a pseudorandom computer printout of text in response to a plurality of input data items related to the intended recipient and/or sender of that text. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a pseudorandom computer printout of poetry in response to a plurality of input data items related to the intended recipient and/or sender of the poetry. 
     It is still another object of the invention to personalize a computer generated pseudorandom text output by means of an algorithm which selects sections of text which are related to the personal identification, residence and personality traits of the intended recipient. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to compile pseudorandom poetry under the control of a computer, such poetry being related to identity and at least one personality trait of the intended recipient and such poetry being selected to accommodate the gender of the intended recipient and variations in the number of syllables in the name of the recipient. 
     It is a still further object of the invention to provide a pseudorandom computer printout of text which is related to the identity, gender, message or occasion, and at least one personality trait of an intended recipient of that text, whereupon, when a limited number of successive commands are given to the computer to produce such text, a new combination of text is produced even when the input data provided are the same. 
     These and other objects of the invention will become more readily appreciated upon study of the Detailed Description of the Invention, infra, together with the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an illustration of the various physical elements of the invention; 
     FIGS. 2A-2C is a flow chart of the steps involved in performing the preferred method of the invention; and 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 are detailed charts of the program (software) of the Appendix which is used in the implementation of the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 depicts the elements of the invention in 
     pictorial form. Computer 10 may be a microcomputer such as the IBM PC personal computer, manufactured by International Business Machines, Inc., and widely available throughout the United States. Computer 10 is connected by cable 12 to printer 14 which may be an Epson MX-80 dot matrix printer which is distributed in the United States by Epson America Inc 3415 Kashiwa St. Torrance, Calif. 90505. Of course it will be understood that various other commercially available microcomputers and printers are suitable for use in such service. It will also be understood that other types of computers and printers may be used for the purposes of the invention, including, but not limited to, an automatic plotter substituted for or used in addition to printer 14, for accepting the output from computer 10. In use, a program (software) and date base is loaded into computer 10 by means of a diskette inserted into one of the disk drive slots 16 of computer 10 or by means of a resident read-only-memory (ROM) (not shown) in computer 10. Of course, as will be well understood by one having ordinary skill in this art, other media such as EPROM, E 2  PROM, bubble memory, NOVRAM (non-volatile RAM), SRAM, magnetic tape or paper tape might also be utilized as mass storage for computer 10 in place of the floppy disk or ROM. The best embodiment of the computer program utilized in the invention is attached hereto in the Appendix which may be found in the file wrapper of the application. It is presented in BASIC language source code form and is duly inscribed with a statutory copyright notice. The owner thereof reserves all rights to the specific program and to compilations or interpretations thereof as provided for by the United States Copyright Act and various international conventions and treaties. No copies may be made thereof without the express permission of the owner except that the United States Patent and Trademark Office may copy it as necessary for the sole purpose of providing the public with complete copies of this patent (including the program), if and when this application issues. 
     FIG. 3 shows in block diagram form the operation of the program which is set forth in source code in the Appendix. It will be understood that FIGS. 3 and 4 do not show the necessary screen display and keyboard connections in the interest of clarity. The Appendix completely discloses this information. The main program comprises block 200, &#34;TCP1.BAS&#34;, the source code and &#34;POET.COM&#34;, the object code. This portion of the software displays legal notices and warnings, serial number, computer type and asks for and accepts current date. The program also comprises second block 202, &#34;TCP2.BAS&#34;, the source code and &#34;TCP2.COM&#34; the object code. This portion of the software performs the queries as to the characteristics of the recipient of the poetry 
     including name, residence, gender, message or occasion, and primary and secondary traits. It also validates and reviews the answers and passes them on to TCP3 through ITEMS.TCP, 206. ITEMS.TCP, 206 is a sequential file. Random file, PARMS.TCP, 208, supplies the serial number and computer model number to TCP1.BAS, 200; accepts the current date from TCP1.BAS, 200; supplies current date to TCP2.BAS, 202 and holds the table look-up data for determination of gender which is then provided to TCP2.BAS, 202. Sequential file INDEX.TCP, 210 provides valid key information and descriptions to TCP2.BAS, 202, and to TCP3.BAS, 204. 
     Program portion &#34;TCP3.BAS&#34;, the source code and TCP3.COM, the object code, 204, composes poetry in response to the data items stored in ITEMS.TCP, 208, and WORDS.TCP, 216, displays the poetry on the computer screen display, queries the aperator as to wether a new title is desired, prints the poetry, 212, upon operator command, and either exits the program, 214, or returns to TCP2.BAS, 202, for the purpose of generating a new poem. Random file &#34;WORDS.TCP&#34;, 216, provides the data base of verses to TCP3.BAS, 204. 
     The program may be started from block 218 or 220. If start is accomplished from block 220, a &#34;come-on&#34; or &#34;invitation&#34; message is displayed on the computer screen while the computer is in a standby mode waiting for an operator. When exiting 214 from a poetry generation cycle in response to an operator&#39;s request to generate another poem, start is accomplished through block 202 TCP2.BAS; otherwise it starts at block 220 and then waits for the next user, displaying a come-on message 222 in the interim. This decision as to which start to employ is a function of whether or not the operator requests another run at the end of a poetry generation cycle. 
     FIG. 4 is a series of block diagrams which show the various maintenance programs which are supplied within the software package. DBDEMOS 300 allows the construction of new data bases, allows changes, additions and deletions from an existing WORDS.TCP data base 216, and allows display of an existing data base. DBCOPYS 302 allows copying of an existing data base from WORDS.TCP 216 to NEW.DA 304 which is also a random file and it has the facility to skip records DBSPEC 306 is a special version of DBDEMOS 300. DBSPEC 306 allows replacement of the descriptions of the verses in WORDS.TCP 216. 
     DBLISTD 308 allows hard copy listing 310 of keys, descriptions and verses from WORDS.TCP 216. TCPIXS 312 may be used to create summary index files from WORDS.TCP 216 and store them in sequential INDEX.TCP 210 and list them 314 on hard copy. TCP.0., source code and SETPOET, object code, 316 may be used with random file PARMS.TCP 208 to change records 1-20. This sets the help level, the print codes and the serial number of the program 
     INITSEX 318 may be used to initialize the name/sex records, used for finding gender. It initializes record number 30 in PARMS.TCP 208 to indicate an empty name/sex file. NAMESEX 320 is used to add new first names with associated gender to the PARMS.TCP file 208. It also updates the pointer in record number 30. NAMELIST 322 allows hard copy listing 324 of a name/sex list from PARMS.TCP 208, record number 30 and following records. 
     TCPSTAT 326 may be used to print statistics on the use of the program over a given period of time. Hard copy lists comprising a use report 328 are generated from information taken from random file PARMS.TCP 208. These utility programs will be more readily understood upon study of the source code software set out in the Appendix. 
     Generally, the program attached hereto in the Appendix, when used with the proper BASIC language compiler or interpreter (which must also be compatible with the specific computer chosen by one practicing the invention) and a suitable computer operating system (in this case, IBM Coporation DOS is used), provides the following series of interactive steps and serves to produce computer generated poetry which may be customized by the operator to suit an intended recipient of the computer generated poetry. Each step is prompted by an inquiry on cathode ray viewing screen 18, part of computer 10, and the operator may then respond with a suitable answer by means of an entry on keyboard 20. This is well known as a &#34;menu driven&#34; system. The query steps are listed, infra, along with typical responses by an operator: 
     Notes: 
     1. In the following description, the material in brackets, thus, &#34;[]&#34; is explanatory or encloses a non-printing &#34;c/r&#34; (carriage return) character; it is not part of the program of the preferred embodiment of the invention, and does not appear on the computer screen. 
     2. &#34;/&#34; is used to designate a line break on the screen display; it is not displayed on the screen except as a line break. 
     3. The numbers in parentheses to the right of each listing are keyed to the reference numerals of FIG. 2. 
     
         __________________________________________________________________________*******THE FOLLOWING IS SEEN ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN WHEN THE PROGRAM IS&#34;BOOTED&#34; IN: [when using the block 220 entry point of FIG.                                         (30)THE COMPUTER POET/PLAY WITH ME/JUST HIT ANY KEY                                         (32)OPERATOR:[Hits any key]                                (34)COMPUTER SCREEN:. . . Hold on tight; I&#39;ll count my bytes/Together soon a poem we&#39;ll write. . .                                         (36)The computer poet[appears, followed by an abstract design and, again, ]. . . the computer poet . . .[then]I am going to ask you some questions/about your friend or relative.Have fun! Don&#39;t worry about mistakes./You&#39;ll have a chance to fix themlater.Together we&#39;ll compose a special poem!1. Who is this poem about? Enter this person&#39;s first name ONLY: ##STR1##OPERATOR:[for example]Karen [c/r]                                   (38)[c/r = carriage return. The typed name appears on the underlinedportion of the screen][The computer does a search of its name data base to see if itknows the gender of &#34;Karen&#34;. If not, it would proceed as follows;if it finds the gender, it skips the next steps, referencenumerals (40), (42), and goes to (44).]COMPUTER:1a. Is Karen male (M) or female (F)? → (40)OPERATOR:F                                             (42)COMPUTER:2. Where does Karen live? (name ONE only: town, state, or                                         (44)try): ##STR2##OPERATOR:Phoenix [c/r]                                 (46)COMPUTER:Pick one of these messages to Karen:          (48)ADM: I ADMIRE YOU           ANG: ANGRY AT YOU                           ANN: OUR ANNIVERSARYANY: YOUR ANNIVERSARY           BAB: BABY ON THE WAY                           BAR: BARMITZVAH (M)BII: BIRTHDAY INVITE           BIR: BIRTHDAY   BLA: I BLAME YOUBLE: GOD BLESS YOU           BOR: I WANT IT BACK                           BYE: YOU&#39;RE MOVINGCEL: CELEBRATION           CHU: CHEER UP   COF: CONFIRMATIONCOM: COMMEMORATION           CON: CONGRATULATIONS                           DIF: YOU&#39;RE SPECIALDIV: YOU&#39;RE DIVORCED           ENG: YOU&#39;RE ENGAGED                           EST: HAPPY EASTERFOO: APRIL FOOL&#39;S           GET: GET WELL   GOL: GOOD LUCKGRA: GRADUATION HAG: HANG IN THERE                           HAL: HALLOWEENHOS: THANKS TO HOST           HUR: I FEEL HURT                           ILO: I LOVE YOU ##STR3##       KAH: HAPPY HANUKKAH                           MAR: WEDDING FOR MANMER: MERRY CHRISTMAS           NEB: HAPPY NEW BABY                           NEW: HAPPY NEW YEARNOS: JUST HELLO OUT: LET&#39;S GO OUT                           OWE: OWE ME MONEYPAT: SAINT PATTY&#39;S           PRM: PROMOTION  SCH: BACK TO SCHOOLSHI: YOU&#39;RE A FRIEND           SOR: I APOLOGIZE                           SPE: SPECIAL EVENINGTHA: THANKSGIVING           THY: I THANK YOU                           UNB: UNBIRTHDAYVAL: BE MY VALENTINE           VIS: PLEASE VISIT                           WDI: WEDDING INVITEWED: YOUR WEDDING           WEH: WELCOME HOME                           WEL: WELCOME3. Enter three letters for your message to her - to see more messages,hit RETURN →[If c/r is pressed by operator, then]Pick one of these messages to Karen:WRI: PLEASE WRITE ME           ADM: I ADMIRE YOU                           ANG: ANGRY AT YOUANN: OUR ANNIVERSARY           ANY: YOUR ANNIVERSARY                           BAB: BABY ON THE WAYBAR: BARMITZVAH (M)           BII: BIRTHDAY INVITE                           BIR: BIRTHDAYBLA: I BLAME YOU           BLE: GOD BLESS YOU                           BOR: I WANT IT BACKBYE: YOU&#39;RE MOVING           CEL: CELEBRATION                           CHU: CHEER UPCOF: CONFIRMATION           COM: COMMEMORATION                           CON: CONGRATULATIONSDIF: YOU&#39;RE SPECIAL           DIV: YOU&#39;RE DIVORCED                           ENG: YOUR ENGAGEDEST: HAPPY EASTER           FOO: APRIL FOOL&#39;S                           GET: GET WELLGOL: GOOD LUCK  GRA: GRADUATION HAG: HANG IN THEREHAL: HALLOWEEN  HOS: THANKS TO HOST                           HUR: I FEEL HURTILO: I LOVE YOU            ##STR4##       KAH: HAPPY HANUKKAHMAR: WEDDING FOR MAN           MER: MERRY CHRISTMAS                           NEB: HAPPY NEW BABYNEW: HAPPY NEW YEAR           NOS: JUST HELLO OUT: LET&#39;S GO OUTOWE: OWE ME MONEY           PAT: SAINT PATTY&#39;S                           PRM: PROMOTIONSCH: BACK TO SCHOOL           SHI: YOU&#39;RE A FRIEND                           SOR: I APOLOGIZESPE: SPECIAL EVENING           THA: THANKSGIVING                           THY: I THANK YOUUNB: UNBIRTHDAY VAL: BE MY VALENTINE                           VIS: PLEASE VISITWDI: WEDDING INVITE           WED: YOUR WEDDING                           WEH: WELCOME HOME3. Enter three letters for your message to her - to see more messages,hit RETURN →[If c/r is not pressed, but a three letter message is                                         (50)indicated by the operator, the display jumps to item 4, see&#34;descriptive traits&#34;, infra, at reference numeral (56). If the&#34;I SAY&#34; choice (code &#34;IWQ&#34;) is entered, the screen display jumpsto item (52) numbered &#34;3a.&#34;, infra.]OPERATOR:IWQCOMPUTER:3a. Enter a one to three syllable word or phrase that will fit at the endof`Karen, I want to tell you . . .              (52) ##STR5##OPERATORYou&#39;re Great [c/r] [for example]              (54)COMPUTER:Pick Karen&#39;s MOST descriptive trait:          (56)AMB: AMBITIOUS            ##STR6##       ART: ARTISTICATH: ATHLETIC   BEA: BEAUTIFUL (F)                           BOS: BOSSYCAT: CAT LOVER  CHE: CHEERFUL   CHP: CHEAPSKATECLA: CLASSY     COK: GOOD COOK  COL: COLORFULCOO: SO COOL    COU: COURAGEOUS CRE: CREATIVECUD: CUDDLY     DEM: DEMOCRAT   DOG: DOG LOVERDRE: WELL DRESSED           EAS: EASY GOING ENE: ENERGETICFRI: FRIENDLY   FUN: FUNNY      GEN: GENTLE-GENEROUSGOO: GOOD PERSON           HAN: HANDSOME   HAP: HAPPYHEA: HEALTHY    HEL: HELPFUL    HOM: HOMEBODYHON: HONEST     HUN: LOVES TO EAT                           IND: INDEPENDENTJOL: JOLLY      KNO: KNOWLEDGEABLE                           KOM: COMPUTER LOVERLAZ: LAZY       LIB: LIBERTARIAN                           LOO: GOOD LOOKINGLOU: LOUD       LOV: LOVING PERSON                           MAC: MACHO MANMAN: WELL MANNERED           MES: MESSY      NIC: NICEOPI: OPINIONATED           ORG: ORGANIZED  PER: PERFECTPLA: PLAYFUL    PRE: PRETTY     PRO: PRODUCTIVEQUI: QUIET      REP: REPUBLICAN RIC: RICH4. Enter three letters for her MOST descriptive trait - to see MOREtraits, hit RETURN →[If c/r is pressed the screen displays the next block of menu choices:see &#34;descriptive traits&#34;, immediately infra. If a three lettercode from the menu list is entered, the screen display jumps toitem numbered &#34;5.&#34;, infra, except that if the &#34;APQ&#34; code for &#34;A ##STR7##&#34;4.a.&#34;, infra.]Pick Karen&#39;s MOST descriptive trait:          (56)SEI: SERIOUS   SER: SERENE      SEX: SEXYSHY: SHY       SIL: SILLY       SLE: SLEEPYSMA: BRIGHT &amp; SMART          SPO: SPOILED     STU: STUFFYSUA: SUAVE     SWE: SWEET       TAL: TALKATIVEUNI: UNIQUE    UNP: UNPREDICTABLE                           VIB: VIBRANTWEI: WEIRD     WHO: WHOLESOME   AMB: AMBITIOUS ##STR8##      ART: ARTISTIC    ATH: ATHLETICBEA: BEAUTIFUL (F)          BOS: BOSSY       CAT: CAT LOVERCHE: CHEERFUL  CHP: CHEAPSKATE  CLA: CLASSYCOK: GOOD COOK COL: COLORFUL    COO: SO COOLCOU: COURAGEOUS          CRE: CREATIVE    CUD: CUDDLYDEM: DEMOCRAT  DOG: DOG LOVER   DRE: WELL DRESSEDEAS: EASY GOING          ENE: ENERGETIC   FRI: FRIENDLYFUN: FUNNY     GEN: GENTLE-GENEROUS                           GOO: GOOD PERSONHAN: HANDSOME  HAP: HAPPY       HEA: HEALTHYHEL: HELPFUL   HOM: HOMEBODY    HON: HONESTHUN: LOVES TO EAT          IND: INDEPENDENT JOL: JOLLYKNO: KNOWLEDGEABLE          KOM: COMPUTER LOVER                           LAZ: LAZY4. Enter three letters for her MOST descriptive trait - to see MOREtraits, hit return →OPERATOR:APQ                                           (58, 60)4a. Enter the one to three syllable adjective that BEST describes Karen: ##STR9##                                     (62)OPERATOR:wild [c/r]                                    (64)COMPUTER:Now select her SECONDARY trait:               (66)AMB: AMBITIOUS  ART: ARTISTIC   ATH: ATHLETICBEA: BEAUTIFUL (F)           BOS: BOSSY      CAT: CAT LOVERCHE: CHEERFUL   CHP: CHEAPSKATE CLA: CLASSYCOK: GOOD COOK  COL: COLORFUL   COO: SO COOLCOU: COURAGEOUS CRE: CREATIVE   CUD: CUDDLYDEM: DEMOCRAT   DOG: DOG LOVER  DRE: WELL DRESSEDEAS: EASY GOING ENE: ENERGETIC  FRI: FRIENDLYFUN: FUNNY      GEN: GENTLE-GENEROUS                           GOO: GOOD PERSONHAN: HANDSOME   HAP: HAPPY      HEA: HEALTHYHEL: HELPFUL    HOM: HOMEBODY   HON: HONESTHUN: LOVES TO EAT           IND: INDEPENDENT                           JOL: JOLLYKNO: KNOWLEDGEABLE           KOM: COMPUTER LOVER                           LAZ: LAZYLIB: LIBERTARIAN           LOO: GOOD LOOKING                           LOU: LOUDLOV: LOVING PERSON           MAC: MACHO MAN  MAN: WELL MANNEREDMES: MESSY      NIC: NICE       OPI: OPINIONATEDORG: ORGANIZED  PER: PERFECT    PLA: PLAYFULPRE: PRETTY     PRO: PRODUCTIVE QUI: QUIETREP: REPUBLICAN RIC: RICH       SEI: SERIOUS 5. Enter three letters for Karen&#39;s SECONDARY trait - to see MORE traits,hit RETURN →[If c/r is not pressed, but a three letter trait is indicated bythe operator, the screen displays the item numbered &#34;6.&#34;, infra.If c/r is entered another block of secondary traits is displayed.]OPERATOR:LAZ                                           (68)COMPUTER:6. Do you want Karen to know who this poem is from?If yes, enter your name, otherwise, hit RETURN ##STR10##                                    (70)OPERATOR:Dwight And Louise [c/r]                       (72)COMPUTER:7. Do you want a date at the bottom of your poem? (Y or N)                                         (74)arw.[If operator enters &#34;N&#34;, program jumps to display menu for change, (86).]OPERATOR:Y [for example]                               (76)COMPUTER:7a. Do you want TODAY&#39;S DATE at the bottom of your poem? (Y or N)→                                      (78)[If operator enters &#34;Y&#34;, program jumps to display menu for change, (86).]OPERATOR:N [for example]                               (80)COMPUTER:7b. Enter your date as you would like it to appear: ##STR11##                                    (82)OPERATOR:Halloween [c/r]                               (84)COMPUTER:. . . Just a moment, pleaseWhile I check our Q&#39;s and P&#39;s . . .           (86)  NAME → Karen  LIVES IN → Phoenix   ##STR12##3a.  I SAY TO YOU → You&#39;re Great   ##STR13##4a.  SHE IS → wild  SECOND TRAIT → LAZY  FROM NAME → Dwight And Louise  DATE → Halloween  SEX → FemaleDo you want to change anything? (Y or N) →OPERATOR:Y [for example]                               (88)COMPUTER:Enter the number you want to change (1-8) →                                         (90)OPERATOR:3 [for example]                               (92)COMPUTER:Pick one of these messages to Karen:          (94)[But, note that the inquiry algorithm is like the one at referencenumerals (48)-(54). The same routine is used.]ADM: I ADMIRE YOU           ANG: ANGRY AT YOU                           ANN: OUR ANNIVERSARYANY: YOUR ANNIVERSARY           BAB: BABY ON THE WAY                           BAR: BARMITZVAH (M)BII: BIRTHDAY INVITE           BIR: BIRTHDAY   BLA: I BLAME YOUBLE: GOD BLESS YOU           BOR: I WANT IT BACK                           BYE: YOU&#39;RE MOVINGCEL: CELEBRATION           CHU: CHEER UP   COF: CONFIRMATIONCOM: COMMEMORATION           CON: CONGRATULATIONS                           DIF: YOU&#39;RE SPECIALDIV: YOU&#39;RE DIVORCED           ENG: YOU&#39;RE ENGAGED                           EST: HAPPY EASTERFOO: APRIL FOOL&#39;S           GET: GET WELL   GOL: GOOD LUCKGRA: GRADUATION HAG: HANG IN THERE                           HAL: HALLOWEENHOS: THANKS TO HOST           HUR: I FEEL HURT                           ILO: I LOVE YOU ##STR14##      KAH: HAPPY HANUKKAH                           MAR: WEDDING FOR MANMER: MERRY CHRISTMAS           NEB: HAPPY NEW BABY                           NEW: HAPPY NEW YEARNOS: JUST HELLO OUT: LET&#39;S GO OUT                           OWE: OWE ME MONEYPAT: SAINT PATTY&#39;S           PRM: PROMOTION  SCH: BACK TO SCHOOLSHI: YOU&#39;RE A FRIEND           SOR: I APOLOGIZE                           SPE: SPECIAL EVENINGTHA: THANKSGIVING           THY: I THANK YOU                           UNB: UNBIRTHDAYVAL: BE MY VALENTINE           VIS: PLEASE VISIT                           WDI: WEDDING INVITEWED: YOUR WEDDING           WEH: WELCOME HOME                           WEL: WELCOME3. Enter three letters for your message to her -to see MORE messages, hit return →[see note under item numbered three, supra]OPERATOR:WEH [for example]                             (96)COMPUTER:. . . Just a moment pleasewhile I check our Q&#39;s and P&#39;s . . .           (86)  NAME → Karen  LIVES IN → Phoenix  MESSAGE → WELCOME HOME   ##STR15##4a.  SHE IS → wild  SECOND TRAIT → LAZY  FROM NAME → Dwight And Louise  DATE → Halloween  SEX → FemaleDo you want to change anything? (Y or N) →OPERATOR:Y                                             (88)COMPUTER:Enter the number you want to change (1-8) →                                         (90)OPERATOR:7                                             (92)COMPUTER:7. Do you want a date at the bottom of your poem? (Y or N)                                         (94)arw.[But, note that the inquiry algorithm is like the one at referencenumerals (74)-(84). The same routine is used.]OPERATOR:Y [for example]                               (76)COMPUTER:7a. Do you want TODAY&#39;S DATE at the bottom of your poem? (Y or N)→                                      (78)OPERATOR:[Note that the inquiry algorithm is like the one at referencenumerals 74-84. The same routine is used.]COMPUTER:. . . Just a moment, pleasewhile I check our Q&#39;s and P&#39;s . . .  NAME → Karen                         (86)  LIVES IN → Phoenix  MESSAGE → WELCOME HOME   ##STR16##4a.  SHE IS → wild  SECOND TRAIT → LAZY  FROM NAME → Dwight And Louise  DATE → Wednesday, March 21st, 1984  SEX → FemaleDo you want to CHANGE anything? (Y or N) →OPERATOR:N                                             (98)COMPUTER:. . . Hold on tight; I&#39;ll count my bytesTogether soon, a poem we&#39;ll write . . .       (100)[pause]. . . for Karen we&#39;ll create a greetinga greeting that she&#39;ll be repeating! . . .[pause]. . . I&#39;m not shirking; I am working!You&#39;ll soon see; I&#39;m right on key . . .TO KAREN                                      (102)In Phoenix I know of someoneThat&#39;s where Karen lives and has funJust loafing and lazyShe&#39;s so lackadaisySo listen and look for a punSo wild she is, that&#39;s for sureIn this she is no amateurYou know I don&#39;t lieI swear on the skyShe&#39;s wild and you won&#39;t find a cureBeen waiting to say welcome homeTo you who decided to roamSo glad that you&#39;re backI won&#39;t feel your lackGreat greetings to you in this poemfrom Dwight and Louisethe computer poet -Wednesday, March 21st, 1984Do you want a NEW TITLE for this poem? (Y or N) →                                         (104)OPERATOR:Y                                             (106)COMPUTER: ##STR17##                                    (107)OPERATOR:WITH LOVE, TO KAREN [c/r]                     (108)COMPUTER:WITH LOVE, TO KAREN                           (110)In Phoenix I know of someoneThat&#39;s where Karen lives and has funJust loafing and lazyShe&#39;s so lackadaisySo listen and look for a punSo wild she is, that&#39;s for sureIn this she is no amateurYou know I don&#39;t lieI swear on the skyShe&#39;s wild and you won&#39;t find a cureBeen waiting to say welcome homeTo you who decided to roamSo glad that you&#39;re backI won&#39;t feel your lackGreat greetings to you in this poemfrom Dwight and Louisethe computer poet -Wednesday, March 21st, 1984To print your card just ENTER `Y` or ENTER `N` and it will die                                         (111)rw.OPERATOR:N                                             (112)[If the operator had entered `Y`, the poem would have beenoutputted to printer 14. See FIG. 1. Then the following wouldhave been displayed:]                         (114)COMPUTER:To compose one more ENTER `Y` or enter `N`to say goodbye                                         (116)rw.OPERATOR:N                                             (118)[If the operator had entered `Y`, the program would have recycledback to the beginning at reference numeral (36).]                                         (120)COMPUTER:So sorry to hear that you&#39;re going            (122)Our verses have really been flowingCome play again soonWe&#39;ll play a new tuneWhenever a card you are owingA&gt;[&#34;A&gt;&#34; is a IBM Corporation DOS operating system prompt.]*****__________________________________________________________________________ 
    
     The foregoing is a flow chart which illustrates a typical use of the system of the invention. The flow chart is neither an all inclusive description of the program or of the use of the system, although it comes closer to the latter. It should be seen to serve as a hybrid chart of both for the purpose of lending clarification to both the program and its use. 
     The system of the invention is so arranged as to provide a different (pseudorandom) output poem where an identical input data set is utilized on successive runs of the program. This makes it possible for the operator to make more than one run with identical input sets and get different output poetry. The operator is then in a position to select a particular output which pleases him or her. (It is contemplated that the data base of verses will be expanded as a part of future development of the software in order to provide still more flexibility and variety in this regard.) To illustrate this point, two more poems, each derived from identical input data sets as used to generate the poem listed, supra, are set forth here: 
     
         ______________________________________TO KARENI heard about Karen todayIn Phoenix you&#39;ll find her at playSo lazy and slowWith energy lowI&#39;ll tell you some more if I mayBeen waiting to tell you all dayHow wild that she is every wayIt&#39;s her way of beingThat you will be seeingShe&#39;s wild, so what more can I say?Been waiting to say welcome homeTo you who decided to roamSo glad that you&#39;re backI won&#39;t feel your lackGreat greetings to you in this poemfrom Dwight and Louisethe computer poet -Wednesday, March 21st, 1984TO KARENMany things about Karen I knowLike she lives right in Phoenix - that&#39;s soJust loafing and lazyShe&#39;s so lackadaisyI know a lot more - see belowYou know that she&#39;s the wild kindJust watch her and this you will findComputers tell truthThey&#39;re never uncouthShe&#39;s wild I want to remindBeen waiting to say welcome homeTo you who decided to roamSo glad that you&#39;re backI won&#39;t feel your lackGreat greetings to you in this poemfrom Dwight and Louisethe computer poet -Wednesday, March 21st, 1984______________________________________ (It may be noted that the last verse of all three poetry outputs are identical. The &#34;WEH&#34; code selection presently provides only one verse. But see, &#34;Anticipated Enhancements&#34;, infra.) 
    
     The following explanation of the structure of the poetic output of the system will be useful to a total understanding ing of the system: 
     The first verse comprises two parts. The first part which comprises a first, second and fifth line is characterized as an &#34;introductory&#34; portion. The third and fourth lines are characterized as a &#34;secondary trait&#34; portion. The introductory lines (1,2 and 5) are controlled by and include the name and residence information supplied by the operator. The gender associated with the inputted name may be obtained by table look-up or by query of the operator, depending upon whether or not that name is present in the data base. The secondary trait lines (3 and 4) of the first verse are lifted from lines three and four of a five line &#34;trait&#34; verse stored in the data base. These lines comprise the secondary trait which is chosen and entered by the operator as part of the input data routine. 
     The second verse is characterized as a &#34;trait&#34; verse. It is controlled by and generated from the primary trait code chosen by the operator during the input routine. All five lines come straight from the data base as a group. Note that the third and fourth lines of the first verse come from this same data base of trait verses. 
     The third verse is characterized as a &#34;message&#34; or &#34;occasion&#34; verse. It is controlled by and generated from the message or occasion code provided by the operator during the input routine. All five lines come from the data base as a group 
     It will be understood that the data base is further divided within each characteristic division to provide verse that is compatible with one to three syllable words or phrases (as applicable), with gender selected by the system or provided by the operator. Of course, it will be understood that with some more complexity in the program, more characteristics could be provided and more selections could be made by the operator. The maximum number of syllables in a word or phrase could be in creased and the number of verses could be changed. In other configurations of the invention, one would not be limited to the limerick format nor necessarily, to poetic output. 
     ANTICIPATED ENHANCEMENTS 
     In future enhancements of the software, the data base will be increased to prevent duplication of outputted verses upon successive input of identical variables by the operator, see supra. Some of the codes already have as many as six different verses available from the present data base. It should be understood that many more than that could be implemented. It is further planned to provide a sensor to indicate to the system whether the operator represents a singular or plural sender. It will also be clear that the poetry could be addressed to more than one person. This information will be used to change the first person pronouns in the outputted poetry to the plural form, where applicable. A still further enhancement which is planned is to provide drawings in the computer output for inclusion with the poetry. For example, a &#34;you owe me money&#34; message might be accompanied by a drawing of an outstretched hand. A wedding message or occasion might be accompanied by a drawing of a wedding couple or flowers. It is expected that these graphic outputs will be accomplished by means of the plotter option mentioned, supra, but of course, it would be possible to provide such drawings on an output printer as well. 
     It is also anticipated that the computer will be programmed to output audible musical notes which are related to messages and traits which are selected by the operator and/or output some or all of the queries and/or the poetry in synthesized speech form. 
     SYLLABLE COUNT ALGORITHM 
     There are two places in the flow chart of FIG. 2 (as described above) where it is necessary for the system of the invention to recognize the number of syllables in an input word or phrase. The algorithm which is utilized to perform that function is set forth here in logical detail (the actual implementation may be seen by reviewing the source code for the program, see Appendix): 
     1. Definition: A vowel is &#34;a&#34;, &#34;e&#34;, &#34;i&#34;, &#34;o&#34;, &#34;u&#34; and &#34;y&#34;, except where &#34;y&#34; is the first letter of a word. 
     2. Set syllable count to zero. 
     3. If the number of characters is less than seven and all letters are capitalized, then the syllable count is equal to the number of capital letters and all other calculations of the algorithm are skipped over. 
     4. Test each letter of the word(s) in succession from left to right: 
     (a) If the letter is a vowel, add one to the syllable count. 
     (b) If the letter is an &#34;e&#34; and the next character is a space, subtract 1 from the syllable count. 
     (c) If the letter is an &#34;e&#34;, the next character is a space and the two preceding letters are consonants, then add 1 to the syllable count. 
     (d) If the letter is an &#34;e&#34; and the next letter is an &#34;s&#34; and is also the last letter of the word, subtract 1 from the syllable count. 
     (e) If the letter is an &#34;e&#34; and the next letter is an &#34;s&#34; and is also the last letter of the word, and the two preceding letters were consonants, then add 1 to the syllable count. 
     (f) If the letter is an &#34;o&#34; and is preceded by an &#34;i&#34; or an &#34;e&#34;, then add 1 to the syllable count. 
     (g) If the letter is an &#34;a&#34; and is preceded by an &#34;i&#34;, add 1 to the syllable count. 
     (h) If neither (c), (d), (e), (f) or (g) applies and the preceding character is a vowel and the second preceding character is a consonant (or there is no second preceding character), then add 1 to the syllable count. 
     5. Any syllable count over 3 is set to 3. 
     6. Any syllable count less than 1 is set to 1. 
     This concludes the description of the preferred syllable count algorithm of the invention. The algorithm is used to select introduction, trait, and message or occasion verses from respective data bases which are compatible with the number of syllables in the input word(s) for the purpose of maintaining reasonable poetic meter in the output product of the invention. 
     The formatted printed listing, as shown in blocks 310, 324 and 328 of FIG. 4, and as available at the time of filing of the instant patent application, are set forth in the Appendix. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that various other modifications and changes may be made to the present invention from the principles of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, as encompassed in the accompanying claims. Therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such equivalent variations which do essentially the same thing in essentially the same way to produce the same result which come within the scope of the invention as described.