Providing information from a multilingual database of language-independent and language-dependent items
First Claim
1. A method of providing multilingual versions of data items in a computer database system comprising the steps of:
- identifying a base language in which language-independent data items and language-dependent data items can be represented in said computer system;
identifying a preferred language in which said language-dependent data items and said language-independent data items can be represented;
storing a base language version of said language-dependent data items and language-independent data items in a base language record;
creating a related language version of said language-dependent data items when a preferred language version of said language-dependent data items is created;
accessing in said base language record said language-independent data items;
accessing in said base language record said language-dependent and said language-independent data items when said base language is the same as said preferred language;
accessing in said base language record said language-dependent data when said related language version does not exist for said preferred language; and
accessing in said related language record said language-dependent data items when said related language version does exist in said preferred language.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides the ability to internationalize a database application by providing a capability to create and maintain related international records. Data items can be stored in a base language with accompanying related copies of the data items represented in multiple languages and/or currencies. Application users can specify a preferred language. When data items are retrieved from a database, and when the user'"'"'s language preference is not the same as the base language, language-dependent data items are retrieved from the related language records. When a related language record does not exist, or the preferred language is equal to the base language, the data items are retrieved from the base language records. Delete, Insert and Update operations can be performed on base language records, related language records or both.
197 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of providing multilingual versions of data items in a computer database system comprising the steps of:
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identifying a base language in which language-independent data items and language-dependent data items can be represented in said computer system; identifying a preferred language in which said language-dependent data items and said language-independent data items can be represented; storing a base language version of said language-dependent data items and language-independent data items in a base language record; creating a related language version of said language-dependent data items when a preferred language version of said language-dependent data items is created; accessing in said base language record said language-independent data items; accessing in said base language record said language-dependent and said language-independent data items when said base language is the same as said preferred language; accessing in said base language record said language-dependent data when said related language version does not exist for said preferred language; and accessing in said related language record said language-dependent data items when said related language version does exist in said preferred language. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of linking multilingual versions of data in a computerized database comprising the steps of:
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defining a first table to contain base language records, said base language records storing base language versions of language-independent data items and language-dependent data items; defining a second table to contain multilingual records, said multilingual records storing multilingual versions of language-dependent data items; defining a linkage between said second table and said first table, said linkage identifies said second table to contain multilingual versions of said base language records. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification