Communication service system employing translation rules for communicating data in different languages along a network

• US 5,751,957 A
• Filed: 09/10/1996
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sano, Koichi, Hiroya, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/709,866
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 395/707, 395/610, 395/752, 395/758, 395/500, 395/200.31, 395/200.32, 395/200.33
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation
• 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

Abstract

A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system. A service server and a service client are connected to a translation rule managing server is connected for managing translation rules for translating information expressing forms by way of an intermediate expression form. Upon sending of information from the service server to the service client, the service server translates a specific language contained in the data to be sent out into a language of the intermediate expression by referencing the translation rules. The service client translates the intermediate expression into specific expression by using the translation rules for displaying the data resulting from the translation. When the translation rules are unavailable in the service server and the service client, the translation rule is acquired from the translation rule managing server.

Claims

1. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system comprising:

a first information processing apparatus for offering services;

a second information processing apparatus for receiving said services; and

a third information processing apparatus for managing translation rules for translating information expressing forms,

wherein said first, second and third information processing apparatuses are interconnected via a communication network,

wherein said first information processing apparatus and said second information processing apparatus each comprises;

communication means for performing communication with the other information processing apparatus via said communication network,

storage means for storing data,

translation means for effecting translation of the information expressing forms in accordance with said translation rules, and

translation rule acquiring means for acquiring said translation rules from said third information processing apparatus,

wherein said third information processing apparatus comprises;

communication means for performing communication with said first and second information processing apparatuses via said communication network,

storage means for storing said translation rules, and

transfer means for transferring said translation rules in response to a request issued from said first or said second information processing apparatus,

wherein said translation rules include a set of rules stipulating corresponding relationships between words of an intermediate expression having a meaning common to a plurality of languages and words of a specific language, and a set of rules stipulating corresponding relationships between scale units of said intermediate expression and scale units translated into values accompanied by specific scale units, serving as standards for units such as length, weight, or currency and specific scale units, and

wherein, when sending out said data onto said communication network, said translating means translates words of a specific language contained in said data into words of said intermediate expression and translates the values accompanied by the specific scale units into the scale units of said intermediate expression by making use of said translation rules, while upon reception of the data from said communication network, said translating means translates the words of the intermediate expression contained in said data as received into the words of the specific language and translates the scale units of said intermediate expression into values accompanied by the specific scale units.

2. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system according to claim 1,

wherein upon reception of data by said first or second information processing apparatus from said communication network, said translation rule acquiring means acquires translation rule relevant to said data from said third information processing apparatus when rules relevant to common words or common sentence structuring rule or rules for common scale are not stored in said storage means.

3. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system according to claim 1, wherein

said third information processing apparatus is provided for each of the languages or for each of the scale units,

and wherein each of said first and second information processing apparatuses includes:

means for selecting information expressing form discretely for said languages or for said the scale units, respectively,

means for storing communication addresses of said third information processing apparatuses discretely for said languages or said scale units, respectively; and

means for acquiring the communication addresses for said third information processing apparatuses on the basis of classes of said data to be translated when the translation rule relevant to said data to be translated is unavailable.

4. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system according to claim 1,

wherein an information processing apparatus for managing correspondence relations between communication addresses of said third information processing apparatus and classes of the data to be translated is connected to said communication network.

5. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said translation rules includes as attributes thereof a classifier representing a name which conceptually encompasses words to undergo said translation and an item name,

and wherein said translating means performs translation of said information expressing forms by limiting the words to be translated to words of conceptually lower rank encompassed by said classifier and said item name as designated.

13. The system recited in claim 1, further comprising a unit which permits a user to gain access to the rules.

6. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system comprising:

a plurality of first information processing apparatuses for offering services;

a plurality of a second information processing apparatus for receiving said services; and

at least one third information processing apparatus for managing translation rules for translating information expressing forms such as languages and scale units,

wherein said first, second and third information processing apparatuses are interconnected via a communication network,

wherein said first information processing apparatus and said second information processing apparatus each comprises;

at least communication means for performing communication with the other information processing apparatus via said communication network,

input/output means for inputting/outputting data, and

storage means for storing data;

wherein said third information processing apparatus comprises at least;

communication means for performing communication with other processing apparatuses via said communication network,

storage means for storing said translation rules, and

translation means for performing translation of the information expressing forms in accordance with said translation rules,

wherein said translation rules include a set of rules stipulating corresponding relationships between words of an intermediate expression having a meaning common to a plurality of languages and words of a specific language, and by a set of rules stipulating corresponding relationships between scale units of said intermediate expression and scale units translated into values accompanied by specific scale units serving as standards for units such as length, weight, or currency and specific scale units, and

wherein, upon reception of words of specific language or specific scale units from said communication network, said translating means translates words of the values accompanied by said specific language into words of said intermediate expression while translating said specific scale units into scale units of said intermediate expression by making use of said translation rules, while upon reception of the words of said intermediate expression of the scale units of said intermediate expression from said communication network, said translating means translates the words of said intermediate expression into the words of the specific language and translates the scale units of said intermediate expression into values accompanied by said specific scale units.

7. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system according to claim 6, wherein

said third information processing apparatus is provided for each of the languages or for each of the scale units, respectively;

and wherein each of said first information processing apparatus and said second information processing apparatuses includes;

means for selecting information expressing forms discretely for said languages or for said the scale units, respectively;

means for storing communication addresses of said third information processing apparatuses discretely for said languages or said scale units, respectively; and

means for acquiring the communication addresses for said third information processing apparatuses on the basis of the classes of the data being attempted for translation unless the translation rule relevant to said data is available.

8. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system according to claim 6,

wherein an information processing apparatus for managing communication addresses of said third information processing apparatus is connected to said communication network.

9. A multi-language compatible service offering/receiving system according to claim 6, wherein said translation rule have a classifier representing a name which conceptually encompasses words to undergo said translation and an item name as attributes,

and wherein said translating means performs translation of said information expressing forms by limiting the words to undergo the translation to words of conceptually lower rank encompassed by said classifier and said item name as designated.

18. The system recited in claim 6, further comprising a unit which permits a user to gain access to the rules.

10. In an information processing apparatus connected to a network and including a display device, a method of displaying data, comprising the steps of:

responding to reception of data via said network to make decision as to whether data given in an intermediate expression common to information processing apparatuses connected to said network is contained in the received data, said data given in said intermediate expression is included in a translation rule table containing a set of rules stipulating corresponding relationships between intermediate expression scale units and scale units translated into values accompanied by specific scale units, serving as standards for units such as length, weight, or currency; and

displaying data of specific expression when contained in said received data after having translated said common intermediate expression into the specific expression preset inherently to said information processing apparatus, the specific expression being translated from scale unit of intermediate expression contained in the received data.

11. A data displaying method according to claim 10, wherein said information processing apparatus is provided with a translation rule table containing correspondence relations for translation of said intermediate expression into said specific expression,

comprising the step of;

translating said intermediate expression into said specific expression by referencing said translation rule table.

12. A data displaying method according to claim 11, wherein

said translation rule table contains a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between words of an intermediate expression each having a meaning common to a plurality of languages and words of a specific language,

and wherein in said displaying step, the word of said specific language resulting from translation of the word of said intermediate expression contained in said received data is displayed.

14. A data displaying method according to claim 11,

wherein upon reception of data containing data given in said intermediate expression from said network, said information processing apparatus sends out a request for acquisition of relevant translation rule table to other information processing apparatus via said network, unless the translation rule table pertinent to said data of intermediate expression as received is available in the first mentioned information processing apparatus.

15. In an information processing apparatus connected to a network and including a storage unit for storing information to be sent via said network, a method of sending data, comprising the steps of:

making decision as to whether data of a specific expression is contained in data held by said information processing apparatus upon sending of said data onto said network;

translating said data of specific expression as contained in the data held by said information processing apparatus into data of an intermediate expression common to information processing apparatuses provided on said network, said data of said intermediate expression is included in a translation rule table containing a set of rules stipulating corresponding relationships between intermediate expression scale units and scale units translated into values accompanied by specific scale units, serving as standards for units such as length, weight, or currency; and

sending data containing the translated data onto said network, the translated data being the scale unit of said intermediate expression translated from said specific scale unit.

16. A data sending method according to claim 15, wherein said information processing apparatus is provided with a translation rule table containing correspondence relation for translation of said specific expression into said intermediate expression,

comprising the step of:

translating said intermediate expression into said specific expression by referencing said translation rule table.

17. A data sending method according to claim 16, wherein

said translation rule table contains a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between words of said intermediate expression each having a meaning common to a plurality of languages and words of a specific language,

and wherein in said translating step, the word of said specific language contained in said data to be sent out is translated into word of said intermediate language.

19. A data sending method according to claim 16,

wherein upon sending of data containing data given in said specific expression onto said network, said information processing apparatus sends out a request for acquisition of relevant translation rule table to other information processing apparatus via said network, unless the translation rule table pertinent to said data of the specific expression is available in the said information processing apparatus.

21. The method recited in claim 15, wherein said translation rule table is updated periodically with information which includes at least one of new translation rules and modifications of existing translation rules.

20. In an information processing apparatus connected to a network for transferring data sent out from a first information processing apparatus to a second information processing apparatus,

a method of transferring data, comprising the steps of:

determining a communication address of said second destination information processing apparatus added to data sent from said first information processing apparatus,

making decision as to whether data of a specific expression is contained in the data to be transferred,

translating data of said specific expression as contained in said data to be transferred into specific expression pertinent to said second information processing apparatus;

transferring data containing the translated data to said second information processing apparatus.