Techniques for proactively providing translated text to a traveling user

• US 10,127,228 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hampson, Courtney, Sanio, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Opsasnick, Michael L
• Application Number:
  US15/097,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20170300476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/47 Machine-assisted translation, e.g. using translation memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/58 including a multilanguage function

Abstract

Computer-implemented techniques can include obtaining future travel plans for a user in a region that utilizes a language that is foreign to the user and predicting, based on the future travel plans, an expected future offline period during which the user is unlikely to have access to a network connection via a client computing device. The techniques can include identifying one or more points of interest in future the travel plans in the expected future offline period where the user is likely to require translation of foreign language text and obtaining portions of foreign language text associated therewith. The techniques can also include, prior to the expected future offline period, obtaining translated portions of text representing translations of the portions of foreign language text to a preferred language of the user and transmitting, to the client computing device, the translated portions of text.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a server computing device having one or more processors, data specifying future travel plans for a user associated with a client computing device, the future travel plans being in a region that utilizes a language that is foreign to the user;

predicting, by the server computing device and based on the future travel plans, an expected future offline period during which the client computing device is unlikely to have a network connection;

determining, by the server computing device, an expected path of travel during the future offline period;

identifying, by the server computing device, one or more points of interest along the expected path of travel, each point of interest being indicative of a specific location where the user is likely to require translation of foreign language text, wherein identifying a particular point of interest as one of the one or more points of interest is based on (1) known information about the availability of translated foreign language text at the particular point of interest, and (2) a likelihood that the user will require translation of foreign language text at the particular point of interest exceeding a threshold likelihood;

obtaining, by the server computing device, portions of foreign language text associated with the one or more points of interest, wherein each portion of foreign language text is intended to aid the user while he/she is at the corresponding point of interest;

obtaining, by the server computing device and prior to the expected future offline period, translated portions of text representing translations of the portions of foreign language text to a preferred language of the user; and

transmitting, from the server computing device and to the client computing device prior to the expected future offline period, the translated portions of text and instructions for outputting the translated portions of text,

wherein receipt of the translated portions of text and the instructions causes the client computing device to;

determine an output time or an output location specified by a particular instruction of the transmitted instructions,

detect that an output condition is satisfied when a current time or a current location of the client computing device matches the output time or the output location,

generate a rendered display comprising the translated portions of text, and

display, on a display of the client computing device, the rendered display in response to detecting that the output condition is satisfied.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the expected future offline period is defined between two overnight stays by the user at one or more hotels, and wherein the server computing device obtains and transmits the translated portions of text to the client computing device during a first of the two overnight stays.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the future travel plans includes utilizing a registered profile of the user to extract the future travel plans from at least one of (i) emails associated with the user, (ii) a calendar associated with the user, and (iii) social media activity associated with the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein obtaining the future travel plans further includes utilizing at least one of (i) global positioning system (GPS) information indicative of a location of the user, (ii) past travel habits of the user, and (iii) statistics of other users'"'"' travel habits in the region.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the portions of foreign language text include step-by-step directions for the user with respect to the path of travel.

5. A server computing device including one or more processors and a non-transitory memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the server computing device to perform operations comprising:

obtaining data specifying future travel plans for a user associated with a client computing device, the future travel plans being in a region that utilizes a language that is foreign to the user;

predicting, based on the future travel plans, an expected future offline period during which the client computing device is unlikely to have a network connection;

determining an expected path of travel by the user during the expected future offline period;

identifying one or more points of along the expected path of travel, each point of interest being indicative of a specific location where the user is likely to require translation of foreign language text, wherein identifying a particular point of interest as one of the one or more points of interest is based on (1) known information about the availability of translated foreign language text at the particular point of interest, and (2) a likelihood that the user will require translation of foreign language text at the particular point of interest exceeding a threshold likelihood;

obtaining portions of foreign language text associated with the one or more points of interest, wherein each portion of foreign language text is intended to aid the user while he/she is at the corresponding point of interest;

obtaining, prior to the expected future offline period, translated portions of text representing translations of the portions of foreign language text to a preferred language of the user; and

transmitting, to the client computing device prior to the expected future offline period, the translated portions of text and instructions for outputting the translated portions of text,

wherein receipt of the translated portions of text and the instructions causes the client computing device to;

determine an output time or an output location specified by a particular instruction of the transmitted instructions,

detect that an output condition is satisfied when a current time or a current location of the client computing device matches the output time or the output location,

generate a rendered display comprising the translated portions of text, and

display, on a display of the client computing device, the rendered display in response to detecting that the output condition is satisfied.

6. The server computing device of claim 5, wherein the expected future offline period is defined between two overnight stays by the user at one or more hotels, and wherein the server computing device obtains and transmits the translated portions of text to the client computing device during a first of the two overnight stays.

7. The server computing device of claim 5, wherein obtaining the future travel plans includes utilizing a registered profile of the user to extract the future travel plans from at least one of (i) emails associated with the user, (ii) a calendar associated with the user, and (iii) social media activity associated with the user.

8. The server computing device of claim 7, wherein obtaining the future travel plans further includes utilizing at least one of (i) global positioning system (GPS) information indicative of a location of the user, (ii) past travel habits of the user, and (iii) statistics of other users'"'"' travel habits in the region.

13. The server computing device of claim 5, wherein at least some of the portions of foreign language text include step-by-step directions for the user with respect to the path of travel.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a set of instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a server computing device, causes the server computing device to perform operations comprising:

obtaining data specifying future travel plans for a user associated with a client computing device, the future travel plans being in a region that utilizes a language that is foreign to the user;

predicting, based on the future travel plans, an expected future offline period during which the client computing device is unlikely to have a network connection;

determining an expected path of travel by the user during the expected future offline period;

identifying one or more points of interest along the expected path of travel, each point of interest being indicative of a specific location where the user is likely to require translation of foreign language text, wherein identifying a particular point of interest as one of the one or more points of interest is based on (1) known information about the availability of translated foreign language text at the particular point of interest, and (2) a likelihood that the user will require translation of foreign language text at the particular point of interest exceeding a threshold likelihood;

obtaining portions of foreign language text associated with the one or more points of interest, wherein each portion of foreign language text is intended to aid the user while he/she is at the corresponding point of interest;

obtaining, prior to the expected future offline period, translated portions of text representing translations of the portions of foreign language text to a preferred language of the user; and

transmitting, to the client computing device prior to the expected future offline period, the translated portions of text and instructions for outputting the translated portions of text,

wherein receipt of the translated portions of text and the instructions causes the client computing device to;

determine an output time or an output location specified by a particular instruction of the transmitted instructions,

detect that an output condition is satisfied when a current time or a current location of the client computing device matches the output time or the output location,

generate a rendered display comprising the translated portions of text, and

display, on a display of the client computing device, the rendered display in response to detecting that the output condition is satisfied.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the expected future offline period is defined between two overnight stays by the user at one or more hotels, and wherein the server computing device obtains and transmits the translated portions of text to the client computing device during a first of the two overnight stays.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein obtaining the future travel plans includes:

utilizing a registered profile of the user to extract the future travel plans from at least one of (i) emails associated with the user, (ii) a calendar associated with the user, and (iii) social media activity associated with the user; and

utilizing at least one of (i) global positioning system (GPS) information indicative of a location of the user, (ii) past travel habits of the user, and (iii) statistics of other users'"'"' travel habits in the region.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein at least some of the portions of foreign language text include step-by-step directions for the user with respect to the path of travel.