Conversation system and conversation method

• US 20020022954A1
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Murata, Toshiki, Shimohata, Sayori
• Granted Patent: US 7,031,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/3
• 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

Abstract

A conversation system according to the invention includes: a network; a server apparatus which transfers a conversation based on characters through the network; plural terminal apparatuses which perform the conversation based on the characters under the transfer by the server apparatus through the network; and a translating apparatus which is connected to the network, receives a conversation that is transmitted from one of the plural terminal apparatuses through the network and based on characters of one language, translates the received conversation based on the characters of one language into a conversation based on characters of another language, and transmits the translated conversation based on the characters of another language to the server apparatus. The server apparatus transfers the conversation that is received from the translating apparatus and based on the characters of another language to at least one terminal apparatus during a conversation among the plural terminal apparatuses.

Claims

1. A conversation system comprising:

a network;

a server apparatus which transfers a message based on characters through said network;

a plurality of terminal apparatuses which perform a conversation by the message based on said characters under the transfer by said server apparatus through said network; and

a translating apparatus which is connected to said network, receives a message that is transmitted from one of said plurality of terminal apparatuses through said network and based on characters of one language, translates the received message based on the characters of said one language into a message based on characters of another language, and transmits the translated message based on the characters of said another language to said server apparatus,

wherein said server apparatus transfers said message which is received from said translating apparatus and is based on the characters of said another language to at least one terminal apparatus during a conversation among said plurality of terminal apparatuses.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said translating apparatus is provided for one of said plurality of terminal apparatuses,

said translating apparatus includes:

a receiving unit which receives the message based on the characters of said one language from said server apparatus;

a translating unit which translates the message that was received by said receiving unit and is based on the characters of said one language into the message based on the characters of said another language; and

a transmitting unit which transmits the message that was translated by said translating unit and is based on the characters of said another language to said server apparatus, and said server apparatus transfers the message which was received from said transmitting unit of said translating apparatus and is based on the characters of said another language.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said translating apparatus is provided for said server apparatus,

said translating apparatus has a translating unit which translates the message that was received from said one terminal apparatus by said server apparatus and is based on the characters of said one language into the message based on the characters of said another language, and

said server apparatus transfers the message which was translated by said translating unit and is based on the characters of said another language.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said server apparatus transfers the message based on the characters of said one language to the terminal apparatus which does not need the translation during a conversation among said plurality of terminal apparatuses.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said server apparatus transfers the message based on the characters of said one language to all of the terminal apparatuses during a conversation among said plurality of terminal apparatuses.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said server apparatus transfers the message based on the characters of said another language to the terminal apparatus which needs the translation during a conversation among said plurality of terminal apparatuses.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of terminal apparatuses have an adding unit which adds transmission time information indicative of transmission time of the message based on the characters of said one language to said message, and

said plurality of terminal apparatuses have:

a rearranging unit which rearranges the messages which are transferred by said server apparatus and based on the characters of said one language on the basis of said transmission time information; and

a display unit which displays the messages which were rearranged by said rearranging unit and are based on the characters of said one language.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said server apparatus has an adding unit which adds transfer time information indicative of transmission time of the message based on the characters of said another language to said message, and

said plurality of terminal apparatuses have:

a rearranging unit which rearranges the messages which are transferred by said server apparatus and based on the characters of said another language on the basis of said transfer time information; and

a display unit which displays the messages which were rearranged by said rearranging unit and are based on the characters of said another language.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of terminal apparatuses have an adding unit which adds transmission time information indicative of transmission time of the message based on the characters of said one language to said message,

said server apparatus has an adding unit for adding transfer time information indicative of transfer time of the message based on the characters of said another language to said message, and

said plurality of terminal apparatuses have:

a rearranging unit which rearranges the message that is transferred by said server apparatus and based on the characters of said one language and the message that is transferred by said server apparatus and based on the characters of said another language on the basis of said transmission time information and said transfer time information; and

a display unit which displays the messages based on the characters of said one language and the messages based on the characters of said another language which were rearranged by said rearranging unit.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said translating apparatus has an analyzing unit which analyzes the message based on the characters of said one language in order to discriminate which language said one language is.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of terminal apparatuses have

a notifying unit which notifies said translating apparatus of a kind of said one language prior to start of a conversation of said one language, and

an adding unit which adds identification information for identifying said one terminal apparatus to the message based on the characters of said one language,

said translating apparatus has a judging unit which judges whether said message has been transmitted from said one terminal apparatus or not on the basis of said identification information which is received from said one terminal apparatus and was added to the message based on the characters of said one language, and

when said judging unit judges that said message has been transmitted from said one terminal apparatus, said translating apparatus translates the message based on the characters of said one language into the message based on the characters of said another language.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said translating apparatus translates the message which is transmitted by said terminal apparatus other than said one terminal apparatus and based on the characters of said another language into the message based on the characters of said one language,

and said translating apparatus has:

a recording unit which records a history of the translation from the message based on the characters of said one language into the message based on the characters of said another language and a history of the translation from the message based on the characters of said another language into the message based on the characters of said one language; and

a charging unit which charges said one terminal apparatus in accordance with said histories recorded in said recording unit.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein said translating apparatus has a general dictionary suitable for said whole conversation and a dedicated dictionary suitable for a specific conversation in said conversation.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said dedicated dictionary is provided for every plural specific terminal apparatuses among said plurality of terminal apparatuses.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein said dedicated dictionary is provided for each terminal apparatus.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

said translating apparatus is provided for one of said plurality of terminal apparatuses,

said translating apparatus includes:

a receiving unit which receives the message based on the characters of said one language from said server apparatus;

a translating unit which translates the message that was received by said receiving unit and is based on the characters of said one language into the message based on the characters of said another language; and

a transmitting unit which transmits the message that was translated by said translating unit and is based on the characters of said another language to said server apparatus, and

the message that was transmitted by said transmitting unit of said translating apparatus and is based on the characters of said another language is transferred by said server apparatus.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

said translating apparatus is provided for said server apparatus,

said translating apparatus has a translating unit which translates the message that was received from said one terminal apparatus by said server apparatus and is based on the characters of said one language into the message based on the characters of said another language, and

the message which was translated by said translating unit and is based on the characters of said another language is transferred by said server apparatus.

16. A translating apparatus for a conversation system, wherein said conversation system includes:

a network;

a server apparatus which transfers a message based on characters through said network;

a plurality of terminal apparatuses which perform a conversation by the message based on said characters under the transfer by said server apparatus through said network; and

a translating apparatus which is connected to said network, receives a message that is transmitted from one of said plurality of terminal apparatuses through said network and based on characters of one language, translates the received message based on the characters of said one language into a message based on characters of another language, and transmits the translated message based on the characters of said another language, and

wherein the message which was translated by said translating apparatus and is based on the characters of said another language is transferred to at least one terminal apparatus during a conversation among said plurality of terminal apparatuses by said server apparatus.

19. A server apparatus for a conversation system, wherein said conversation system includes:

a network;

said server apparatus which transfers a message based on characters through said network;

a plurality of terminal apparatuses which perform a conversation by the message based on said characters under the transfer by said server apparatus through said network; and

a translating apparatus which is connected to said network, receives a message that is transmitted from one of said plurality of terminal apparatuses through said network and based on characters of one language, translates the received message based on the characters of said one language into a message based on characters of another language, and transmits the translated message based on the characters of said another language to said server apparatus, and

the message which is received from said translating apparatus and based on the characters of said another language is transferred to at least one terminal apparatus during a conversation among said plurality of terminal apparatuses.

20. A terminal apparatus for a conversation system, wherein said conversation system includes:

a network;

a server apparatus which transfers a message based on characters through said network;

a plurality of terminal apparatuses which perform a conversation by the message based on said characters under the transfer by said server apparatus through said network; and

a translating apparatus which is connected to said network, receives a message that is transmitted from one of said plurality of terminal apparatuses through said network and based on characters of one language, translates the received message based on the characters of said one language into a message based on characters of another language, and transmits the translated message based on the characters of said another language to said server apparatus, and

the message which is transmitted from said translating apparatus and based on the characters of said another language is transferred to at least one terminal apparatus during a conversation among said plurality of terminal apparatuses by said server apparatus.

21. A conversation method comprising:

a step which transmits a message based on characters of one language through a network;

a step which receives the message based on the characters of said one language through said network;

a step which translates the received message based on the characters of said one language into a message based on the characters of another language; and

a step which broadcast transmits the translated message based on the characters of said another language.